365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 74: Reed Richards' Encepahalo-Scanner

I think we've all said at one time or another, especially when he's ducking out on a date with the delectable Gwen Stacy, that Peter Parker is brain-dead.


Panels from "And Introducing—Karma! She Possesses People!" in Marvel Team-Up #100 (December 1980), co-plot and script by Chris Claremont, co-plot and breakdowns by Frank Miller, finishes by Bob Wiacek, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by Annette Kawecki
But it took Reed Richards and his patented Encepahalo-Scanner to prove it.

Today in Comics History, March 15: Realistic, gritty, down-to-earth Batman comic book also includes a super-alien monitoring infinite earths

from Batman #384 (DC, June 1985), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Rick Hoberg, inks by Rudy Nebres, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Workman

Today in Comics History, March 15, 1973: Batman has beautiful handwriting

from "The Citadel of Crime" in Batman (1940 series) #249 (DC, June 1973), script by Frank Robbins, pencils by Irv Novick
I'm pretty sure that no bank on earth will cash this without a routing number and account number at the bottom. Also, hey, that Bruce Wayne feller and Batman have similar handwriting, don't you think? Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Today in Comics History, March 15: Kid Batman tracks down Pisces, the Fish Killer*

from "The Forging of Young Batman!" in Superboy (1949 series) #182 (DC, February 1972), script by Leo Dorfman, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Murphy Anderson
*This is actually a pretty accurate description of this story.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 72: The Fantastic Core

Panel from FF (2013 series) #4 (April 2013), script by Matt Fraction, pencils and inks by Michael Allred, colors by Laura Allred, letters by Clayton Cowles
Doodily-doodily-doodily...

Today in Comics History, March 14: I get a big delight with every bite of Pie Day!

Hey, it's Pie Day!


from Deadpool (2013 series) #11 (Marvel, April 2013), script by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, pencils and inks by Tony Moore, colors by Val Staples, letters by Joe Sabino
In celebration of Pie Day, first, I dressed up like a pie!


Then, I had a pizza pie!


Finally, we all topped it off with delicious Little Stuffed Bull-Sized Personal Pan Pies!

Today in Comics History, March 14, 1986: It's all Greek to Green Arrow

from "Winner and Still Champion" in Detective Comics #563 (DC, June 1986), script by Joey Cavalieri, pencils by Jerome Moore, inks by Dell Barras, colors by Jeanine Casey, letters by Bob Lappan

Today in Comics History, March 13: Dr. Fang's wake is mostly attended by second-shift dock workers

from Batman #384 (June 1985), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Rick Hoberg, inks by Rudy Nebres, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Workman

Josie and the Pussycats are selling oranges / But nothing rhymes with oranges

I spotted this store-made sign in the produce section at Trader Joe's in Garden City, NY:


I think I can declare without chance of contradiction that this image and use are not approved licensing from Archie Comics. Then again, seeing how Archie as a corporation treated Dan DeCarlo, I'm not exactly worrying about it. Background. More background. A summary. Another summary. Revisionist history via inconsistent lettering.

Anyway, it's certainly a healthier product endorsement than all that time Josie spent hawking Hostess snack cakes.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 72: Reed Richards' Coffee-Maker

Well, whaddaya know! Reed did make a coffee maker!


Panel from Giant-Size Super-Stars #1 (May 1974), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
I'm so sorry that I ever doubted you, Ben.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 71: Reed Richards' Anti-Bugging Security Device

Panel from Fantastic Four: The World's Greatest Comics Magazine #5 (June 2001), plot by Erik Larsen and Eric Stephenson, script by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by Al Gordon, colors by Eric Stephenson, letters by Richard Starkings
A coffee-maker, Ben? You think Reed would make a coffee-maker? Hee hee hee..that's ridiculous!

Anyway, it's not a coffee-maker. It's full of flying marbles!


Each of those little zipping spheres is zeroing in on and zapping electronic bugs that have been placed in the Baxter Building, spying on Reed and Company. Yes, whoever it is that's been spying on them has seen every minute of Ben Grimm sitting in his underwear watching WOR-TV's Million Dollar Movie while eating nachos. But who could be watching them? Could it be...The Watcher? Oh, wait, no.


Anyway, it wasn't a coffee-maker, Ben, because that's the silliest idea ever.

