Happy Halloween From Elvira's House Of Mystery

Happy Halloween from Elvira's House of Mystery.

Elvira's House of Mystery #1 (January, 1986) with a cover by Brian Bolland, featuring the horror host made famous by Cassandra Peterson), hosting tales of horror in a 64 page special, with stories by Joey Cavalieri, Philip Clark Jr., Robert Kanigher, Dennis Yee and Jack C. Harris,  and art by Ron Wagner, Bob Oksner, Tom Grindberg, Irwin Hasen, Shawn McManus, Arthur Geroche, Dennis Yee, Dan Adkins, Tex Blaisdell, and Dan Spiegle, as well as photos of Cassandra as Elvira.  

This then led to 10 more issues of horror hijinx, ending with another Halloween issue, as well as a Christmas Special.

JSA Opposite: Injustice Society Additions Part 2

The Injustice Society of the World was the evil opposite of the Justice Society of America, made up of individual heroes Rogue's Galleries.  The first team formed to face the JSA back in All-Star Comics #37 (October-November, 1947), with only the Wizard escaping...

...allowing him to come back with new villains and a new ISW in All-Star Comics #41 (June-July, 1948) with "The Case Of The Patriotic Crimes" by writer John Broome, and artists including Alex Toth, Carmine Infantino, Arthur Peddy and Irwin Hasen, inked by Frank Giacoia and Bernard Sachs.

Here are the last two Golden Age members not covered earlier....

Fiddler

Isaac Bowin first appeared in All-Flash #32 (December-January, 1947/1948) by Robert Kanigher, Lee Elias and Moe Worthman, facing off against the Jay Garrick version of the Flash (who was the only Flash at that time) with a "Duet Of Danger".  Isaac was a thief who ended up in prison in India, then learned the skills of a fakir while there, but using a fiddle instead of a flute, and used the fiddle to kill the fakir.  Bowin returned home, intending to become a crime boss, but instead faced off against the Flash.  Fiddler seeming fell to his doom, but returned again in Flash Comics #93 (March, 1948 by Kanigher and Elias), facing off against Jay Garrick again, with his "Violin Of Villainy", before joining the Injustice Society...

...then fighting Jay Garrick's Flash one last time in the Golden Age, in Comic Cavalcade #28 (August-September, 1948 by Kanigher, Irwin Hasen and Bernard Sachs) in "The Flash Concerto", and popping up in a times past tale set in the early 1950s in Starman #46 (September, 1998), plotting to finish off Starman (Ted Knight).

The Fiddler returned, along with Thinker (Clifford DeVoe) and the Shade (Richard Swift), as the three villains had taken over Keystone City, and it took the "Flash Of Two Worlds" (both Jay Garrick and Barry Allen) to defeat the trio in Flash #123 (September, 1961).  After that, Fiddler worked with the Crime Champions in Justice League of America #21 and #22 (1963), faced Jay Garrick alone in Flash #201 (November, 1970), rejoined the ISW along with new member, Solomon Grundy, in All-Star Comics #63 (November-December, 1976)...

....faced off against the Teen Titans in Teen Titans #46 (February, 1977), worked with the Icicle and the Shade to revive Darkseid, and was opposed by Orion, Mr. Miracle, Big Barda, the JSA and the JLA in Justice League of America #183 to #185 (1980), reunited with the Crime Champions for Justice League of America #219 and #220 in 1983, was a part of the Crisis on Infinite Earths for a bit...

....joining the Wizard, the Shade and kids of the original ISW (including Artemis, Hazard and a new Icicle) in Injustice, Unlimited in Infinity, Inc. #34 to #36 in 1987, facing Wally West Flash and the new Thanagarian Hawkman and Hawkwoman (as well as a little time travelling to the past to face Jay Garrick), in Hawkworld Annual #1 of 1990...

...figuring out how much trouble the villains were in with Neron in Underworld Unleashed #1 (November, 1995), arriving for the funeral of the original Chronos, who was hastened to his grave by Neron (and his own lust for power) in Chronos #6 (August, 1998), being there as Wally West reclaimed the title of Flash in Flash #208 (April, 2004), all before dying as a member of the new Secret Six (along with surviving members Deadshot, Catman, a new Rag Doll, Mike the Parademon and Scandal Savage) in Villains United #1 (July, 2005)..

...with a legacy character, a female named Virtuoso picking up the fiddling villainy in Villains United #5 and #6 in 2005 (and a few issues of Secret Six), with Fiddler returning as an animated corpse (Black Lantern) in Suicide Squad #67 and Secret Six #17 and #18 in 2010 (where he also faced Virtuoso).

