Remembering Artist Ramona Fradon

Remembering artist Ramona Fradon on her birthday (October 2, 1926 - February 24, 2024) with these two spooky covers to Super Friends...#10 (Febraury-March, 1978) where the Super Friends face off against a monstrous looking batch of characters and #28 (January, 1980) where the Super Friends face off against Bizarro, Swamp Thing, the Demon Solomon Grundy and Man-Bat...or so it seems.

Happy Anniversary Super Friends

50 years ago, on this date, the Super Friends cartoon premiered on ABC, introducing the world to Marvin, Wendy and the Wonder Dog, who worked alongside the World's Greatest Super Heroes....Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman and Aquaman, who had been in animation before (but not paired as the Super Friends).

Meanwhile, at the Hall of Justice (or, DC Comics), always on the lookout for more comics to produce, decided to make comics based on the Super Friends animated series, with the first issue of Super Friends cover dated November, 1976, and the title lasting 47 issues to August, 1981.

Along the way, the comics gave some back story to the animated series (Marvin White was the son of Daniel and Diana White, Diana being the lady who gave Wonder Woman her Diana Prince identity, while Wendy Harris was the niece of detective Harvey Harris, who helped train Batman).  The comics even facilitated the change from Marvin/Wendy to the Wonder Twins (Zan and Jayna from Exor, with their monkey, Gleek).  

The comic also had the Super Friends operating as a subset of the Justice League of America, though the whole team did appear (at least up to Hawkgirl), as well as other heroes like Plastic Man, Supergirl and Black Orchid, as well as new international heroes like Green Fury, Ice Maiden, Rising Sun, Jack O'Lantern, Tasmanian Devil and more (who became the Global Guardians).

They also faced established DC villains not in the cartoon (like the original Toyman, Poison Ivy, Human Flying Fish, Grax, Time Trapper, Chronos, Hector Hammond and Queen Bee), a few solo villains who made it into the cartoon (like Penguin and Mirror Master) and even some of the members of the Legion Of Doom (though not together...individually, Cheetah, Riddler, Scarecrow, Bizarro, Solomon Grundy, Grodd, Giganta and Sinestro), as well as villains only for the comic, like Menagerie Man and the Overlord.

Here's a few places that Super Friends tales were reprinted in....

Best Of DC #3 (January-February, 1980) 

This Digest, with cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Bob Smith, reprints Super Friends #3, #4 and #10...

...as well as Justice League of America #57 and Teen Titans #18.

Super Friends (July, 2001)

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This trade, with cover by Alex Ross, reprints Super Friends #1, #6, #7, #8, #9, #14, #21, #27 and the Toth stuff from the Limited Collector's Edition.

...and, in two volumes, all 47 issues were reprinted here, along with the Alex Toth Limited Collectors' Edition wraparound for two JLA tales!

The Original Global Guardians

The world needs heroes...and sometimes, the world supplies them.

Such was the idea behind the Global Guardians, heroes from around the world that would work together to solve problems.

Here, we take a quick look at where these heroes came from, and how they eventually came to gather in stories by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon (with Romeo Tanghal on the last two Super Friends issues, and Alex Saviuk on the DC Comics Presents)....

As the Earth was threatened by the villainous Superman foe, Grax, the Justice League of America had to go into action around the world, so they recruited help from where they had to go....

Super Friends #7 (October, 1977)

Superman worked with Seraph (Chiam Lavon) from Israel, Elongated Man worked with Godiva (Dorcas Leigh) in England, Flash teamed up with Impala (M'Bulaze) in South Africa and Hawkman and Hawkgirl met Owlwoman (Wenonah Littlebird) in the United States.

Super Friends #8 (November, 1977)

Atom met Rising Sun (Izumi Yasunari) in Japan, Green Lantern worked with Jack O'Lantern (Daniel Cormac) in Ireland, Red Tornado teamed up with Tuatara (Jeremy Wakefield) in New Zealand, Batman and Robin met Bushmaster (Bernal Rojas) in Venezuela, and Black Canary teamed up with Thunderlord (Liang Xih-k'ai) in Taiwan.

