Celebrating Artist Glenn Fabry

Celebrating the birthday of artist Glen Fabry (March 24, 1961), who provided the painted covers to the Trenchcoat Brigade...

...a four issue mini-series featuring John Constantine, the Phantom Stranger, Doctor Occult and Mister E...four magic users in the DC universe united by their love of finely tailored coats.

Trenchcoat Brigade #1 and #2 (March and April, 1999)

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Trenchcoat Brigade #3 and #4 (May and June, 1999)

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Detective Comics Centennial 500

Looking at a very special issue of Detective Comics and the life and times of Batman, halfway to 1000, here is Detective Comics #500, which is something very special.  It is the second comic book ever to reach its 500th issue!  

The reason it has lasted so long can be summed up in one word: Batman!

Detective Comics 500

Thing is, Detective Comics was also more than Batman....there was Robin, his faithful companion, as well as many back up features over the years, so this issue split its focus, giving readers 7 special stories done by a wealth of talent, as evidenced by the cover of Detective Comics #500 (March, 1981), with Dick Giordano providing the large Batman and Robin, Walt Simonson doing the Batman in the magnifying glass, Joe Kubert drawing Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez drawing Elongated Man, Carmine Infantino providing the back cover's Robin as well as Deadman and Commissioner James Gordon (inked by Bob Smith), Tom Yeates providing a Bruce Wayne, Jim Aparo finishing the rest of the detectives, with Bob LeRose providing the classic covers.  

Now, most of these are detective stories, so, all the spoilers with the solutions to the mysteries will either be in links or at the end of the article....after a spoiler space for fans!  Now...onto the stories!

Batman

First up, "To Kill A Legend" by Alan Brennert and Dick Giordano, with a one page summary of Batman's origin (as a dream) which leads him out onto the streets to stop another crime.  With a bit of magical manipulation, Batman ends up in Crime Alley (the spot where his parents were killed), and he gets a little help from Robin. 

The Phantom Stranger appears (having been the manipulator) and explains that Batman has a chance to save his parents on another world (as he failed to do here, as did the Bruce Wayne on Earth-2, predating his story of becoming the Batman in Detective Comics #27).  So, Batman (with Robin following along) so to this Earth, to find a young spoiled Bruce Wayne, who likely won't be more than the playboy Batman pretends to be, encounters the younger versions of Jim Gordon (a Lieutenant in Gotham's police force) as well as his fiancee, librarian Barbara Kean (giving Batgirl's mom a full premarital name for the first time).   

Along the way, Robin discovers this Earth has no historical heroes, nor a planet Krypton, so that this world needs a Batman.  Events progress to the faithful day and time of the alleyway shooting after Bruce and his parents attend a movie...but, what will Batman do?

Slam Bradley

Next up, a convention of detectives, with Slam Bradley, one of the stars of Detective Comics #1 as the lead (created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster),  with all these detectives (who all had features in Detective Comics), leading to "The 'Too Many Crooks...' Caper" by Len Wein and Jim Aparo.  


The detectives were honoring Archie Evergreen, a retiring detective....who, while talking to Slam, gets shot in the back at the party, prompting the roomful of sleuths to act to find Archie Evergreen's greatest enemy and murderer.  

Slam meets the other detectives at this time:  Captain Compass, naval detective; Jason Bard, Gotham private investigator; Mysto, magician detective; Roy Raymond, TV detective; Pow-Wow Smith, frontier lawman and Christopher Chance, the Human Target.  They all resolve to find the killer, with Slam starting with getting the lowdown on Archie's greatest enemy, smuggler Victor Dominion.  

Compass and Chance get proof of Dominion's other crimes on his yacht; Smith, Bard and Mysto confronting Dominion at his mansion, with Bradley confronting him and bringing Dominion down (literally) by shooting his escaping helicopter.  But, who was the murderer?  Raymond provides the facts, that, were "Impossible...But True".

Batman

Next up, back to Gotham, and an adventure of Batman by Len Wein and Walter Simonson which seems like a simple tale, as in a two page story, using every novel writer's bad cliches...a quite entertaining little Batman tale unfolds in "Once Upon A Time..."....a tale with no particular mystery!

