Remembering Artist Russ Heath

Remembering the tremendously talented artist Russ Heath on his birthday (September 29, 1926 - August 23, 2018) with something not a war comic or a western, but instead a throwback to Batman's earliest days, as he and Catwoman fought a Cat-Man killing innocent women in Gotham in the four part Heat series featured in Legends Of The Dark Knight.

Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #46 and #47 (June and July, 1993)

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Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #48 and #49 (Early and Late August, 1993)

Celebrating Artist Bob Layton

Celebrating the birthday of editor, writer and artist, Bob Layton (September 25, 1953).

For a talent this big, time to go with some big issues...the four covers he drew for Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars, featuring the Hulk, the X-Men, Dr. Doom and Captain America!

Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #4 and #5 (August and September, 1984)

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Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #6 and #7 (October and November, 1984)

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Celebrating Batman Artist David Mazzucchelli

Celebrating the birthday of artist David Mazzuchelli (September 21, 1960) with a look at some of his strongest (and most reprinted) work, Batman: Year One.

With writer Frank Miller, David gave us a down and dirty view of Gotham, and the origins of the Batman, with Bruce Wayne figuring out how he was going to save the city, dressed as a bat, while contending with an unjust police force (except for recent transfer, James Gordon), and encounters with Selina Kyle (who was headed on her way to be Catwoman).

Batman #404 and #405 (February and March, 1987)

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Batman #406 and #407 (April and May, 1987)

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Reprints

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While not all of the reprints, the red covered Batman: Year One was one of the earliest (from October, 1988), while DC Finest will be collecting Year One (and Two, plus Batman #401-#412, Detective Comics #568-#579 and Batman Annual #11).  Find our more information on DC Finest Collections here with Kurtis and the Finest DC Channel, and a list of upcoming volumes here!

Remembering Legendary Artist Joe Kubert

Remembering artistic legend, Joe Kubert, on his birthday (September 18, 1926 - August 12, 2012), with a very early cover in his career, from the Son Of Sinbad #1 (February, 1950) from St. John Publishing Company, which has been collected in the Joe Kubert Archives #1 - Weird Horrors & Daring Adventures (December, 2012), where he provided pencils and inks for two stories of the Son Of Sinbad...."Ransom Of The Shipwreck Shoals!" (freeing slave girl Elene from the evil Mytar) and "The Curse Of The Caliph's Dancer" (searching for a prize pearl to get the hand of Kina, the Pearl Of Baghdad), as well as likely inking the third story, "The Merchant Of Menace" (wherein he was working to recover items stolen by the Sultan).

One additional story appeared in Abbott and Costello Comics #10 (August, 1950), "The Princess Of Pirate Cove", where he rescued a woman and Princess Xenia from the island of Lahru.

Celebrating Super-Heroic Artist Mike Grell

Celebrating the birthday of writer/artist Mike Grell (September, 13, 1947).

Mike was a big talent, especially in the 1970s, making a name for himself drawing the Legion of Super-Heroes (as the LSH was taking over the Superboy title)...

...but two of his most iconic covers did not appear there.

Below, are the full covers and a little on what was inside these oversized treasury editions!

Limited Collectors' Edition #C-49 (October-November, 1976)

With this iconic cover, Mike Grell made sure he'd be remembered by Legion fans for decades to come.

But, Mike was only represented sporadically on the inside of book...

...with the main part of the issue containing reprints of debut of Mordru from Adventure Comics #369 and #370 (June and July, 1968), some fact pages about the Legion Headquarters, and the great Dave Cockrum had his two page diagram of the wedding of Duo Damsel and Bouncing Boy provided (with a guide to the characters in back!).

All-New Collectors' Edition #C-55 (March, 1978)

Here, Mike did the illustrations for the main story, where Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl finally get married (and he and writer Paul Levitz made it to the wedding as well, Paul on the far left, Mike on the far right), in an odd story influenced by the Time Trapper, who changed the past...and, there are some wonderful fact files on the Legion in the back (though they were drawn by Jim Sherman and Jack Abel).

Bits of wonderful Legion history, cementing Mike Grell's place as an artist in it!

Remembering Writer And Artist Frank Robbins

Remembering writer/artist Frank Robbins on his birthday (September 9, 1917 - November 28, 1994).  

Likely better remembered as an comic strip writer/artist for things like aviation strip Scorchy Smith and his own adventure strip Johnny Hazard, as well as writing Superboy and Batman/Detective Comics (where he co-created, among others, Man-Bat), his wonderfully moody art enhanced the DC comics adaptation of the Shadow in the 1970s, where he did the following covers.

The Shadow #5 and #7, (June-July and October-November, 1974)

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The Shadow #8, (December-January, 1974/1975)

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Star Trek 58th Anniversary

Celebrating the debut of the TV show, Star Trek, which was on September 8th, 1966...

...boldly going where no man has gone before..

...with two special issues featuring the original cast in adventures set during the original series.

Star Trek #58 (Gold Key, December, 1978)

Here, in a story by George Kashdan with art by Al McWilliams and painted cover by Chuck Liese, Dr. Leonard McCoy has to cure more than a cold...he has to help out a much larger patient, "The Brain Damaged Planet", as a virus was menacing a whole planet's population, via the brain at the core of the planet.

An incredible task for a man who considered himself at heart just a country doctor.

Star Trek #58 (DC Comics, March, 1994)

With this story, by Howard Weinstein, with Carlos Garzon on interior art and cover by Jerome Moore, this issue started a run with a flashback on Pavel Chekov (as Chekov visited Sulu in the present day), set during the time of original mission, wherein the Enterprise was dealing with a mysterious ship bombarding a colony with lethal radiation as an old flame came back into Chekov's life.

Chekov, looking back on his life, just as, on this anniversary, Star Trek fans celebrate the original show (and all that came after).

Remembering Artist Jay Scott Pike

Remembering artist Jay Scott Pike on his birthday (September 6, 1924 - September 13, 2015).  Likely better known for his work on the one and only Showcase featuring Dolphin or a very special Star Trek issue, Pike spent more time working on romance comics.

Here, a sample of covers, celebrating what would have been his 100th birthday.

Girls' Love Stories #100 and Girls' Romances #100 (January and April, 1964)

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Falling In Love #100 (July, 1968)

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Remembering Artist Syd Shores

Remembering artist Syd Shores on his birthday (September 4, 1913 - June 3, 1973) with his covers to one of the last series he worked on...Red Wolf.

Syd's Red Wolf was Johnny Wakely, an American Indian boy whose parents were slaughtered by American soldiers, who was orphaned again when a native American tribe killed his adopted parents.  Thus he became Red Wolf, to fight to end the warfare in the old west.

Red Wolf #3 and #4 (September and November, 1972)

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Red Wolf #6 (March, 1973)

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Happy Labor Day With The Legion

Happy Labor Day!  

May your day be better than that of the Legion of Super-Heroes, who were laboring as a chain gang, as shown on this Jim Starlin cover for Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #238 (April, 1978).

But, why were the Legion members in their 1960s costumes on this 1970s cover?

Well, this issue came about due to the dreaded deadline doom, and reprints Adventure Comics #359 and #360 (August and September, 1967), drawn by Curt Swan and George Klein, where the Legion was outlawed by Universo, a villain with a hypnotic power, who, after sneaking into the presidency under false pretenses, put the team in a particularly brutal prison.  Of course, the villain's dastardly plan was foiled by Superboy and the kids from the future.

Remembering Writer Edgar Rice Burroughs

Remembering writer Edgar Rice Burroughs on his birthday (September 1, 1875 - March 19, 1950) with a series featuring two of his most famous characters...Tarzan and John Carter of Mars.

The series by Dark Horse Comics had the two meet on Mars...although not until the third issue (as Tarzan wandered Mars).  Series with painted covers by Bret Blevins.

Tarzan/John Carter Warlords Of Mars #1 and #2 (January and April, 1996)

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Tarzan/John Carter Warlords Of Mars #3 and #4 (May and June, 1996)

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