The Best Part of Waking Up is Super-Heroes and Super-Gorillas

Wanting something to read during breakfast this morning - I can read comics while eating with little risk of damage to the comic, it's one of my gifts, I grabbed this out of the DC Specials section, perhaps my favouritest section of all.

With my usual banana, toast, and OJ, I enjoyed Superman taking on a Krypton gorilla, The Flash being fooled by Grodd into thinking Grodd had sped up everyone in the city, and Batman and Robin versus a diabolical criminal that wanted to put Batman's brain into a gorilla and pin a series of crimes on him.

I don't advise eating while reading a comic unless you are a trained professional like myself. One of the things to make sure of is that it is about a foot away from where the food is, so the food is between you and the comic, to avoid spillage. Not too far away, or you won't be able to see it. Also, keep a hand clean for page turning. Place the comic on something protective, at least its empty bag and board.

And it happens that my copy of this is unfortunately in about fair/good. Probably don't want to try it with a near mint Detective Comics #27, even with a great set of skills.

Continued on 2nd Page Following: Superboy #167

Okay, yes, a super-strong flying baby, sure, fine. I was believing everything until they said that said baby could crash through a window so fast it wouldn't make any noise. What is this, *snicker*, some kind of supernatural windowpane? What about the falling glass? Air friction burnt it up? I expect realism from comics, dagnabbit!

But not really. I want amazing insanity from any Superbaby story, and they generally deliver. And that is one reason I chose this as this week's installment of the regular feature, an appearance of the blog title in a back issue.

Kamandi on 2nd Page Following

This week's selection is another Kamandi panel - now bigger and with more motorcycles! From Kamandi #13. Yes, I've been rereading, almost obsessing over, this crazy title which can be addictive. I am way on the Kirby bandwagon, and especially for the seventies DC stuff - I think what I like is that he had this unfettered, energetic, enthusiastic imagination that was like a kid playing and coming up with the craziest stuff he can think of, coupled with the storytelling skills of a mature and accomplished artist. That's just a very rare combo.

My Fantastic Four #110 "Variant"

...and speaking of FF, a while back I went and traded some of my reject comics in to help fill some gaps in collections I'm sticking with. I decided a while back that I was going to start my collection of Fantastic Four where Essentials #5 leaves off, at #110, and fill my collection of originals up to about #400 or so (I collected from the late 200's up as they were coming out). Trouble is, as I was trading I got mixed up and took #110 thinking I had to start there, and the one I took was the one pictured above. Everyone's face looks weird, but I actually thought that was because the witchy woman Agatha Harkness was working some of her magic. Remember the phrase "eldritch glow" that was always in scary comics? That's what I thought was responsible, but after looking on cover browser, I realized the colours of that issue are actually supposed to be natural. Looking into just what it was I had, it is apparently an "initial" print where the colour plates were mixed up, that somehow got released to the unwashed masses. So I'm kinda glad I got mixed up and took this issue, it's neat-looking.

Another FF by-the-by: Did anyone else ever find Franklin Richards scary when his eyes glowed? That just kind of freaked me out as a kid.

Spidey's Sick Day/Snow Day - The Amazing Spider-man #277

I've been sick the past couple of days and woke up today after a night of fever remembering this story from the mid-eighties, which was during the high point of my Spider-man fandom. Right away it will be noticed this is during the black suit era, not the suit that was Venom but the handmade version that the Black Cat whipped up for him because she preferred it to the classic, more colorful Mexican wrestler version. I actually feel the same way, even though I'm usually a rabid traditionalist when it comes to costumes.

This particular story, "Cry of the Wendigo" by Charles Vess (story and art), was not the first story in the issue but a backup feature. It was certainly the better part, as the first part was just a tie in to the Daredevil "Born Again" storyline that would be Frank Miller's swansong work on the character who originally catapulted him to well-knownness. I think however it's possible that the Vess thing was meant to be the entire issue but ran too short so they had to whip up the lead-in, but that's just a guess.

So in the superior back-up story, we are first treated to the eye-grabbing splash page shown above, as Spider-man appears to be inexplicably lost in a blizzard. But after a series of panels where he seems to freeze to death, it is revealed...

...that it was all a dream.

Feeling restless, Parker's not about to let a little thing like a blizzard stop him from swinging around the city, I know I sure wouldn't - though of course I'm Canadian.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city it is revealed that the Canadian ambassador and his family have arrived in town. I actually only realized, rereading it today, that it was supposed to be the ambassador from Canada. Well, what did I know when I was 12? They don't name my home and native land, but they refer to having journeyed down to New York and brought the weather with them. Trivia: The current Canadian ambassador to the U.S. is Gary Doer, who used to be the premier, kind of like governor, of my province, Manitoba.