Harlequin

Molly Maynne first appeared in All-American Comics #89 (September, 1947) by Robert Kanigher and Irwin Hasen, where she was Alan Scott's secretary at WXYZ radio, which planned to have a Green Lantern radio show.  To face Green Lantern, they went to the comics, and picked "The Harlequin" (a character only in the comics) to be his first foe...Molly, who was in love with Alan Scott, took over the identity of Harlequin, getting hypno-spectacles and a mandolin, and trying to take over the gangs of Gotham.   She faced Green Lantern, but neither learned each other's identity.  Harlequin immediately returned in All-American Comics #91 (November, 1947) by Kanigher, Hasen and John Belfi, with a plan to marry Green Lantern (it took a while, but Molly eventually had that wedding).

Molly next faced Alan in a full-length issue in Green Lantern #29 (December-January, 1947/1948), all by Kanigher, Hasen and Belfi, with the first story pitting Green Lantern against the police (who think Alan is on Harlequin's side), then in the second part of that, having Harlequin face her own gang, who think she is in love with Green Lantern!  The third story was separate from the previous two, as Harlequin gives up, turning herself into the police....as long as Green Lantern defends her in court!  Next up, in All-American Comics #93 (January, 1948), Green Lantern comes up with the idea of taking Molly on a date, to lure out the Harlequin!   Coincidentally, Alan picks the stadium Molly was going to rob, so she goes along with it, to then change into Harlequin, to continue the robbery, but Green Lantern foils it, and captures Harlequin and her gang, but failed to take away her hypno-glasses, which she uses to escape.  

Picking up where the last issue left off, All-American Comics #94 (February, 1948) by Kanigher, Hasen and Belfi, finds Alan Scott planning a coop to capture Harlequin by sponsoring a beauty contest with an opal Harlequin ring to lure his foe there (and she does enter, but uses illusions to keep Green Lantern busy).  Green Lantern hid a camera in the opal, to at least find out her identity (as she does escape with the ring), but she returns it with the camera broken.    In her final cover of the series, All-American Comics #95 (March, 1948), Harlequin finds a way to trap Green Lantern, promising to reveal her identity to him, if he does the same for her.  They actually do remove their masks in front of each other, but....a little smoke gets in the way (Gotham is a dirty city, after all).

In her final Golden Age cover, Green Lantern #31 (March-April, 1948) by Kanigher, Irwin and Belfi, a gang leader gets a hold of Harlequin's spectacles and Green Lantern's ring, forcing the two to work together to stop him.  Green Lantern #32 (May-June, 1948) sees Harlequin do something odd...offer to return her ill-gotten gains to the government, so they can return the funds to her victims.  After this, Harlequin works with the  ISW (where she helps Black Canary fight the Injustice Society to save the JSA, especially Green Lantern). 

Harlequin is only in All-American Comics #99 (July, 1948) as Molly Maynne (and Green Lantern is barely there as well as Streak the Wonder Dog takes over the tale, in a story by John Broome and Alex Toth (the Green Lantern feature soon leaves All-American Comics).  With Green Lantern #33 (July-August, 1948) by Kanigher and Hasen, Harlequin takes advantage of Leap Year to ask Green Lantern to marry her (Molly's got a one track mind).  Molly (and only Molly) has a brief appearance in Green Lantern's story in Comic Cavalcade #28 (August-September, 1948).  Then, with Green Lantern #34 (September-October, 1948) by Kanigher, Hasen and Bob Oksner, it is revealed that Molly has been a government agent all this time, working to bring down the mob!  Oddly, Molly is still Alan's secretary for an appearance in Green Lantern #36 (January-February, 1949), then helps Green Lantern and Mr. and Mrs. Superman in Superman Family #206 (March-April, 1981) in a story set in the 1950s, where she helps the heroes capture the Sportsmaster.

Molly does return as Harlequin in Infinity, Inc. #9, #12 and #18 in the mid-1980s, as she tries to get close to Green Lantern, then helps Jade and Obsidian find out who there mother is in Infinity, Inc. Annual #1 of 1985 (slight spoiler, it is NOT Molly, but yet another Kanigher creation).  Molly and Alan also get married, with the JSA and Infinity, Inc. in attendance, then appears in most of the mid-20s issues of Infinity, Inc. as the JSA deals with the Crisis On Infinite Earths (even appearing in the later issues of that series), and with Infinity, Inc. #30 (September, 1986) more or less retires as Harlequin as the JSA (including Green Lantern) get stuck in a limbo dimension for a time.