Super Friends #9 (December, 1977)

Green Arrow met Tasmanian Devil (Hugh Dawkins) in Austrailia, Aquaman worked with Little Mermaid (Ulla Paske) in Denmark, Wonder Woman teamed up with the Olympian (Aristides Demetrios) in Greece and all the JLA provided cover for Ice Maiden (Sigrid Nansen) in Norway.

Super Friends #12 (June-July, 1978)

Doctor Mist (Nommo) appeared at the end of another problem in this issue, and the Super Friends helped him deal with it in the next issue.  Doctor Mist would be the man to help form the Global Guardians (although details wouldn't be revealed until later....).

Super Friends #25 (October, 1979)

Green Fury (Beatriz da Costa) helps the Super Friends in Brazil, as well as Nubia, Tasmanian Devil and Seraph in her premiere appearance as they face the menace of the Overlord who turns the Super Friends evil!

Super Friends #45 (June, 1981)

The Wild Huntsman (Albrecht von Mannheim) of Germany first appears, as Doctor Mist calls together the team, with this batch including Godiva, Bushmaster, Little Mermaid, the Olympian and the Rising Sun to deal with villains being captured.

DC Comics Presents #46 (June, 1982)

Here, Doctor Mist recruits Superman, along with Seraph, Green Fury, Rising Sun, the Olympian, Little Mermaid and Jack O'Lantern to fight the mystical menace of Thaumar Dhai and magical enemies of the team (and they finally officially are the Global Guardians).

Various individual members of the Global Guardians appear, defending the Earth in Crisis On Infinite Earths #12 (March, 1986), including Doctor Mist, Godiva, Green Fury, Jack O'Lantern, Little Mermaid, Owlwoman, Rising Sun and Thunderlord, with Red Star (Leonid Kovar , the former Starfire) of Russia mentioned among them (but he was not a member of the Guardians, later going on to join the Titans).

More members and more history of the team would later be revealed in Infinity, Inc., Secret Origins, Justice League International, Justice League Europe and Justice League Quarterly (including their ties to the Batmen of Many Nations), but this seems to be a good place to stop, as this huge team assembles.

Remembering Artist Alex Toth

 

Remembering one of comics' greatest artists, Alex Toth (June 25, 1928 - May 27, 2006), on his birthday.  One of the most influential pieces of work he did was on the Limited Collectors' Edition #C-41 (December-January, 1975/1976), where he did the cover, and art for a special bridging story in this treasury sized book that focused on the popular animated series of the time, the Super Friends.

The story that allowed them to use two previous issues of the Justice League of America was having junior Super Friends Marvin White, Wendy Harris and the Wonder Dog are given a tour of JLA headquarters (the Hall Of Justice), as well a little history of the team as well.

Really, its just an opportunity for Toth to draw the Justice League and all its members at the time, as well as a few of the people who helped the team (which include Hawkgirl and Zatanna, as they weren't members at this time...

...likely this and a DC Super-Stars which reprinted some wonderful Zatanna tales are likely the reason she became a member of the JLA).

The treasury also had features on Super Friends animation (which Alex Toth worked on, providing model sheets for the characters.....highlighting the basics needed, which worked well for animation...).

....as well as an article on how involved animation was, which, of course, having worked there, he knew a little about!   Incredible work by an incredible talent, not unlike his work a few years before on the Black Canary series in Adventure Comics!

All this and two classic issues of Justice League of America as well (#61 and #36  from March, 1968 and June, 1965 by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky), which #61 was covered under the mystery villain of the piece, and the other needs covering in the future!  

A book collection, and artist, that had a lifelong effect on this old comic reader! 

 

Happy Halloween Super Friends

Happy Halloween!

Ramona Fradon and Robert Allen Smith gave us the cover of Super Friends #28 (January, 1980) which teased a confrontation among DC's top heroes and most villainous monsters (but they were only magically transformed guests).

Here, a look at when these monsters first appeared, and when they met who they faced!

Bizarro

The first adult Bizarro version of Superman appeared in Action Comics #254 (July, 1959) by Otto Binder and Al Plastino as an imperfect duplicate of Superman created by Luthor, but, Superboy had faced an earlier Bizarro back in Superboy #68 (October, 1958), though that version was destroyed.

Swamp Thing

The Alec Holland version of Swamp Thing first appeared in Swamp Thing #1 (October-November, 1972) by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, a scientist burned in an accident and healed by the swamp.  He first met Batman in Swamp Thing #7 (November-December, 1973).

