The 1978 2017 2023 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters: October Occult

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

Welcome to October! Everybody loves October! Isn't that right, Mitch?


from "The October Game" in Shock SuspenStories (1952 series) #8 (EC, June 1953), story by Ray Bradbury, comic script by Al Feldstein, pencils and inks by Jack Kamen, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten
Aw, Mitch, this ain't gonna be the DC Calendar for you then this year, I guess.


Note: Want to see what makes October so bad for Mitch? Tune in again this Halloween! Hint: it's an DC story. It won't end well.

But for everyone else, here's a calendar! You know the drill: it's from 1978 but it still works in 2023!

"October: Atom and Hawkman" in The 1978 Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters; artwork by Al Milgrom
(Click picture to Great Pumpkin-size)
Throughout several past Octobers in this here puppet-town cow-blog I've brought you stories of superheroism and mysticism in Rutland, Vermont, set at their annual Halloween Parade. Just search for the category "One Night in Rutland" to find others, and be aware I still have not yet finished off this feature! (What is wrong with me?)

Anyway, no Rutland Rutrospective is complete without this page from the 1977 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters, which tells the tale of the time the Atom, Hawman, and Hawkgirl fought Felix Faust, the Matter Master, and the Gentleman Ghost at the scariest party to end all parties in Vermont (unless you count that time I got into the vats at the Ben and Jerry's factory)!


They're on a collision course with wackiness! I can say this because the calendar doesn't actually tell us how many people died.


Take us up to date, Justice League computer: what's the latest calculations about the criminal genius behind all these seasonal shenanigans?


Huh, that's still baffling. Another clue, computer?


OH HEY IT'S EARLIER-PERIOD, MORE-INNOCENT DOCTOR LIGHT


Cover of Secret Origins (1986 series) #37 (February 1989); script, pencils, inks and letters by Ty Templeton

Today in Comics History, May 20: Happy birthday, Gardner Fox!

Born today in 1911: prolific and important writer Gardner Fox!, co-creator of The Atom, Doctor Fate, the Golden Age Flash, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, the JLA, Zatanna, and Snapper Carr (well, nobody's perfect).


from Fifty Who Made DC Great one-shot (DC, 1985)

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1941, New Year's Eve: I just called to say "Wheet! Wheet!"

from All-Star Squadron #9 (DC, May 1982), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Adrian Gonzales, inks by Jerry Ordway, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, October 6, 1939: Hawkman discovers Balloonium*

from "The Secret Origin of the Golden Age Hawkman" in Secret Origins (1986 series) #11 (DC, February 1987), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Luke McDonnell, inks by Tony DeZuniga, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by Mary DeZuniga
*Or, as it's known in England, Ballooninium.

The Super DC Calendar for 1977 2022: July Jousting and Jurisprudence

Well, more macing than jackhammering, but Hawkman's classic big-ass weapon doesn't start with J, and after June and now July I'm kinda running out of J-words. I'm in such jeopardy!

Anyway, enjoy the Hawks all this month because this 1977 calendar also functions as one for 2022! And it's set in my favorite city after Brooklyn, London! Don't you dare dent Big Ben, Carter Hall!

"July 1977," from Super DC Calendar 1977 (DC, 1976), art by Joe Kubert
(Click picture to Benjamin, Big-size)

Today in Comics History, June 5: Happy birthday, David Gallaher!

Let's all wish a big happy birthday to David Gallaher (Green Lantern Corps, Darkstar and the Winter Guard, The Mighty Crusaders: The Shield, Box 13, The Only Living Boy and The Only Living Girl, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar, High Moon, and more)!

Here he is commemorated for all time in an issue of Hawkman! (He's the doctor in the green lab coat.) Let's hope he, like most of Hawkman's history, hasn't been retconned away several times.



from Hawkman (2002 series) #38 (DC, May 2005), script by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, pencils by Dale Eaglesham, inks by Lary Stucker and Wade von Grawbadger, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Pat Brosseau
Work in comics? Wanna make $500 (for the charity of your choice)? It's easy: just re-introduce Dr. Gallaher to the new DCU! David promises you!


Twitter post by David Gallaher (February 6, 2022), retrieved May 28, 2002)
Happy birthday, David! BRB, writing my Batman/Dr. Gallaher Team-Up pitch.

Today in Comics History, April 1, 1942: Crisis on Infinite Earths destroys worlds, heroes, realities, and Roy Thomas's plans for this title

from All-Star Squadron #50 (October 1985), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Mike Clark and Arvell Jones, inks by Tony DeZuñiga and Vince Colletta

Today in Comics History, February 14: Happy Hawkiversary, Katar and Shayera Hol!