It turns out to be fortunate Spidey has left his cozy bed, as there are nogoodniks about who promptly kidnap the ambassador's little daughter. Spidey chases their van and grabs the girl, but then he is on the run when...


So there is the inspiration for the title, and the other clue of it being the Canadian ambassador. Spidey meanwhile is starting to realize that he's ill and should be in bed. A cold or flu is hampering his strength and other powers considerably. However, when the baddies show up again, Spidey proves he is worthy to be called hero...

After some dazzling Spidey acrobatics and various kicks to the face, he carries the girl to safety but tells the now contained bad guys he will have to send the police after them. One is about to shoot Spider-man in the back - bearing in mind the cold and blizzard are hampering the old Spider-sense - when a sudden blast of snow, led by what appear to be some icy claws, descends on the villain.

After getting the girl back to her parents Peter wisely chooses to head for bed, leaving kidnappings and so forth to New York's many other superheroes.

I'm glad I remembered this. It's a simple but great story. It's nice to see a superhero take on regular villains and I am glad nothing terrible happens, and at the same time, with the dream and Wendigo (does it really exist? - we are left to ponder) it has sort of a horror feel. I sometimes think the horror aspect of Spidey could be played up more - I mean in a lot of ways, he's much like a fifties sci-fi movie monster (an influence seen in several Marvel characters) only his spider-ness doesn't manifest visibly.

That was an era when I was really into Spider-man, and now that I've been able to sample several different eras of Spidey, I still personally prefer it. He was somewhat less angst-ridden and more heroic than in some earlier versions. Issues during this time, usually written by Tom DeFalco and drawn by Ron Frenz, often had to do with Spider-man feeling discouraged by overwhelming odds but having to pull himself together, which probably helped bolster my own spirits during my early adolescence.

What is YOUR Desert Island Comic/Collection/Trade Paperback?

If I ever, for some reason, had to make the sad choice of only having one comic book, collection or trade paperback with me for the rest of my life - this would certainly be a top candidate. It's a great sampler of DC's team-ups and group adventures since just before the Silver Age to the eighties. It starts off with "The Terrible Trio", a story that teams the most famous characters, Superman, Batman and Robin against three big baddies. Other highlights for me include a two part Green Arrow (pre-goatee)/Aquaman adventure from Adventure Comics #267 with art from Ramona Fradon; a super-groovy Atom/Flash team-up from Bob Haney and Alex Toth; Adam Strange and Hawkman together in "Planets in Peril", which possibly began the Rann/Thanagar relationship still being explored today. It's nice to have the first pairing of teen heroes that would become the prototype for the Teen Titans, from Brave and the Bold #54. There's an odd but interesting story about how Tomar Re, the birdheaded Green Lantern, suffers guilt because Krypton was in his space sector, and wonders if he could have done more to prevent its destruction. There are also some indispensable team-up stories like "The Flash of Two Worlds", without which it is difficult to imagine comic history, and the first teaming of the Justice League and the Justice Society. There is also the first Dennis O'Neal/Neal Adams Green Lantern Green Arrow story, the one that kicked it all off. I'm not a huge fan of the Hard Traveling Heroes era but I acknowledge it has a place in comic history. As the volume goes on, it gets to a couple teamings that are interesting though not particularly hard hitting - Batman and the Creeper, and Superman and Swamp Thing, the latter by Alan Moore, whose work I usually don't like. I find the story here to be okay but nothing special other than the opening shot of a stubbly, addled-looking Superman driving a car.

On top of it being a great sampler in terms of characters, many of the great writers and artists are represented. Bob Haney, Gardner Fox, Bruno Premiani, Alex Toth, Ramona Fradon and Mike Sekowsky, to name several. Here's a look at the back cover of my copy, illustration by Carmine Infantino and Bob Smith - with a nice array of characters.

My Favourite Thing I've Gotten Online So Far

I have the Crisis on Infinite Earths Batman in the picture for scale, what I'm really talking about today is the Secret Origins DC Mini Comics. These were originally sold in little plastic bags with Leaf Tart and Tangy candies in the mid eighties. I believe I got every one at the time except for the Superman one, which means I had Hawkman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and the Justice League of America. Despite my love of Superman he may have been low on my list of priorities because I was already abundantly familiar with his origin but in the dark about the others, even Batman, as the Batman I grew up with was mostly the Adam West or Super Friends version who didn't like to dwell on the past much. It actually never even occurred to me that he needed a motivation to be Batman, aside from its own innate lure. What kid wouldn't want to be Batman just for its own sake?

