Hideous Halloween Same Story, Different Cover: Antcomics for Antpeople

Left: Strange Tales v.1 #73 (October-November 1950), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Bill Everett
Right: Where Monsters Dwell #3 (May 1970), pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Bill Everett

(Click picture to Them!-size)

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 294: Alfred's Abhorrent Halloween, Day 8

Panels from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #41 (January 1993), script by Tom Joyner, plot assist by Keith S. Wilson, pencils and inks by Jim Fern, colors by Steve Oliff, letters by John Costanza

Hellmouth: Hanna-Barbera, Night 20

Cover of The Addams Family #1 (October 1974), pencils and inks by Bill Zeigler

Another spine-tingling Countdown to Halloween site to visit: Distinctly Spooky Jamaican Sounds! This skankin' site brings you the ska sounds and reggae rhythms of Halloween via downloadable MP3s of the scariest, shriek-fillingest, hauntedest Jamaican tunes from our favorite island nation, mon! Plus delectable and delicious comic book cover remixes to accompany each track! Truly original and a great find! (And don't forget to check out the whole graveyard of ghoulish Countdown to Halloween features!)

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 293: Alfred's Deadly Halloween, Day 7

Panels from Detective Comics #472 (September 1977), script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Marshall Rogers, inks by Terry Austin, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by John Workman

Hellmouth: Hanna-Barbera, Night 19

Cover of Cartoon Network Presents #5 (December 1997), pencils and inks by Donald David, colors by Matt Hollingsworth

Another spine-tingling Countdown to Halloween site to visit: Super Haunted Stories has a classic old time radio show available for download from now until Halloween, every day: Escape, Suspense, Arch Oboler's Lights Out, Nightfall and more! Listen to 'em in the dark but don't scream so loud you drown them out! (And don't forget to check out the whole graveyard of ghoulish Countdown to Halloween features!)

Today in Comics History, October 18, 1931: The Undead Electromagnetic Vampire Spectre of Thomas Edison is confused*

from Atomic Robo and the Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #4 (Red 5, July 2010), script by Brian Clevinger, pencils and inks by Scott Wegener, colors by Ronda Pattison, letters by Jeff Powell
*This pretty much is an accurate description of the situation.

Hey, Remember When That Happened?: 1963

Greetings, history-peepers! (With a special hello to you, Uatu!) On tonight's edition of Hey, Remember When That Happened?, let's travel back in time to the tumultuous year of 1963!

Astro Boy premieres in the US!

The Beatles' first album is released!

The first James Bond film debuts!

President Kennedy is assassinated!

Also, the world ended!

Panels from "The War That Never Happened!" in Wonder Woman #60 (July-August 1953), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils and inks by Harry G. Peter

Yeah...remember when that happened? Yeah, me either.




That's because it never happened. Yes! It never happened...thanks to...Happy Fun Ball!





And now you know why...you don't remember...when that happened!


Panel section from Fantastic Four #543 (April 2007), script by Dwayne McDuffie, pencils by Mike McKone, inks by Andy Lanning and Cam Smith, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Rus Wooton

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 292: Alfred's Nightmare Halloween, Day 6

Panels from Batman: Crimson Mist graphic novel (December 1998), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Kelley Jones, inks by John Beatty, colors by Gregory Wright, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Todd Klein

Comics News for October 18, 2012

Today in Comics History, October 18: The First All-England Summarize Proust Competition is held

from The Unwritten #35.5 (DC/Vertigo, May 2012), plot by Peter Gross, script by Mike Carey, pencils and inks by Gabriel Hernandez Walta, colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Todd Klein

Hellmouth: Hanna-Barbera, Night 18

Cover of Scooby-Doo Mystery Comics (Gold Key/Whitman 1973 series) #20 (August 1973), pencils and inks by Dan Spiegle

Another spine-tingling Countdown to Halloween site to visit: Collecting Candy...a subject near and dear to my heart! (And tummy!) Here you'll find spooky Halloween candy and bubble gum, and today you'll find a few installment of Wacky Wednesdays, featuring Halloween Wacky Packages! I love those things! (And don't forget to check out the whole graveyard of ghoulish Countdown to Halloween features!)