Married this day on the planet Hawkitania Thanagar: Hawkman and Hawkwoman! They didn't hire a wedding planner, so for all the arrangements of the ceremony and receptions, they had to wing it.


from Super DC Calendar 1976 (DC, December 1975), letters by Ben Oda
The Take-Off Two first appeared in The Brave and the Bold (of which they are both) #34, and unusually for a comic book couple, they've already been married for several years, so no double-sized, frought with danger collectors' item wedding special comic for them! (Barry Allen can tell ya they're best avoided, really.)


from Brave and the Bold #34 (DC, February 1961), script by Gardner Fox, pencils and inks by Joe Kubert, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Just in case you're upset there isn't a wedding in this issue...there is! Who says this isn't the Daring DC Age of Nuptial Necessity?!


And the Hawks lived happily ever after without any Three's Company-style misunderstandings or man-hungry husband-stealing neighbors.


"Say, Shayera, you don't think we'll arouse any suspicion being hidden aliens here on Earth, do you?" "Certainly not with this hu-mon clothing I copied from a book titled Costume and Style of the Edwardian Age, Kator dear!"


Here's a much later comic (altho' still set in a Pre-Crisis era) with the Hawks celebrating Valentine's Day without mentioning that it's their anniversary, but still, it's a good thing that Hawkman didn't buy her a bowling ball for the occasion.


from "Love in the Air" in DC Comics Presents: Hawkman #1 one-shot (DC, September 2004), script by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Walter Simonson, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Michael Atiyeh, letters by John Workman
Hey look, it's Man-Stealin' Mavis! This is set before she got her own popular treasury edition, Mavis Trent Commits Adultery with the DC Universe.


Say, Carter, since your first story shows you two already married, how did you and Shiera meet-cute? Let's have a flashback, shall we?


Everybody loves Valentine's Day, right, Commissioner Emmett?...oh. It's hard to put your foot in your mouth with those gigantic talons, but Hawkman managed it.


Then, I dunno, Simonson drew some symbolic doves into the panel; look, I don't write these, I just read 'em.


Ah, sweet khy'tarishk! (That's Thanagar for "l'amour.") As they go on through their married life, we wish all the best to these crazy kids. Here's to many more, Hawkman and Hawkw...whoops, their origin's been retconned in the middle of that sentence.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 69*: The Justice Society is formed to fight the fifth column by using big-ass word balloons

Panels from All Star Comics #4 (March-April 1941), script by Gardner F. Fox, pencils and inks by Everett E. Hibbard
Tune in tomorrow to see how Flash, the Master of Going Faster, deals with the enemies of America! (Hint: he goes quicker than them.)

* Nice.**
** This footnote satisfies the requirement by international internet law that all mentions of the number sixty-nine be accompanied by the word "nice."

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 130

House ad for Hawkman #1 (August 1986); printed in Detective Comics #565 (August 1986)

Ad art taken adapted tilted from the cover of Hawkman #1:


Cover of Hawkman #1 (August 1986); pencils by Richard Howell, inks by Dick Giordano

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 113

House ad for The Flash v.1 #145 and Hawkman v.1 #2 (both June 1964); printed in Detective Comics #328 (June 1964)
Comic cover art: Flash #145: pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ira Schnapp
Hawkman #2: pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ira Schnapp

Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 79: Go-Go Checks Week, Day 4

Top: Go-Go Checks house ad, printed in Hawkman #13 (April-May 1966)
Bottom: Go-Go Checks house ad for The Atom #30 (April-May 1967) and Hawkman #19 (April-May 1967),
printed in Metamorpho #11 (April-May 1966)

Comic cover art: The Atom #30: pencils and inks by Gil Kane, letters by Ira Schnapp
Hawkman #19: pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ira Schnapp

Ads designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp
Go-Go Checks designed by Irwin Donenfeld and Sol Harrison

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 75

House ad for Showcase #101 [Hawkman] (June 1978); printed in Batman #300 (June 1978)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Joe Kubert
1961 ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp, repurposed for 1978, new lettering by Gaspar Saladino (?).
If anybody know in which issue I can find the original, let me know, and I'll post it here as well!
EDIT: A special thanks (and a hawk-winged Bull-Prize) goes to "Mighty" MarcusB, who gave me a link that showed me the original ads were published in DC Comics in early 1961. Using that as a lead, I found a couple examples in Justice League of America #5 (June-July 1961) and The Flash #110 (March 1961), ads hawking Hawkman, the original!


Thanks for your keen detective work, MarcusB! And in the words of Hawkman: Wheet! Wheet!

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 51

House ad for Hawkman #1 (April-May 1964); printed in Detective Comics #326 (April 1964)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

Zing!

Panels from World's Finest #275 (January 1982), script by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Rodin Rodriguez, colors by Bob LeRose, letters by Phil Felix

Bizarro Back Issues: Commissioner Gordon vs. the Space Alien!

