Tales of Fantasy back issues

TOF #44, 48 pages, November 2008 

Lew Brown stars in “Saucer Patrol.” In this 17-page tale he picks up a toy from Crowe’s Curios he once had as a child sparking a weird experience. In “Lou Braun Super Scientist” (9 pages) Lew is cast into this futuristic “over-the-top” adventure in the lines of the works of Golden Age artist Fletcher Hanks. And “Jesse Stuart” in “Paradise” written by Mike Tuz (9 pages) marks the debut of a science fiction character I worked on back in the early 1970s, my first small press comics! An essay on Gold Key’s 1960s comic Mighty Samson and Space Cat can also be found this issue.

TOF #48, November 2009

“From Venus With Love” (33 pages) features Lew Brown and his brother Freddy in their quest to meet their brother Martin, whom they recently learned about at the time of their father’s death (in “Saucer Patrol” #44). Their brother Martin is a lieutenant in the Air Force working on a secret project in New Mexico. Lew has been drawn there for an important purpose and learns about his connection to the planet Venus! Lew Brown’s 25th anniversary is also commemorated in this issue with an essay and Space Cat visits the circus!

TOF #50, May 2010, 48 pages

A strange woman appears at Madame Boogala’s shop one day who appears to be a doll-like construction. Learn the mystery of “The Patchwork Woman,” this issue’s 20 page lead feature. Bart Rover returns as a moth man this time in “Float Like A Butterfly” (highly acclaimed by readers), this issue’s text adventure, and Space Cat encounters a mean bird in “Cat Bird Sweet”. We also have a few special features celebrating TOF’s 50th issue.

TOF #52 November 2010, 44 pages

Detective Kolowski is hooked on cigarettes and one evening he visits Madame Boogala’s shop feeling quite ill from all his smoking! She then delves into the mystery of “Up In Smoke!” in this issue’s lead story. Bart Rover, our shape shifting android hunter learns the secret of “Pansy Power” in his latest adventure. Space Cat has a “Krazy” adventure and Mails of Fantasy is here as well.

TOF #53 March 2011, 44 pages

Madame Boogala encounters the engineer Joe Carbone; he’s created a ray to render objects invisible for the military and has tested it on a mechanical man with suprising results! Join the Madame, her son Goomar and Detective Kolowski as they track down this errant creature, “The Invisible Giant” in this issue’s 23-page lead tale. “Klak-torr The Conqueror” written by Mike Tuz and illustrated by LEJ is the back up tale this time. We have a text piece on DC’s 1960s series Mark Merlin and Space Cat shows up too.

TOF #54, 44 pages, July 2011

Learn the secrets of a 100 year old television device that is able to see things beyond the normal range of human vision when Lew Brown’s Cousin discovers “The Image Oscillator” in Crowe’s Curios in this issue’s lead 23 page adventure. Bart Rover, our shape shifting android hunter runs into an old flame in “The Lady and The Bug and Space Cat experiences a haunting this time out! Mails of Fantasy and Jesse Stuart on the back cover round out this issue.

TOF #55 44 pages, October 2011

Join Jesse Stuart in the far flung future, a federation officer lost in space lands on a world where he meets a beautiful and alluring woman named Grdzk and learns of the pleasures and dangers of that world in this issue’s lead 22 page adventure, “A Line In The Sand.” This tale was written by Mike Tuz and is illustrated by Larry Johnson. “Tales of the BSI” features the scientists Joe Carbone, Gabrielle LeGrande and Thomas Brown in “Small World” detailing some experiments with beetles gone awry! Space Cat shows up too!

TOF #56, 40 page digest January 2012

Imagine a talking crow, and then imagine this crow witnessing a strange little creature giving Goomar, Madame Boogala’s son a venomous bite. He’s in a coma and his mother needs help reviving him! Meet Crowcuss in this engaging 25-page adventure entitled (naturally), “As The Crow Flies!” And yes,  Space Cat and all the usual fun stuff is in this issue as well. 

#57 May 2012, 40 pages

Biochemist Gabrielle LeGrande’s experiment with a spider named Penelope results in the bug growing to huge proportions! She builds her web between city buildings to catch her prey! How do the citizens of Brookston react to this? Find out in “Along Came A Spider” this issue’s lead tale. We also have an essay “The Science of Jesse Stuart” by Mike Tuz, Dream Diary, Space Cat and Mails of Fantasy.

TOF #58 July 2012, 44 pages

Something strange is going on in the City of Arlong! People are just disappearing, and when they return – well – they just aren’t acting like themselves! Zooy, the original star of Tales of Fantasy returns for a fun romp in this issue’s 22 page lead adventure entitled, “The Mighty Yammite!” Zooy is one of my oldest comic book characters created over 50 years ago. Other features include a wacky Dream Diary, Space Cat and a lengthy letters column.

TOF #59, 48 page digest comic, October 2012

Imagine a glove, an electronic glove that holds immense power. From a distance you can knock your opponent down, at close proximity you can cause real harm, and direct contact Criminals in the city of Brookston are starting to feel the powerful effect of such a weapon wielded by a unique individual, a white clad figure known as “The Hand!” The first two chapters of this new series debut in this issue. Bart Rover stars in “Slime Molding” which is beyond and Space  Cat is here as well.

TOF #60,48 page digest comic, January 2013

Jesse Stuart and his robot companion Dacto, having been lost in space for a long time, come across a world seemingly devoid of life, except for one small area, the location of a zoo. They also discover that this zoo is tended by robots! What happened to the human population on this world? That is the mystery Jesse and Dacto face in this issue’s exciting 34 page story, “A Day At The Zoo!” This issue marks Tales of Fantasy’s 25th anniversary, and features Space Cat and a back cover by Larry Blake.

