Look at that smug little smarty-pants.

I should note that we're not going to be studying the adventures of Frank Reade. No. We're interested in his son. Frank Reade Junior.

You might think that Junior just retreaded Dad's stories for a new audience, but no. All new stories! That Frank Reade Sr. stuff was for pops. Senior dealt with steam. Junior had other ideas.

The stories are credited to "Noname," which seems a rather unimaginative and slightly bitter way of attaining anonymity. But since the very first Frank Reade story was a bald and naked swipe of someone else’s idea, you might understand his reluctance to fly under his own flag.

The author was in fact Luis Senarens, which someone called “the American Jules Verne.” You’ll see why that’s so, and you’ll come to love these intrepid tales. And you’ll never quite shake the desire to pop that guy in the kisser, either.

I mean LOOK at that guy.

Lileks

04.06.15

PS 07 21 22 Updates underway in the Color section.