365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 285: Green Lantern makes his debut and criminals everywhere corner the market on yellow paint

House ad for Showcase #22 [first appearance: Silver Age Green Lantern] (September-October 1959); printed in Batman #127 (October 1959)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Gil Kane, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, October 12 (Let's Poke Fun at Columbus Day Special): Superboy cheerfully celebrates the plight of the American Indian

from "The Holiday Hijackers" in Adventure Comics #145 (DC, October 1949), script by Edmond Hamilton, pencils and inks by John Sikela

Today in Comics History, October 12 (Let's Poke Fun at Columbus Day Special): Superboy delays curing cancer so he can go to a parade

from "The Holiday Hijackers" in Adventure Comics #145 (DC, October 1949), script by Edmond Hamilton, pencils and inks by John Sikela

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 12: I'm pretty sure this is not Ben Grimm but it would be really cool if it was

Cover of Grimm's Ghost Stories #11 (Gold Key, August 1973), painted art, artist unknown

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 284: All those beauties, they're gonna swallow you up

House ad for DC Special Series #20 [The Original Swamp Thing Saga] (January-February 1980); printed in Time Warp #2 (December 1979-January 1980)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Bernie Wrightson
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 11: 'Cause this is thriller, thriller night

Cover of Boris Karloff Thriller #1 (Gold Key, October 1962), photograph of Boris Karloff, photographer unknown

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 283: Better pay attention, soldier, or the next thing you dig what's coming will be your own grave

"Dig What's Coming" house ad for G. I. Combat #127 (December 1967-January 1968); printed in Green Lantern (1960 series) #57 (December 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Joe Kubert, letters by Ira Schnapp
"Dig What's Coming" pencilled, inked, and lettered by Henry Boltinoff

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 10: Bewitched, Bothered and Besyndicated

Cover of Bewitched #6 (Dell, September 1966), photographs of Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick Sargent York, and Agnes Moorehead


Hey, didja know there was a 1970s sequel to Bewitched? And it had Spenser for Hire in it? Where's the 1970s Gold Key comic book version of that?

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 282: Man, I sure hope that's not Marvin

House ad for Sugar & Spike #87 (December 1969-January 1970); printed in Showcase #87 (December 1969)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Sheldon Mayer
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 9: Calm down, Mike Sterling, it's not who you think

Cover of Movie Classic #142 [The Creature] (Dell, December 1962-February 1963), painted cover by Vic Prezio

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 281: Diana is bustin' out all over

House ad for DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982) and Wonder Woman (1942 series) #288 (February 1982); printed in Superman Family #213 (December 1981)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Here's the finished art for those gorgeous Colan pencils in the ad:


Page from the New Wonder Woman Preview in DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Romeo Tanghal, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza
Ask most people in what comic book Diana's new Wonder Woman symbol (the double-W) first appeared and they'll probably guess "Wonder Woman number..." In which case you can yell out "BUZZZZZZZZZ!" right in their faces, much like Stephen Fry should do every time Alan Davies answers "the blue whale" on QI. But make sure you do this only with people who like you regardless, and not with strangers on the street, by the way. Such a dramatic costume change you'd expect to take place in an issue of the character's own magazine, but no...it first appeared in that "free insert" in DCCP #41!


Y'know, I'd always remembered this scene as being somehow more...momentous, and I must have been mistaken. the phrase "this charming top," aside from being one of the Smiths' lesser songs, isn't exactly laden with the regality and power one associates with our Amazon princess. Overall, despite its long-lasting design change, the story doesn't give the new bustiér as much feminist significance at the time that it could have; it almost seems like a throwaway concept destined to be retconned within a couple years:


The New Wonder Woman Preview ends, as does this post, with another house ad: for an exciting comic book called...um...wait, it's on the tip of my tongue here...ah, yes...Wonder Woman, with her new logo, new costume, new attitude...not to mention the word "bustin'!"


House ad for Wonder Woman #288 (February 1982); printed in DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982)
Comic cover art: pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Dick Giordano
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Today in Comics History, March* 8, 1949: Green Arrow and Speedy disappear; no one notices

from "The Unknown Adventure" in World's Finest Comics #42 (DC, September 1949), script by Otto Binder, pencils and inks by George Papp, letters by Ira Schnapp
*This could also take place in November 1949.

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 8: From the Mixed-Up Files of Dr. Basil E. Spektor

Cover of The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor #12 (Gold Key, February 1975), painted art, artist unknown

Bully Jack Goes to Washington

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 280: Superman and his pals dare you to knock these Energizer batteries off their shoulders

House ad for Superman (1939 series) #245 (December 1971); printed in The Brand and the Bold #99 (December 1971)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino




Front and back covers of Superman (1939 series) #245 (December 1971), pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Murphy Anderson

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 7: A thumb goes up, a broom goes by / It's nearly midnight and here am I / Hitchin' a ride, hitchin' a ride

Cover of Marge's Lulu and Tubby Halloween Fun #6 [aka #1] (Dell, October 1957), pencils and inks by Irving Tripp

Monster Mash Ten Thirteen of a Kind: It's ALIIIIVE!

Welcome to the October Ten of a Kind, which all month will be not only devoted to those famous monsters that haunt your dreams and comic books but which will also be 30% larger every week! Yep, this month, all month, Thirteen of a Kind classic monsters, ghoulies and beasties every Sunday! Can you survive the experience?!? Answer: Since it's only a blog entry, yes.















(More Ten of a Kind here.)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 279: Aw, you ain't foolin' me, Zatanna, I know that's really you

House ad for Doorway to Nightmare #1 (January-February 1978); printed in Batman #294 (December 1977)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Mike Kaluta, colors by Tatjana Wood
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Today in Comics History, October 6, 1961: Ray Palmer inherits a fortune in candy bars of chocolate and crunchy toffee

from Showcase #35 [The Atom] (DC, November 1961), script by Gardner Fox, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Murphy Anderson

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 6: As opposed to all those bright shadows

Cover of Dark Shadows #15 (Gold Key, August 1972), painted cover by George Wilson