Zip Comics #2 - pt. 6

We're going to spend one more post on Zip Comics #2, not because this Zambini story is so good, but because there's a lot going on here that still bears observing.

Here is a new spell -- maybe a 3rd level spell? -- that I'd call Ice Sheathe. It creates a flexible sheathe of ice around you that makes you temporarily immune to all fire damage.

In tier 3, we see Zambini has another new spell that I'd call Fist of Iron, which lets him temporarily wreck things like a superhero.

The more I see these Inferians, the more I like them. They are somewhat Dalek-like, in that they have a simple geometric body shape, appear to be robots, but are living, hateful beings. They can be encountered in large numbers, I think I see 18 of them there in that last panel. And, ooo - they have energy lances!

Well, flaming spears, but energy lances sounds cooler.

Unfortunately, because magic-users are always ridiculously overpowered, Zambini easily shields himself with a Polymorph Aura-like spell that turns anything approaching him harmless (that's got to be a 7th-level spell). Although, actually, why can't thrown icicles hurt him? I wouldn't agree that is harmless. Maybe the spell only transforms things into something less harmful, which could be a lower level spell (4th?).

Zambini's Vibration spell seems awfully specific, most useful on glass men. Perhaps it's an Earthquake spell, which would also create vibrations, and affects a large area of effect.

And lastly, Zambini uses a Move Earth spell to imprison their king.

If you've managed to swallow the rest of this story, including the glass tree stretching the entire length of the solar system, and you can accept that the tree is still there, that the planet hasn't revolved away from this position; see if you can wrap your head around Zambini using a Missile Reflection spell on Prof. Stargaze, turning him to ash. Then Reincarnating him as a rat. Then polymorphing the rat back into the Professor's form when they get back to Earth. So...the Professor has the mind of a rat now? Does Zambini see this as an improvement? Bit of a jerk move...

(Scans courtesy of Comic Book Plus.)