Elongated Man

The ductile detective, Ralph Dibny, and his wife, Sue, stumble onto a talking raven, and a dying man mumbling "Reynolds" in "The Final Mystery Of Edgar Allan Poe" by Mike W. Barr and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.   The injured man in his office was Edwin Allman Pohe, a noted collector of the works of Edgar Allan Poe, with his head struck by a candlestick and holding an old piece of paper in his hand.  Pohe's assistant, Marcia Douglas, tells the Dibnys that Pohe was expecting someone, perhaps a rare book dealer to be stopping by, as well as giving the facts of Pohe's collection, which she supported (but didn't know that "Reynolds" was also Poe's mysterious last word).  

Ralph goes to very the date on the old paper, finding out it was only aged to look old, as Sue finds out Reynolds was a publisher Poe knew around the time he died.  Ralph figures out that Edgar Allan Poe had a magazine he was to print before he died, and tracks down the man Pohe was suppose to meet (to supposedly sell him a copy of that magazine, which was never printed).  Finding him, a Steve Billman, he also had access to old printing plates, and Ralph, Sue and Marcia went to find the killer!

Batman

"The Batman Encounters -- Gray Face" is a text story, by Walter B. Gibson (the creator of the Shadow), with spot illustrations by Tom Yeates.  

This story deals with Batman's detective and escape artist skills, as Batman has to track down the mysterious villain of Gotham's Chinatown area....Gray Face, after Herbert Garland was found, wandering the streets, speaking of dragons after an encounter with Gray Face. 


Batman's abilities are put to the test surviving the trials put on him by this foe!

Hawkman

"The Strange Death Of Doctor Erdel" was the case that Hawkman chose to solve (with some help from his wife, Hawkgirl) in the story by Paul Levitz and Joe Kubert.


Doctor Erdel was a scientist in an isolated laboratory who died of an apparent heart attack, where Erdel was found by his assistant, Fred Schneider, and Erdel's niece, Anna, inherited Erdel's patents and wealth.  

Erdel's heart attack was found to be brought on by electrical shock (likely from one of his inventions, that have sat untouched for years).  

Hawkman and Hawkgirl track down Anna (finding her innocent, as she had given away the money and devoted herself to charity work, with a tear stained scrapbook of her uncle's achievements), then to finding Fred, who had changed careers, becoming a successful ornithologist (thus eliminating his motive to want to steal Erdel's work).  

So, the Hawks head back to check to see who could have directed the computer to deliver the fatal shock to Dr. Erdel?  And which famous Justice Leaguer was Dr. Erdel responsible for?

Batman

Last, but not least, is "What Happens When A Batman Dies?" by Cary Bates, Carmine Infantino and Bob Smith, where....well, Batman dies!  

Disillusioned by the constant need for his services, Batman is feeling like his war on crime does no good, making him careless in taking down a few thieves at a simple mugging...

....not realizing that it was a trap by dog master Stryker, so that his hound, a trained attack dog, could bite the Batman with its poison coated teeth.  

The poison is killing Batman, and Robin and Gordon have to figure out how to save Batman (with Batman using his force of will to try to survive, ends up summoning Deadman, a wandering spirit able to possess bodies and control their actions, to help).


Deadman, possessing Robin, injects Batman with adrenaline, combined with Deadman possessing him, allows Batman to rise, and start to track down his killer as well as deal with his feelings of despair. 

Spoilers

After this brief depiction of Batman's villains by Jim Aparo (from a slightly earlier dollar sized issue of Detective Comics, and these and other previously invented villains were sadly lacking from this issue of Detective Comics)...

.....the answers to the mysteries!


Here they are!


Batman's dilemma to save his parents or not on the alternate Earth: he does, which does inspire that Earth's young Bruce Wayne to take up the study of criminology as well as athletics, leading him to a path as a possible Batman, out of awe instead of fear.

After dropping his TV show tagline, Roy Raymond reveals Archie's killer to be....Archie himself!  Using a small remote control, he fired the shot into his own back (Archie was dying, and wouldn't have been able to bring Dominion down in the time he had left, so, came up with this plan to have the world's greatest detectives do it for him).

Elongated Man and Sue did find the killer...Marcia!  She was trying to destroy clues along the way, as she and Billman were trying to sell Pohe a fake Poe magazine (but, the magazine did exist in rough form, so Ralph had it printed and a copy give to Pohe upon his recovery).

