Saturday, August 22, 2009

The Search, Initial Description

I have been looking for years - and spending too much money buying the wrong comics - for a comic I purchased on a summer vacation long ago...a particularly good vacation enjoyed with family now deceased.

Info: If I remember correctly, we are talking about the early 1970s - summer. Most likely either August 1971 or August 1972 (which means the comic had an October date on the cover?). However, it could be as early as 1970, or as late as 73-74; however, the most likely dates are 71 or 72.

Based on the story type, I am thinking it may have been a scifi anthology type comic. However, I have ordered, for example, all the From Beyond the Unknown and Strange Adventures comics from that time period, and none of them are the right ones. Keep in mind it could be a "superhero" (DC?) line, either a main story (unlikely) or possibly a reprint filler story after the main one. Or, a "DC special" comic or one of Marvel's reprint lines of 50s-60s comics?

The panel I remember was that a character of the story, or the narrator, was describing his society of the future and/or his planet. The thing he was describing was that they were able to mass produce cyborg workers on an assembly line (or something like that - almost 40 years ago, this memory is).

What I do remember is that the cyborgs were depicted as green and faceless - looking remarkably like the Mad Thinker's android of Fantastic Four 71 (vol. 1 - old comic). That's the clearest memory of the comic - showing the faceless green cyborgs being mass produced. That's something I'm reasonably definite about.

Again, it seems to have been a scifi type story - whether from an anthology comic..I don't know - less likely, but still possible, is a story line from a "superhero" line (probably DC), or maybe an "extra" story at the end of a regular superhero comic (i.e., a reprinted story).

It's possible that the years are wrong, but based on family vacation history, 71 or 72 are the most likely years (70 and 73 being outside possibilities). Hopefully, this was a comic on the newsstands then - and not a used comic that I bought from someone. Let's assume it was on the newsstands at that time.

Storyline may have been of the "Earth for Sale" variety - but the comic is NOT From Beyond the Unknown 25 (which I have) which has the "Earth for Sale" story of the swindler being himself swindled by aliens (and which shows robot workers on an assembly line). That comic I have and it is not the right one - although one story line may have been copied from another.

Again, the clearest and most definitive info is of the green cyborgs...

Note: this was not a "monster tale" featuring the cyborgs - it was a scifi tale in which the cyborgs were featured only in that one panel..but that's the only panel I clearly remember..my favorite one...

This has been driving me nuts for years trying to find this comic, any info is appreciated. This is been an "ongoing project" for years, it would be great to finally have resolution.

If the comic exists, it is within a particular time frame (early 70s) and within a seasonal time frame (summer vacation time). So, there is some focus, but can't quite put my finger on it....

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