Not many people know that Robin originally came from Texas

Panel from "Brothers in Law!" in World's Finest Comics #8 (Winter 1942-1943), script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Jack Burnley, letters by Betty Bentley

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 291: Alfred's Out-of-this-World Halloween, Day 5

Panels from The Batman and Robin Adventures #25 (December 1997), script by Ty Templeton, pencils by Bo Hampton, inks by Rich Burchett and Ty Templeton, colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Tim Harkins

Today in Comics History, October 17, 1910: Marcie accidentally interrupts "Peppermint" Patty in her London office

from The New Deadwardians #7 (DC/Vertigo, November 2012), script by Dan Abnett, pencils and inks by I. N. J. Culbard, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Travis Lanham

Hellmouth: Hanna-Barbera, Night 17

Cover of The Flintstones (Gold Key 1962 series) #24 (January 1965), pencils and inks by Harvey Eisenberg
Another spine-tingling Countdown to Halloween site to visit: The Surfing Pizza! Aside from having the most fantabulous title for a blog, The Pizza is covering seasonal merchandise, and I especially love the focus on amazing Halloween-themed food and snack products from Scary Berry Pop-Tarts and Little Debbie's Bat Brownies to Pumpkin Spice Eggos and Hostess Glo-Balls! I want all of them combined into one scary, delicious meal! (And don't forget to check out the whole graveyard of ghoulish Countdown to Halloween features!)

Chick Tract Tuesday: Gun Slinger

Presenting, without comment, moral, or preachin', edited-for-action versions of the infamous religious pamphlet comic book Jack Chick Tracts! Tonight: journey into a spaghetti-western helltown with..."Gun Slinger!" (Don't make him angry! You wouldn't like him when he's angry!)







Panels from Gun Slinger (1987), script, pencils, and inks by Jack T. Chick

Well, that certainly wrapped that up fast! Looks like the law is effective in this Western town! And nobody even had to paint the town red.

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 290: Alfred's Monstrous Halloween, Day 4

Panels from "A Monster Walks Wayne Manor!" in Detective Comics #438 (December 1973-January 1974), script by Archie Goodwin; pencils, inks, and letters by Jim Aparo

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1910: A pub is dedicated to Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein

from The New Deadwardians #6 (DC/Vertigo, October 2012), script by Dan Abnett, pencils and inks by I. N. J. Culbard, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Travis Lanham

Hellmouth: Hanna-Barbera, Night 16

Cover of Korg: 70,000 B.C. #4 (December 1975), painted art by Pat Boyette

Another spine-tingling Countdown to Halloween site to visit: Christmas TV History, where Joanna Wilson is taking us through an assortment of horror movies with Christmas Crossover Appeal! (ding!) While I was well aware that Jaws: The Revenge stars History's Greatest Actor™ Michael Caine, I never knew that it took place at Christmas! So, you can watch these movies now and get your horror-freak on, and watch 'em again at Christmas for the festivity of it! It's two holidays in one! (And don't forget to check out the whole graveyard of ghoulish Countdown to Halloween features!)

Watch, man

Hey, remember back in 1983 when this happened?


Panel from "Worlds at War!" in Journey into Mystery v.1 #50 (January 1959), pencils and inks by Jack Davis; recolored version published in Curse of the Weird #4 (March 1994), new colors by Ashley Posella

Naw, me either.

But I do remember this happening in 1985:



Panels from Watchmen #12 (October 1987), script by Alan Moore; pencils, inks, and letters by Dave Gibbons; colors by John Higgins
When did he do it, you might ask?


Be that as it may, here's what else happened in 1983, while you were all drinking your new-fangled "juice boxes" (those things'll never last!) and hanging up "Baby on Board" signs on your car, or, if you didn't have a car, just right on your baby. Yes, 1983 was the year J'onn J'onnz cosplayers came to Earth! (They shoulda took that left turn at Albuquerque.)