Hawkman found that, in an empty room, the culprit behind the computer shocking Erdel was....the computer!  This computer achieved sentience, and wanted Erdel out of the way so it could view the galaxy unhindered by human contact.  It was also the teleportation device which brought the Martian Manhunter to Earth in his first appearance in Detective Comics #225 (thus, this absolves J'onn of his guilt for the death of Dr. Erdel).

Last, Batman found inspiration from the spirits of Thomas and Martha Wayne, and all those he had saved as Batman (who had later passed on).  Batman and Deadman found Stryker's dog training facility, finding the dog, and getting a sample of the poison for a cure, as well as stopping Stryker (who met his fate at the jaws of another of his attack dogs).

With this, Detective Comics was halfway to 1000 (not unlike Action Comics a few years before!) building from 100, 200, 300 and 400....



 

 

Batman And The Phantom Stranger Meet Superman The Vampire Of Steel

Seems like a lot of words to describe something that's pretty obvious looking at the Jim Aparo cover of the oversized Dollar Comic of World's Finest Comics #249 (February-March, 1977)...


....that Batman and the Phantom Stranger are about to deal with THE VAMPIRE OF STEEL!


Just one of four spectacular stories in this 1970s treasure trove!  Let's look back, shall we?

The Vampire Of Steel

Yes, it bares repeating, so how did Superman get into this fix (other than it being the story by Bob Haney, Kurt Schaffenberger and Tex Blaisdell) to kick off this issue?   Well, Bruce Wayne had a problem at one of his oil rigs, and why have a super friend if you can't ask him to do super favors for you?

Problem is, while exploring under the rig, Superman gets possessed by a supernatural force, so that at night, he attacks the crew (while Batman fights off forces on his own, with a little help from the Phantom Stranger).  Eventually, the real problem is revealed, and through some complex work, the Phantom Stranger stops the real evil, and Superman is freed from the force of the trillig (undersea vampire).

Will The Costume Be The Hero?

There's more!  Green Arrow is dealing with Black Canary being kidnapped by the Hellgrammite, as well as John DeLeon, the man who took Oliver Queen's fortune (and as readers found out last issue, bought his mansion, with the Arrow Cave and supplies underneath). 

So, of course, he figured out that Oliver Queen is....the Batman?  

What were Gerry Conway, Trevor Von Eeden and Vince Coletta thinking?


Picking up from the previous issue, where Green Arrow's costume was torn to shreds, Ollie has to take up Deleon's offer of a Bat-costume to fight the Hellgrammite's men (a darknight detective, Mr. Queen is not).

The Hellgrammite was a foe of the Batman and the Creeper's, who had come to Star City to not face super heroes (failed in that) and to take advantage of an aging population of millionaires with his "Rebirth, Inc." idea....the idea that these rich men give him tons of money, and he gives them back their youth (a con job, as Hellgrammite just kills them, but does it in front of another, with a bit of trickery to think the person is de-aged). 

Meanwhile, Black Canary tries to escape her capture with little success, resulting in her calling Queen for help.  This puts him back on the trail of John Deleon (who got away), but Ollie figures out where he was going, and puts a little Green Arrow work into his Batman bit, stopping the villain (who did end the Deleon problem by frightening him to death).  But, Ollie is in hot water with Dinah, as the Black Canary was none to happy to have to be rescued by Green Arrow (no matter what costume he wore....).

Moon Lady And The Monster

Still, there's more!  A joyous return of Steve Ditko to the Creeper in this issue!

Reporter Jack Ryder (secretly the Creeper) ends up having to protect the Moon Lady (a horror host of the Cosmic Broadcasting Network, as she is attacked by a monster.

Changing into the Creeper, he fights the Monster, who gets away.  Jack pawns off the protection duty to Fran Daye, so he can investigate, finding a slew of suspects (including a watch group who is offended by her broadcasts, her agent, her ex-partner and even the janitor), eventually unmasking the Monster...but, the Moon Lady was still done in...by poor ratings!

