May 9
(via Zaza the Mystic #10 - 1st appearance - Pencil Ink)
cover by Charles Nicholas and Rocco Mastroserio - 1956
seen from T1
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from Vietnam
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Spain
seen from Oman
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Netherlands
seen from T1
seen from Malaysia
seen from Spain
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Belarus
seen from Malaysia
(via Zaza the Mystic #10 - 1st appearance - Pencil Ink)
cover by Charles Nicholas and Rocco Mastroserio - 1956
MR. MUSCLES #22 (March, 1956). Cover by Maurice Whitman.
MR. MUSCLES #23 (August, 1956). Cover by Charles Nicholas and Vince Alascia.
Mr. Muscles was an early superhero attempt from Charlton Comics (which had largely avoided the long underwear set), created by Jerry Siegel. Yes, the same Jerry Siegel who co-created Superman.
He was really Brett Carson, whose identity was publicly known. Carson had been a weak, sickly kid diagnosed with polio (before Dr. Jonas Salk helped all but eradicate that disease). Carson, through sheer willpower, cured his body of polio. Then he applied that willpower to working out, and gave himself the world's greatest physique - with a measure of super-strength - in the process.
Mr. Muscles was a lousy superhero. He didn't fight supervillains. He didn't even battle criminals. Just guys who were jealous of his magnificent physique.
Boring.
The character, not surprisingly given the concept and pretty terrible art, never caught on. Only two issues were ever published, and then Mr. Muscles (and his sidekicks Kid Muscles and Miss Muscles) shuffled off into comic book limbo.
And if you're confused by the issue numbering, you're not alone. The book originally started out as a horror/monster comic, The Thing! Come issue #18, Charlton re-titled the book Blue Beetle, which lasted four issues. Then the book became Mr. Muscles.
And then it died.
Charles Nicholas and Vincent Alascia “First Trip to the Moon” Space Adventures No. 23 (May 1958) Source
Charles Nicholas and Vincent Alascia Outer Space #22 (May 1959) Source
From a story by Charles Nicholas in Daring Mystery Comics #7, April 1941.
Info from Grand Comics Database
Plastic Man and Woozy Winks versus the Sandman by Charles Nicholas
Vintage Comic - Mystery Men #017
Pencils: Charles Nicholas
Inks: Charles Nicholas
Fox (Dec1940)
WEB OF EVIL #13 (Quality Comics, 1954)
"The Ghoul of Ghost Swamp"
The Ghoul strangely reminds me of Marvel's The Porcupine. And Man-Thing. I'm a total sucker for swamp monsters!
"Charles Nicholas" -- an alias for Chuck Cuidera, who drew early Blackhawk comics for Quality, as well as Jack Kirby and war artist, Charles Wojtkoski -- did the interior art on this story, but did he do the cover? It's possible...
BHOC: THE MANY GHOSTS OF DOCTOR GRAVES #25
BHOC: THE MANY GHOSTS OF DOCTOR GRAVES #25
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