Saturday, October 19, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 292: Well, there's your problem, Barry: you're running leaning backwards


"Dig What's Coming" house ad for The Flash #175 (December 1967); printed in Batman #197 (December 1967)

Comic cover art: pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Ira Schnapp
"Dig What's Coming" pencilled, inked, and lettered by Henry Boltinoff

That's a hard race to call but if you ask me Supes has Fleet-Feet all beaten by a chin.


Today in Comics History Future, October 19, 2157: The United States Postal Service has not been replaced by email, apparently



from "A Letter from the Future!" in Strange Adventures #30 (DC, March 1953), script by Sid Gerson, pencils and inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Gaspar Saladino

Today in Comics History, October 19: You've just rented a wedding reception hall to the Punisher. Kiss that baby goodbye!


from Punisher War Journal (1988 series) #36 (Marvel, November 1991), script by Mike Baron, pencils by Steven Butler, inks by Kim DeMulder, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Jim Novak

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 19: Increasingly Ridiculous Frankenstein Weekend, Night 1: The World's Most Inaccurately Named Comic


Cover of Frankenstein #1 [aka Movie Classic #12-283-305] (Dell, March-May 1963), Vic Prezio

Friday, October 18, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 291: The Big Red Cheese Stands Alone


House ad for Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil trade hardcover (October 2007); printed in The Batman Strikes! #38 (December 2007)
Art: pencils and inks by Jeff Smith, colors by Steve Hamaker

Today in Comics History, October 18, 1966: BEST. PATENT. EVER.

Specifications of U.S. Patent Office patent #205998 (October 18, 1966),
for "the ornamental design of an automative vehicle or similar article"
(Click picture to embiggen)


Batmobile scenes from Batman ['66] (Greenway Productions/20th Century Fox Television, 1966-1968)

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 18: Mickey Mouse and the Terror That Can Only Be Represented 4/7 Accurately in a Standard Comic Book


Cover of Four Color #27 [Mickey Mouse] (Dell, 1943), pencils and inks by Ken Hultgren (?)

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Today in Comics History, October 17, 1814 and 1940: BEST. FLOOD. EVER.

It's October 17, and lots of stuff happened today in comics history. Don't believe me? Let's check out what The Doctor and Rory "I'm Dead, Jim" Williams are up to!


from Doctor Who (2012 series) #3 (IDW, November 2012), script by Brandon Seifert, pencils and inks by Philip Bond, colors by Charlie Kirchoff, letters by Shawn Lee

Well, aside from being drawn by the great Philip Bond (seriously: Vimanarama? Read it.), they're also rescuring James Bond! Er, I mean, Ian Fleming. Same thing in this universe pretty much, right?


But enough about the Doctor and Rory. What's our second-favorite redhead*, Amy Pond, up to? Well, she's also Today in Comics History, only a century and change before:


WHOA A LITTLE PUSHY THERE 19TH CENTURY NICK FURY I mean what's going on that's so important at a London brewery on October 17, 1814?

Why, it is the only flood that's even better than the Boston Molasses Flood...the London Beer Flood.


Whoa, whoa, whoa, what's the London Beer Flood? Well, you could look it up on the virtual pages of the world's largest library that doesn't introduce Mary Sue River Song, Wikipedia, or you could just hang about and ask questions until the Doctor, eager to show off his vast galactic knowledge (no doubt aided by a little light reading of that most remarkable work The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), Explains It All For You™:



from Doctor Who (2012 series) #4 (IDW, December 2012), script by Brandon Seifert, pencils by Philip Bond, inks by Ilias Kyriazis, colors by Charlie Kirchoff, letters by Tom B. Long

Oh, Amy's dead. Well, turnabout is fair play for once. And hey, the Doctor is almost as interested in the Boston Molasses Flood as Evan Dorkin is! Oh wait, Amy survived! Yay! She'll never be killed off!


Say, Doctor, what else happened on October 17 in Comics History?