A Fire In The Sky

Last, but not least, return to World War II with Wonder Woman (and Gerry Conway, Mike Vosburg and Robert R. Smith) as she faces Dr. Psycho, who has recruited Sgt. Rock and Easy Company with his mental powers!  Continuing from the last issue, where Wonder Woman had to work with Sgt. Rock and Easy Company, the heroes find Dr. Psycho (an old foe of Wonder Woman's with mental powers) working with aliens (the Krell), planning the end of the Allies, Sgt. Rock was under Dr. Psycho's power about to kill Wonder Woman....until she broke the villain's hold on him. 

Then, devolving the men of Easy Company, Wonder Woman had to face them, as Dr. Psycho lied to the Krell to get them to help the Nazis.  Wonder Woman found the truth in all of this, getting a captive Krell to tell the truth to his friends, so that they instead bombed Nazi sites, as she also stopped the doctor, and had him end his transformation of Easy Company.   She's a wonder, that Wonder Woman!

All that joy...in one issue! 

Eclipso After Crisis

Thinking about the moon makes you think about the lunar villain, Eclipso, who had a small run of his own series in the House Of Secrets in the 1960s, then menaced a few select heroes like the Justice League of America, Metal Men and Green Lantern in the 1970s and 1980s....

...but, after the Crisis On Infinite Earths, Eclipso was working his way up to bigger and better things!

Those things included appearances in the Outsiders, Phantom Stranger and Starman..

Outsiders

Eclipso returned in Outsiders #17 (March, 1987 by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo), with "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night--!", but it was the return of Batman that took the focus of the cover.  Batman had left the team about the time Looker became a member, but fate had a way of bringing them back together again.

A series of museum robberies put Batman and the Outsiders on the trail of the People of the Dark, and their high priestess, leading the Outsiders and Batman to the island of Diablo, where the Prime Minister of the land recounted the origin of Eclipso, how high priest Morphir scratched solar scientist Bruce Gordon with a black diamond during an eclipse....and Gordon was on the island at the time continuing his research along with his fiancee, Mona Bennet.  The high priestess and her cult captured Batman and the Outsiders, who met Bruce Gordon, whom the priestess was using in a ceremony during the eclipse to reform...Eclipso (who must have reformed slightly during the Crisis, but had been bodiless since his last appearance facing off against John Stewart during his early run as Green Lantern.  The Outsiders figured to wait until the eclipse passed to face Eclipso (since he was most powerful at this time), except...Eclipso made sure the eclipse wouldn't end!

Then, in Outsiders #18 (April, 1987, by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo), the team would "...Rage, Rage Against The Dying Of The Light!", trying to find a way to stop Eclipso's artificially continuing eclipse.  The team was well suited to face Eclipso, with Black Lightning and Metamorpho working in tandem, Halo's light powers, Looker's mind powers, Geo-Force's gravity and Katana's mystic blade, but Eclipso revealed that he is "no mortal man, but the personification of a concept", allowing him to survive their attacks, and still grow stronger, until the team again combined their attacks under Batman's direction to weaken him and trap in the one prison that had held him for years...the body of Bruce Gordon.

This ended the immediate menace, but began a more tortured life for Dr. Bruce Gordon again...

Phantom Stranger

Both Bruce Gordon and Eclipso were on hand next for the four issue mini-series of the Phantom Stranger from the 1980s, where Eclipso would again threaten the Earth.  The Phantom Stranger himself was only beginning to reform in Phantom Stranger #1 (October, 1987 by Paul Kupperberg, Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell), but events were happening in Gotham and Metropolis (as well as the rest of the world) that would require his attention and "The Heart Of A Stranger".  Commissioner James Gordon was finding the remains of a mob hit, while Jimmy Olsen found ties to the Russian mob in Metropolis, and the United States and Russia were approaching a state of war as natural upheavals were taking the Earth, with S.T.A.R. Labs scientist, Jenet Klyburn trying to piece together the troubles....and Bruce Gordon, knowing that there is trouble wishes someone would help him against it.

Phantom Stranger faces Lycaon and his cult, with a little help from James Gordon against a demon, then confronts Eclipso, who, working with the Lords of Chaos and claiming to have just found magic, is subtly working to destroy the world, hiding his plans from all the usual heroes....with the Phantom Stranger looking for new allies, finding a disheartened Bruce Gordon.  