Comics News for March 12, 2014

Top: from "The Battle of New Britannia!" in Astonishing Tales #8 (October 1971), script by Roy Thomas and Gary Friedrich,
pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by Tom Sutton, letters by Artie Simek
Middle: from Fantastic Four #42 (September 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby,
inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Sam Rosen
Bottom: from Invaders #40 (May 1979), plot by Roy Thomas, script by Don Glut, breakdowns by Alan Kupperberg, finishes by Chic Stone, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by Tom Orzechowski

Today in Comics History, March 12, 1973: Bruce Wayne has beautiful handwriting

from "The Citadel of Crime" in Batman (1940 series) #249 (DC, June 1973), script by Frank Robbins, pencils by Irv Novick, inks by Dick Giordano, letters by Milt Snapinn (?)
But also see "Bruce Wayne has Terrible Handwriting." Clearly one of these Bruce Waynes is a fake.

Today in Comics History, March 12: Anti-Batman is more polite and debonair than Batman

from Millar & McNiven's Nemesis #2 (top) and #1 (bottom) (Marvel/Icon, May-June 2010), script by Mark Millar, pencils and inks by Steve McNiven, colors by Dave McCaig, letters by Chris Eliopoulos

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 70: Captain America's Wrist-Blaster

Whenever you involve S.H.I.E.L.D.* in the adventures of Captain America, there's gonna be a gadget-passing-out scene straight out of a James Bond movie, with Nick (or SHIELD's quartermaster, Sidney "Gaffer" Levine) acting as "Q." "Do pay attention, 00-1776!"


Panel from Captain America (1968 series) #102 (June 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Syd Shores, letters by Artie Simek
Where does Cap get those wonderful toys? Oh wait, we just saw. He got it from SHIELD, and they got it from Tony Stark, and he got it from the Archie McPhee catalogue. Anyway, here's one of those gadgets in action. And it shoots hot flaming death out of Cap's glove! Man, that's gonna be awkward the next time he shakes President Nixon's hand.


It's a handy-dandy wrist-blaster, and we never see Cap use it ever again. That's sort of par for the course for SHIELD devices, especially around this period in the pages of Nick Fury, where Jim Steranko would introduce a far-out spy gadget (and don't worry, I'm gonna feature plenty of 'em!) and then it'd be forgotten not merely after that issue, but after that page. I'm guessing Cap tossed this thing in his old Army footlocker after this adventure was over, and one day when Jarvis was cleaning Cap's room he accidentally set it off and burned off his eyebrows.


Later of course, Hasbro ripped off the whole shebang with their Marvel Captain America Super Soldier Gear Dualshot Gauntlet, and I bet Jack Kirby never saw one thin dime out of it. Work-for-hire, huh? I tell ya.




*Shooting Hand Inferno Electronic Laser Doohickey

Why isn't this panel captioned "Cock-a-doodle-DOOM"?

Panel from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #84 (March 1969), co-plot and script by Stan Lee, co-plot and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek

World's Most Ironically Designed Military Base

Panel from Incredible Hulk (1968 series) #157 (November 1972), script by Archie Goodwin, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by Sal Trapani, letters by Jean Izzo
Seeing as it was conceived and headed by Hulk-hater General "Thunderbolt" Ross, we can be pretty certain he really didn't get the irony of his design! Here's a cool blueprint/map of Project Greenskin.

 
Panel from Incredible Hulk (1968 series) #145 (November 1972), artist and designer unknown

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 69: Reed Richards' Vacuum Engine

I'm not certain what a vacuum engine is, but I sure hope it's not for Sue to push around and clean the carpets with.


Panel from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #56 (November 1966), co-plot and script by Stan Lee, co-plot and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek
Sue can't keep a roast just cooking forever? Can't Reed invent something that will re-heat a meal quickly? Can't Reed invent the microwave oven?

---

Update notification! I've just updated my entry on the Maximus the Mad's Atmo-Gun to include a second appearance, and I've added an image of our favorite character from the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy on the entry for Rocket Racoon's Wedding Gun. Head on over there and check 'em out! (Edited, added text is in green!)

---

Ten of a Kind: Two Bits

Hey, at last I remembered to do one of these for Sunday night!












(More Ten of a Kind here.)

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 68: Reed Richards' Tidescope Measuring Device

Panel from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #21 (December 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Or, as The Thing called it, "Stretch's Toothpaste Dispenser."