Hey, I'm on a podcast! (Rob Kelly's TreasuryCast, that is!)

But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

...well, duh, he's the most famous of all, yes.


But even tho' y'all know his name, Rob Kelly and I found plenty to talk about Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer in the 1970s DC Treasuries on the latest episode of his fabulous podcast TreasuryCast! And, uh, my bestest pal John helped a lot too, 'coz it was past my bedtime.


We had a wonderful (Christmas)time talkin' about those oversized bundles o' fun technically known as Limited Collectors' Edition and the fanciful and fun Rudolph comic book stories by Rube Grossman and Sheldon Mayer, which also star one of my favorite comic book characters of all time, The Sensational Character Find of 1950, Grover Groundhog!


So head on over to wherever you find your favorite podcasts or right here on the TreasuryCast page to listen to Rob, me, and Pal John talk about everybody's favorite red-nosed comic book character (after Tony Stark). He'll go down in history!

(And don't forget to check out more Grover Groundhog fun by clicking the blue button at the top of the right-hand column on this blog!)

Today in Comics History, December 3, 1982: Sergio Aragonés Kills Marty Feldman

from "I Killed Marty Feldman" in Solo #11 (DC, August 2006); script, pencils, and inks by Sergio Aragonés; letters by Stan Sakai
As you might suspect from the title of the story, Marty Feldman died the night before, December 2, of a heart attack. Sergio feared that he'd killed him by surprising him while weraing a police unfiorm for a movie role. (See more in this post.) Graham Chapman was with Marty when he passed away, and he would have porobabky mentioned it, so I think you're innocent, Sergio.

Today in Comics History, December 3: Happy birthday, Anna Sten!

Born on this day in 1908 (probably): actress Anna Sten (Nana, The Man I Married , So Ends Our Night, They Came to Blow Up America, Let's Live a Little and more). She made her premiere in comics only three months after Superman!...


from "Stars on Parade" in Jumbo Comics #1 (Fiction House, September 1938), text by Toni Blum as Toni Rossett, pencils and inks by Bill Bossert as Lora Lane
...and then never appeared in a comic book again.

Happy birthday, Anna! I'm betting your huge comic book comeback is merely a few weeks away.

The 1989 2023 Love and Rockets Calendar: [Deslumbrante] December

"December" from Love and Rockets 1989 Calendar (Fantagraphics, 1988), artwork by Gilbert Hernandez and Jaime XXX Hernandez
(Click picture to art jam-size)

The 1978 2017 2023 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters: December Destiny

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published December 1, 2017.

Happy Holidays (because we've gotten over that War on Christmas nonsense) from one thousand years in the future! That's either 3023, 3017 or 2978, depending on whichever version of the DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Speculative Future Disasters calendar you're using. Of course, if you're talkin' a whole millennium from now, you're clearly tuning your Time Bubble in on Brane Taylor, Batman of the Year 3000 The Legion of Super-Heroes!

"December: The Legion of Super-Heroes" in The 1978 Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters; artwork by Jim Sherman and Jack Abel
(Click picture to Colossal Boy-size)
Why are the Legion at Toys "Я" Us in Times Square? Well, as some quick datebox captioning tells us, they went back to Christmas 1978 to spend time with Karate Kid who was living there in his miniseries at the time, getting ready to star in a motion picture with Pat Morita...look, just read this:


Meanwhile, it's the beginning of December, so what does that parapon of programming, the Justice League Computer, have to tell us about the identity of the Mastermind of '78?


HEY THAT'S NOT FAIR oh wait, since technically the computer doesn't get done with its computing until December 31, I guess we'll have to wait until then for the solution, huh? Talk about the answer coming at the last minute, huh? Well, at least we can comfort ourself with the clue given in the grid of the calendar itself, right?


NOW CUT THAT OUT!

(See you back here on December 31, kids!)

The 1978 2017 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: December Defenders and Daredevils

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published December 1, 2017.

Well, we got through another year, very nearly! And let's celebrate with a full-page, full-color montage of Spidey's Pals 'n' Gals by John Byrne! As a special bonus: it's before he went insane online!

"December Is Teaming with Dynamic Do-Gooders!" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (1977); pencils by John Byrne, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by George Bell
(Click picture to Marvel Team-Up-size)
And, for your bonus final-month amusement and edification, here's even more Bullpen Birthdays and a special essay intoned by December birthday boy Stan Lee!

(Click picture to Stan's legend-size)
Finally, as a special treat, here's the Amazing, Spectacular, Sensational, Web of, Adjectiveless back cover of the 1978 Spidey calendar!


So remember to keep Spidey in your heart all year long, and to quote the final days of the 1978 calendar, but in full-color:


Final panel from Marvel Team-Up #1 (March 1972), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Artie Simek

Today in Comics History, November 29: Happy birthday, Maggie Thompson!

Today's the birthday of Maggie Thompson, comics collector and historian and co-editor (with husband Don Thompson) of the Comics Buyer's Guide, a massive influence on comics fans including yours little stuffed turly, so I just had to thank her when I met her at BookExpo America a few years back!