With Phantom Stranger #2 (November, 1987, by Kupperberg, Mignola and Russell), it is a fight for "The Soul Of Man!", with Eclipso tormenting Bruce Gordon via their mental link, but the Phantom Stranger working on Gordon's behalf.  Jimmy Olsen continues to follow his leads on the Russian mob, while the world gets worse, and Gordon and the Phantom Stranger find they will get no help from the Lords of Order, but instead go to recruit Jenet Klyburn, with the trio going to research a disaster site.

While there, they discover the mystic connection to the supposed natural problems the Earth is having, with the doctor taking action to help Phantom Stranger and Gordon stop this particular problem, while Lycaon and his cult grow in power, as does Eclipso.

With one end of Earth ended, Eclipso focuses his mind on the next two.

Phantom Stranger deals with dreams of being helpless in "Thunder In The Night" from Kupperberg, Mignola and Russell's Phantom Stranger #3 (December, 1987).  The Phantom Stranger deals with his new found humanity, and gets comfort from Bruce Gordon, himself dealing with having unleashed Eclipso (though Phantom Stranger comforts him with the thought if it hadn't been Bruce, it could have easily just been someone else....).

Tensions between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. get worse, with Valentina Volstok (Negative Woman of the new Doom Patrol) working for the U.S. government trying to find the cause, with Jimmy Olsen finding the Russian mobster has ties much further up than he thought, being pursued by a demon Russian mobster, with Phantom Stranger showing up to rescue him (instead of his usual pal, Superman).  Gordon, Olsen and the Phantom Stranger head to the White House, where it is found that the demon can shift bodies, and takes over the U.S. President, to begin World War III, with only the combined effort of the Phantom Stranger, Jimmy Olsen, Bruce Gordon and Ronald Reagan stop this world threat.  Meanwhile, Lycaon works out a TV deal, and Eclipso hoping his last mystic end to Earth will be the one to end all life on Earth.

Phantom Stranger #4 (January, 1988 by Kupperberg, Mignola and Russell) offers "A World Full Of Voices" for Lycaon, or more accurately, a chance for him to expand his Temple of Divine Light with a worldwide television audience.   Eclipso plans to have Lycaon unite the world's will as one, and use the power that comes from that to destroy the planet.  Valentina Vostok tries to stop Lycaon, but fails, while the still all too human Phantom Stranger tries to gain power of his own at Stonehenge, getting into conflict directly with Eclipso, who uses his own black diamond against the Stranger.  All the while, Lycaon tries to unite humanity's will. with Bruce Gordon in the audience...and, as he does tap into the power of humanity, it pulls the Stranger and Eclipso to the studio, where the Phantom Stranger is able to stop Lycaon, tapping into that power instead to restore his own mystic might, ending the threat of Eclipso for a time (though Phantom Stranger would hand around with Bruce Gordon for a bit, during a run in Action Comics Weekly....).

Starman

After resting for a while, Eclipso returned in Starman, stepping out of the "Star Shadows" for a four issue run, starting with Starman #42 (January, 1992, by Len Strazewski, John Calimee, Andrew Smith, Roy Richardson and Alan Kupperberg.  The solar powered Starman (Will Payton) is having overload problems with his powers, and goes to get help from Dr. Kitty Faulkner of S.T.A.R. Labs (who is also the solar powered heroine, Rampage).  While there, Starman meets Dr. Bruce Gordon, who is a solar scientist, with Kitty letting Will know Bruce knows her secret, and Will and Bruce swap origin stories, (with Will's being he became Starman after being struck by an energy beam from space).  Gordon suggests they take his solar jet into space so he can get readings off of Starman in order to diagnose his condition, and off the two go.

While in space, their ship runs into intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo, and, while Starman is occupied with him, the moon crosses the sun, turning Bruce into...Eclipso!

With "Blue Moon" from Starman #43 (February, 1992 by Len Strazewski and Vince Guarrano), it is revealed that the Lords of Chaos put Lobo on the hunt for Eclipso, for his failing to destroy the Earth, offering Lobo quite the bounty.