Yep, Batman, that's pretty much the same reaction that I had upon reading The Brave and the Bold #139, a tale that teams-up Batman the Caped Crusader with Hawkman the Winged Avenger in order to save Commissioner James Gordon from being assassinated by a bounty hunter! It's excitement and adventure all around. It's also the story of the time that the time that Jim Gordon shot down a space alien in cold green blood. Read my pal John's take on this ever-classic tale over at ComicsAlliance!

All in color for two dimes

If you remember this entry, I bought twenty comic books for two bucks at Forbidden Planet. That's a comic for twenty cents. Since most of 'em origi'nly cost $2.99, that''s a savings of...uh...um...well...that's a savings of a lot. (I'll get my baby sister to do the math for me later, 'kay?)

What's really important, like always, is whether or not these comics were fun! So I'm gonna review these toot-sweet, fast-fast, and grade 'em each on three points: could I follow the story even just buying one issue, were they fun or not, and were they worth 20¢. I don't wanna give away the startling shock ending of this blog entry but [SPOILER WARNING] some of these comics weren't even worth 20¢!!!

Let's get this party started!

EXILES #72:

Could I follow the story?: I've never read this series. I don't know much about the New Universe, which the characters visit. There's a good story synopsis on the first page, but I guess the question is more "do I care if I follow the story?" Answer: not really. I kinda just flipped through this one.

Was it fun?: Not really. It didn't seem to go anywhere. I think I missed the "glory years" of Exiles, if there were any. This doesn't look like it: it actually looks and reads more like the comics it's referencing, generic 1980s mid-list Marvel quickly-cancelled superhero titles.

Was it worth 20¢?: No.

HAWKMAN #46

Could I follow the story?: Not too much problem. It's a prelude to Rann-Thanagar War so reading that helped. Lotsa weird stuff going on here and I'm sure I missed some plot points, though. Good summary of what's going on in a single dialogue bubble on page one, by the way.

Was it fun?: Sure. Big winged guy with a mace hittin' stuff, always decent fun to read! A little too much reference to Identity Crisis though, which is never fun. But I even liked the OMACs in this, and I haven't picked up a single OMAC Project issue.

Was it worth 20¢?: Yes.

NYX #7

Could I follow the story?: Not really. Not for trying, though. There's a good summary of the first six issues on page one, but I think it was harder to follow because these are all characters I don't know.

Was it fun?: Not really. Sad, disillusioned teens having no fun at all with their superpowers. Nice art, though. Subtract points for that awful Nick Fury's Howling Commandos preview that really killed the book before it had even been published.

Was it worth 20¢?: Eh, just barely.

MARVEL KNIGHTS 4 #19-22

Could I follow the story?: No problem at all. #19-20 was a two-part story. #21 and #22 were both done-in-ones.

Was it fun?: Ehhhh. Weird. To me there is at heart no more fun than the Fantastic Four, but all four of these comics seemed to have a kinda sharp, dull, very cynical edge which doesn't fit well with what I like best about the FF: the over-the-top adventure and wonder. Gorgon seems horribly out of character in the first storyline (although there's some nice bits with Franklin Richards), and Sue Richards' "girls' night out" storyline in #21 is just horribly creepy when it gets into her flashback temptations with the Black Panther. (Nothing against the Black Panther. But she loves Reed!) And there's no superhero I love more than the Thing, so #22 shoulda been a no brainer. Instead it's a sad and spooky golem story with no real satisfaction to the end. Only high spot in these four issues was a nice Kirby impression in the flashback of #21. Who drew it? Probably Ron Frenz, but who knows? There's no credits or title in the story! Bad Marvel! Bad! Bad!

Was it worth 20¢?: Nope. Even Stan and Jack would be bored by these four issues.

CATWOMAN #43 and 45

Could I follow the story?: Sure, even though #43 was the last issue of a storyline and #45 part two of a new story. No summary page at the front, but Catwoman sums up what's goin' on so far in her internal monologue.

Was it fun?: I'm surprised to say yes. Together these issues had a lotta some things I don't really like in mainstream superhero comics: sexual innuendo, over-the-top brutal violence, pointless dream sequences, threatening helpless animals with violence, and most of all, Hush. (I really really don't like Hush.) But #43 had a nice "justice is served" ending and #45 had a great cliffhanger that act'lly makes me wanna seek out issue #46 and see what happened next.

Was it worth 20¢?: These two issues were purrrrfectly worth forty cents. Hee hee hee! That's a Catwoman pun. ... Oh, like you've never made one.

BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #65

Could I follow the story?: Oh, heck no. No idea what was going on here. Poison Ivy lost her powers or something. Who knows?

