The Strange Adventures Of Deadman

Circus aerialist Boston Brand of Hills Circus was shot down while performing his act, without a net, resulting in his plummeting to his death.


Oddly, that's where the strange adventures of Deadman began, with Strange Adventures #205 (October, 1967) by Arnold Drake, Carmine Infantino and George Roussos (collected in a few places, including 2002's The Deadman Collection with cover by Neal Adams).

Deadman #1 

The shot that brought down Boston Brand happened in Strange Adventures #205, and the story of "Who Has Been Lying In My Grave?", with an introduction to the cast of the circus including co-owner, Lorna Hill, strongman Tiny and mystic fortune teller Vashnu, as Boston prepares for his act.  While in the air, Boston is shot....and his story begins as Hindu spirit, Rama Kushna, lets his astral form wander the Earth, at least until the Deadman can find his killer.  Boston finds he has the power to inhabit the bodies of the living, and with the unwitting help of Tiny, takes down some criminals who were plaguing the circus.

With Strange Adventures #206 (November, 1967), with a cover by Mike Sekowsky and George Roussos, and story of "An Eye For An Eye", by writer Arnold Drake, inker George Roussos and new penciller, Neal Adams (who would do the rest of Deadman's art for the series), the story shifts outside of the circus, but Deadman still checks on Lorna, who is having money problems due to all the people leaving the circus, and deals with Lorna's brother, Jeff Carling, who had taken out an insurance policy on Boston Brand (though Boston does find out Jeff is not his killer.....).

These two stories were reprinted in Deadman #1 (May, 1985) under a new Neal Adams cover, along with a story from House of Mystery #178 (January-February, 1969) by Neal Adams.  Nicola Cuti also interviews Arnold Drake about the creation of Deadman, which he attributes to deadlines!  

Deadman #2

Boston's saga continues into Strange Adventures #207 (December, 1967), with Neal Adams' first cover of the series (Neal will do all of the other covers as well, but this was one of his best), with "What Makes A Corpse Cry?" by plotter Carmine Infantino, scripter Jack Miller and art by Neal Adams, with Boston tracking down thug Rocky Manzel and his gang, whom he had had a run-in before.  Along with getting Rocky arrested, Boston helps singer Liz Martin and her boyfriend, bartender Paul (whom Boston inhabits), but only eliminates another suspect from his consideration.

Strange Adventures #208 (January, 1968) finds Boston asking the question "How Many Times Can A Guy Die?" in a story plotted by Carmine Infantino, scripted by Jack Miller and drawn by Neal Adams.    Boston remembers fellow acrobat, the Eagle, who Boston had had a nearly fatal disagreement with while at the circus.  Returning to Hill's Brothers Circus, Boston finds Lorna has hired the Eagle, and that the Eagle has intentions with Lorna.  Boston again possesses Tiny, starting a fight with the acrobat, to see if the Eagle was his killer.

These two stories found their way into Deadman #2 (June, 1985), under a new Neal Adams cover, along with a reprint of half of "Second Choice" from House of Secrets #85 (April-May, 1970), written by Gerry Conway, pencilled by Gil Kane, and inked by Neal Adams.

Deadman #3

Strange Adventures #209 (February, 1968) continues the story of "How Many Times Can A Guy Die?", plotted by Carmine Infantino, scripted by Jack Miller and drawn by Neal Adams, with Boston possessing circus hand, Pete, to spook the Eagle, giving him a note that he knows about his crime, which the Eagle takes to Vashnu, who recognizes the handwriting as Boston Brand's!  Deadman trails the Eagle in Pete's body, catching him in some thievery, which gets the Eagle to try to kill Pete....but Boston keeps him alive until the police arrive, arresting the Eagle (but also revealing the Eagle was committing another crime when Boston was shot).

Boston plays a game of "Hide And Seek" with his killer, a man with a hook, which he finds out from Detective Michael Riley (who was assigned Boston's murder case) in Strange Adventures #210 (March, 1968) by Jack Miller and Neal Adams.  Problem is, Riley is fired for beating a suspect (which was a frame, instigated by the Hook, who uses the alias "Roy Martin", a play on the creator, Roy Huggins and executive producer, Quinn Martin, of "The Fugitive", a popular series of the time, focusing on a main character hunting for his wife's killer...who also only had one arm).  Possessing Riley, Boston finds Peter Bones, who has the evidence to clear Riley.  The Hook kills Bones, and flees to Mexico, with Boston in pursuit.