Lobo and Starman fight on the moon, while Eclipso retrieves his black diamond and costume (which he had subconsciously gotten Bruce Gordon to hide on the solar jet).  Eclipso asserts that it was his satellite which had generated the energy beam which turned Will Payton into Starman, and that Eclipso had been using his heroic creation as an energy storehouse.  Lobo and Starman's battle eventually brought them to where Eclipso had landed the solar plane, and Lobo was ready to take in Eclipso for his bounty.

Lobo and Eclipso would battle on the "Dark Side Of The Moon" in Starman #44 (March, 1992 by Len Strazewski, John Calimee and Roy Richardson).  During that battle, Starman helped, separating the two for a bit, and getting a few facts from Bruce Gordon as Lobo had weakened Eclipso, figures its us (Starman and Eclipso) against them (Lobo and the Lords of Chaos), works with Eclipso to make Lobo think Starman had incinerated him, getting Lobo to leave with "proof" of Eclipso's death to get his money.

But, Starman then learns of Eclipso's duplicity, nearly getting brain damage, as the villain takes the solar plane on the run to head back to Earth and Kitty at S.T.A.R. Labs....leaving Starman behind, realizing he will need help to defeat Eclipso.

With Starman #45 (April, 1992 by Len Strazewski, John Calimee and Roy Richardson), Kitty is indeed there at S.T.A.R. Labs for the return of the solar jet, but instead finds Eclipso in "Starlight, Star Bright".  Eclipso defeats Kitty, even when she turns into Rampage, and Eclipso plans on using her as a power battery (letting slip that Gordon had gotten Eclipso's origin a little wrong, suggesting "there is a little of me in everybody".).  Eclipso's devilish plan to get more power from the approaching Starman is foiled, as Starman recruited help from Justice League Europe's Power Girl (a friend of his since the Invasion!), exposing Eclipso to the concentrated sunlight Starman can generate...bring back Dr. Bruce Gordon.  With the menace averted, Gordon is able to get answers for Starman's power surge, that it was natural, and he just has to get use to his new more powerful self.

This ends up being the last issue of Will Payton's Starman, but Kitty, Bruce Gordon, Mona Bennet and especially Starman get to be involved in Eclipso's next plan, revealed over the course of the DC Annuals of 1992, as well as the 2 issue bookends of Eclipso: The Darkness Within (as well as Eclipso's 18 issue series), with seeds to Eclipso's true nature having been planted in these series, to enhance his history after his appearances in House of Secrets.

Superman Vs. Dracula and the Frankenstein's Monster

Seems as characters go, a meeting of Superman and Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster was long overdue, but it happened in Superman #344 (February, 1980) under a stunning cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez.

"The Monsters Among Us!" featured a story by Len Wein and Paul Levitz (who had both previously worked on the Phantom Stranger comic of the 1970s), with interior art by Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte.  This story sent Clark Kent and Lois Lane to cover a seance, presided over by the blind medium of Cassandra Craft (who had previously appeared in the earlier mentioned Phantom Stranger series).  Cassandra could sense there was more to Clark Kent that met the eye, but didn't really follow up on it as the group was attacked by the pair of Universal Monsters.   Superman went toe to toe with Frankenstein's Monster, and Dracula and the animated man had to withdraw without finishing off Cassandra, but, Dracula had come to realize that drinking Superman's blood would give him incredible power. 

The two monsters tried again, this time getting closer to finishing the Man of Steel (and convincing him of the potential inevitability of Dracula's victory).. ...when the Phantom Stranger mysteriously appeared and took the two fiends back to the fictional world from whence they came (and without even a hello to his earlier paramour, Cassandra). 

Though little explanation of where Frankenstein's Monster or Dracula came from in Superman's world, it was still quite the great one issue story!

Christmas For Outsiders

Even Outsiders are welcome at Christmas, as this story from Batman and the Outsiders #8 (March, 1984) proved.  In the tale of "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle..." by Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo, teaming Batman's new team with the master of magical mystery, the Phantom Stranger.

Christmas isn't easy, even when you are super-heroes....Halo, being a newly formed being, doesn't remember previous Christmas celebrations, Katana is adjusting to not having a family, Geo-Force tries to get home to is family in Markovia, Metamorpho makes the best of it, Black Lightning deals with a death he feels responsible for, and Batman is searching for a missing baby....and, does things get weird from there.

