Happy Birthday Artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez

 

Happiest of birthdays to artist Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez!

Jose has done many covers (and interiors) for DC over the years, and these are two of his more recent (well, 21st Century) homages, based on classic Silver Age covers to honor editor Julie Schwartz, who used the idea of creating a cover then having a story built around it.

Hawkman #6 (February-March, 1965)

DC Comics Presents: Hawkman #1 (September, 2004)

Original cover by Murphy Anderson, 2004 cover by JLGL, inked by Kevin Nowlan.

Justice League of America #53 (May, 1967)

DC Comics Presents: Justice League of America #1 (October, 2004)

Original cover by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson, 2004 cover by JLGL.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez has done many covers over the decades, ranging from DC Comics Presents, Superman, Flash, Hercules Unbound and more, and looking forward to even more!

 

  

Remembering Judomaster creator Frank McLaughlin

Remembering artist/writer Frank McLaughlin (March 18, 1935 - March 4, 2020), who is likely better known as an artist for the comic strips Gil Thorp, Brenda Star Reporter and The Heart of Juliet Jones, as well as inking many issues of the Justice League of America (including team ups with Black Lightning, the JSA and Ultraa) and the Flash (with Jay Garrick and Big Sir).

Frank was the creator/artist and writer of Judomaster for Charlton comics in the 1960s.  Judomaster was Hadley "Rip" Jagger, a sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II, who learned judo and karate after rescuing the daughter of Pacific island chief.  Judomaster premiered in Special War Series #4 (November, 1965), and had his own title, lasting ten issues (numbered 89 to 98, because of Charlton's habit of picking up numbering from other series), from June 1966 to December 1967.  

Judomaster picked up a sidekick in a youth named Tiger, and faced foes like sumo Mountain Storm, martial artist the Acrobat, swordsman the Cat and schemer the Smiling Skull.

Judomaster 89 and 90 (May/June and August 1966)

Judomaster 91 and 92 (October and December 1966)

Judomaster 93 and 94 (February and April 1967)

Judomaster 95 and 96 (June and August 1967)

Judomaster 97 and 98 (October and December 1967)

Green Lantern's Leprechaun, Owen Cooley

It's a little green-on-green action, as Golden Age Green Lantern (Alan Scott) faces off against Owen Cooley, the leprechaun in All-American Comics #70 (January-February, 1946) by Alfred Bester and Paul Reinman in "Love At First Blight!".

Cooley ends up in America by accident, falls in with some crooks, learns Alan is Green Lantern, and even thinks Alan's driver, Doiby Dickles, is his uncle!

Alan isn't the only one who has seen leprechauns, as his JSA teammate, Wonder Woman did a few times, as did the Blue Devil!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Mike Zeck's Punisher Marvel Tales Part 1

After Mike Zeck drew the Punisher in a five issue mini-series in the 1980s, the popularity of the Punisher took off like a rocket.  There were many titles and appearances of the Punisher after, but, in a wise move, Marvel decided to reprint the early appearances of the Punisher form the 1970s in Amazing Spider-Man....in their Spider-Man reprint title, Marvel Tales.  But, to make them special, they had Mike Zeck redo the covers.

So, presenting the first seven covers, side by side with the originals, to show the contrast between 1970s and 1980s styling!

Amazing Spider-Man #129 (February, 1974)/Marvel Tales #209 (March 1988)

Original cover by Gil Kane and John Romita.

Amazing Spider-Man #134 (July, 1974)/Marvel Tales #210 (April, 1988)

Original cover by John Romita.

Amazing Spider-Man #135 (August, 1974)/Marvel Tales #211 (May, 1988)

Original cover by John Romita.

Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 (April, 1975)/Marvel Tales #212 (June, 1988)

Original cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giaoia.

Giant-Size Spider-Man #1 (April, 1975)/Marvel Tales #213 (July, 1988)

Original cover by Gil Kane and Frank Giaoia.  

This issue has the second half of the Giant-Size Spider-Man 4 (so, no "second cover").

  

Plus, most issues had a Spectacular Spider-Ham back-up, except this one, which reprinted Silver Surfer's first solo tale from Fantastic Four Annual.

Up to this point, the Punisher stories were by Gerry Conway and Ross Andru, with the next two by Len Wein and Ross Andru.

Amazing Spider-Man #161 (October, 1976)/Marvel Tales #214 (August, 1988)

Original cover by Gil Kane and John Romita.

Amazing Spider-Man #162 (November, 1976)/Marvel Tales #215 (September, 1988)

Original cover by Ross Andru and John Romita.

