Showing posts with label New Year's Eve. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Year's Eve. Show all posts

Sunday, December 31, 2023

The 1978 2017 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters: New Year's Eve Endings

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published December 31, 2017.

Throughout the year we've seen the heroes of the DC Universe face off against a dastardly, devilish diaply of do-(no)-gooders determined to destroy the Dearth...I mean, Earth...with a diversity of devastating disasters! All our favorite heroes and Hal Jordan have stopped the conveniently-separated-by-months plots dead in their tracks, but who is the Mastermind of all these sinister scenarios? Could it be the Riddler? Ra's al-Ghul? Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man? It's Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, isn't it?


"December 31" from The 1978 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters (1977), art by José Luis García-López

Batman has figgered the identity of Chief Criminal thanks to clues fed into the Justice League Crime-Solvin' Computer and Dance Dance Revolution Machine, and he quickly snaps into action and detects, as the calendar tells us: "a villain The Batman must capture while Superman tries to pull the moon back into orbit. (Oy, he's always doin' that.) None of which explains why, in the calendar's cover portraying this mind-shattering scene, Batman is ridin' on the moon harness. You are literally useless in this situation, Batman! Sheesh. Go punch somebody, Bruce.


But what of that astonishing computer result that we've been waiting for this year? All year. (Eh, must be an Amiga.) I've been filling in the blanks as instructed by each month on the calendar throughout 2017 just as some of you must have done all during 1978, and here...at last...is what we've come up with. Who is the evil supervillain genius behind the year of Super-Spectacular Disasters, huh? TA-DA!:


Or, if you clean it up a little bit and assume I missed some spots throughout the year, because it's a bit more difficult with hooves:


Hooray! You know, I knew it was gonna be Luthor, but honestly until last month I didn't have any idea how the computer display was going to portray his name. Fun, huh? Off to jail for you, Lex Luthor! You may have only killed thousands of people during your Year-Long Reign of Disasters, but I'n sure you'll be out in a couple weeks because the guards at the prison gave you a ball-point pen and a baloney sandwich. Anyway, Happy New Year, and may your 2018 be Super-Spectacular with zero disasters!


Today in Comics History, December 31, 1966 1965 1964, New Year's Eve: Y2Zot strikes again



from Zot #27 (Eclipse, June 1989); script, pencils, and inks by Scott McCloud; plot assist by Ivy Ratafia; letters by Bob Lappan

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1968, New Year's Eve: Not so much a nightmare, more of a nice date


from "That Was Then...This Is NOW" in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme (1988 series) #9 (Marvel, November 1989), text by Roy Thomas and Dann Thomas

I set this in 1968 because I imagine that this text piece is referring to this story and the night Clea met Tom Wolfe.

Saturday, December 31, 2022

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1999, New Year's Eve: The future is what we make it.

May we all make a better 2023.



from The Other History of the DC Universe #5 (DC/Black Label, September 2021), script by John Ridley, pencils by Giuseppe Camuncoli, inks by Andrea Cucchi, colors by José Villarrubia, letters by Steve Wands

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1963, 11:59 PM, New Year's Eve: From deep in the subway, Pizza Rat wishes you a very happy 1964


from The Vain #3 (Oni, December 2020), script by Eliot Rahal, pencils and inks by Emily Pearson, colors by Fred C. Stressing with Macy Kahn, letters by Crank!

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, December 31, 2019, 11:59 PM, New Year's Eve: Gear yourself up for the New Year


from Tony Stark: Iron Man #19/619 (Marvel, February 2020), script by Dan Slott and Christos Gage, pencils and inks by Francesco Manna, colors by Edgar Delgado, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, December 31, 2003, New Year's Eve: Terrible gun pun completely ruins all of 2004


from SpyBoy: Final Exam #1 (Dark Horse, May 2004), script by Peter David, pencils by Pop Mhan, inks by Norman Lee, colors by Dan Jackson, letters by Michael David Thomas

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1999, New Year's Eve: Wow, they sure wrote a whole lotta comics stories about Y2K, didn't they


from Batman 80-Page Giant #3 (DC, July 2000), script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Mike Deodato, inks by David Roach, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1968, 11:59 PM, New Year's Eve: The Electric Clea-Aid Acid Test



from Doctor Strange (1968 series) #180 (Marvel, May 1969), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer, letters by Sam Rosen

Today in Comics History, December 31, New Year's Eve: The Eve Has Two Faces


from World's Finest (1990 series) #3 (DC, October 1990), script by Dave Gibbons, pencils by Steve Rude, inks by Karl Kesel, colors by Steve Oliff, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1972, New Year's Eve: For a fun time on New Year's Eve, spend it with anybody but the Fantastic Four





from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #133 (Marvel, April 1973), plot by Roy Thomas, script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Ramona Fradon, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, December 31, 11:55 PM, New Year's Eve: Jingle Bells, Joker Smells


from Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020 series) #8 (DC, March 2021), script by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, pencils by Ty Templeton, inks by Sean Parsons, colors by Monica Kubina, letters by Josh Reed

Today in Comics History, December 31, 11:50 PM, New Year's Eve: Do you see what I see? A Starro, a Starro, clamping on your face / Trying to kill the human face


from "To Stop the Star-Conqueress!" in DC's Very Merry Multiverse #1 one-shot (February 2021), script by Ivan Cohen, pencils and inks by Eleonora Carlini, colors by Ulises Arreola, letters by Becca Carey

Today in Comics History, December 31, New Year's Eve: Captain America is beginning to slightly regret becoming evil and killing all those people


from Black Widow (2019 series) #1 (March 2019), script by Jen Soska and Sylvia Soska, pencils and inks by Flaviano, colors by Veronica Gandini, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1968, 11:30-11:55 PM, New Year's Eve: His scarf is made of Kirby Krackle!


from Doctor Strange (1968 series) #180 (Marvel, May 1969), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Tom Palmer, letters by Sam Rosen

Today in Comics History, December 31, New Year's Eve: Then that dame strolls into the place on legs as long as the Nile leaving a scent of Chanel No. 5 and freshly-fired gun smoke behind her


from Batman: Dark Victory #5 (DC, April 2000), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1923, New Year's Eve: Just admit you couldn't get a date, Alfred


from Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense (NBM, March 2022), script by by Noël Simsolo, translation by Monatan Kane, art by Dominique Hé, lettering by Ortho

Today in Comics History, December 31, 1939, New Year's Eve: Like sands through the hourglass

So, if Roy Thomas says that Hourman debuted on New Year's Eve...


from "The Secret Origin of the Golden Age Hourman" in Secret Origins (1986 series) #16 (DC, July 1987), script by Roy Thomas and Dann Thomas, pencils by Michael Bair, inks by Mike Gustovich, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by David Cody Weiss and Agustin Más

...then that means it's also when this story take place:


cover of Adventure Comics #48 (DC, March 1940), pencils and inks by Bernard Baily




Today in Comics History, December 31, 1941, New Year's Eve: MacArthur can't have fun on New Year's Eve unless somebody gets hurt


from General Douglas MacArthur one-shot (Fox, 1951), creators uncredited and unknown