Batman Day 2025

Celebrating Batman Day this year by showing Batman wasn't the loner that he was portrayed as by the movies, with a couple of Best of DC Digest covers by Jim Aparo, featuring Batman and some of the other stars of Brave and the Bold (issue #26 of July, 1982, with Deadman, Viking Prince, Robin Hood, the Suicide Squad, Cave Carson and the Silent Knight) and some of his fellow Detective Comics stars (issue #30 of November, 1982, with Martian Manhunter, Jason Bard, Mysto, the Elongated Man, the Human Target, Robin, Batgirl, Captain Compass and Roy Raymond).

Celebrating Artist Karl Kesel

Celebrating the birthday of artist Karl Kesel (January 7, 1959) with two covers he did full art for (as he inked many many covers)...

...here, featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, with the LSH facing Starfinger in the Best Of DC #67 (December, 1985) and a generic shot of the early Legion, from the Legion of Super-Heroes Archive #3 (October, 1993).

A Little Sugar And Spike

At one time, DC had a successful Digest line (smaller than normal comics, usually reprinting older comics, but occasionally having new stories).  This line was perfect for the creations of Sheldon Meyer, Sugar and Spike.

Sugar and Spike were two pre-speaking babies (Sugar Plumm and Cecil "Spike" Wilson) that could communicate via "baby talk" (a language only babies, not adults, could understand).  Meyer did 98 issues in the original run, and some of the fun were reprinted in the Best Of DC in the 1980s.

Best Of DC #29 (October, 1981)

This issue had reprints from Sugar and Spike #3, #56, #58, #92, #93, #97 and #98, as well as unpublished Sugar and Spike stories from the European market, and a Leave It To Binky story from #71, and a Stanley and the Monster story that would have been in Stanley and the Monster #113.

Best Of DC #41 (October, 1983)

This issue had reprints from Sugar and Spike #25, with the rest of the tales presented here from the European market, and unpublished in America until this issue came out.

Best Of DC #47 (April, 1984)

This issue had reprints from Sugar and Spike #1, #2, #9, #25, #27, #32, #52, #88, #89, #90, #91, #93 and #94, with no European only stories, and no other comedy additions, so it is all Sheldon Meyer goodness.

Best Of DC #58 (March, 1985)

This issue had reprints from Sugar and Spike #51, #68 and #95, which had a Christmas theme, as well as an all new story that didn't really connect to Sugar and Spike, with junior versions of the JLA members in a special story for the holidays.

Best Of DC #65 (October, 1985)

This issue had reprints from Sugar and Spike #37, #41, #46, #47, #48, #65, and #72, with all the excitement of Summer, as well as the first Bernie the Brain story.

Best Of DC #68 (January, 1986)

This issue had reprints from Sugar and Spike #3, #37, #40, #43, #48, #55, #61, #64 and #67, this time around with a Halloween twist, all tales from a simpler, happier time!

Perez Covers Christmas

When is a cover not a cover?

When it is the back cover (though still a cover, it isn't the first thing you see).

This one is worth seeing, as it is not only a Christmas cover, but a cover by George Perez, with Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Captain Marvel Jr. and, likely the only time Perez drew the 1970s Jack Kirby Sandman!

The front cover to this, from Best of DC #22 (March, 1982) is by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano (and certainly a cover designed to get you into the Christmas mood....).

This tiny tome has reprints of many classic Christmas stories from the DC archives, including....

...Teen Titans #13 (January-February, 1968), Batman #247 (February, 1973), and Justice League Of America #110 (March-April, 1974), which have been covered before....

...as well as Captain Marvel Jr. #46 (February, 1947), Batman #27 (February, 1945) and Batman Family #4 (March-April, 1976) which will be covered in future Christmases....

....as well as a "new" Jack Kirby Sandman story, originally planned for Sandman #7  in the 1970s, then for Kamandi (but, he too was cancelled, though the story ended up in the Cancelled Comic Cavalcade, and much later in the DC Universe: The Bronze Age Omnibus By Jack Kirby), making this digest a true Christmas present!

Happy Birthday George Perez

A little happy birthday to artist George Perez...

...and, here are a few DC Digests that have his art on the cover!

Best of DC 17 (October, 1981)

A cover of Supergirl by George Perez and Dick Giordano, with issues inside reprinting Supergirl stories from Action Comics #256, #285, #318, Adventure Comics #424, Supergirl #1 and Superman Family #165!

Great tales summarizing the career of Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, aka Linda Lee aka Linda Danvers!

Best of DC 21 (February, 1982)

The Justice Society of America are rebuilding on this cover, all by George Perez himself, with stories in this issue including DC Special #29, All-Star Comics #35 and Brave and the Bold #62!

These tales include the original of the JLA, the first appearance of Per Degaton and a Starman/Black Canary team up!

DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest 19 (March, 1982)

The original Doom Patrol are on view on this little cover by George Perez and Frank Giacoia, with stories inside including My Greatest Adventure #80, Doom Patrol #86, #91 and #90!

These tales include the first appearance of the Doom Patrol, the Brotherhood of Evil, Mento and battle royale!

Didn't forget about the New Teen Titans Digest, but that one is so special, it will get its own coverage!

Best of DC Christmas with the Super Juniors

A long time ago, super heroes were a little less serious.

Premiering alongside their adult counterparts in DC's style guide by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez in 1982, were the "Super Juniors"....and they were kid versions of Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Aquaman and Supergirl.....

...and while they made it into quite a lot of merchandise....

....they only made it into one comic book.

Best of DC #58

Best of DC #58 of March, 1985 was that comic.  Pencilled and inked by Vince Squeglia, this tale featured Super-Kid, Bat-Guy, Kid-Robin, Wonder Tot, Flash-Kid and young versions of Aquaman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Hawkman and Supergirl as kids from Miss Piffle's Nursery School, transformed into super-heroes by the spirit of Christmas to stop Wallace van Weathly III, the Weather Wizard, a school bully and save Santa Claus! 

Not bad for a one shot...

...and better still, the digest included reprints of classic Christmas themed Sugar & Spike stories by Sheldon Meyer!

Those stories were "Spike's Big Problem" from Sugar & Spike #95 (April-May, 1971), "The Cowboy Santa Claus" from Sugar & Spike #68 (December-January, 1966/1967)...


...and "A New Adventure With The Genius" from Sugar & Spike #51 (February-March, 1964).

All of which was a sneaky way to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas!