Happy Easter...Island

A happy Easter to all...and even though Easter Island has nothing to do with the holiday, this little cover by Jack Kirby and Christopher Rule, where a man discovers invading aliens on Easter Island from Tales To Astonish #5 (September, 1959), reprinted in Where Monsters Dwell #24 (October, 1973) should make you happy that that is not how you are spending the day.

Remembering Artist Joe Orlando

Remembering artist Joe Orlando on his birthday (April 4, 1927 - December 23, 1998), with this one off cover of Plastic Man #3 (March-April, 1967), as DC had recently added the pliable policeman to their lineup from Quality Comics, here matching wits with Dr. Dome to save Micheline de Lute 3rd.

Laughs In Class

A couple of Laughs at school, from Laugh #287 (February, 1975) and Laugh #290 (May, 1975), with the latter definitely being by Dan DeCarlo, with Moose in trouble with Miss Grundy. 

World's Finest Fools

What's more fun than one magical extradimensional imp?

Why, two of course!  

So, in honor of April Fool's Day, two of the earliest team-ups of Batman and Superman's two foolish foes, Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk!

Bat-Mite Meets Mr. Mxyzptlk

The two imps first meet in World's Finest Comics #113 (November, 1960) in a story by Jerry Coleman, Dick Sprang and Sheldon Moldoff (under a cover by Curt Swan and Stan Kaye), where it was an ordinary day in Gotham, with Batman and Robin about to take down a criminal robot...or at least planning on it.  But the robot seemed too much, so Superman was going to pitch in...until Bat-Mite stopped the help because he wanted his hero to do the job.  The dynamic duo went to continue the battle, but Superman was distracted by mystical menaces....but Bat-Mite said it wasn't him stopping Superman.  

It was Superman's 5th Dimensional foe, Mr. Mxyzptlk!  Mr. Mxyzptlk was not happy that Bat-Mite was vexing Superman.  The two imps battled for a while, but, after a time, Mxy got tired of it, and went home to the 5th Dimension, and Bat-Mite tired of the activity as well, and also went home (much to the relief of the heroes). 

The Incredible Team of Bat-Mite and Mr. Mxyzptlk

For their second go around in World's Finest Comics #123 (February, 1962) under a cover by Dick Dillin and Sheldon Moldoff, and story by Jerry Coleman, Dick Sprang and Sheldon Moldoff, Batman and Robin were taking down a criminal gang that used a rocket to commit crimes (with Bat-Mite watching his hero in action).  The criminals were giving the dynamic duo a hard time, so Superman joined in (with Mr. Mxyzptlk appearing at the same time).  

Superman was taking out the rocked with a boulder (because of Kryptonite on the rocket), but Bat-Mite changed the boulder into a creature....then, Mr. Mxyzptlk changed it again....then, the creature took on a life of its own due to the combined magic, and became a big menace!  The two couldn't defeat it, even working together...as the creature would just change into an even bigger problem.  Superman's powers didn't work well against the magic creature, but Batman helped with a solution, making an opposite of magnetic creature it had become, and the two cancelled each other out.  The two imps went back home to not be insulted by the heroes. 

The two would meet again, and find more history on that with Bat-Mite's history, or a little on Mr. Mxyzptlk himself.