Molly remains active with the Infinity, Inc. kids until their series ends (including when Manhunter agent Marcie Cooper takes over the Harlequin's spectacles and identity for a time, and Marcie even joins Injustice Unlimited, and Molly's name grows and is shortened, as she goes by Molly Mayne-Scott with one "n" more now), pops up for a Green Lantern issue (#19 of December, 1991, with GLs Hal Jordan, John Stewart and Guy Gardner), and even has a brief return as Harlequin as Alan gets much younger, taking on his Sentinel identity in Green Lantern Corps Quarterly #6 (Fall, 1993), then the evil part of Molly's soul takes a life of its own as Harlequin, starting with Underworld Unleashed: Abyss - Hell's Sentinel (December, 1995), before her body and soul are reunited with help from Kyle Rayner's Green Lantern (#71 of February, 1996).  Molly and Alan are still together to this day (somewhere....)...

Molly has no relationship to the current Harley Quinn, but was the last Golden Age villain to join the ISW in the Golden Age, but not the last that the Injustice Society recruited (although not until the Silver Age, with the Shade and Solomon Grundy....).  

All-Star Comics 8 The First Wonder Woman

On October 25, 1941, All-Star Comics #8 (cover date December-January, 1941/1942), DC (in its identity as All-American Comics) was the first comic sold to be "Introducing Wonder Woman"!

The Amazon was created by William Moulton Marston and H.G. Peter, detailing Princess Diana's first meeting with U.S. Army pilot Steve Trevor as his plane crashed near Paradise Island, and, after winning a competition against her fellow Amazons, Diana left her mother, Queen Hippolyte, and her home, Paradise Island, to go fight World War II in Man's World as Wonder Woman!

But, as you might have noticed, Wonder Woman didn't make the cover.   


The main story of the issue (with a cover by Everett Hibbard) was having Starman and Dr. Mid-Nite join the Justice Society of America (and a short story about pilot Hop Harrigan)! 


Wonder Woman wouldn't get a chance to join the group until a few issues later with a major cover appearance.....

Oddly, Wonder Woman's success (getting her origin told again with Sensation Comics #1 of January, 1942, and again in Wonder Woman #1 of Summer 1942) messed up her membership to the JSA (because the comic company had a rule that active members wouldn't have their own titles, yet Wonder Woman graduated up at the time she was inducted....so, she remained as a secretary to the team....).

Both of the above Wonder Woman issues got both Famous First Editions as well as Millennium Edition reprints, but the All-Star Comics #8 was only reprinted in its entirety in All-Star Comics Archives #2 of 1993 (making the cover with the JSA) and in the Millennium Edition: All-Star Comics #8 (February, 2001), joining the DC trinity with Superman and Batman.

Remembering Nick Cardy

Remembering the legendary artist Nick Cardy with a couple of his odd covers over the years with a slight connection.


First up is the story of "Experiment 1000" from House of Secrets #6 (September-October, 1957), with Nick providing both the cover and art for the story of how scientists plan to kill a gorilla stealing a formula...

....at least until the ape speaks in his own defense!

This story was reprinted along with others in The Unexpected #132 (February, 1972), where Nick Cardy also provided a spooky cover, for the story of "The Edge Of Madness" (by Murray Boltinoff and Jim Aparo), about a babysitter who goes to work for a new family living on the edge of town.


At least she didn't have to babysit a gorilla!

Gotham Guide: The Golden Age Of Solomon Grundy

Solomon Grundy....born on Monday, christened on Tuesday, married on Wednesday, took ill on Thursday, grew worse on Friday, died on Saturday and buried on Sunday.  That was the end of Solomon Grundy.  But, here, instead of talking of the old nursery rhyme, it will be a look at the creature that came out Slaughter Swamp on the outskirts of Gotham...who was named for the character in that rhyme in a classic Golden Age tale.

Fighters Never Quit

Solomon Grundy first emerged  in All-American Comics #61 (October, 1944) by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman, coming out of Slaughter Swamp after criminal Cyrus Gold, the man who would become Grundy had been left there for dead 50 years before.

The animated corpse leaves the swamp and heads into Gotham (getting his name of Solomon Grundy from a couple of hobos), becomes their crime boss, and leads them on an attempted take over of Gotham, until Green Lantern (Alan Scott) takes him on (and has problems with Grundy, as Grundy is made of plant material, including wood, which the Golden Age GL is powerless against).  Still, Alan and his partner, Doiby Dickles defeat the creature.