Happy birthday, Maggie, and many happy returns!

Today in Comics History, November 29: Happy birthday, Gaetano Donizetti!

Born on this day in 1797, so you'll have to speak up if you're gonna wish him a happy birthday: Gaetano Donizetti, Italian composer of over 70 operas, all of them so familiar to the kids reading comic books that you barely need to explain who he is, thanks to his many comics appearances! So let's just show off this one.


"Lucia di Lammermoor" from Classics Illustrated #61 (Gilberton, July 1949), creators uncredited and unknown
See? isn't that more to-the-point reading than just showing off all the times he teamed up with Wonder Tot? Happy birthday, Gaetano, you crazy opera but, you!

Today in Comics History, November 29: Happy birthday, Casey Vincent!

Born on this day in 1914: World War II Flying Ace Clinton Dermott "Casey" Vincent. He served as the model for two comic strip characters by Milton Caniff: Colonel Vince Casey, and Brigadier General P.G. "Shanty" Town. After his death in 1956, Yuma Air Force Base was renamed Vincent Air Force Base in Vincent's honor.

from Steve Canyon (Publishers-Hall Syndicate, October 12, 1956), by Milton Caniff; reprinted in Steve Canyon v.24: Taps for "Shanty" Town (Kitchen Sink, December 1989)
(Click picture to Brigadier General-size)
Happy birthday, Casey!

Today in Comics History, Saturday the 25th: Police dispatcher Bob Newhart has heard enough

from "Midnight in the Wax Museum!" in Tower of Shadows #3 (Marvel, January 1970), script by Gary Friedrich, pencils and inks by George Tuska, letters by Jean Izzo

Today in Comics History, November 23, 1955: Scariest episode ever of The Twilight Zone

from "Solar Rise, Part Two: Scared to Death" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #6 (Dark Horse, April 2011); script by Jim Shooter; pencils, inks, and colors by Agustin Alessio; letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving: Dennis After Dark

What's that lovable scamp Dennis ("The Menace") up to on Thanksgiving Day? Why, he's only gone and burned the entire house down trying to make the Thanksgiving turkey cook faster.


from "Nutty November" Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series #151 [Dennis the Menace Yearbook] (Hallden/Fawcett, April 1976), creators uncredited and unknown
And now, the most startlingly erotic scene ever printed in a Dennis the Menace comic book:


from Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series #160 [Dennis the Menace Yearbook] (Hallden/Fawcett, (January 1977), creators uncredited and unknown
Oh, is that what you're calling it now, Alice?


from "Wishbone Thinking" in Dennis the Menace Giant #10 [Dennis the Menace Giant Christmas Issue] (Hallden/Fawcett, Winter 1961), script by Fred Toole

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving: Happy Thanksgiving from our asylum to yours

It's Thanksgiving Day in Arkham Asylum! Mostly, everybody's thankful that Batman didn't come around to beat them up again.



from "Happy Thanksquinning" in Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red #5 (DC, January 2024), story by Sam Humphries, art by Stephen Burne, lettering by Troy Peteri

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving: It's time to give Bully thanks for reading comic book text pages, so you don't have to

While you're waiting for Mom to take the Thanksgiving turkey or tofu out of the oven, why not while away the time with this weirdly yellow-backgrounded text story from the old Golden Age Daredevil series, giving the origin story of Crimebuster's battling partner Squawky, The Turkey with No Time for Crime! He'll hit you over the head with his own drumstick!



"Let's Talk Turkey!" from Daredevil Comics #68 (Lev Gleason, November 1950), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving, 1621: And the settlers and natives lived in peace ever after. I said ever after.

from Sensation Comics #39 (DC/J.R. Publishing, March 1945), script by M. C. Gaines and W. W. D. Sones, pencils and inks by Allen Simon

Today in Comics History, November 23, 1993: Chinese food and take-out pizza? It's the best Thanksgiving ever!

from Tephlon Funk! graphic novel (Dark Horse, November 2022), written by Stephane Metayer, illustrated by David Tako and Bicolas Safe
A controlled substance?

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving: It's a Good Thing

from Hate Annual #3 (Fantagraphics, December 2002), by Peter Bagge
Bonus Letterman-provided Thanksgiving content!:


"Martha Stewart's Top Ten Thanksgiving Tips" from Late Show with David Letterman (CBS/Worldwide Pants, November 20, 2001)

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving: Quick Step & Side Kick

from Batman: The Audio Adventures Special #1 one-shot (DC, December 2021), script by Dennis McNicholas, layouts by Leonardo Romero, finishes by Rich Ellis, colors by Mike Spicer, letters by AndWorld Design

Today in Comics History, November 22, 1963: And that's why the First Four and Jack Kennedy missed the premiere of Doctor Who

from Planetary #6 (WildStorm, November 1999), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by John Cassaday, colors by= Laura Martin and David Baron, letters by Ali Fuchs

Today in Comics History, November 22: And that's why the Soviets missed the premiere of Doctor Who

"Success" in Weird Fantasy (1950 series) #16 (EC, November 1950), creator uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, November 22, 1951, Thanksgiving: Nancy is an old farmer

Nancy (United feature Syndicate, May 31, 1951), by Ernie Bushmiller
A special tip 'of the three rocks to Johnny Callicutt for bringing this strip to my attention. Johnny runs the absolutely essential and unofficial Nancy Comics by Ernie Bushmiller feeds on Twitter and Bluesky! Thanks, Johnny!

