A Happy Harley Saint Patrick's Day

A happy Saint Patrick's Day to one and all...

..but Harley Quinn doesn't need anyone's well wishes, as she got the pot of gold from the leprechaun (though he seems to have put up a fight)...

...here on the Frank Cho variant cover for Harley Quinn #71 (May, 2020).

Jimmy Olsen Amnesiac Orphan

It seems hard to believe that with all the trials that Jimmy Olsen has been through, that he'd ever forget about them...

...but, that's just what happened here, under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye, in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #46 (July, 1960), as he lost him memory and ended up in an orphanage... 

...coincidentally, the one Supergirl was living in at the time!

Jimmy Olsen, Orphan!

In this story by Jerry Siegel, Curt Swan and John Forte, Jimmy gets an assignment to cover a flood (because both Lois and Clark were busy), but should be careful, as Superman is away in space.  At the town, Jimmy gets hit on the head while rescuing a cat, and loses his memory.  Jimmy is found with no identification, so ends up at an orphanage....but, it is in Midvale, where Supergirl lives as Linda Lee.  

There, Linda recognizes him, but as Superman's secret weapon at this time, cannot reveal herself as knowing him.  Linda tries to keep Jimmy from getting adopted before his memory returns.  Jimmy's memory returns as Linda triggers his memories (thanks to a previous meeting when Jimmy was a Wolf Man), but wants to stay to get a story about being an orphan.  Jimmy nearly discovers Linda's identity as Supergirl before Linda can get Superman to come and take the wayward cub reporter back to the Daily Planet. 

Superman Fights Time

Ever feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day?

Well, you can join with Superman, who had that same problem in Action Comics #551 (January, 1984) by Marv Wolfman and Gil Kane, where Superman fights H.I.V.E. and other disasters, but still striving to be the hero (and what would he do if he had one hour less, which is a part of Daylight Saving Time....), as the Metropolis Eagle writes negative articles about the Man of Steel.  

Superman still manages to deal with everything all over the world, including getting to Moscow to get a cure for Jeffrey and Jennifer O'Hara in Metropolis, who have a rare disease only a Russian doctor has a cure for.

Remembering Artist Gray Morrow

Remembering artist Gray Morrow (March 7, 1934 - November 6, 2001) on his birthday with a collection of his covers featuring the adaptation of the 1984 movie, Sheena, starring Tanya Roberts as the lead character (Janet Ames, who lost her parents in Africa, and was raised by the local Shaman), with support from Ted Wass.   

The Sheena movie was adapted in 1984 by Cary Burkett, with Gray Morrow providing the art for Marvel Super Special #34, with the story being split into two parts for a pair of Sheena comics, which were cover dated December, 1984 and February, 1984; the movie was a light adventure, with stunning shots of the land of Africa (as well as Ms. Tanya Roberts) suited to the artistic style of Gray Morrow.

Remembering Artist Eduardo Barreto

Remembering Uruguayan artist Eduardo Barreto (March 1, 1954 - December 15, 2011) on his birthday with his covers to the Paradise Island Princess, Wonder Woman (and one bonus team-up with Superman, who he did more than a few covers for as well).

Wonder Woman #316 and #317 (June and July, 1984)

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Wonder Woman #318 and #319 (August and September, 1984)

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Wonder Woman #320 and #321 (October and November, 1984)

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Wonder Woman #322 and DC Comics Presents #76 (December, 1984)

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Wonder Woman #323 and #327 (February and September, 1985)

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The Mighty Superman

 

Superman, the defender of truth, justice and the American way, shows that part of that is also to defend the entire Earth, represented well by this image by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, from the February entry of the 1976 Super DC Calendar.

Love Behind Bars

Love Behind Bars...where love flourished, even when jail time is involved.

Here's a pair of issues of DC's Young Love that focuses on a couple, imprisoned by love!

Love Behind Bars

First up, Young Love #119 (December-January, 1975/1976) with a cover by Bob Oksner, and story by Robert Kanigher, Art Saaf and Vince Colletta, with the story of how Stephie's boyfriend, Vic, went to jail for auto theft,  as he stole a car to keep her from getting wet in the rain.  

Stephie then had to decide if she would take him back after he served his time against all the advise of her friends...

