Remembering Artist Keith Giffen

Remembering artist Keith Giffen on his birthday (November 30, 1952 - October 9, 2023).

Among so many accomplishments, Keith is likely best remembered for his work when he came onto the Legion of Super-Heroes, kicking off a run that led into one of their greatest challenges, with the Great Darkness Saga!

Fair warning...the cover of the last issue gives away the secret of the force behind the trouble...

Legion Of Super-Heroes #287 and #288 (May and June, 1982)

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Legion Of Super-Heroes #289 and #290 (July and August, 1982)

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Legion Of Super-Heroes #291 and #292 (September and October, 1982)

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Legion Of Super-Heroes #293 and #294 (November and December, 1982)

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Yes, coming from the pages of the New Gods, it was Darkseid that was menacing the Legion of the Super-Heroes in the 30th Century, animating corpses of famous heroes to battle the LSH, as Darkseid reached out after a long rest to try to conquer a new century...

Happy Thanksgiving With Chase

Happy Thanksgiving with Chase and her family!

A shame that things didn't go so well for young Cameron Chase, as her father, the Acro-Bat of the Justice Experience (a group of costumed heroes that existed between the disappearance of the Justice Society and the formation of the Justice League), as their foe, the evil Dr. Trap, killed him.

Cameron Chase grew up to become a government agent for the DEO (the Department of Extranormal Operations), working to monitor super heroes (but, secretly possessing super powers of her own), working for Mr. Bones.

Debuting in Batman #550 (January, 1998), Cameron had her own series (Chase) from February, 1998 to November, 1998 by Curtis Johnson, J. H. Williams III, and Mick Gray and then appeared as a frequent guest all over the DC Universe (mostly in Secret Files).

You'll be thankful to track down this series.

 

1960s Our Army At War

The last of our features on DC war comics of the 1960s goes to one of longest running series, that of Our Army At War, with the decade starting with Our Army At War #90 (January, 1960) and ending with Our Army At War #213 (December, 1969), both with covers by Joe Kubert and featuring Sgt. Rock and Easy Company.

Nothing was ever easy in Easy.

Sgt. Frank Rock fought hard to keep his men in Easy Company safe during World War II, as well as other friends he made along the way, like the members of the Haunted Tank, Gunner & Sarge, Mlle. Marie and more....even Superman, Batman, the Viking Prince and Swamp Thing, with the Rock of Easy eventually laying claim to the title of the book.

Celebrating Artist Pat Broderick

Celebrating the birthday of artist Pat Broderick (November 26, 1953) with his all too brief work on the Legion of Super-Heroes, mostly at a space station, with Sun Boy fighting Dr. Regulus. 

Pat got to do a little after, but his work laid the foundation for one of the biggest events in Legion history!

Legion of Super-Heroes #284 and #285 (February and March, 1982)

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Legion of Super-Heroes #286 and Tales Of the Legion Of Super-Heroes #353 (April, 1982)

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Pat even got to go a little of their early history with this special cover for the Best of DC #57 (February, 1985)!

1960s Star Spangled War Stories

Continuing our look at DC's war comics of the 1960s, here is Star Spangled War Stories, with two heroes about as opposite as you could get.

Mademoselle Marie from Star Spangled War Stories #88 (December-January, 1959/1960) with cover art by Jerry Grandenetti, and the Enemy Ace from Star Spangled War Stories #148 (December-January, 1969/1970) with cover art by Joe Kubert.

Mademoselle Marie debuted in Star Spangled War Stories #84 (August, 1959) but her French resistance fighter found that her series did not last long.  Still, the battle doll continued on, guest starring with other World War II heroes, including Hunter's Hellcats, Johnny Cloud, the Haunted Tank, Sgt. Rock and the Unknown Soldier (who would eventually take over her title and claim it for his own as well).