These two stories are reprinted in Deadman #3 (July, 1985), along with the second half of "Second Choice" from House of Secrets #85 (April-May, 1970).

Deadman #4

Boston looks to find "How Close To Me My Killer?" in Strange Adventures #211 (April, 1968) by Jack Miller and Neal Adams, as Boston arrives in Mexico, and finds his twin brother, Cleveland Brand, working for an organization smuggling people across the border illegally, even thinking Cleveland might have been behind his murder.  When ordered to kill the people being smuggled across the border, Cleveland refuses, and, with Deadman's help, Boston stops the smugglers and reunites Cleveland with his daughter, Lita Brand.

Cleveland hears "The Fatal Call Of Vengeance" in Strange Adventures #212 (May-June, 1968), written and drawn by Neal Adams, as he travels to Hill's Brothers Circus to take Boston's place in the Deadman act (and find his brother's killer).  Cleveland is nearly killed by a lion, which makes the lion tamer, Kleigman, the main suspect...who even looks like the Hook (though that is because he was hired by the Hook to throw people off his trail).  The Hook kills Kleigman with his sniper rifle, as well as injuring Tiny, with Boston arriving too late to stop him.

These two stories are reprinted in Deadman #4 (August, 1985), along with the "Above And Beyond The Call Of Duty" story Witching Hour #8 (April-May, 1970) by co-writer Sergio Aragones and writer/artist Neal Adams.

Deadman #5

Tiny is hearing "The Call From Beyond" in Strange Adventures #213 (July-August, 1968) by writer/artist Neal Adams, as the strongman is dying after being shot by the Hook.  Surgeon Dr. Shasti is trying to save Tiny's life, but feels Tiny doesn't want to live.  Boston enters Tiny's body to help him survive the surgery, whose recovery seems magical to the doctor.  The doctor looks to the hospital board to get a grant for psychic research, even enlisting Madam Pegeen (a psychic) for help, but she is exposed as a fraud, with help from Deadman possessing the doctor's son, Sammy. 

Deadman follows "The Track Of The Hook" into Brave and the Bold #79 (August-September, 1968, written by Bob Haney and drawn by Neal Adams), hoping that the Gotham Guardian can help him find the Hook.  In the city, Boston finds Batman pursuing Whitey Marsh, also killed by a man with a hook.  Boston takes possession of Batman's body, ending up being taken to the Batcave by Bruce Wayne's butler, Alfred Pennyworth, learning Batman's identity and secret hideout.  Deadman leaves Batman a recorded message about his own plight, and Batman commits to trying to find the Hook, finding instead Max Chill, brother of Joe Chill (who killed Batman's parents), using a false hook to throw suspicion off himself, and finds the leader of a crime syndicate in Gotham as well, taking him down with Deadman's help.  Boston leaves Gotham to continue his pursuit of his killer.

Baxter paper Deadman #5 (September, 1985) reprints these two stories, with no extras, as the stories are now large enough to fill an issue without extras, other than some of the best of the letter pages from Strange Adventures during Deadman's run. 

Deadman #6

Boston Brand finds it isn't easy "To Haunt A Killer" in Strange Adventures #214 (September-October, 1968) by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Neal Adams.  Deadman is out of leads, and possesses circus goer Phil, enjoying a night on the town with Phil's fiancee, Ruth, but guilt at taking over this man's life gets Boston to leave Phil's body....then Boston discovers Phil is a hitman, as he kills Fred Ames!  Deadman follows Phil to his boss, then repossesses Phil to break off his engagement to Ruth, but also saves Phil's life, making Phil look like a hero.  Deadman possesses the father of Fred to get Phil to confess, but Phil is killed by an assassin disguised as a cop while in police custody, giving Deadman a new lead.
 

Deadman has "A New Lease On Death" in Strange Adventures #215 (November-December, 1968), written and drawn by Neal Adams, where Boston follows the assassin (named Willie Smith) to Hong Kong, where Willie is given a new assignment...to kill the Hook!  Smith brings the Hook in front of the Society of Assassins, who employ both killers.  Their leader, the Sensei, has the Hook killed because he feels the Hook failed in his assignment (to kill Boston), thinking Cleveland to be Boston.  Deadman tried to stop the Sensei, first by possessing Willie Smith, but failed, then being unable to possess the Sensei.  Rama Kushna then appears, but the Deadman is still not happy, even though his killer is dead.

