365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 61

House ad for DC Comics (1967); printed in Green Lantern #57 (December 1967)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 60

House ad for Tomahawk [and His Rip-Roaring Rangers] #104 (May-June 1966); printed in Detective Comics #350 (April 1966)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Bob Brown, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Today This Month in Comics History, March 2000: Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Julian

The story you read in a previous Batman comic book is true. The names were not changed to protect the guilty. Trial was held in Section 22, Superior Court in and for the County of Kane in the municipality of Gotham City. In a moment, the results of that trial.


The suspect was found guilty of committing Calendar Crime. Calendar Crime is punishable by an extended sentence in Blackgate Prison.


Panels from "Chapter Two: Harsh Monday" in Batman 80-Page Giant #3, script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Manuel Gutierrez, inks by Bud LaRosa, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by John Costanza
Alas, poor Julian Day, he won't even be able to see his cousin Jess and all her wacky loftmates when the Millennium switches over. On the bright side, he'll totally miss Y2K. Count your blessings, Julian!

And before you know it (a couple pages later), it is March 2000, and Jules is getting parole! Just in time to pick up the new NSYNC album No Strings Attached. C'mon, you know he's gotta be a fan.


At last! Sweet Gotham City Freedom!

Oh Gotham City freedom, shine on me, I love you
Shine the light, through the eyes of the ones left behind
Shine the light, shine the light
Shine the light, won't you shine the light
Gotham City freedom, I kill kill kill you with calendars, yes I will



Panel from "Chapter Three: The Terrible Tuesdays", script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Mike Deodato, inks by David Roach, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by John Costanza
Well, goodie! Now at last Julian Day can get out of prison, stretch his legs, smell the fresh air, carpe that diem, and at last just have a pleaceful, quiet night's slYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!


The moral of the story is: don't do the crime without a calendar that tells you the time. Or, it might be, don't give your extra house key to Batman. I dunno.

Today in Comics History, February 28, 1936: The Empire State Building regresses to infancy

Panel from Doc Savage #4 (Marvel magazine series, April 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Marie Severin and Tony DeZuniga, inks by Tony DeZuniga
But actually, this shoulda happened on February 23! That's got to be a typo in the panel above, because this scene takes place between this and this!

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 59

House ad for Plastic Man #3 (March-April 1967); printed in House of Mystery #166 (April 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Joe Orlando, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 58

House ad for 1st Issue Special #2 [The Green Team: Boy Millionaires] (May 1975); printed in World's Finest Comics #230 (June 1975)
Art by Jerry Grandenetti
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino (?)

Today in Comics History, February 27: Clark Kent gets the inspiration to write the lyrics to the Human League's "Don't You Want Me"

from "Innocent—Beyond a Reasonable Doubt" in Superman Family #202 (DC, July 1980), script by Bob Rozakis, pencils by John Calnan, inks by Frank Chiaramonte, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Ben Oda

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 57

House ad for Y: The Last Man (2003) printed in Vertigo Pop!: London #3 (March 2003)
Painted art by J.G. Jones from the cover of Y: The Last Man #2 (October 2002)

Today in Comics History, February 26: Commissioner Loeb's door learns to tell a joke

from Batman #404 (February 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 56

House ad for National Comics (1943); printed in Batman #16 (April-May 1943)

Today in Comics History, February 24, 1936: Doc Savage throws a terrible surprise party

from Doc Savage #4 (Marvel black-and-white magazine, April 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Marie Severin and Tony DeZuniga, inks by Tony DeZuniga

Ten of a Kind #361 and Today in Comics History, Oscar Night: He reminds me of my Uncle Oscar

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 55

House ad for The Brave and the Bold #23 (April-May 1959); printed in Lois Lane #8 (April 1959)
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp
The inset art is taken from two panels in the second story in The Brave and the Bold #23, one of them repositioned sideways:



Panels from the Viking Prince story "The Figurehead of the Burning Sea!" in The Brave and the Bold #23 (April-May 1959)
But that ad does not do justice to the cover of B&B 23 (hey, that rhymes!), not simply because of its great Joe Kubert pencils and inks, but the absolutely beautiful color washes by Jack Adler that gives it the brilliant, shaded tones that make many of the 1960s DC comics absolutely beautiful:


Cover of The Brave and the Bold #23 (April-May 1959), pencils and inks by Joe Kubert, color washes by Jack Adler