Today in Comics History, November 22: Happy birthday, Ethel Smith!

Born on this day in 1902: popular organist Ethel Smith, popular musician and actor of the Golden Age primarily known for her energetic performances of Latin music. And, an avid golfer!


from Juke Box Comics #3 (Eastern Color, July 1948); text, pencils, inks, and letters by Phil Berube
Happy birthday and play us off with a hearty unspoken babaloo, Ethel!

"The Breeze and I" by Ethel Smith, from Tropical Swing: Selections from the Universal Feature "Cuban Pete" (Castle Films, 1947), with Desi Arnaz and His Orchestra

Today in Comics History, The Day Before the Day Before Thanksgiving: Banshee is beginning to regret admitting Leaf-Fall-Off Boy into Generation X

from Generation X (1994 series) #23 (Marvel, January 1997), script by Scott Lobdell, pencils by Mitch Byrd, inks by Jason Martin and Karl Story, colors by Steve Buccellato, color separations by Graphic Color Works, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, November 20, 1966: NASA discovers the great refreshing taste of Tang

from "The Mystery Monuments" in UFO Flying Saucers #3 (Western/Gold Key, November 1972), pencils and inks by John Celardo

Today in Comics History, November 20: Happy birthday, Edwin Hubble!

Born on this day in 1889: pioneering astronomer Edwin Hubble, who proved that far-off "clouds of dust gas" or nebulas were actually galaxies beyond the Milky Way, and proved that the universe is expanding ("The Hubble Law")! Not to mention him being the namesake of the Hubble Space Telescope, which was once a fuzzy white elephant until somebody noticed that it wasn't plugged in or something, and now it gives us unprecented photography of the stars, if not necessarily the green women of Orion.


from "Giants of the Telescope" in Mystery in Space (1951 series) #21 (DC, August 1954), creatords uncredited and unknown
Let us salute Edwin Hubble by remember the time Mike Nelson broke the Hubble Telescope.


from Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (Universal/Gramercy, 1996), directed by Jim Mallon; starring Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, and Kevin Murphy
Happy birthday, Ed! Keep watching the stars!

Today in Comics History, November 20, 1998: At last the Daily Bugle embarrasses somebody besides Spider-Man

from Captain America (1998 series) #13 (Marvel, January 1999), script by Mark Waid, pencils by Doug Braithwaite, inks by Robin Riggs, colors by Shannon Blanchard and Kevin Tinsley, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, November 19, 1863: Superman swerves to avoid the giant heads of the Founding Fathers and Charles Xavier

from "The World's Most Perfect Girl!" in Action Comics (1938 series) #133 (DC/National, June 1949), script by Dorothy Woolfolk, pencils and inks by Al Plastino

Today in Comics History, November 18, 1982 and 1990: Grandpa arrives; eight years later, so does Godzilla

from Fantastic Four (2023 series) #1/694 (Marvel, January 2023), script by Ryan North, pencils and inks by Iban Coello, colors by Jesus Aburtov, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, November 17, 1918: Everybody in London pretty much has the same color hair

from "The Ghost of Wandsgate Gallows!" in Ghosts (1971 series) #10 (DC/National, December 1972), script by Leo Dorfman, pencils and inks by Ernie Chan, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, November 8: Happy birthday, Tony DeZuniga!

Born on this day in 1932: comics artist, penciller and inker Tony DeZuniga, co-creator of Jonah Hex and Black Orchid! He's also worked on Weird Western Tales, Weird War Tales, Weird War Tales (notice a theme there?), Archie's Red Circle books, Jonah Hex, Sinister House of Secret Love, Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love/Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion, All-Star Western, The Witching Hour and more, plus inking dozens and dozens of DCs and Marvels!

"[Conan with His Chroniclers]" from Savage Sword of Conan (1974 series) #200 (Marvel, August 1992), pencils and inks by Dave Simons
(Click picture to Cimmerian-size)
Happy birthday, Tony!

Bully and His Pals: Happy birthday, Shelly!

On November 1 it was the birthday of my pal Shelly the Little Otter Puppet — her eighth birthday, in fact (which is a very good age to be, at least when she is not flaunting over me the fact that she is older than me). It's been such a hectic week that we didn't have time to celebrate until tonight, so luckily Shelly has been very gracious about that fact. Photographs are by the lovely Randi, who always makes us look great!

Bully (Makes and) Eats Food: Orange Chicken

Hey, check it out, gourmets and gourmands: I made Chinese food for dinner tonight — orange chicken!


Okay, okay, I may have cheated a little. But I still made it!