Same Story, Different Cover: Ant-ie Maim

L: Donald Duck #192 (February 1978), pencils by Bob Gregory, inks by Bill Wright R: Donald Duck Adventures #36 (May 1993), cover art by Bob Foster, Michel Nadorp, Michael Horowitz, and Larry Mayer

(Click picture to Tit-ant-ic-size)


In addition, even though the story isn't featured on the cover, here's the first comic in which "The Titanic Ants" was published, Donald Duck #60 (July-August 1958), cover art by Paul Murry:



And just to show you how often Disney comics are reprinted, the same story of "The Titanic Ants" is reprinted in each of the following comics:



However, Donald and Company are not the ones threatened by giant ants in the following comic books:



Hey, there you go: a Ten of a Kind, even though it's not Sunday! Who says this isn't the Boisterous Bully Age of Giant Ants Amazing Value?

Stan Lee Saturdays #14: The Giant Floating Head of Lee Compels You

Cover of Strange Spécial Origines (French comics reprint magazine) #136 (April 5, 1981),

365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 295

Panels from Thor #482 (January 1995), script by Glenn Greenberg, pencils by Robert Walker, inks by Jim Amash, colors by Ovi Hondru, letters by John Workman, Jr.

Duckburg: Hellmouth (Day 22)

Donald Duck Adventures #20 (January 1992), pencils and inks by William Van Horn, colors by Gail Bailey

Sergio Aragonés Week, Day 5: The Magnificent Sergio

Sorry for the lateness which made the Mid-Day Matinee slide into mid-evening, folks! But here it is, the end of the Amazing Aragonés Week! (I made it extra-long to make it up to you because I love you folks!)



"Cain's Game Room" from House of Mystery #228 (December 1974-January 1975), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés



"Room 13" from House of Mystery #190 (January-February 1971), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés

"A Tour of the House of Mystery" from House of Mystery #117 (August-September 1974), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés
(Click picture to location location location-size)


Today's Special Model-Building, Famous World War Flying Ace Bonus! The perfect antangonist for that Red Baron model I showed you yesterday...Snoopy and His Sopwith Camel! (He must keep this thing in an hangar under his doghouse.) I actually had and built this model as a tiny bull, and bull-lieve me, this was a lot of fun! It was bright yellow with a working propeller powered by a rubber band, and it came with "thought balloons" that you could insert into a hole in Snoopy's mouth so you could make him "say" different things, including some blank stickers on which you could write your own dialogue. "Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!" Snoopy was oft-heard to utter.


Ad from House of Mystery #189 (November-December 1970)

Here's some photographs from the internet (copyright not me) of the box and the original unassembled model kit (this one is in red rather than yellow plastic:



Here's a post on FineScale Modeler showing the original box and model kit! And I highly recommend checking out this gorgeous photo of the constructed model, plus full scans of the assembly instructions.

I wish I still had mine. Quick: to the eBay!

$128.50?!? Um, nevermind.

365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 294

Panels from Thor #347 (September 1984), script, pencils, and inks by Walt Simonson, colors by Christie Scheele, letters by John Workman, Jr.

Duckburg: Hellmouth (Day 21)

Huey, Dewey and Louie, Junior Woodchucks #10 (July 1971), pencils by Tony Strobl, inks by Larry Mayer

The more things change...

Carmine Infantino, writing about the expansion that led to the DC Implosion of 1977, in Back Issue #1 (December 2003)

365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 293

Panels from The Mighty Thor #6 (November 2011), script by Matt Fraction; pencils by Olivier Coipel; inks by Mark Morales, Cam Smith, and Dexter Vines; colors by Laura Martin; letters by Joe Sabino

Sergio Aragonés Week, Day 4: ¡Viva Sergio!

Splash pages from House of Mystery #189 (November-December 1970), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés


"Cain's Game Room" from House of Mystery #196 (November 1971), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés


"Witch's Tails" from House of Mystery #252 (May-June 1977), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés


"Page 13" from House of Mystery #177 (November-December 1968), script by Joe Orlando, pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés


Special Model to End All Models Bonus: It's the krazy kar that had all of Europe laffing..the Red Baron! Or, as I like to call it, the Kaisermobile! ("Quick, Heinz, to the Kaisermobile!") I like to think that on weekends, Colonel Klink from Hogan's Heroes tooled around in this doing donuts in Stalag 13, until Colonel Hogan and his wacky crew put bananas smuggled in through their secret tunnels into the tailpipes. When questioned about this incident, Oberfeldwebel H. G. Schultz has gone on record declaring that he knew nothing.


Ad from House of Mystery #174 (May-June 1968)

Tomorrow: the natural counterpart to the Red Baron model! (And I actually had and built tomorrow's model, folks!) But first, a handy hobby hint you should follow when making your models. As long as they're all made of clear plastic. Cap's Hobby Hints, everybody!


"Cap's Hobby Hints" from House of Mystery #167 (June 1967), by Henry Boltinoff

Duckburg: Hellmouth (Day 20)

Donald Duck Adventures #14 (August 1989), art by Carl Barks

Zing!