...this one ended with a cliffhanger...

...but wait!  There's more!

Love Behind Bars II

With Young Love #124 (March, 1977), under a cover by Dick Giordano, Robert Kanigher, Ric Estrada and Vince Colletta continue the story of Stephie and Vic.  

Stephie runs away when Vic gets out of prison, heads to New York City, has her wallet stolen by an old man on the bus, is taken advantage of by an older couple, who take her to a house of prostitution pretending to be a halfway house, where she was about to be taken by a client, but saved as the police raid, though she is arrested with the other street girls.  

In prison, Stephie is surprised, as Vic arrives to take her home, who still loves her (even if she inexplicably went from a redhead to a brunette!).

Mystery Unknown President

An alien is found to be suffering delusions....he thinks there is a planet called Earth, and that that planet has a president....

...but which president?

That depends on what decade you read the tale.

1950s

In Mystery In Space #30 (February-March, 1956), with a story by Otto Binder, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella (with a cover by Gil Kane), the patient alien has delusions of Earth, under a President Izen-Hower (Dwight D. Eisenhower).

Such is the first case of The Impossible World Named Earth!

1970s

When the tale by Binder, Infantino and Giella was reprinted in From Beyond The Unknown #17 (June-July, 1972) with a cover by Murphy Anderson, the delusional alien got to see visions of Nee-Xon (because Richard Nixon was now President, and DC, trying to hide their reprints, changed to the current President).

Making this a second case of The Impossible World Named Earth!

 

A Valentine Day Impulse

Happy Valentine's Day!

Bart Allen (Impulse) looks like he's having a happy one with Cissie King-Jones (Arrowette)....much to the concern of his friend, Carol Bucklen, in Impulse #59 (April, 2000), with cover by Ethan Van Sciver and Wayne Faucher.

 

Marveling At The Football SuperPro

Seems like a good day to mention the Marvel Comics NFL SuperPro, a 12 issue series (with a couple of special editions) that ran in the early 1990s, with a super powered football player, fighting crime.

Phil Greyfield met with Spider-Man and Captain America, and had Instant Replay, Quick Kick and Sanction as his main foes (as well as basketball, hockey and baseball), with cover art mostly by John Romita, Ron Frenz and Joe Sinnott (with Jose Delbo doing most of the inside art).

Those crazy 1990s! 

NFL SuperPro #2 and #3 (November and December, 1991)

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NFL SuperPro #4 and #5 (January and February, 1992)

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NFL SuperPro #6 and #7 (March and April, 1992)

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NFL SuperPro #9 and #10 (June and July, 1992)

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NFL SuperPro #11 and #12 (August and September, 1992)

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National Pizza Day 2023 With Jughead

Jughead Jones is not the person you want to share National Pizza Day with, as Archie Andrews finds out on this cover for Jughead's Double Digest #94 (July, 2003) by Stan Goldberg and Jon D'Agostino, but try to enjoy this day with a pie yourself!

Early Legion Of Super-Heroes Weddings

Even though the Legion of Super-Heroes was an early example of science fiction in comics when it started its series in Adventure Comics, it also pioneered more interaction between its rather large cast of characters in the 30th Century, as the boys and girls of the future team started to pair off.  

Here, we show two budding romances of the early Legion era, the couples of Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, along with Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl.

Lighting Lad (Garth Ranzz of Winath) and Saturn Girl (Imra Ardeen of Titan) were two of the three founders of the Legion of Super-Heroes, their feelings for each other grew during an early run of stories in Adventure Comics, dealing with Lightning Lad dying for Saturn Girl, then her working with the other Legion members to bring him back (main stories reprinted in Adventure Comics #403 of March-April, 1971), while Ultra Boy (Jo Nah of Rimbor) and Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo of Bgztl) came together based mostly on one tale, when Ultra Boy was accused of a crime in Adventure Comics #316 (January, 1964), and Phantom Girl was his only advocate.

But, now to the main story...

The Weddings That Wrecked The Legion

This tale was featured in Adventure Comics #337 (October, 1965) by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte (with cover by Curt Swan and George Klein), with the newly elected leader, Brainiac 5, briefing the team about a new menace and his Plan-R to fight it (but Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl are too interested in each other to pay attention).  Brainiac 5 calls out the couple on this, with Saturn Girl rising to their defense, with Brainy turning on her, chiding her and Lighting Lad for similar behavior.  The couples go off, drawing closer, and both deciding to marry (though that will mean they will no longer be team members, as the Legion Constitution has a bylaw against married members).