Enemy Ace was Hans Von Hammer, a flying ace from World War I....who worked for the Germans.  Debuting in Our Army At War #151 (February, 1965), Hammer kept up his fight through a few issues there, moving to Showcase, then taking over Star Spangled War Stories for a time.   Though he was the enemy, Hammer fought with honor, even after losing his spot in the title, though resurfacing in Unknown Solider for a time towards the end of that series' run.

Remembering Artist Darwyn Cooke

Remembering artist Darwyn Cooke on his birthday (November 16, 1962 - May 14, 2016) with a look at his covers for DC: The New Frontier...

...a six issue mini-series that tells of the secrets behind the formation of the Justice League of America, involving the heroes of the early 1960s as well as others to combat invading aliens with the Martian Manhunter at the forefront, all while police scientist Barry Allen deals with his new lightning speed in becoming the Flash and pilot Hal Jordan comes to terms with becoming Earth's Green Lantern.

New Frontier #1 and #2 (March and April, 2004)

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New Frontier #3 and #4 (May and July, 2004)

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New Frontier #5 and #6 (September and November, 2004)

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New Frontier collections #1 and #2 (February and June, 2005)

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Justice League: The New Frontier Special and DC: The New Frontier (May, 2008 and August, 2016)

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A wonderful story, with the charter members of the Justice League of America (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, Flash and Green Lantern), along with a few others like the Losers, the Suicide Squad, the Challengers of the Unknown, the Blackhawks, Robin, Green Arrow, Adam Strange, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and members of the Justice Society...all based loosely on a secret origin of the JLA from long ago...

1960s Our Fighting Forces

Looking back at the 1960s, and DC's war comics of that era...here, a look at Our Fighting Forces, who started off the era with #53 (January-February, 1960) and ended with #122 (November-December, 1969), both covers by Joe Kubert.

#53 featured Gunner (of Gunner and Sarge, two infantry men fighting in the Pacific), and he and his partner would later join the Losers, who would feature in the title until its end.  Lt. Benjamin Hunter gained his Hellcats to fight the Axis in #106 (March, 1967), prisoners from the stockade including Brains, Brute, Cracker, Hard Head, Juggler, Light Fingers, Snake Oil, Swinger and Zig-Zag, adding the female Heller right before their feature ended (with the Losers taking over in #123, February, 1970). 

Saluting Our Veterans

Saluting our veterans on this Veterans' Day with a slightly more lighthearted Joe Kubert cover from Our Army At War #206 (May, 1969)...as Sgt. Rock gets to take a little time off.

But, as always, a reminder to still pray for those still at war, and hope that soon, their war will be over too.

1960s G.I. Combat

Looking back at the heyday of DC's war comics, which was the 1960s...starting with G.I. Combat...which started the decade with #79 (December-January 1959/1960) with a cover by Jerry Grandenetti and Jack Adler, and ended #139 (December-January 1969/1970), covered by Joe Kubert.

The earlier G.I. Combat issues were just generic war stories, but the series changed, adding the Haunted Tank as a regular feature (the story of Jeb Stuart who commanded a World War II tank, and was aided by a relative of his, who was a Confederate General who appeared to Jeb as a ghost) with G.I. Combat #87 (April-May, 1961), ending with the title in G.I. Combat #288 (March, 1987)

Don't Get Mad, Go Vote

Time again to go to your city hall or voting precinct and vote for president.

Alfred E. Newman will show you the way....or maybe not...from this cover by Norman Mingo from Mad #185 (September, 1976).

War On Time

Sgt. Rock is here to remind you that it's time to fall back again, as Daylight Saving Time ends tonight and you have to move your clock back an hour.

But. as you can see by this Joe Kubert cover to Sgt. Rock #352 (May, 1981), the Rock of Easy Company is ready for war anytime!

The Rock Face Of War

Showing the determined face of World War II's best soldier, Joe Kubert shows incredible expressions with Sgt. Rock for these two covers...

...Our Army At War #192 (April, 1968) and Sgt. Rock #395 (December, 1984).

Though the decades change, Kubert keeps a consistent style, yet also shows how much he has evolved as an artist as well.