So it was from these tiny comics, two panels a page, 16 pages each, that I got my crash course in DC history. Unfortunately, my own copies vanished at some point, so I was left to wander the earth - or my yard at least- alone, forlorn...until I found them up for auction online. Well, it was six of them - in fact the ones I'd previously owned minus Justice League. I was the top and only bidder, so for a buck I took 'em home, which actually amounts to less than I originally paid; though of course they didn't come with any candy this time. Since the older I get, the more I become susceptible to completist fever, I may have to track down the remaining two at some point. But I'm darn happy to have these, and as a collector I find it's all the bargains I get that help justify the occasional insane splurge.

When Comic Book Thugs Look Like...Alfred Pennyworth?!

There is probably an overlap between Batman and Punisher readers - including, at one time, myself - but I thought I'd post this for the amusement or possible dismay of those who are only familiar with the former.

Yes, it did happen, it was not a dream, not an imaginary story, it was in 1988 in The Punisher #10. Any resemblance between this character and Alfred is probably quite intentional, as his name in the story was Alfred Coppersmith. He was the villain of the issue. He calls people "diphead" and everything, he is not to be messed with.

The DC tributes, or ribbing, or whatever it was, did not stop there, as at one point Frank Castle, the Punisher, disguises himself as Clark Kent...sort of.


Story is by Mike Baron, art by Whilce Portacio.

They See Me Rolling

From Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #69 - I rather think the Nightmobile, which Supes and Jimmy used in their alter-ego identities as Nightwing and Flamebird for tooling around and solving crimes in Kandor, was a pretty cool machine. It's too bad Jimmy couldn't use it to impress Lucy Lane, but on top of it only being used in his secret identity, all of it took place in a bottle on a table in a hidden fortress in the North Pole. Girls never believe it when you tell them about stuff like that.

How To Modernize an Old Comic Book Without Too Much Work

The original panel, from Amazing Spider-man #270, November 1985:


And now the modernized, completely fresh and up to date, mature...heck, dare I say it, even "Ultimate", replacement:


That antiquated old story has suddenly been brought 25 years into the future and is now a thoroughly modern, adult piece of literature that you can beat people over the head with if they say comics aren't for grownups! It's that easy!

(Edit: Second panel altered by myself for satirical purposes)

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Nicolas Cage

Not much beef on this cake, admittedly, but this is today's Beefcake Week selection from the 1993 Marvel Swimsuit Special. I must admit I really like this one, it's a good gag and the painting itself is actually kind of strangely lovely and skilled, a lot of intricate brush strokes go to make up this striking image. Also I like that this is one of those comic related images that is fairly odd in context, and just plain bizarre out of context. One wonders what future archaeologists will make of this sort of thing.

Wolverine's Been Over-Exposed Over The Years, But This is Ridiculous!

Oh, by the way, I'm bringing back "...but this is ridiculous!" I think its time has come 'round again.

I'm really getting into this Beefcake Week idea, mostly due to it giving me a use for the Marvel Swimsuit Specials, so I'll be throwing a few more at ya. I guess this keeps the blog from being too DC-centric, even though I'm sure I've spent less than a hundred bucks on new Marvel stuff in the last ten years. Generally, in terms of overall comic collecting, I'm kinda like 65% DC, 25% Marvel, 10 % other stuff (Gold Key, Dark Horse, Archie, etc.)

I think I can guarantee there won't be any more real brain scamblers like the Punisher one, just nice tasteful ones...sort of. Anyway, I really actually like todays. The art and colours are nice, and the camp fire gives it a nice cozy feel. I could conceivably wear those shorts Logan has on. Let me hasten to add I'm nowhere near that hairy. He is rather hirsute, isn't he? And how often do we get a chance to say the word "hirsute"?

The narration, by the way, is supposed to be by the Troll character Pip. As I recall he was part of the Adam Warlock cycle of stories, which was actually a really good seventies saga. I tend to think of the seventies as the time when the Big Two were on their most even keel, in terms of being about equal in quality, though I still lean towards DC just cuz. Super Friends, for one thing. I could go on.

A Contribution to Beefcake Week

Yes, SallyP at Green Lantern Butts Forever has declared this Beefcake week, which I figured gives me a chance to get some mileage out of the 1993 Marvel Swimsuit Special, which yes, really happened, and which I still have kicking around. The concept was that all the Marvel heroes, and antiheroes I suppose, go for a beach vacation at Monster Island, the island that first appeared in Fantastic Four #1. That explains the funny little creatures in the background there.

So this is Frank Castle, the Punisher, who has been portrayed by Dolph Lundgren, Tom Jane, and Ray Stevenson. Ladies can decide which of those actors they would want to see in this tasteful little number that is guaranteed to be burned into your mind for all time. Well, he is the Punisher after all. Click on the pic if, for some reason, you want it bigger.