Deadman #6 (October, 1985) reprints these stories, along with an interview by Dick Giordano, who was editing the Strange Adventures' Deadman series at the time.

Deadman #7 

Deadman's last strange adventure is in Strange Adventures #216 (January-February, 1969) with Boston confused and questioning his existence in "But I Still Exist" by Neal Adams.  Leaving the lair of the League of Assassins, Vashnu appears to Boston, with a scroll that mentions the land of Nanda Parbat (a mythical hidden kingdom in the mountains of Tibet).  The Sensei sends Willie Smith to that land to destroy it, with Boston going along to save it.  Taking over the body of the pilot of the plane that Smith is using, Boston fights with Smith, who parachutes out of the plane and Deadman follows him in his astral form....at least until he arrives in Nanda Parbat, where the Deadman becomes solid!  While there, Boston meets swordsman Taj Ze, who is the guardian of Nanda Parbat, and Lotus, a woman who lives in the hidden land.  While in Nanda Parbat, Boston goes to the temple of Rama Kushna, confronting the goddess, who explains to Boston that he could live here as a man, or leave, becoming a spirit again to right wrongs in the world, helping to find balance.  Boston leaves Nanda Parbat as a refreshed spirit, but Willie Smith takes Lotus with him (and out of the mystical influence of Nanda Parbat, Lotus reverts to the evil persona she had before she came to this peaceful land).

The strange adventure of the Deadman concludes in Brave and the Bold #86 (October-November, 1969), where Batman learns that "You Can't Hide From A Deadman!", in a story written by Bob Haney and drawn by Neal Adams.  Batman is winding down his night in Gotham, when he is attacked by Robin, then Commissioner Gordon, then random citizens of Gotham....allowing Batman to deduce that Deadman is trying to kill him.  Confronting Deadman confuses him, and Batman learns that Willie Smith shot Boston while he was leaving Nanda Parbat with a poison dart, leaving Deadman vulnerable to suggestion, where Smith convinced him to go kill the Batman.  Batman goes to Hill's Brothers Circus, meeting Cleveland (who has taken up the Deadman act), and is possessed by Boston!  Vashnu appears, telling Boston that he must return to Nanda Parbat, which he does while possessing Cleveland, with Batman's help.  When they arrive at Nanda Parbat, Boston becomes alive again, leaving Cleveland's body (but begins dying from the poison Willie Smith shot into him).  Batman and Cleveland confront Willie Smith, getting the antidote to save Boston, and chasing the Sensei from Nanda Parbat.

These two tales are reprinted in Deadman #7 (November, 1985), bringing the Baxter reprints of Deadman's strange adventures to a close.  But all these stories, and the Neal Adams' written and drawn Deadman back-ups from Aquaman #50 to #52 from 1970 (and the Challengers of the Unknown #74 from June-July, 1970) appear in the Deadman Collection mentioned in the beginning of this article, as well as in the second of a series of 5 tradepaperbacks collecting most of Deadman's 1960s, 1970s and 1980s appearances from Brave and the Bold, Phantom Stranger, World's Finest Comics, DC Super-Stars, Adventure Comics, DC Comic Presents and more...showing that death can be a starting point for a character in DC Comics. 

Sports Legends Gordie Howe

Missing Gordie Howe, a legend in Detroit Red Wings hockey.


But, did you know that Gordie was the star of a comic book?


Sports Legends Comics #2, from October, 1992 from Revolutionary Comics, which also covered various music legends in their Rock N' Roll Comics as well.


Sadly, not able to find any artist credits at this time.


Remembering Mr. Hockey on this day.

Legends Lore: Atom and Hawkman Archives

With a cast as big as CW's Legends of Tomorrow, it can be necessary to shrink it down a bit...

...shrinking is what the Atom does, and Hawkman and Hawkgirl are already part of the show's past, flying off after the first season.

As the summer without new episodes continues, how about looking back to the early days of Atom and Hawkman, and finding those old adventures in DC Archives!

