...Sugar Plumm and Spike Wilson find themselves in a jam, on these two classic covers (Sugar & Spike #4 of October-November, 1956 and Sugar & Spike #22 of April-May, 1959) with art by strip creator, Sheldon Meyer.
A blog about comic books, and enjoying the stories, characters and creators of them...and occasionally subjects that relate to comic books as well.
Friday, April 26, 2024
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Flash In Crisis
These two issues explained what happened to Barry Allen...
Flash #350 (October, 1985)
First, the end of an era.The last issue of the Flash since the start of the Silver Age, by Cary Bates, Carmine Infantino and Frank McLaughlin (with cover inked by Klaus Janson). Here, Barry Allen finally ends his trial for the murder of the Reverse Flash, fights the Rogues one more time, deals with Abra Kadabra...and gets a Silver Age happy ending, as Iris Allen, thought dead for 75 issues, was really rescued by her future parents (well, her parents, who lived in the future, Eric and Fran Russell).
But, all this foreshadowed something ominous....
Crisis On Infinite Earths #8 (November, 1985)
After a few issues, where readers see Barry in the 30th Century, living his best life with Iris, the Crisis comes to his time, and Flash starts appearing to heroes, warning them of the Crisis.This issue, by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Jerry Ordway, along with all the other dimensional confusion and hero gathering, has Flash, in the headquarters of the Anti-Monitor in the anti-matter universe, dealing with Psycho Pirate and the Weaponers of Qward, with Barry realizing that to help save the multiverse, he has to destroy the Anti-Monitor's Anit-Matter Cannon..
An incredible moment in comics (even with all the updates and changes that have happened since...), with the loss of the character that so visually started DC's Silver Age.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
National Picnic Day
Along with all his animated success, Yogi Bear had a comic book that lasted for 42 issues at Gold Key (even if the first three issues were under their Four Color title), with the series ending in October, 1970.
Friday, April 19, 2024
Reggie And Me On The Beach
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Happy Anniversary Mustang
Happy Birthday Actress Jennifer Garner
Monday, April 15, 2024
Tax Day 2024
These intrepid astronauts thought they had a windfall, but the IRS was there...on this cover to Archie's Mad House #31 (February, 1964) by Samm Schwartz.
Sunday, April 14, 2024
Happy Birthday Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar
...as Buffy spikes a vampire version of Alfred E. Neuman.
Friday, April 12, 2024
Celebrating Artist Amanda Conner
Well, no sense making a choice, as their was a 6 issue mini-series featuring both Harley Quinn and Power Girl, which included Vartox!
Harley Quinn and Power Girl #1 and #2 (August and September, 2015)
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Harley Quinn and Power Girl #3 and #4 (October and November, 2015)
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Remembering Artist Mac Raboy
Mac also contributed to a few covers for America's Greatest Comics and Master Comics, which allow Captain Marvel Jr. to be snuck in here, along with Fawcett's other great characters: Spy Smasher, Captain Marvel, Minute Man and Mr. Scarlett!
Bulletman #2 and #3 (Fall 1941 and January 14, 1942)
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Bulletman #4 and #5 (March 11 and May 13, 1942)
America's Greatest Comics #1 and Master Comics #22 (1941 and January, 1942)
Friday, April 5, 2024
Caveman Bob Hope
...as a caveman.
Adventures Of Bob Hope #43 (February-March, 1957) with art by Owen Fitzgerald and Graham Price, has Bob making time with a prehistoric hottie....and Adventures Of Bob Hope #88 (August-September, 1964) with art by Bob Oksner, shows Bob on the run, likely because of the trouble he always finds himself in!
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Remembering Artist Joe Orlando
Usually known for his horror art and editing, as well as dabbling in humor comics, he occasionally did super heroes, such as the covers and insides for Metamorpho #5 and #6 (March-April and May-June 1966).
Monday, April 1, 2024
April Fools With Vertigo Ambush Bug
So, of course, as DC's continuity cop, Ambush Bug came along and had a little fun with Swamp Thing, Doom Patrol, Sandman and Death in Keith's 9 panel style.
Because, why not?
Ambush Bug meets Swamp Thing and the Doom Patrol
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Ambush Bug meets Sandman and Death
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Sunday, March 31, 2024
Harley Quinn Scrambles Easter
...but, knowing Harley and with Batman's symbol on it...that egg is likely scrambled by now!
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Secret Origins Of The Blue Beetle
Even before Blue Beetle reached DC Comics, back when he was a character at Charlton, there was a replacement of the original super powered Blue Beetle to a non-powered tech driven hero.
In cooperation with the Super Blog Team-Up, now the story of that switch can be told!
The Original Blue Beetle
Dan Garrett was an archeologist, premiering (at least this Charlton version) in Blue Beetle #1 (June, 1964) by Joe Gill, Bill Fraccio and Tony Tallarico. On an Egyptian dig with his friend, Luri Hoshid, Dan ran afoul of a local warlord, General Amenhotep, who fancied himself a descendant of the original pharaoh. Heading back to the excavation, there the duo went into the crypt of Kha-Ef-Re, with Dan seeing an azure scarab on the tomb. Touching it put him in contact with an Egyptian god, who, seeing Dan was an honorable man, gave him the power of the Blue Beetle when Amenhotep had the tomb bombed. As they tried to escape, Dan summoned the power of the scarab with the phrase Kaji Dha. Now as the Blue Beetle, Dan was ready to face the reawoken Kha-Ef-Re (brought back to life by the radiation in the General's bomb).Fighting off the mummy, Dan and Luri escaped the collapsing tomb, with Blue Beetle dealing with the General and leaving Luri, to pursue a life as an adventurer.