Well, the Martians are an evolved and advanced race. Surely they'll be willing to teach us their methods of global peace and harmony and...hey! Where ya goin'?


You know, I gotta wonder about these aliens that give us so much advance warning before destroying us. What's in it for them? I mean, lookit the Xindi. They destroyed Florida twenty-six episodes before they were ready to blow up the Earth. Did that make any sense? Well, no more than having a beagle in space. Speaking of beagles in space, the world's nations decide to get together and launch a dog into space band together to become stronger for the sake of humanity! It's just like President Benjamin Franklin said: "We must, indeed, all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. Now, pass me that tankard of ale, wench, for 'tis truly partying time! Yeee-haw!"


And faster than you can set a montage to the tune of hit single "Flashdance...What a Feeling," one of the biggest songs of 1983, everybody teams up with each other and gets things done! Yes, Americans and Russians working together...it's just like the movie Armageddon! It's partnership and brotherhood, hand in hand, just like the hit "Ebony and Ivory," which was released in 1982 but was still a big hit in 1983. Also, popular 1983 comedian Yakov Smirnoff helped. "In Soviet Union, rocket fires us!"


Surprise! It was all a prank that the Martians were put up to by their goofy cousins on Jupiter. Also, it was a way to get the Americans and Russians to be stronger together! World peace has been achieved thanks to the threat of mutual destruction! That old trick? It worked all along!


And it all happened in 1983...two years before the events of Alan Moore's Watchmen. Then, it was beamed back in time, past Thor's nose, to be published in a 1959 issue of Journey into Mystery. Just so Stan Lee could say

"I did it twenty-four years ago!

Ah, those wacky comic book writers. Always usin' time travel to get one up on the other.

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 289: Alfred's Senses-Shocking Halloween, Day 3

Panels from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #41 (January 1993), script by Tom Joyner, plot assist by Keith S. Wilson, pencils and inks by Jim Fern, colors by Steve Oliff, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, October 15, 1910: The Tankmobile develops the ability to speak

from The New Deadwardians #5 (DC/Vertigo, September 2012), script by Dan Abnett, pencils and inks by I. N. J. Culbard, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, Monday the 15th: Lar Gand is re-named "Today-El"

from Action Comics Annual (1987 series) #10 (DC, March 2007), script by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner, pencils and inks by Eric Wight, colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Travis Lanham
No month on it? I call no way on that calendar.

Today in Comics History, October 15, 1910: Lord Adam Savage and the Edwardian Mythbusters test the Tankmobile

from The New Deadwardians #4 (DC/Vertigo, August 2012), script by Dan Abnett, pencils and inks by I. N. J. Culbard, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Travis Lanham

Hellmouth: Hanna-Barbera, Night 15

Cover of Space Ghost (2005 DC series) #4 (April 2005), painted art by Ariel Olivetti

It's Sunday*, so tonight's spine-tingling Countdown to Halloween site to visit must be Bunny Sunday! Randi (hey, I like that name!), aka Miss Bunny Sunday, has brought us a selection of Halloweenie topics to thrill to, from Scary Movies and Ghostly Quotations to Black Cats and Spooky Poetry, and my own personal fave, Wednesday Addams! (You rock, Wednesday! And you rock, Miss Bunny Sunday!) (And don't forget to check out the whole graveyard of ghoulish Countdown to Halloween features!)


*Yes, I know it's actually Monday now. I'm going to bed. Yawwwwwn!

Today in Comics History, October 14: A supernova goes off in Skysector J172*

from Superman: Birthright #5 (DC, January 2004), script by Mark Waid, pencils by Leinil Francis Yu, inks by Gerry Alanguilan, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Comicraft

*Yes, I know the supernova would have gone off X years previous, where X equals the number of lightyears Skysector J172 is from Earth.

Halloween Ten of a Kind: The Devil You Say

(See also. And there's more Ten of a Kind where that came from!)