This was the only solo Solomon Grundy tale reprinted, in Wanted, the World's Most Dangerous Villains #4 (December, 1972).

And, Then There Was One

Grundy returns in Comic Cavalcade #13 (Winter, 1945) by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman for more battles with Green Lantern.


This time, Solomon Grundy is reanimated with the use of chlorophyll, by the Professor, who had killed Baron York (his own brother), in an attempt to take over Gotham's gangs.  Green Lantern (Alan Scott) is warned by his mystic Lantern, but too late, as he is overpowered by Grundy.  Solomon Grundy kills the Professor to advance his own plans and take over the gang, but has become too plant-like, allowing Green Lantern to defeat him by taking away his carbon dioxide, which Grundy needs to live, leaving Grundy petrified in a power ring bubble!

The Revenge Of Solomon Grundy

Grundy gets free from the bubble in All-Star Comics #33 (February-March, 1947) by Gardner Fox, and a host of artists, including Irwin Hasen, Joe Kubert, Stan Aschmeier, Martin Naydel, Jon Chester Koziak and Paul Reinman after a lightning bolt struck.

The JSA find their meeting room ransacked, and realize that it must have been Solomon Grundy, so they go searching for him (and the missing Green Lantern).  Each member meets Grundy (except Johnny Thunder), but it was the Golden Age Green Lantern who eventually defeats Grundy, this time, sending him to the moon!

This story was reprinted in Super-Team Family #4 (April-May, 1976) and in All-Star Comics Archives #7 of 2001.

The Case Of The Withered Flower

Solomon Grundy came back from the moon in Comic Cavalcade #24 (December-January, 1947/1948) by John Broome, Irwin Hasen and John Belfi to face Green Lantern (Alan Scott) and Doiby Dickles again.

This time, Grundy appeared to be much smarter than he was before, and could also disguise himself as Dick Cashmere (the long lost son of John Cashmere, a friend of Alan Scott's).  Grundy plans to kill John, but Green Lantern defeats him, this time imprisoning Grundy at the Earth's core.

Grundy was picked up where he was left here by Per Degaton, and put in the previous trap he had been, as revealed by Roy Thomas in the earliest issues of All-Star Squadron (to explain that this story had been forgotten about!).

Solomon Grundy's first appearance of the Silver Age was in Showcase #55 (March-April, 1965), facing off against Dr. Fate and Hourman (along with the Golden Age Green Lantern), and it took until his next appearance, in Justice League of America #46 (August, 1966) for Batman to first face Solomon Grundy (though it was more Batman foe, Blockbuster (who much later joined the Suicide Squad), doing that....for that and the second issue of the JLA/JSA team-up).

In Justice League of America #91 and #92 (1971), Solomon Grundy faced the same heroes from Earth-1 and Earth-2 (with the Golden Age Batman not around, though the Earth-1 Batman was a little, plus both Earths' Robins), and Solomon Grundy got the idea there may be an Earth-1 Solomon Grundy, an idea played out in the Superman titles, with Batman later facing an inferior outgrow of Solomon Grundy in Detective Comics #523 (February, 1983), where Batman ended the menace of the Earth-1 Solomon Grundy in fire.

Wonder if it was a Sunday?

The original Solomon Grundy continued on in Infinity, Inc., Starman, Green Arrow (and more), and as a member of the Injustice Society of the World, after getting some fame in the 1970s as a part of the Legion of Doom on the Super Friends cartoon show...

...as well as getting two live action portrayals, once in two episodes of the Legends Of The Super Heroes, played by Mickey Morton, and in the two episodes of Arrow that introduced Barry Allen, (but as Cyrus Gold) played by Graham Shields, before moving to Gotham (to be played by Drew Powell).

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!

House of Mystery 13

Something a little different....a quick look at the 13th issue of House of Mystery from July, 2009 and the many creepy tales within....all under his cover by Esao Andrews!

First up, a tale by Matthew Sturges and Ralph Reese, called "The Thirteenth Hour" where a man watches the world get destroyed every day during the thirteenth hour!

Next, Bill Willingham and Eric Powell give us "The Lace Anniversary", where a couple reconsider their marriage during their 13th Anniversary.

With "13th Times The Charm", two immortals who keep meeting during their long lives finally make contact, in this story by Chris Roberson, and Neal and Josh Adams...

...then a quick note about the Neal Adams' variant cover for this issue, while writers Matthew Sturges, Chris Roberson and Bill Willingham all give their take on the Clockwork Storybook.

Finally, a little levity by Matthew Sturges and Sergio Aragones, involving Cain, the original host of the House of Mystery.....