Panel from Amazing Spider-Man #670 (Late November 2011), script by Dan Slott, pencils by Humberto Ramos, inks by Victor Olazaba, colors by Edgar Delgado, letters by Joe Caramagna

365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 292

Panel from Tales to Astonish #101 (March 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Sam Rosen

Sergio Aragonés Week, Day 3: The Good, the Bad, and the Sergio

Splash page from House of Mystery #195 (October 1971), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés



"Cain's Game Room" from House of Mystery #181 (July-August 1969), script, pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés



"Cain's Game Room" from House of Mystery #186 (May-June 1970), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés



"Room 13" from House of Mystery #185 (March-April 1970), pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés


Today's bonus crime-against-humanity plastic model kit!: sure, it was a jaunty Herb Alpert instrumental number and a chain of middling taco restaurants, but this caricature of the standard comedy Mexican and his jaunty jalopy is about as politically correct as the Frito Bandito, who we ran out of town with both guns blazing, still screaming about his delicious salty corn chips. Geez, DC, what's next...jokes about the Chinese? (Later in this issue: jokes about the Chinese.)


As from House of Mystery #181 (July-August 1969)

Tomorrow!: A way-out plastic wacky model kit that evokes the hilarity and hi-jinks of the Second Battle of Ypres! Liner notes by Robert Graves, who advises you to put the decals on carefully to keep them from ripping!

Duckburg: Hellmouth (Day 19)

Donald Duck Adventures #35 (December 1995), layouts by Russell Schroeder, pencils by Pat Block, inks by Pat Block, colors by Susan Daigle-Leach

The Zen of Batman: Physical and Mental Fitness

From Batman: "True or False-Face" (March 9, 1966), script by Stephen Kandel

365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 291

Cover of Thor #434 (July 1991), pencils by Ron Frenz, inks by Al Milgrom

Sergio Aragonés Week, Day 2: For a Few Sergios More

"Cain's Game Room" from House of Mystery #180 (May-June 1969), script, pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés



"Cain's Game Room" from House of Mystery #183 (November-December 1969), script, pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés

"Page 13" from House of Mystery #184 (January-February 1970), script by Joe Orlando, pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés
(Want to hang it on your wall? Click picture to monster-size!)


Special politically incorrect model plane kit bonus!: Build the plane that terrified your Dad when he was overseas during WWII! No landing gear included!


Ad from House of Mystery #176 (September-October 1968)

Tomorrow: that ad feature gets even worse.

Duckburg: Hellmouth (Day 18)

The Carl Barks Library of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories in Color #14 (February 1993), art by Carl Barks

The Pantsuit of Evil!

I don't really have a clever post for you tonight, so let's just gawk in amazement and horror at The Pantsuit of Evil!!! Caveat: "The Pantsuit of Evil" may not be the original name of the story.


Panels from "The Roots of Evil!" in House of Mystery #176 (September-October 1968), script by Marv Wolfman, pencils and inks by Jack Sparling

AIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE! It's eeeeevil!

How evil is it? So evil that the colorist goes insane and can't face up to it by page two.





Later on, she changes into a little something from the Gwen Stacy's Signature Collection (available at Kmart near the Brooklyn Bridge), but it's too late...the pantsuit has already driven them all insane!





Even a friendly visit from Swamp Thing cannot drive out the memory of the pantsuit of evil!



To sum up: Pantsuit of Evil!

365 Days with the Warriors Three, Day 290

Splash page from backup story in Thor #416 (April 1990), script by Tom DeFalco, pencils and inks by Mark Texiera, colors by George Roussos, letters by Michael Hegler

Sergio Aragonés Week, Day 1: A Fistful of Sergio

The Mid-Day Matinee this week, all week: Sergio Aragonés! He's the MAD master of marginalia, art guru of Groo, and creator of his own brand-new comic from those crazy cats at Bongo (you really should be picking it up!)...but this week, as we fear gear up for Halloween, let's look at his creepy, kooky, altogether ooky work for DC's House of Mystery: the silent gag panels of "Cain's Game Room" and the gleefully ghoulish activity page "Room 13!" Lock your doors and turn on all the lights...because it's Sergio Aragonés Week!



"Cain's Game Room" from House of Mystery #176 (September-October 1968), script by Joe Orlando,
pencils and inks by Sergio Aragonés



"Room 13" from House of Mystery #226 (August-September 1974), by Sergio Aragonés


Special sniffing-model glue bonus!: The first in a series of ads for politically-incorrect what-were-you-thinking-1960s model automobile kits: the dubiously pop-cultured hot rod model car of Erwin Rommel, Commander of the 7th Panzer Division Afrika Korps in World War II! (Apparently, although it's not in any history books I checked, he was a creepy skeleton!) Now you can yell to him: Rommel! You magnificent bastard! I built your car!


Ad from House of Mystery #183 (November-December 1969)

Duckburg: Hellmouth (Day 17)

Walt Disney's Donald Duck ["The Halloween Huckster"] one-shot (September 2008), art by Marco Rota