TOF #61, 52 page digest comic, May 2013

Who is “The Hand?” This strange costumed crime fighter is coming to the rescue on the streets of Brookston. This issue we are treated to Chapters 3 and 4 in this new series. Imagine a shy coffee barista, living with his mother coming into the possession of a powerful atomic powered glove. He can exert an immense force from it from will power alone. What are the responsibilities and consequences of his actions? This cold war weapon has a storied history and you can find out more in this latest installment. Dream Diary is here too.

TOF #62 60 page digest with color covers, August 2013

In the tradition of all the great pulp digests of the past, this issue we divert from our usual content to present an ALL TEXT edition. Three stories featuring Larry Johnson’s signature characters, Lew Brown, Bart Rover and Madame Boogala are featured. In “The Passage in the Darkness” by Mike Tuz, Lew Brown visits an old college buddy to discover a deep, dark secret underground. In “Never Forget” a new Bart Rover adventure written by the editor, the android hunter morphs into a strange elephant-like beast! And in the exciting “Circus of King Carlos” by Perry Lake Madame Boogala stars in a story from the old country where she and a monstrous companion are pitted against some nasty denizens of the dark side of Paris!

TOF #63, 52 page digest, November 2013

This special issue celebrates Zooy’s 50th anniversary! This plucky little hero stars in a brand new story, “Electropolis” where he encounters members of his original crew Reform and Clickwa. Also we have “Zooy and the Silver Witch” (from 1964) a tale Larry Johnson produced when he was 10 years old. In addition we have a special 4 page color centerspread featuring all 72 covers of Zooy’s homemade comic book from the 1960s and 70s. If that’s not enough several essays featuring biographies of the various supporting cast that appeared in his book are also included.

TOF #64, 44 page digest, March 2014

This issue leads off with an exciting science fiction tale entitled “Robot!” Learn the consequences of the resurrection of a Cold War weapon on the residents of Brookston in this story written and illustrated by Larry Johnson with inks by Dan Burke. Also we feature “Growth” another science fiction story, Mysterious Adventures (some wordless tales) and “Not School Work” in which Larry describes his experiences in art class in his high school years.

TOF #65, 48 page digest, May 2014

Reader favorite “The Hand” returns this time with Chapters 5 and 6 of this on-going saga! Freddy Brown, a shy young coffee shop barista, finds himself addicted to using a strange atomic glove which gives him a euphoric feeling and the urge to dress up in costume and “fight crime” on the streets of Brookston. He finds his relationship with this device much more entangled than ever before as he faces dire circumstances! 36 pages of story this time! Plus a new installment of Dream Diary.

TOF #66, 44 page digest, September 2014

Shadows hover about the streets of Brookston, disembodied shadows, and one of them enters Madame Boogala’s shop and possesses her son Goomar in “Shadow of a Doubt”.  The mystery continues when various residents of the city are haunted by the shadows of departed loved ones, as investigated by Dr. Young in “Shadow Play.” Find out what all the intrigue is about in this issue’s suspenseful fare. Also featured are Dream Diary and as an added surprise an installment of “Every Saturday” a Boston newspaper from 1893.

TOF #67,  48 page digest, November 2014

The long awaited chapters 7 and 8 of the on-going “The Hand” saga continues this issue! Freddy Brown has a strange relationship with an atomic-powered glove. When he dons this device he feels compelled to fly out over the streets of Brookston at night on patrol in search of criminals in the act of mugging and other crimes. Through sheer force of will he is able to “zap” these miscreants with a stunning force from his glove. Join us for this gripping drama as we learn more about his fate! In addition we have an episode of Every Saturday, and  Mails of Fantasy even includes a letter from an important artist from the history of comics!

TOF #68, 40 page digest, February 2015

Imagine a man who, through circumstance, has gained the power to exert an electrical force through his hands! He is known as “Ohm The Electric Man” and is employed by Morphote’s Wonders, a side show in the city of Brookston, where he uses this power as a kind of faith healer! He’s the star attraction, quite attractive, but there’s something a little off about him! Join us for the inauguration of this new series in this latest issue. Also we have Every Saturday, a reprint of a n 1893 newspaper, plus Dream Diary! Prepare to be mystified by Tales of Fantasy! Order today!

TOF #69 40-page digest, May 2015

Our new series, “Ohm The Electric Man” continues with three more chapters! Lenny Jones, an inept janitor, electrical engineer wanna-be, has an accident with a generator one night at the Brookston Scientific Institute and suddenly gains the ability to channel electricity through his body! As a side show attraction in “Morphote’s Wonders” he uses his power as a faith healer and he pursues his hedonistic charged desires regardless of the consequences. We have a couple character profiles, reprints of the 1893 newspaper Every Saturday, and Dream Diary!

TOF #70 40 page digest, August 2015

Meet the cowboys of the Broken B Ranch, where strange things have been happening. Something has been eating the cattle, something big and that bears investigating. At the same time a German paleontologist shows up in search of fossilized bones of ancient beasts that had roamed this desolate land out west ages ago. Could one of those creatures still be around? That’s how our story “Taste Like Chicken” begins. Dream Diary and Mails of Fantasy round out this issue.

TOF #71,  40 page digest, November 2015

Mankind’s need to explore and examine the outer reaches of his environment have been a driving force throughout history. A special substance has been developed by a scientist at the Brookston Scientific Institute with the ability to integrate with other materials and the ability to animate and follow remote control commands. Coupled with artificial intelligence it is a novel approach. How intelligent is this substance, and what kind of connection does it have with its creator? Find out in this issue’s outing, “The Solution.” Dream Diary is also here.