Now short members, the team recruits, finding three new super powered youths (who are really members of the invading force trying to learn more of Plan-R).  Now in the Legion Clubhouse, the three enemy aliens find the plan, and head to their home...unaware the plan was a fake, and that this was all a plan by Brainiac 5 and Saturn Girl to find the invaders home, and defeat their plans.  The marriages weren't real, so the couples return to active membership, but wish that maybe they were real.

It would take a long time for the Legion to see any real team marriages, with Bouncing Boy marrying Duo Damsel (Triplicate Girl for half the Adventure Comics run) in Superboy #200 (January-February, 1974) and Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl getting married in the All New Collectors' Edition #C-55 (March, 1978), ending the rule against married Legion members.  Ultra Boy and Phantom Girl would have to wait decades more (as well as a few reboots) for their wedding, but love finds a way....

 

Covering Perez Legion Of Super-Heroes

Looking back to the past, and the future, with the George Perez covers for the Legion of the Super-Heroes from the 1980s.

Incredible covers (but, sadly only the covers), during an odd run, while the 30th Century teen heroes deal with the mystery of Reflecto, and the return of Superboy.

Legion of Super-Heroes #277 and #278 (July and August, 1981)

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Legion of Super-Heroes #279 and #280 (September and October, 1981)

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Legion of Super-Heroes #281 (November, 1981)

George did a special file in a Best of DC digest (more on this sometime in the future), the Legion was well represented in the Crisis On Infinite Earths, and finally getting close to a Legion book with the mini-series, Final Crisis: Legion Of 3 Worlds.

Celebrating Artist Sal Buscema

All set to celebrate the birthday of artist Sal Buscema (January 26, 1936), thinking about his nearly 60 issue run on Rom in the 1970s and 1980s....

...only to find that Sal only did one cover for that series (inked by Al Milgrom).

ONE.

Still, enjoy Rom, the Spaceknight giving it to the invading, shape-shifting Dire Wraths on this cover, and enjoy these two Sal Buscema covers as a bonus to anyone who clicked here to celebrate Sal's birthday.

Celebrating Star Artist Greg Hildebrandt

Celebrating the work of artist Greg Hildebrandt on his birthday (January 23, 1939) with this recent work of his...

..the cover for Star Trek: Year Five #1 (April, 2019) for IDW, featuring Kirk, Spock and the rest of the original crew of the Enterprise...

..all ready to go where no man has gone before.

This cover echoes a movie poster Greg did with his brother, Tim (January 23, 1939 - June 11, 2006) a long, long time ago....and we remember him this day as well.

Celebrating Artist Keith Pollard

Wishing the best birthday to artist Keith Pollard (January 20, 1950), who, along with Green Lantern, spent some time in space in the 1980s, as these covers to Keith's run on the title show.

Green Lantern #157 and #158 (October and November, 1982)

Green Lantern #159 and #160 (December and January, 1982 and 1983)

Green Lantern #161 and #162 (February and March, 1983)

#161 inked by Mike DeCarlo

Green Lantern #163 and #164 (April and May, 1983)

#163 inked by Rick Hoberg

An odd time for Hal Jordan, as the Guardians exiled him from Earth, to better take care of the rest of Space Sector 2814, but at least for some of the run, Green Lantern had Dorine for company as Hal faced Hector Hammond, the Headmen and Evil Star.  Plus, the issues had back ups, with tales of the Green Lantern Corps (allowing Keith the ability to do Hal's stories in these issues).

Celebrating The Super Heroic Joe Staton

Celebrating the birthday of artist Joe Staton (January 19, 1948) with a look to the future and the past...

...featuring the covers he drew (with inker Dick Giordano) for Superboy and the Legion Of Super-Heroes!

Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #247 and #248 (January and February, 1979)

Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #249 and #250 (March and April, 1979)

Superboy And The Legion Of Super-Heroes #251 (May, 1979)

A truly talented artist, with a long and varied career, as you can see here, and even a little Christmas spirit as well with this tale!