George Roussos Inks DR. STRANGE But Not Dr. Strange

George Roussos is credited in the Grand Comics Database with anonymously inking the Dr. Strange story "The Return of the Omnipotent Baron Mordo" in Strange Tales 114 (Nov/63). The comment suggests that he may have been brought on board because Stan Lee wanted to rush the story into that issue (Dr. Strange stories appeared in 110 and 111 but not in 112 and 113).

Actually Steve Ditko had plenty of time to ink the story. And then Stan had the time to have Roussos do artwork corrections.

Roussos inked Victoria Bentley. I might have said he redrew her, but I see Ditko's poses still there. Dr. Strange himself, Mordo, and so on, are pretty much Steve Ditko's work, pencils and inks. Roussos may have contributed a bit more—on this page, the tree in panel 3 and Mordo's hands in panel 6 look like his brushstrokes—but to my eye the men's faces are more finely inked than Victoria's.

Trapani and Company on Flying Saucers

Sal Trapani had a signed story in each issue of Dell's Flying Saucers (#5 reprinted #1). Who ghosted the pencils for him? I'd say two artists we're familiar with.

I believe I see the generic Charlton style of Bill Molno under three stories; the tier from "Swamp Gas" uses the man-at-the-steering-wheel shot I compared in stories signed by Molno and those Molno ghosted for Joe Shuster.

In the fourth Trapani-signed story the penciling style changes and reminds me of the scratchy effect in mid-seventies Charlton work by Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico. The clouds from the flying saucer in "Space Spiders?" show it most obviously.

There are two FS stories which Trapani left unsigned because he had nothing to do with them, but the general Charlton feel seems to have connected him with them. They're both pencilled by Dick Giordano. I can't say who inked them; not only do I not see Trapani work, I can't say I see Giordano himself or Frank McLaughlin on the inks either.

Flying Saucers Trapani or Giordano art

Apr/67	1	Strange Shoot Out	p: Bill Molno  i: Sal Trapani
July/	2	Swamp Gas	p: Molno  i: Trapani
Oct/	3	The Fear of Death	p: Dick Giordano  i: ?
		A Nightmare in Broad Daylight	p: Molno  i: Trapani
Nov/	4	Trust Your Eyes	p: Giordano  i: ?
		Space Spiders?	p: Bill Fraccio  i: Trapani

Double Date with Candy and Tippy

Just as Stan Lee reused only his own scripts when he refried Millie the Model stories, when Jack Mendelsohn reused old scripts as a writer for Tippy Teen at Tower, he reused only his own—his own Candy stories from Quality in the Fifties. They are indeed rewrites, some more, some less; the gag climaxing "Chemical Warfare" is different from the one ending "Chemical Formula."

The Tippy character Ashley Hartburn (think Reggie Mantle) comes directly from Candy's cast with no name change.

The first story in Tippy 1, "Great Skate," is by Mendelsohn, as I've mentioned, but I don't see an earlier version of it. There are a lot more Quality/Tower refries, but since I have a gap in Tippi issues on hand after 3, I'll stop here for now.

Jack Mendelsohn Tippy Teen 1-3 scripts
reworking his Candy ones

Nov/65	1	Chemical Warfare
		from "Chemical Formula" CANDY 42 (Sep/53)
Jan/66	2	Hearts and Flowers
		from "Hearts and Flowers" CANDY 33 (Dec/52)
		Muscle Tussle
		from "Muscle Tussle" CANDY 32 (Nov/52)
		Inferior Decorating
		from 2nd Candy story CANDY 37 (Apr/53)
		Volley Folly
		from 4th Candy story CANDY 37 (Apr/53)
		A Sight for Sore Eyes [GO-GO AND ANIMAL]
		from "A Sight for Sore Eyes" CANDY 49 (July/54)
		Starlet Fever
		from "Is It a Cinema?" CANDY 33 (Dec/52)
Mar/	3	3rd Finger Right Hand
		from "3rd Finger Right Hand" CANDY 51 (Nov/54)
		Very Dear Diary
		from 1st Candy story CANDY 37 (Apr/53)
		Sweep No More My Lady
		from "Sweep No More, My Lady" CANDY 45 (Dec/53)
		A Stretch in Time
		from 2nd Candy story CANDY 36 (Mar/53)
		Odd Appreciation [GO-GO]
		from "Odd Appreciation" CANDY 33 (Dec/52)
		Keeping 'Em in Stitches
		from "Knot One, Purl Two" CANDY 35 (Feb/53)
		Good Deed Indeed-y
		from "One Good Turn Deserves Another" CANDY 51 (Nov/54)
		Axe Me No Questions
		from 5th Candy story CANDY 36 (Mar/53)