Atom Archives #1

The Atom Archives #1 (June, 2001) features the origin and early tales of Ray Palmer, the Atom.  Issues included in this collection include his three Showcase appearances of Showcase #34, #35 and #36 from 1961/1962, as well as Atom #1 to #5 from 1962/1963 by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson.



Physicist Pay Palmer shrinks himself down to save his girlfriend lawyer, Jean Loring, in Showcase #34 (September-October, 1961) with "The Birth Of The Atom", and gets his Atom name and costume (which only appears when he is shrunken) in the second tale in this issue, as he saves small alien Kulan Dar from criminal Carl Ballard in a "Battle Of The Tiny Titans".

Atom helps a man get his inheritance in the full length tale of "The Dooms From Beyond" in Showcase #35 (November-December, 1961), and finds himself a "Prisoner In A Test Tube" in Showcase #36 (January-February, 1962), saving Jean's professor father from foreign spies (and beginning a relationship with the government), as well as helping out a friend of Jean's from false accusations in "The 'Disappearing Act' Robberies".

Atom faces his major foes as well, starting with Jason Woodrue, the Plant-Master, an exile from an inter-dimensional world in the full-length tale from the Atom #1 (June-July, 1962) in "Master Of The Plant World" and Chronos (David Clinton) in "The Time Trap" from the first half of the Atom #3 (October-November, 1962).  Other stories included are the two from the Atom #2 (August-September, 1962) with "The Oddest Man On Earth" and "The Prisoners Who Vanished" (facing Carl Ballard again), the first appearance of the inventor of the time pool, Alpheus V. Hyatt (and the Time Pool, a device that a small man like the Atom could use to travel time) in "The Secret Of "Al Atom's' Lamp" in the Atom #3 (October-November, 1962), "The Machine That Made 'Miracles'" that guest-starred Snapper Carr from the Justice League of America (which Atom had joined) and "The Case Of The Innocent Thief" from the Atom #4 (December-January, 1962/1963), and "The Diamond Of Deadly Dooms" and "The Specter of 3000-Moons Lake" from the Atom #5 (February-March, 1963), rounding out the Archive.

Atom Archives #2

The Atom Archives #2 (October, 2003) continues the adventures of Ray Palmer's smaller alter ego from the Silver Age, starting with the Atom #6 and running through the Atom #13.


The Atom #6 (April-May, 1963) featured two stories, the first "The Riddle Of The Two-Faced Astronaut" having Ray and Jean help out a stage magician, and second, "The Highwayman And The Mighty Mite" having the Atom secretly use the Time Pool to fight the Highwayman (Dick Turpin, also known as Tom Palmer) in 18th Century London.

The Atom #7 (June-July, 1963) has "The Case Of The Cosmic Camera" and features the first meeting between the Silver Age Atom and Hawkman, with the two facing off against a race of invading aliens called the Thalens.  This started a life-long friendship among the heroes (and helped out Hawkman, who still didn't have his own book at the time, but more on that further on down the page).

The Atom could have used Hawkman's help in the Atom #8 (August-September, 1963), as he faced JLA foe, Dr. Light, in the "Lockup In The Lethal Lightbulb" alone, as the JLA was on a space mission at the time (facing Zazzala, the Queen Bee in Justice League of America #23 of November, 1963).  The second story of the Atom #8, "The Purloined Minatures" is also included.  Atom faces off against "The Atom's Phantom Double" and takes another dip in the Time Pool to 1609 in "The Seaman And The Spyglass" in the Atom #9 (October-November, 1963).  Atom works for the C.I.A., and with a dangerous "Ride A Deadly Grenade" and meets "The Mysterious Swan-Maiden" in the Atom #10 (December-January, 1963/1964).

Ray Palmer meets members of his Ivy University graduating class, and has "Trouble At The Ten-Year Club" with Jack Archer and then goes on a vacation cruise with Jean Loring (and finds more trouble) in a "Voyage To Beyond" from the Atom #11 (February-March, 1964).  Ray's lab assistant, Enrichetta Negrini first appears (and needs Ray's help) in "Danger -- Atom Gun At Work", then the Atom goes into the Time Pool, meets Edgar Allan Poe, while helping out during in "The Gold Hunters of '49" (1849, that is) in the Atom #12 (April-May, 1964).

