Friday, March 16, 2007

The Weirdworld of Captain Atom and Peter Cannon... Thunderbolt!

This one-shot issue is one of many such unnumbered specials published by K.G. Murray between 1981 and 1983. There is one other Weirdworld issue, Planet Series 3 No. 3, from 1980.

Many of the one-shots published after 1980 have titles and contents similar to other Planet Series issues, such as War Heroes, Shadows From Beyond and Unexplored Worlds, enough to warrant grouping them as an unofficial Planet Series 4.

It’s quite an interesting variety of contents. To the best of my knowledge there is no K.G. Murray series (or one-shot) dedicated to Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt as there is for other Charlton characters such as Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Peacemaker and Judo Master. There are still a few gaps in my collection of the three volumes of Planet Series, so anything could transpire. So until some of these gaps are filled in I’ll refer to this issue as the only K.G. Murray reprint source of Pete Morisi’s Thunderbolt, with a caveat.

This issue also contains a couple of instalments of Steve Ditko’s second stint on Captain Atom, a nice companion piece to the Captain Atom issue discussed earlier. I expect (and hope!) to find even more of this second volume of Captain Atom lurking in other K.G. Murray one-shots from this period.

Weirdworld NN, $0.99 cover price, circa late 1982-early 1983
Captain Atom: Death Knell of the World! Joe Gill/Steve Ditko/Rocke Mastroserio
(Captain Atom #80, April-May 1966)

Ordeal (Original unidentified, Job Number A-2550, 4 pages)

Peter Cannon... Thunderbolt: Encore: The Hooded One Pete Morisi
(Thunderbolt #58, July 1967)

The Confrontation Joe Gill/Mo Marcus/Sal Trapani
(Space Adventures #6, March 1969)

The Sensational Sentinels!: Night of Doom Denny O'Neil/Sam Grainger
(Thunderbolt #59, September 1967)

The Space Warriors Bill Molno/Pat Masulli
(Fightin' Five #29, October 1964 TBC)

Captain Atom: Ravage of Ronthor David Kaler/Steve Ditko/Frank McLaughlin
(Captain Atom #88, October 1967)

Men on Mars Tony Tallarico
(Outer Space #1, November 1968)

The Lively Forest Rocke Mastroserio
(Space Adventures #48, November 1962)

Space Officers: Trouble on Phobos Dick Giordano
(Space Adventures #2, July 1968)

Peter Cannon... Thunderbolt: Face of the Dragon Pat Boyette
(Thunderbolt #57, May 1967)

The Race Bill Molno
(Blue Beetle #52, October 1965)

Update 5/8/2019: Based on data to hand I now think this issue was published November 1982. And courtesy AusReprints the cover to this issue previously appeared on a pulp novel published in Spain

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