Was it fun?: Ick. More Hush. And looks like a major character died at the end, but I don't even have to bet that that character will be back in a few months at the most. Nice cover, though.

Was it worth 20¢?: No.

BLACK WIDOW: THE THINGS THEY SAY ABOUT HER... #1

Could I follow the story?: Even tho' it was a #1 issue, not really! Too much depended on you having to have read the last Black Widow series.

Was it fun?: Not really. Too much sex talk and violence without any real forward movement of the story. (I blame Brian Michael Bendis for making stories popular in which nothing happens for several issues). Also, points subtracted for that awful, awful "Bod" ad popping up in my memory again.

Was it worth 20¢?: Heck no.

THE HIRE #4

Could I follow the story?: Sure, no problem. It's a done-in-one story even though it's issue four. I guess this book is an anthology.

Was it fun?: Yes! Mysterious chauffeur in a souped-up BMW helps a tycoon evade his killers, with an escape twist at the end. It reminded me of the movie The Transporter, but no cute Shu Qi in this one! The cartoony art was an odd choice for this story, though. Bonus points for a great one-page Hellboy merchandise advertisment at the back.

Was it worth 20¢?: Yes. Not bad for a comic that's basically a commercial for a car company.

THE AUTHORITY/LOBO: SPRING BREAK MASSACRE

Could I follow the story?: I dunno...John wouldn't let me read it! (He said "yes; it's a done-in-one.")

Was it fun?: John says "Nope! None of the nano-anarchy of an Authority story, too many dirty and over-the-top Lobo jokes. And if you can't make Jenny Quantum look cute, there's something very wrong with the artwork."

Was it worth 20¢?: John says "NO!"

RANN-THANAGAR WAR #2-6

Could I follow the story?: No real problem, even though I missed the first issue and there were a million characters to keep track of. Five issues in a row helped.

Was it fun?: Actually, to my surprise, yes! I've been pretty much avoiding Infinite Crisis crossovers but this one was a lead-in so it didn't seem like it was dependent on a lotta the stuff I've hated seeing happen in IC (even tho' I'm not buying that series). Some cool moments, good visuals for sweeping galactic events and plenty of favorite characters in here including the Prince Gavyn Starman and a neat final issue defeat-the-villain plan. Points off for the non-conclusion at the end of issue #6: I really do think miniseries should have a definite end and not just trail off into another story. (That's the same problem I had with the Power Girl storyline in JSA Classified).

Was it worth 20¢?: Five-sixths of a trade paperback for a buck, and I enjoyed the story. Well worth a buck altogether.

DAY OF VENGEANCE #4

Could I follow the story?: Boy howdy, I could not really figure out what was going on here at all...

Was it fun?: ...and yet it didn't really matter, 'coz yes, this was big, noisy, bonbastic fun. The origin of Detective Chimp? Sign me up! Big giant Captain Marvel fighting colossal Spectre throughout the landscape? I'm in the front seat for that one. Blue Devil and Rook? I'm, so there! I have no idea what's goin' on here, no idea what happened next, and I don't really care. This was sorta anarchic comics in the vein of Rob Liefeld, but hey, it was big loud dumb fun to me.

Was it worth 20¢?: Oooooh yeah.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #640

Could I follow the story?: It's the kinda-end of a storyline that I didn't even know had been going on but it's easy to follow. Knowing all the characters always helps.

Was it fun?: Sorta. There's some really nice quiet characters bits in here I liked a lot, and the format is kinda clever and neat without being annoying: photographs, media reports, and surveillance of Superman takes up the top two-thirds of every page, and the ongoing storyline occupies a strip at the bottom. But the ending looks like something that's been building up a long time so coming in on the middle didn't have much impact for me, and the last page is kinda sour to me: definitely an un-fun revelation. (Doesn't the DCU have enough evil POTUSs?)

Was it worth 20¢?: Just barely.

So, in summary, Marshall has done the math: $54.50 worth of comics for two bucks. Out of twenty, eleven were well worth the twenty cents I paid for 'em. There's some kind of chart and graph Marshall is working up with my colored pencils and markers, but in the meantime I'll just say this: it was a great way to try a lot of different comics and get interested in some of them for just a little money. The biggest disappointment: four Fantastic Four stories that left a sour taste in my mouth. The biggest surprise: the Infinite Crisis books actually tickled me sense of fun.

Or, to put it another way:

Detective Chimp sitting on a sofa: 20¢.

Scary giant space villain trying to enslave Thanagar: 20¢.

The return of Tigorr: 20¢.

Blackfire being as villainous as she was the first time I saw her in New Teen Titans: 20¢.

Learning that the Infinite Crisis lead-in comics were a lot more fun that I ever expected? Priceless.