We find that babies are missing all over Gotham, and it is Phantom Stranger's foe, Tannarak, trying to reestablish himself on the Earth dimension using the young lives to get here.  With the help of the Outsiders, Tannarak is defeated by the Phantom Stranger, and the team even find a way to enjoy the holidays, realizing they are each others' family!

Find The Phantom Stranger

Is he man or ghost?

Neither.  He is the Phantom Stranger.

Coming into being in the early 1950s, Phantom Stranger held his own title for 6 issues, from August-September, 1952 to June-July, 1953, facing off against various supernatural threats....with little hints to his origins or life when not battling the forces of mystical evil.

Those issues were hard enough to find then....but now, well, at least some of these classic tales have been reprinted!

Phantom Stranger #1 (August-September, 1952)

Phantom Stranger's first story from his first issue was "The Haunters From Beyond" by writer John Broome, penciller Carmine Infantino and inker Sy Barry, with the man of mystery helping Anne Parris, dealing with ghosts from the Salem witch trials....or are they?  Phantom Stranger is there to solve the problem....


This tale is reprinted in DC 100 Page Super-Spectacular #4 (1971) under a pretty spooky Bernie Wrightson cover, and it also includes plenty of horror and mystery reprints from House of Mystery, House of Secrets, My Greatest Adventure, Tales of the Unexpected and Sensation Mystery (including a Johnny Peril tale!)...

The second story, "When Dead Men Walk" deals with a plane crash, and how three dead men from that crash come back to deal with plans they were unable to, or so it appears until the Phantom Stranger arrives to help in this story by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Sy Barry.

This story was reprinted in the Phantom Stranger #1 (May-June, 1969) under a cover by Bill Draut, when the Phantom Stranger was revived as a reprint title (with Dr. Thirteen reprints from Star-Spangled Comics as well, and a new teaser featuring the two characters as well.....this issue containing a story of the "ghost-breaker" from Star-Spangled Comics #125 of February, 1952), and the Phantom Stranger story was also in the Greatest 1950s Stories Ever Told hardcover from 1990 and softcover from 1992.

The last Phantom Stranger story from his 1950s first issue was "The House Of Strange Secrets" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, with the Phantom Stranger helping Neal Hunter, a lost traveler who ended up being kidnapped by a dead sorceror's apprentice and trapped in a house that seems trying to kill him....or is all just an elaborate plot?  Only the Phantom Stranger and readers of this issue know...


This story was reprinted in the 1960s Phantom Stranger #2 (July-August, 1969) under a cover by Bill Draut, with a Dr. Thirteen debunking more magic in the story from Star-Spangled Comics #128 (May, 1952).

Phantom Stranger #2 (October-November, 1952)

The first story of Phantom Stranger #2 (October-November, 1952) was "The Killer Shadow" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Sy Barry, with the Phantom Stranger helping heiress Myra Hunter who seemed to have her shadow stolen by dark arts performed by her uncle, John Neville.  Did the girl lose her shadow, or is there a more Earthly reason for the trouble being caused to this young woman....



This story was reprinted in Brave and the Bold #98 (October-November, 1971) under a cover by Nick Cardy, with the second team-up of Batman and the Phantom Stranger as the main focus of the issue in a story by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo, and Jim Aparo would come to be closely associated with the Phantom Stranger, drawing many of his issues in the 1970s.

The second Phantom Stranger story from this issue, "Death's Strange Deputy" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Bernard Sachs, has the Phantom Stranger dealing with the evil Veile, who has convinced a man named Adam Horton that he is not a man, but a magical creation, and sends him to kill the local district attorney.  Thankfully, the Phantom Stranger encounters Adam, and intervenes to find out the truth.


This story was reprinted in Adventure Comics #418 (April, 1972) under a Supergirl cover by Bob Oksner, and the issue also contains a new Black Canary story, as well as an unpublished until now Golden Age Dr. Mid-Nite story!

The last of the Phantom Stranger stories of this issue is "The Three Signs of Evil" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella, with the Phantom Stranger facing off against members of the Moon Cult to save the life of artist Mark Davis.  The Stranger stops the cult, but disappears as Mark calls the police....

