Showcase #17

(November-December 1958)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Garcelon Stamp Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Secret of the Eternal City! (Table of Contents: 2)

Adam Strange / comic story / 14.33 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox; Edmond Hamilton (co-plot)

Pencils

Mike Sekowsky

Inks

Frank Giacoia; Joe Giella

Colors

?

Letters

Gaspar Saladino

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Across 25 trillion miles of space the planet Rann circles the star-sun Alpha Centauri--surely a strange place to...

Genre

adventure; science fiction

Characters

Adam Strange (introduction, origin); Alanna [aka Allana] (introduction); Sardath (Alanna's father scientist, introduction); inhabitants of Samakand; The Eternals (villains, introduction for all)

Synopsis

An Earth archaeologist is caught by a "zeta-beam" and teleported to Rann near Alpha Centauri where he meets Alanna and Sardath. Alien invaders, called The Eternals, attack the planet while Adam and Alanna journey to the Brigadoon-like city of Samakand to locate a life-metal called "vitatron." Adam tricks the aliens so they're stuck in Samakand, but then he fades away, returning to Earth, awaiting the next zeta-beam.

Reprints

• in All Favourites, The 100-Page Comic (K. G. Murray, 1957 ? series) #12 ([April 1959] ?)
• in Secret Origins (DC, 1961 series) #1 ([Summer] 1961)
• in Strange Adventures (DC, 1950 series) #217 (March-April 1969)
• in Flash (Arédit-Artima, 1970 series) #28 (mai 1976) [N&B et recadré [B&W and reframed]]
• in Mysteries in Space: The Best of DC Science Fiction Comics (Simon and Schuster, 1980 series) ([April] 1980)
• in The Essential Showcase 1956-1959 (DC, 1992 series) (1992 [February 1993])
• in Secret Origins Replica Edition (DC, 1998 series) #1 ([February] 1998)
• in The Adam Strange Archives (DC, 2004 series) #1 ([April] 2004)
• in Showcase Presents: Adam Strange (DC, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in Showcase Presents: Showcase (DC, 2012 series) #1 ([September] 2012)
• in DC Universe Secret Origins (DC, 2013 series) (2012 [June 2013])
• in DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection (Eaglemoss Publications, 2015 series) #48 - DC - Neue Horizonte 2 ([Januar 2016])
• in Adam Strange: The Silver Age Omnibus (DC, 2017 series) ([September] 2017)

Keywords

Alpha Centauri; Caramanga (an Incan city); Menticizer; Ranagar; Rann (a planet introduction); Vitatron; Zeta-Beam

Indexer Notes

Adam wears his civilian work clothes throughout. The story length reflects that pages 8 and 15 of the story are only 2/3 of a page long, with an ad below on each of them.

Though most sources have credited Sachs with the inks to this story, Gene Reed notes that Giacoia and Giella often co-inked stories and this is their work, not Sachs'. Bob Hughes also mentions that the first Adam Strange and Space Rangers stories were worked out in conference, so Ed Hamilton should be given co-plotting credit here. (Thanks to Victor Lim for bringing up this issue on the GCD Error Tracker.)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

Tootsie Roll / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

[Guarantee of the Best in Comics Reading] (Table of Contents: 4) (Expand) /

House of Secrets; Strange Adventures / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Look to the Stars! (Table of Contents: 5)

public service announcement / 1 page (report information)

Script

Jack Schiff

Pencils

Lou Cameron

Inks

Lou Cameron

Colors

?

Letters

Ira Schnapp

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Gosh, Bob, we're lost!

Genre

advocacy

Characters

Bob; Ted

Synopsis

Bob and Ted are "never lost" in the woods, because Bob can navigate by the stars, same as sailors, cowboys, and plane navigators.

Indexer Notes

On the page immediately following the previous page. Published in cooperation with The National Social Welfare Assembly.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

Our Strange Universe! / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Our sun (plus its retinue of planets) is whirling...

Genre

non-fiction; math & science

Synopsis

Educational facts about space, the sun, and stars.