Not pictured but also happening on October 17 throughout Comics History that I believe the Doctor probably had a hand in:
  • 1771: The premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Wolfgang Mozart, age 15
  • 1931: Al Capone convicted of income tax evasion.
  • 1933: Albert Einstein flees Nazi Germany for America
  • 1956: The first commercial nuclear power station in England is opened
  • 1968: Ziggy Marley is born
Also somewhere in there on an October 17: Torchwood ordered pizza.

*After Ann-Margrock.

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 290: This Comic Am Not Approved By the Bizarro Code



House ad for Superman #202 (December 1967-January 1968); printed in (top:) Batman #197 (December 1967); (bottom:) Green Lantern #57 (December 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein, colors by Jack Adler (?), letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, October 17, 2004: First appearance, Guy Who Rides a Curling Iron


from Blade of Kumori #1 (Devil's Due, November 2004), script by Ron Marz, pencils by Dub, colors by Pierre-André Cery with Jeik Dion, letters by Dreamer Design

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 17: Daphne's sister didn't find as fun ghost-hunting companions as Daphne did


Cover of The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor #1 (Gold Key, May 1973), painted art by Jesse Santos

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1941: The question "Mr. Mayor, when did you stop beating your wife?" is asked at a press conference


from Green Hornet (2013 series) #1 (Dynamite, March 2013), script by Mark Waid, pencils and inks by Daniel Indro, colors by Marcio Menyz, letters by Troy Peteri

Also on this date: Dynamite Comics cleverly gets away on a technicality with not having to worry about getting the license for the name Green Hornet:



365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 289: I wooden do that if I were you


House ad for House of Mystery #3 (April-May 1952); printed in Detective Comics #182 (April 1952)
Comic cover art: pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Ray Burnley, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 16: The Gruesome Death of John Gnagy


Cover of Ghost Stories #4 (Dell, October-December 1963), artist unknown

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 288: This is the ad that Letitia Lerner answered


House ad for Superman #212 (December 1968); printed in Batman #207 (December 1968)
Comic cover art: pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Mike Esposito
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino


Panels from "Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter!" in Elseworlds 80-Page Giant #1 (August 1999); co-script, pencils, inks, colors and letters by Kyle Baker; co-script by Elizabeth Glass

Today in Comics History, October 15: Bird Sun Beetle Scarab Ankh (aka Happy Alexandrian New Year)


from "Guardians of the Lost Library" in Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge Adventures #27 (Gladstone, July 1994); script, pencils, and inks by Don Rosa; colors by Scott Rockwell; letters by Mike Taylor

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 15: You're traveling through another dimension


Cover of Four Color #1288 [The Twilight Zone] (Dell, February-April 1962), painted art by George Wilson

Monday, October 14, 2013

Today in Comics History, October 14, 1962: JFK enjoys taking holiday photos


from Before Watchmen: Ozymandias #4 (DC, January 2013), script by Len Wein, pencils and inks by Jae Lee, colors by June Chung, letters by John Workman

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 287: Batman develops the metaphysical ability to turn pages of his own comic


House ad for Batman (1940 Series) #14 (December 1942); printed in Detective Comics #69 (November 1942)


Cover of Batman (1940 Series) #14 (December 1942), pencils and inks by Jerry Robinson

Today in Comics History, October 14, 1973: Happy Birthday, Vesper Fairchild! Hope you survive the experience!


cover of Batgirl (2000 series) #27 (DC, June 2002), art by Damion Scott, Robert Campanella, and Patrick Martin

Check back here to see if she did on January 4, I guess.

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 14: Read this comic, nevermore


Cover of Movie Classic #309 [Edgar Allan Poe's The Raven] (September 1963), photo of Vincent Price as Dr. Erasmus Craven


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Monster Mash Ten Thirteen of a Kind: This list sucks















(More Ten of a Kind here.)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 286: Say, why isn't this issue #13?


House ad for DC Special #4 (July-September 1969); printed in Windy and Willy #2 (July-August 1969)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Neal Adams, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Today in Comics History, October 13: Incredibly giant diamond surprisingly used for evil, not good, purpose


from Justice League Dark (2011 series) #15 (DC, February 2013), script by Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes, pencils and inks by Mikel Janin, colors by Jeromy Cox, letters by Rob Leigh