Finally, the Atom faces Chronos again in "Weapon Watches Of The Time-Wise Guy" as David Clinton uses his clock motif to try to steal jewelry from Anton Teljas and his daugher, Eva, then has to clear his alter ego's name when "I Accuse Ray Palmer -- Of Robbery", both from the Atom #13 (June-July, 1964), ending the Archive collection of Silver Age Atom stories (well short of the Atom's last solo issue of the Atom #38 of August-September, 1968).     

21st Century Atom

But, a few more Silver Age Atom stories from this era did get reprinted.  The full-length story of the "World Of The Magic Atom" facing the Druid from the Atom #19 (June-July, 1965) found itself reprinted in the JLA: Zatanna's Search tradepaperback of January, 2004 (along with Zatanna's original run, including Hawkman #4 from October-November, 1964), and Ray Palmer's meetings with the Golden Age Atom (Al Pratt) from the Atom #29 (February-March, 1967) facing "The Thinker's Earth-Shaking Robberies" and the Atom #36 (April-May, 1968) with the "Duel Between The Dual Atoms" both being reprinted in the Crisis On Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups #2 of 2007 (along with stories of the Green Lanterns, the Flashes and even Starman and Black Canary!). 

Wouldn't you like to see a little more of the Silver Age Atom?

Hawkman Archives #1

The Hawkman Archives #1 (September, 2000) introduces us to Katar and Shayera Hol, police officers from the planet Thanagar, starting with their first tale from Brave and the Bold #34 (February-March, 1961) by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert, and includes their solo appearances from Brave and the Bold issues #35, #36, #42, #43, #44 and Mystery In Space #87 to #90 (with Murphy Anderson handling the art on the Mystery In Space issues).

Katar and Shayera come to Earth in pursuit of Thanagarian criminal Byth Rok, "The Creature Of A Thousand Shapes", and after defeating him in Brave and the Bold #34, stay on Earth to help Commissioner George Emmett (who knows their true identities), the Hawks live among us humans as Midway City museum curators and archeologists Carter and Shiera Hall, and work with Mavis Trent, a naturalist who has a fascination for the married Carter (and doesn't know their secret identities). 

The Hawks face their first Earth foe with the Mark Mandrill and his magic wand of Mentachem) in the "Menace Of The Matter Master", then end up in the "Valley Of Vanishing Men" in Brave and the Bold #35 (April-May, 1961).  Hawkman and Hawkgirl face magic expert Konrad Kaslak and his "Strange Spells Of The Sorcerer" and then small time crook Carl Sands who gets a device that allows him to become the "Shadow Thief Of Midway City" in Brave and the Bold #36 (June-July, 1961).

Hawkman returns in Brave and the Bold #42 (June-July, 1962) with "The Menace Of The Dragonfly Raiders", where they have returned to Thanagar, reflect on their time on Earth with police Chief Andar Pul, and fight Byth and his cellmate Jarl, with Hawkman earning his honor wings at the end of this story.  Hawkman reflects on his own life on Thanagar before his first appearance, including time with his father, Paran Katar, as he and Hawkgirl return to Earth to face the Manhawks (which Katar and his father faced before) in "The Masked Marauders Of Earth" in Brave and the Bold #43 (August-September, 1962). 

Hawkman and Hawkgirl deal with a Thanagarian holiday (which falls on the same day as the 4th of July) on "Earth's Impossible Day" (where the Hawks have to perform 3 impossible tasks), and deal with "The Men Who Moved The World" in Brave and the Bold #44 (October-November, 1962).  Hawkman then next appears in the Atom #7 (not in this collection, but you can find it earlier in this article).

Hawkman and Hawkgirl still don't get their own title, but move to Mystery In Space to share the book with Earth spaceman on the planet Rann, starting with Mystery In Space #87 (November, 1963), facing off against Ira Quimby and "The Amazing Thefts Of The I.Q. Gang" (and new Hawkman artist, Murphy Anderson).

Hawkman and Hawkgirl continue their adventures in Mystery In Space #88 (December, 1963) with "Topsy-Turvy Day In Midway City", facing the "Super-Motorized Menace" in Mystery In Space #89 (February, 1964), and having a full-length story teaming with Adam Strange facing "Planets In Peril" in Mystery In Space #90 (March, 1964).