Indexer Notes

On the page immediately preceding page 9 of the previous story sequence.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7) (Expand) /

Tootsie Roll Pop / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

[Tebutt's Comet, Halley's Comet, Pons-Winnecke Comet] (Table of Contents: 8)

Curious Comets / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The French astronomer J.C. Jannsen was the first to photograph a comet--Tebutt's Comet of 1881...

Genre

math & science

Synopsis

Educational info on Tebutt's Comet, Halley's Comet, and the Pons-Winnecke Comet.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9) (Expand) /

Palisades Amusement Park / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

The Three-in-One Star (Table of Contents: 10)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Alpha Centauri has the distinction of being the nearest star to Earth (excluding, of course, our solar system sun).

Genre

math & science

Synopsis

Educational information on Alpha Centauri, the nearest star to our solar system.

Keywords

Alpha Centauri; Proxima Centauri

Indexer Notes

An editor's note on page 5 of "Secret of the Eternal City" refers the reader to this text article.

The Planet and the Pendulum! (Table of Contents: 11)

Adam Strange / comic story / 9.67 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox; Edmond Hamilton (co-plot)

Pencils

Mike Sekowsky

Inks

Frank Giacoia; Joe Giella

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Those alien invaders... shooting space-torpedoes at me--to stop me from...

Genre

adventure; science fiction

Characters

Alanna; Sardath; Adam Strange; New Ranagar citizens; barbarians of the tribe of Zoora from the city Yardana (villains); invaders from Morleen (villains)

Synopsis

Zapped by the zeta-beam, Adam is teleported to Rann, where he is captured by primitive tribesmen, who believe their “Rainbow Doom” device will execute him. However, the device is actually a teleporter which sends him to Rann’s sister planet Anthorann. He meets Alanna and Sardath, who had used knowledge from Samakand scientists to journey to Anthorann, but crashed. Adam dons a Rann spacesuit from the wreckage and faces invaders from Morleen, who swing a "diamondium" pendulum to cut open the dome of New Ranagar. Adam ray-blasts the shaft, inducing the aliens to flee, then fades away to Earth.

Reprints

• in All Star Adventure Comic (K. G. Murray, 1959 series) #59
• in The Hundred Comic Monthly (K. G. Murray, 1956 ? series) #32 ([May 1959])
• in Sidéral (Arédit-Artima, 1958 series) #27 (juin 1960) [N&B/B&W]
• in Strange Adventures (DC, 1950 series) #218 (May-June 1969)
• in Big Boss (Arédit-Artima, 1970 series) #45 (1980) [N&B [B&W]]
• in The Essential Showcase 1956-1959 (DC, 1992 series) (1992 [February 1993])
• in The Adam Strange Archives (DC, 2004 series) #1 ([April] 2004)
• in Showcase Presents: Adam Strange (DC, 2007 series) #1 ([October] 2007)
• in Showcase Presents: Showcase (DC, 2012 series) #1 ([September] 2012)
• in Adam Strange: The Silver Age Omnibus (DC, 2017 series) ([September] 2017)
• in Mysteries of Love in Space (DC, 2019 series) #1 (March 2019)

Keywords

Anthorann; Rainbow Doom; Zeta-beam

Indexer Notes

The ending promises more in the next issue of "Showcase's Adventures on Other Worlds!"

Though most sources have credited Sachs with the inks to this story, Gene Reed notes that Giacoia and Giella often co-inked stories and this is their work, not Sachs'. Bob Hughes also mentions that the first Adam Strange and Space Rangers stories were worked out in conference, so Hamilton should be given co-plotting credit here. (Thanks to Victor Lim for bringing up this issue on the GCD Error Tracker.)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12) (Expand) /

Tootsie Roll / advertisement / 0.33 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13) (Expand) /

American Specialty Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 14) (Expand) /

Stephens Credit Sales / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

National Radio Institute / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

American Geographical Society's Around the World Program / advertisement / 1 page (report information)