This story was reprinted in Showcase #80 (February, 1969) under a cover by Neal Adams, as a try out for what became the 41 issue Phantom Stranger series, with a Dr. Thirteen reprint (this time from Star-Spangled Comics #122 of November, 1951, the first appearance of ghost-breaker, Dr. Terrance Thirteen), and a framing sequence by Mike Friedrich, Jerry Grandenetti and Bill Draut, linking the stories, with Dr. 13 trying to debunk the Phantom Stranger.
 

Phantom Stranger #3 (December-January, 1952/1953)

The third 1950s issue of Phantom Stranger only sees one of its tales reprinted, the middle one,  with a "Dead Man's Hand" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia, with rodeo wrangler Hank Wheeler being dealt a "dead man's hand" of Aces and Eights, and then seeing them everywhere he goes until he nearly dies....or is this all just a plot of rodeo hand, Jim Pomeroy?

This tale was reprinted in Adventure Comics #419 (May, 1972) under a Supergirl cover by Bob Oksner, with new Black Canary and Zatanna tales in the issue, as well as an Enchantress reprint.

The first and third Phantom Stranger stories from this issue, "Ghosts For Sale!" and "The Day Of Destiny!" have yet to be reprinted.

Phantom Stranger #4 (February-March, 1953)

The fourth issue of the original Phantom Stranger series only sees its first Phantom Stranger story reprinted, "The Hairy Shadows" by John Broome, Murphy Anderson and Joe Giella, with the Phantom Stranger helping ghost hunters Vic and Ellen Woods as they investigate the disappearance of Old Judd, who supposedly disappeared after a struggle with a hairy shadow.  While there, they encounter a creature from another dimension after summoning a doorway from one of Judd's old spellbooks.

This story was reprinted in House of Mystery #225 (June-July, 1974), along with a few other creepy tales...

Sadly, "The Riddle Of The Ghostly Trumpet" and "The Dream Killer" have not been reprinted.

Phantom Stranger #5 (April-May, 1953)

The first story of Phantom Stranger #5 (April-May, 1953), "The Living Nightmare" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Bernard Sachs, finds the Phantom Stranger helping out Samson...boxer Jerry Samson, who thinks he has a link to the historical hero.  Though Jerry does perform some good deeds, his delusion also gets him into trouble that the Phantom Stranger need to help him out of.


This story was reprinted in House of Mystery #226 (August-September, 1974) along with enough tales to curl anyone's hair, all under Cain's watchful eye with this cover by Luis Dominguez!

The second Phantom Stranger story of his issue, "The Unseen Familiar" has remained unseen since this issue.

The third Phantom Stranger story of this issue, "The Stars Screamed Danger" by John Broome, Frank Giacoia and Joe Giella, has the Phantom Stranger facing off against Vasti, a carnival mystic, who is bedeviling a local amusement park with evil apparitions.  As the Phantom Stranger investigates, he finds out that Vasti is a fraud, trying to get his hands on the park for a lower price.

This story is reprinted in Phantom Stranger #3 (September-October, 1969) under a Neal Adams cover, with another Dr. Thirteen reprint (from Star-Spangled Comics #126 of March, 1952) as well as a new connector story with the Phantom Stranger meeting Dr. Thirteen "Some Day In Some Dark Alley..." in a story by Mike Friedich and art by Bill Draut.

Phantom Stranger #6 (June-July, 1953) 

The last issue of the 1950s Phantom Stranger only finds one story reprinted, that of the last Phantom Stranger story in the issue, "Horror In Minature" by John Broome and Frank Giacoia.  The Phantom Stranger helps Pete, a night watchmen, deal with an invasion of elves from the future, using an iron sword, and gets help from photographer Tim Harley!

This story is reprinted in House of Mystery #224 (April-May, 1974) along with many other classics to chill your bones!

Sadly, the first and second Phantom Stranger stories of his sixth and last issue of the 1950s, "The Ghosts In The Locked Room" and the "Doorway In The Sky" have not been collected.

Phantom Stranger next appeared in the new story in Showcase #80 in February, 1969, which led to his 41 issue series that started with a new Phantom Stranger #1 in May-June, 1969, which had its first all new story, with the Phantom Stranger facing off against mystic menace, Tala, in Phantom Stranger #4 (November-December, 1969).

What type of magic will it take to see all these 1950s (and even all the later Phantom Strangers) reprinted in color?