But then Dan was gone again. When Blue Beetle returned again, it was a new man, Ted Kord, with a more acrobatic, non super fighting style and a giant vehicle that he called the Bug.
The Replacement Blue Beetle
Ted Kord was an engineer, premiering as a back up in Captain Atom #83 (November, 1966) by Steve Ditko with dialogue by Gary Friedrich. Taking down the thug Killer Koke in his first appearance, Ted continued the fight against crime in his next appearance, taking down the Masked Maruader (#84) (Count Von Steuben, while avoiding his secretary Tracey, and Lt. Fisher (who was looking for missing archeologist Dan Garrett, whom Ted was a student of). Facing a spy in a submarine and getting in trouble (#85), dealing with Tracey asking about Dan's disappearance (#86), then getting his own title with (another) Blue Beetle #1 (June, 1967) and facing a group of thieves called the Squids.With Blue Beetle #2 (August, 1967), it is finally revealed what happened to Dan Garrett. Ted went to Dan for help, as his Uncle Jarvis called Ted to help build robots. But, those efforts stopped when Jarvis; lab blew up, supposedly killing Jarvis. Ted, going through his uncle's papers, found a map to Pago Island and plans to create a robot army. Going to Dan for help, Ted accompanied Dan to Pago Island, where the duo saw their boat destroyed by a robot army, who took them to...the living Uncle Jarvis! Jarvis planned on taking over the world with his robots, but, Dan turned into Blue Beetle. During the melee, the lab exploded, wounding Dan, who asked Ted to carry on for him as Blue Beetle, but another explosion separated them. Leaving the island, Ted took up the mantle of Blue Beetle, but his way, creating the ship, the Bug, as well as a strobe light gun and metallic mesh cowl, Ted would fight crime as a mortal man, doing the best he could.His next cases included facing the Mad Men (#3), the Men of the Mask (#4) and the Destroyer of Heroes (#5) in his last published issue (though a planned #6 was done by the CPL Gang in a pair of issue, and later included in DC's Action Heroes Archive, where Ted faced the Specter (Amos Fend).Another Blue Beetle?
Jaime Reyes was an ordinary student in El Paso, Texas, until an alien scarab bonded to him, turning him into the Blue Beetle.
The Rest Of The SBTU
Here, from an unreplaceable group of bloggers...
...the Super Blog Team-Up members...
...are a few more cases of times identities were filled by replacements!
Between The Pages Blog:
I Am Groot! - The growth of Groot from a seed of an idea to the world's most beloved tree.
Source Material Comics Podcast:
Super-Hero Satellite:
Asterisk 51:
The Telltale Mind:
Replacement Heroes - When Marcus Johnson finally became Nick Fury
Newsprint Commando:
Monolith of the Elementals
Friday, March 22, 2024
Remembering Artist Steve Dillon
...the covers for Convergence: The Atom #1 and #2 (June and July, 2015), featuring a team up of two Atoms...Ray Palmer and Ryan Choi.
Though he only did the covers for those two issues, Steve did the cover and interiors for The Atom Special #1 (May, 1993), which dealt with Ray Palmer starting to lose his grip on time, dealing the aftermath from his Sword of the Atom and Power of The Atom series, with an attack on his friend, Professor Hyatt, as well as his time foe, Chronos.Sunday, March 17, 2024
Happy St. Patrick's Day From Veronica
Celebrating here with Veronica #23 (September, 1992, with art by Rex W. Lindsey), wondering what's more valuable at the end of the rainbow, Veronica Lodge or the pot of gold?
Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Celebrating Artist Graham Nolan
Bringing the Element Man back to his basics, with him travelling the world to save the life of his son, Joey, looking for the Orb of Ra which gave him his powers. Featuring the usual battles with Simon Stagg and adding female adventurer Jillian Conway to the mix, the game was ready to go as the billionaire was none too happy that Rex Mason married his daughter, Sapphire.
Metamorpho #1 and #2 (August and September, 1993)
Metamorpho #3 and #4 (October and November, 1993)
Saturday, March 9, 2024
Time Runs Amok
Here, Blue Beetle fights the time thief (and Atom foe) in Blue Beetle #10 (March, 1987) in a Legends crossover with a cover by Paris Cullins and Bruce Patterson...
...setting the stage for a return battle in Blue Beetle #22 (March, 1988) with cover by Chris Wozniak and Keith Wilson.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
Celebrating Artist Al Milgrom
Al was the co-creator of Firestorm (with both Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein), as well as his most fearsome foes...
..being Multiplex, Killer Frost and the Hyena, in Firestorm's first five issues that came out in the 1970s.
Firestorm #1 and #2 (March and April, 1978)
Firestorm #3 and #4 (June and August-September, 1978)
Firestorm #5 (October-November, 1978)
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