Though not reprinted in this Archive, during this time Hawkman met with Aquaman in Brave and the Bold #51 (December-January, 1963/1964, more on here), and Hawkman and Hawkgirl said goodbye to Mystery In Space in Mystery In Space #91 (May, 1964), before heading to Hawkman #1 (April/May, 1964).

Hawkman Archives #2

The Hawkman Archives #2 (November, 2004) finally deals with the first issue of a regular Hawkman series, with Hawkman #1 (April-May, 1964) and continuing on until Hawkman #8 (June-July, 1965), with stories by Gardner Fox and art by Murphy Anderson.

Hawkman #1 had Hawkman and Hawkgirl report back to Andar Pul, then head back to Earth in "Rivalry Of The Winged Wonders" before facing off against new foe, the immortal Mayan chief Chac in the "Master Of The Sky Weapons).

The alien Thralls came to face Hawkman and Hawkgirl in the "Secret Of The Sizzling Sparklers" and, with Midway Museum press agent Joe Tracy, the Hawks discovered the wings of Icarus in "Wings Across Time" in Hawkman #2 (June-July, 1964).  The Hawks faced the Sky Raiders in "The Fear That Haunted Hawkman", and were "Birds In The Gilded Cage" thanks to some mobsters in Hawkman #3 (August-September, 1964).

Hawkman and Hawkgirl met "The Girl Who Split In Two" (which was really magician Zatanna, in her first appearance, looking for her lost father, Zatara), then had to deal with Time Bandits in "The Machine That Magnetized Men" in Hawkman #4 (October-November, 1964).  Hawkman and Hawkgirl dealt with the return of the Shadow-Thief (who discovered their secret identities) in "Steal, Shadow -- Steal" from Hawkman #5 (December-January, 1964/1965). 

The Hawks dealt with Tantors (evolved Rat-Men), Wingors (devolved flying gorillas) and Tiger Men on the planet Illoral, a "World Where Evolution Ran Wild" in Hawkman #6 (February-March, 1965).  


Hawkman and Hawkgirl dealt with the "Amazing Return Of The I.Q. Gang", then got ready for the "Attack Of The Crocodile-Men" in Hawkman #7 (April-May, 1965). 


Last, but not least, with the stories of Hawkman #8 (June-July, 1965), and facing the "Giant In The Golden Mask" and Fal Tal in the "Battle Of The Bird-Man Bandits", Hawkman's Archive collection concludes.

21st Century Hawkman

A couple of the later tales of Hawkman and Hawkgirl from their first series have been reprinted recently as well.  Hawkman #16 (October-November, 1966) with its story of the "Lord Of The Flying Gorillas" found its way into the collection DC Goes Ape in 2008 (along with Grodd and Titano storie as well) and Hawkman #18 (February-March, 1967) with the "World That Vanished" was reprinted in the Adam Strange Archives Volume #3 of 2008, also quite a few issues shy of the last issue of the Silver Age Hawkman with Hawkman #27 (August-September, 1968), or his continuation title with the Atom, Atom and the Hawkman #45 (October-November, 1969).

Wouldn't you fly high to see more tales of Hawkman reprinted?

Of course, the Hawkman we saw in Legends of Tomorrow was more of the classic, Golden Age Hawkman....and you can find the guide to the Golden Age Hawkman Archive here (with details on the different Hawkgirls and how they fit into Hawkman's lives here); as well as finding the guide to the Golden Age Black Canary Archive here (White Canary being a much more recent invention); with Captain Cold and Heat Wave popping up in Flash Archives (as detailed here).  Sadly, Rip Hunter and Firestorm never got Archives, but new member, Hourman, did have more than a few reprints as well (as detailed here!).

Unlike the Silver Age Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League of America and Adam Strange....no current collections Silver Age material of Atom and Hawkman have been announced (but we can hope!). 

Supergirl Supporting Character Superman

Supergirl has been a major player in Superman's life for decades.  After all, Supergirl is Superman's cousin, and arrived on Earth in Action Comics #252 (May, 1959) in "The Supergirl From Krypton" by Otto Binder and Al Plastino, under a Curt Swan/Stan Kaye cover, where Superman helped young Kara Zor-El find a life as Linda Lee in Midvale.  Superman kept her as his secret weapon, until Action Comics #285 (February, 1962), where Supergirl's existence was revealed to the world in "The World's Greatest Heroine" by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney, under a cover by Curt Swan and George Klein.