Seems a good enough place to stop, but check back soon for a second shot of Punisher by Mike Zeck!

Remembering James Doohan With Scotty Star Trek Covers

Remembering James Doohan (March 3, 1920 - July 20, 2005), most famous for his portrayal of Montgomery Scott, chief engineer of the USS Enterprise of the original Star Trek.

True, he didn't get the number of covers of Kirk or Spock, but he did make many of the group covers, as well as the movie covers.

Too busy studying technical manuals on shore leave to pose for covers!  It's how he keeps his reputation for being a miracle worker.

Batman Meets Lois Lane

To be fair, Batman met Lois Lane quite a few times before this issue (starting with the first time Superman and Batman met), but always with Superman around (and usually, the World's Finest heroes were confusing poor Lois as to whether or not Superman was Clark Kent).

 In this special issue of the Brave and the Bold (#175 from June, 1981, written by Paul Kupperberg with art and cover by Jim Aparo), Lois worked with Batman against Superman foe, Metallo, with NO Superman (or even Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent), in sight!

The Heart Of The Monster

This tale starts in Gotham, at the local branch of S.T.A.R. Labs, where Batman confronts Metallo (a Superman foe, who was a cybernetic man powered by Kryptonite) on the roof.  Batman knew he was in for a fight, but, figured it was only against Metallo's robotic strength, and was quite surprised that Metallo's Kryptonite worked on him (as it usually is only felt immediately by Superman).  

This is enough for Metallo to escape, and Batman to go back to thinking how to stop his visiting villain.  At the Wayne Foundation the next day, Daily Planet reporter (and Superman's girlfriend), Lois Lane arrives, looking for Bruce.  Lois wants Bruce to help her find Batman, as she was following a lead about S.K.U.L.L., a criminal organization that Metallo had appropriated, as their scientists had turned him from human to cybernetic monster, and that he was using the militant part of the group to find the last of them men who operated on him (to kill them).  

Bruce let her know Batman was already on the case, and had been exposed to Metallo's new Kryptonite....because Commissioner Gordon was an old friend.  As Batman, Bruce went to meet with Lois that night, who had scheduled a meet with Dr. Crenshaw.  Metallo shows up, and takes Batman and Crenshaw to his secret base (after a battle with Batman and Lois), but leaves Lois behind.  Lois goes to S.T.A.R. Labs to get a device to track Metallo, while Batman escapes the prison Metallo put him in, even without his utility belt.  Lois searches Gotham for Metallo..

...but finds he was in the S.T.A.R. Labs basement.  Metallo had Crenshaw work on his heart device, thinking he fixed it, then, when Batman and Lois confronted Metallo, the device went bad.  Crenshaw knew Metallo would kill him, so didn't quite fix his heart right (figuring the modified Kyrptonite would blow it out).  It did, and Crenshaw tried to leave, only to be stopped by Batman, with Lois only needing to file the story with Perry White.

An all too rare time of Jim Aparo drawing members of the Superman family inside a book, and it is incredible, not unlike later tries, with Brave and the Bold #192 with Superboy, or Batman and the Outsiders #19 with Superman and the Daily Planet staff (or two B&B issues with Supergirl).

This issue is also a rare example of Lois in a comic without Superman (or even Clark Kent), with Showcase #100 and the Suicide Squad/Checkmate crossover, the Janus Directive, two of the few times that happened in the 20th Century, making her more than just Superman's girlfriend.  

This issue of B&B even has a tale of Nemesis (who would be a member of the Suicide Squad for a time, but started as a Brave and the Bold back up series....).

    

Remembering Superman Artist Curt Swan

It was hard to pick one cover to summarize the majesty that was Curt Swan's Superman art... 

.so, instead, here is a look at the first eight annuals (even though they came out twice a year) for Superman in the 1960s, with cover art by Curt Swan.(February 17, 1920 to June 17, 1996).

Superman Annual 1 and 2, 1960

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Superman Annual 3 and 4, 1961

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Superman Annual 5 and 6, 1962

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Superman Annual 7 and 8, 1963

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There was suppose to have been a ninth annual at the time, but it turned into the first 80-Page Giant (featuring Superman, naturally, and more, including More Secret Origins), and Curt also drew many anniversary issues involving Superman, such as Action Comics 500, and a bit in Action Comics 600 and 700,  which showed that they still remembered his style!

Wishing that DC would put these in a couple of collections like they did with the Batman Annuals of the 1960s!