Lars of Mars (1951 Ziff Davis) comic books 1938-1955

Painted cover by Allen Anderson. Stories and art by Gene Colan, Jerry Siegel, Vic Martin, and Murphy Anderson. Sent to Earth to prevent nuclear war, Lars of Mars must first convince TV producer June Conway that he's a real Martian. In the meantime, he is abducted by crime boss Bixby, who forces him to take part in a bank robbery. The writer for the Lars stories is Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman, who said, "I knew people would have difficulty forgetting a Martian with a Swedish name." Captain Ken Brady, Rocket Pilot, battles space pirates, in a story with early art by future Marvel legend Gene Colan. Plus a history of Earth's fascination with Mars and the people who might live there. And fun facts about the solar system. Terrific painted cover by Allen Anderson is a smorgasbord of Golden Age sci-fi tropes. Do People Live on Mars?; Lars of Mars; Villain or Hero?; The Boomerang; Captain Ken Brady, Rocket Pilot: Pirates of the Airways!; Modern Miracles; The Terror from the Sky; Solar Facts. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.

Painted cover by Allen Anderson. Stories and art by Gene Colan, Jerry Siegel, and Murphy Anderson. Sent to Earth to prevent nuclear war, Lars of Mars must first convince TV producer June Conway that he's a real Martian. "Rascally totalitarian scientist" Dr. Raskov creates a freezing gun that threatens to upset the balance of power in the Cold War, unless Lars can destroy it. Lars tries to help a baseball pro live up to a little boy's admiration of him. The writer for the Lars stories is Jerry Siegel, co-creator of Superman, who said, "I knew people would have difficulty forgetting a Martian with a Swedish name." Captain Ken Brady, Rocket Pilot, investigates the mystery of The Boy Who Wasn't There, in a story with early art by future Marvel legend Gene Colan. In another Colan story, a family goes on a weekend outing to the Moon, a routine occurrence in the year 2000. Plus fun facts about Mars and the Universe, and Amazing Prophecies. Another terrific painted cover by Allen Anderson, a highlight of the short-lived series. Our Amazing Universe; The Terror Weapon!; The Crucial Game!; Amazing Prophecies; A Certain Type of Magic; Week-End on the Moon; Captain Ken Brady, Rocket Pilot: The Boy Who Wasn't There; This Weird World; The Earthshaker! Final issue of the series; some stories were reprinted in 3-D in the 1980s. 32 pages, Full Color. Cover price $0.10.