Celebrating Artist Klaus Janson

Celebrating the work of Klaus Janson on his birthday (January 23, 1952).  

Usually known for his powerful inking work, occasionally Klaus would do full art on some stories, as he did for the four issue mini-series, Batman: Gordon's Law.

Batman: Gordon's Law #1 and #2 (December, 1996 and January, 1997)

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Batman: Gordon's Law #3 and #4 (February and March, 1997)

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Celebrating Artist Joe Chiodo

Celebrating the birthday of artist Joe Chiodo (January 22, 1958) with his covers featuring Shanna the She-Devil for Marvel Fanfare #56 to #59.

Sadly, Joe didn't do any of the interior art.

Marvel Fanfare #56 and #57 (April and June, 1991)

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Marvel Fanfare #58 and #59 (August and October, 1991)

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Celebrating Artist Joe Staton

Celebrating the birthday of artist Joe Staton (January 19, 1948) with a look at Year One of one of the characters Joe was most associated with...Guy Gardner.

In Guy Gardner #11 (August, 1993), Guy is kidnapped by the alien Draal, who want to make use of his talents, so they replicate him (forcing Guy to relive memories of his family....dad, Rolly; mom, Peg and brother, Mace) as they make a replicant of him.  

Guy works with other former Green Lanterns the Draal have kidnapped (including Graf, Bivvix, RRU-9-2 and Voz) to escape.  Eventually they do, and Guy gets back to Earth to confront his clone....who has made a mess of the Justice League America (in issues of their title running concurrently with this saga).

Guy Gardner #11 and #12 (August and September, 1993)

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Guy Gardner #13 and #14 (October and, November 1993)

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Guy Gardner #15 (December, 1993)

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Celebrating Artist Ron Wagner

Celebrating the birthday of artist Ron Wagner (January 17, 1961)...

...with his covers for Daredevil, the man without fear, as lawyer Matt Murdock struggles to find himself!

Daredevil #344 and #345 (September and October, 1995)

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Daredevil #346 and #347 (November and December, 1995)

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Daredevil #350 (March, 1996)

Strange Adventures With Apes

Just monkeying around today with Strange Adventures, and a couple of tales where simians take over humans...or so it seems.

Long before there was a planet of the apes, here are these little stories....both with covers by Gil Kane!

Gorillas In Space!

With Strange Adventures #64 (January, 1956) with story by Bill Finger, Carmine Infantino and Bernard Sachs, we find ourselves in the height of the space race, with Dr. Owens trying to complete an orbiting satellite to prepare for a space station...when he and the Professor are confronted with a space station, manned by apes!  They presented themselves as Earthmen who made the satellite and, while in space, mutated into apes thanks to the cosmic rays.  

Warned, the scientists said the would halt their work, but Dr. Owens hit on the space station and went into orbit with them.  There, he found out they were really aliens disguised as gorillas, trying to halt Earth's advancement.  Tricking one of the aliens, he took his gorilla suit, wrecked their cyclotron, and brought the space station to Earth, to be taken in by the authorities.

The Gorilla Conquest Of Earth

Now, Strange Adventures #69 (June, 1956) with story by John Broome, Gil Kane and Bernard Sachs takes a different approach with its gorillas.  Edward Smith had invented a time machine, and planned to travel back to 5,000,000 BC....but, found out he devolved as he went back in time.  Stopping instead in 1,500,000 BC, he found a society where apes ruled, and men were docile slaves.  

Finding this unbearable, he worked with the humans to lead a revolt, and used science to combat the apes advanced weapons.  He then headed back to his own time...but lost his time machine in the water, after crashlanding in the ocean.

National Quitter's Day

Happy National Quitter's Day!  

If you are going to give up your New Year's resolutions...today is the day!

You end up in good company...Hal Jordan quit the Green Lantern Corps on Oa in Green Lantern #181 (October, 1984, cover by Dave Gibbons), and Guy Gardner quit the Justice League America on Almerac in Justice League America #63 (June, 1992, cover by Dan Jurgens and Rick Burchett).

Celebrating Artist Karl Kesel

Celebrating the birthday of artist Karl Kesel (January 7, 1959) with two covers he did full art for (as he inked many many covers)...

...here, featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, with the LSH facing Starfinger in the Best Of DC #67 (December, 1985) and a generic shot of the early Legion, from the Legion of Super-Heroes Archive #3 (October, 1993).