Cosmic Treadmill ep. 97 - Young Romance #1 (1947)

Hello, romanticizers of four-color funnybooks! In this episode, love doctors Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) tackle the mysteries of love, when they read the first romance comic book ever published: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Young Romance #1 from 1947! After the needed run-down on Jack and Joe, our heartstrong pair discuss the conditions that created the romance comic, and then read all four (or five?) stories contained within the first one--with special emphasis on "The Plight of the Suspicious Bridegroom" and its unconvential storytelling device. Then, after an informative break, our duo talk about other romance comics and why they practically vanished in the 1970s. All this, and some listener mail! This episode will surely make you swoon!

Cosmic Treadmill ep. 87 - Jungle Comics #2 (1940)

Salutations, noble comic book savages! In this episode, our intrepid explorers Chris (@AceComics) and Reggie (@reggiereggie) plumb the depths of the dark interior of the African continent when they read Jungle Comics #2, published by Fiction House in 1940! They go through all nine(!) stories within the issues, providing creator bios and background information where applicable, with a special emphasis on the ninth story--the first appearance of the first female superhero, Fantomah by Fletcher Hanks! Then, after a break, the stalwart adventurers detail the life of Fantomah, and give a brief history of Fiction House, a seminal Golden Age comics publisher. You'll like the jungle so much, you'll never want to go back to Greystoke!