Back Issue Highlights: Batman Family #13, 1977

I realize, the more back issues of the seventies Batman Family I get, that it could really have been called Dick Loves Babs. A lot of it is the Boy Wonder, or I suppose Teen Wonder by that time, hitting on the Dominoed Daredoll. Issue #13 was a slam-bang full length novel that also featured Man-Bat. Here's a Dick and Babs moment I really liked.


I got my fingers crossed for those two crazy kids! Sure, that may have been a little disappointing, but at least Dick could have a rare chance at a do-over for a love confession. He might want to rethink the "big sister" line. I do like the idea that Babs is a bit older than him, it seems in recent years like her age when she started out has been pushed down progressively.

My Fave Splash Page of the Week, and Some Rambling on Tom DeFalco

Obviously not a from a new comic, but it was new to me, Superman Family #188. I could just live in the pic, a Kurt Schaffenberger masterpiece, it's so full of the things that make me happiest. Well, the really nice thing is this was one of a bunch of back issues I got this week at a local store that is nice enough to allow trading, so I brought in a bunch of stuff I was no longer interested in - some things I hadn't read in 20 years and had not really though about in that time - to get things that just appeal more to me now. I got a bunch of Superman Family, Super Friends, as well as the first issue of DC Comics Presents, which is part one of a two part story. The curious thing is, I read the second part years ago, when I was a kid, and loved it, but it is only now that I will be able to read the first part. The copy was going for $16, so I was very glad to get it without paying up front.

This particular issue of Superman Family was interesting to me as I noticed a lot of the content was written by Tom DeFalco, who would later go on to a run of Amazing Spider-man that I personally found to be some of the more fun Spidey I ever read, as well as becoming the Marvel E-I-C, and writing Fantastic Four during what for me was the last great period of the FF - though I freely acknowledge that's just my personal taste. I don't consider myself the bearer of absolute standards for comic awesomeness, I just know what I like and go with that.

I did a bit of reading on DeFalco, on Wikipedia, and found out he originally worked at Archie Comics prior to doing some stuff at DC. Most significantly, he came up with the idea of Archie Digests. Many of us who grew up in the 70's or 80's probably can't picture our youths without those.

Well, till next time, this is me saying, don't keep your Kandor all bottled up, express yourself!

Soy Un Perdedor Pt. 2

"Just some scared bozo". I wasn't even planning a part 2, then this beauty jumped out at me from World's Finest #218, so it was meant to be. In Supes' defense, he and Bats are pretty frustrated over not finding Capricorn.

Soy Un Perdedor

You know you've got problems if even Superman is making fun of you in his thought bubble. Kal-El's a nice guy but he has his limits. From Superman #391.

Some Favourite Selections from the 1997 JLA Gallery - Part 5

Crisis on Aaron's Scanner! I'm afraid my scanner cut off Black Canary, but it was her or Martian Manhunter. I like that the picture works as either pre-Crisis or post-Crisis. It's by Stuart Immonen, whose work on I was enjoying a lot at the time.

Some Favourite Selections from the 1997 JLA Gallery - Part 4

Penciller Gary Frank and inker Cam Smith - I loved these two together in the nineties, on Incredible Hulk and then Supergirl. This is not Frank's finest image - Wonder Woman's on her tippytoes or something, she just looks awkward. Batman seems out of proportion. What I did like is that their art as a team stood out because they didn't go insane with the detail lines, and their people had a natural, if ideal, look to them. I do like that Superman sort of looks like Paul Newman, and has a cocky smirk, as if to say, "I'm a nice guy, but I'm also aware I can put my fist through about anything." Note Wondie's Catherine Zeta- Jones-esque wall-eye, which Frank seemed to like, I remember a number of his girls had that. The colourists sort of went to town on shading her Wonder Twins (sorry) though. She would have looked more natural before the colouring process. Kinda too bad because Frank and Smith were among the few not giving women outrageous implants in the nineties, especially in the time they worked on the Marvel side of things, when the X-Men was nothing but detail lines and huge breastses. DC was generally more tasteful, Marvel less so, and I've got two Marvel Swimsuit Specials to prove it. I can't claim a friend gave them to me. I'm not sure if Power Girl wrecks the curve or is the exception that proves the rule. But enough about that.

Some Favourite Selections from the 1997 JLA Gallery - Part 3

Here's one by Craig Hamilton, a tribute to the cover of Brave and the Bold # 28. A great looking diorama of the scene was circulating at the San Diego Comic Con this year, with a Starro action figure that may or may not actually take over your mind - it could all be part of a plot.

In this case, Aquaman's gloves have been coloured green as opposed to the yellow of the original. Reading the Aquaman Shrine regularly has made me aware of such things. Conicidentally, the Shrine has another tribute to this pic up today.