Demon

Etrigan the Demon first appeared in The Demon #1 (August-September, 1972) by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer, as an agent of Merlin, bonded to human Jason Blood during the fall of Camelot to fight evil.  He first met Wonder Woman in Wonder Woman #280 (June, 1981).

Man-Bat

Kirk Langstrom created a formula that turned him into a half-man, half-bat creature, called Man-Bat in Detective Comics #400 (June, 1970) by Frank Robbins, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.  While Batman and Man-Bat faced off in that issue, Robin didn't meet Man-Bat until Power Records 30 in 1976 in the aptly titled "Robin Meets Man-Bat".

Solomon Grundy

Now, Solomon Grundy first appeared in All-American Comics #61 (October, 1944) by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman fighting the Golden Age Green Lantern as the animated corpse of Cyrus Gold, but, even with multiple encounters with the JLA...never really ran into Aquaman before the Crisis On Infinite Earths.

Though, well after, Aquaman and Solomon Grundy were in JLA: Year One #2 (February, 1998) in a retroactive retelling of the JLA's first year (which, itself, was a story of how five heroes became...super friends!).

How's that for a tricky treat?

It's Supermobile

Sure, Wonder Woman had her invisible jet, and Batman had all those wonderful toys (including the Batmobile), but when you are faster than a speeding bullet and more powerful than a locomotive, why would Superman need a vehicle of his own?

Well, he did and it was the Supermobile!

Premiere of the Supermobile

The story started in Action Comics #480 (February, 1978, by Cary Bates and Curt Swan, with a cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Dick Giordano),  wherein red sun radiation hitting Earth weakens Superman and revives Amazo (an android that duplicates the powers of the JLA).  Amazo wants to go back to sleep, and looks for his creator, Professor Anthony Ivo (all the while, trapping most of the Justice League in their satellite, and putting it in another dimension).  Superman needs help to fight Amazo, and gets it in Action Comics #481 (March, 1978, also by Bates and Swan, with cover by Garcia-Lopez), when he goes to his Fortress of Solitude, and brings out the Supermobile in a story called "It's a bird...It's a plane...It's Supermobile!".

The Supermobile was an extension of Superman, made of Supermanium, allowing him to keep his powers under a red sun and use his powers through the vehicle, with vents for his super-breath, a scope to use his microscopic, telescopic, heat and x-ray vision, monitors that work with his super hearing, and telescopic robotic arms that Superman can use his super-strength with (along with the vehicle's invulnerability and flight abilities). 

The citizens of Metropolis need the Supermobile as Amazo plots against Superman, threatening the staff of the Daily Planet, so Superman picks Lois up in the Supermobile and heads five days into the future (all in Action Comics #482, April, 1978, by Bates and Swan, with a Garcia-Lopez cover) in the story "This is a job for Supermobile!".  Then, in Action Comics #483 (May, 1978, by Bates and Swan, with a cover by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano), Superman defeats Amazo and returns the JLA and its satellite home.

Superman rarely used the Supermobile, taking it out to clean up Kryptonite after an encounter with the Atomic Skull and Titano in Superman #324 (June, 1978)...and it mostly being regulated to limbo, other than an appearance in the future in All-New Atom #8 (April, 2007), being up for sale in Funky Flashman's used car lot in the Dr. 13 part of Tales of the Unexpected #5 (April, 2007)...

Super Friends Supermobile

The Supermobile even made it into animated Superman...with his Super Friends!

The Supermobile appeared with the Phantom Zone Villains in "Terror from the Phantom Zone" in October, 28, 1978, "Lex Luthor Strikes Back" from September 29, 1979, and "The Krypton Syndrome" from September, 24, 1983.

Toys of the Supermobile

The Supermobile did make it as a Corgi toy, to go along with the Daily Planet helicopter, Metropolis police car, Superman van, and Daily Planet delivery truck....

...and as a part of Kenner's line of vehicles, to go along with their Super Powers figures (though this Supermobile found itself altered a bit, lacking the arms and instead having a "Krypton Action Ram").

It was this version of the Supermobile that popped up in the corner of Action Comics Annual #10 (March, 2007) in the Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude 2-pager (lower right corner), so maybe we'll see the Supermobile again!