Supergirl's Adventure Comics

Supergirl stayed close to her cousin, as a back-up feature in Action Comics until Action Comics #376 (May, 1969), and then...

.....Supergirl had her own series in Adventure Comics, starting with Adventure Comics #381 (June, 1969), where Supergirl faced off against "The Supergirl Gang" by Cary Bates, Win Mortimer and Jack Abel (with a cover by Neal Adams).  Superman's appearance was a small one, as this was more of a team-up of Supergirl and Batgirl, bringing down a school of female thieves.

Superman often appeared in a supporting role in Supergirl's Adventure Comics adventures, and other guests included Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Mr. Mxyzptlk and the Phantom Zone villains like Jax-Ur and General Zod. 

This continued on until Supergirl's run in Adventure Comics ended in Adventure Comics #424 (October, 1972), but Supergirl did work with the Justice League of America, including Superman, Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Atom, Hawkman and more in Adventure Comics #423 (September, 1972) in "Treachery" by E. Nelson Bridwell, Steve Skeates, Mike Sekowsky and Bob Oksner under a cover by Bob Oksner.

Supergirl On Her Own

Superman stopped by Supergirl's 10-issue solo series of the 1970s, with likely the most notable being Supergirl #8 (November, 1973) where the girl of steel sprouted "A Head Full Of Snakes" in a story by Cary Bates and Art Saaf (under a Bob Oksner cover), and the story also featured appearances by JLAers Batman, Green Lantern and Hawkman (well, okay, it was only a quick one page cameo, but still, it is an awesome cover, and it ties in nicely with our theme....). 

There is also issue #9, by Cary Bates and Art Saaf with a cover by Bob Oksner, which has Supergirl working with Wonder Woman's mom, Queen Hippolyta, and step-sister, Nubia, as Supergirl becomes "The Super-Amazon!" for an issue.


Supergirl also had team-ups with Zatanna, the mistress of magic, and Prez, the teen-age President, during this run (both of whom will likely get more coverage in a later column...).

Supergirl In Superman Family

Supergirl moved over to the combined Superman title of Superman Family, with her first new story in Superman Family #165 (June-July, 1974), which Superman had a small part in, but Superman and the JLA had a major part in Superman Family #171 (June-July, 1975) fighting against "Cleopatra Queen Of America" by Elliot S! Maggin, Curt Swan and Vince Coletta (under an Ernie Chan cover), which featured Batgirl as well.

Supergirl took part in a multi-issue epic, crossing over with Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and even the Kryptonian Nightwing and Flamebird (Kandor's answer to Batman and Robin), ending in the "Finale" in Superman Family #190 (July-August, 1978) by Jack C. Harris, Jack Abel and Frank Giacoia.

Later issues of Superman Family had Supergirl facing Superman foes like Lex Luthor, Blackrock and the Master Jailer, as well as future Suicide Squad member, the Enchantress, before Superman Family ended with Superman Family #222 (September, 1982) as Supergirl slowly took over the title.

The Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl

Supergirl started her new series, the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl in November, 1982 (with Lois Lane back-up through issue #12), and this was the series that introduced Psi, the Gang, Reactron, and Blackstarr...even facing off against new Superman foe, Ambush Bug!

Supergirl even met up with Superman in Action Comics #555 (May, 1984) in a "Reunion" with Superman (by Paul Kupperberg, Curt Swan, and Dave Hunt) facing off against the Parasite, with the Justice League and the New Teen Titans having a "Celebration" for the anniversary of Supergirl's arrival on Earth in Supergirl #20 (June, 1984) (by Paul Kupperberg, Carmine Infantino and Bob Oksner), before that Supergirl title ended with Supergirl #23 (September, 1984).

So, for those worried about Superman being a supporting character for Supergirl....he already has been! 

It's no Crisis!

Happy Doughnut Day 2016

Happy National Doughnut Day!


Celebrate with the Simpsons, and Homer who loves doughnuts, especially at the nuclear power plant!



While you are at it, chew on this Simpsons cover, by Bill Morrison and Mike Rote, from Bongo Comics' Simpsons Comics #83 (June, 2003).



D'oh!

Here's another cover with doughnuts, from Simpsons Comics #215 (October, 2015) by Jason Ho and Mike Rote!