The Marvel Comics Memory Album Calendar for 1977 2022: June Jive Jackhammerin'

Look! Luke! Luke Cage, that is, the fiercest, fabulousist, funkiest crimefighter this side of 1977's pre-Disneyfied Times Square. And you can look at him all month long with this Marvel calendar specially designed to entertain and inform you during the month of June in 1977 and 2022! It's got everything: the late great George Pérez, Dracula, Forbush Man, and double-sized Mary Jane Watson! Why, the only holiday this calendar doesn't have?: Sweet Christmas!

"June 1977," from Marvel Comics Memory Album Calendar 1977 (Marvel, 1976), pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Joe SInnott
(Click picture to soul-brother--size)

366 Days with J. Jonah Jameson, Day 164: I really hope this story is canon now

Panels from "Civil Wards Part IV: The Final Part" in Spider-Man and Power Pack #4 (April 2007), co-plot and script by Marc Sumerak; co-plot, pencils, inks, colors, and letters by Chris Giarrusso

Today in Comics History, November 13, 1948: Baby baffles science by being born at age 3

from [Luke Cage,] Hero for Hire #6 (Marvel, February 1973), script by Steve Englehart and Gerry Conway, pencils by Billy Graham, inks by Paul Reinman, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, September 11, 1918: Eventually Raymond Huxley's birthday would only get worse

from Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #6 (Marvel, February 1973), script by Steve Englehart and Gerry Conway, pencils by Billy Graham, inks by Paul Reinman, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by John Costanza

Sweet Luke Cage's Baadasssss Christmasssss

A Bully Christmas Classic, originally posted December 12, 2007! (You can tell it's a classic because it's in black and white.) Enjoy or enjoy again!

Hey, Luke Cage! What's your favorite holiday?


Um, I'm sorry, you'll have to speak up...what did you say?


Really? I woulda thought you'd say Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or Kwanzaa. But you really prefer...


Well, that's great. I bet you're gonna get some fantastic gifts.
What do you want for Christmas?


So how's the Hero for Hire business? Are you working on any special cases this holiday season?


How do you plan on celebrating Christmas?



Really? When do the festivities begin?


And I'm sure you'll be decorating the place and making it look so festive! Say, where do you think you'll put your Christmas tree this year?


Whoops, speaking of Santa, here he comes!


I think you're right! But you'd better get to bed, Luke. If you don't Santa will never come. You can't stay up all night!


Oh, you know, Mister Cage, I'm been trying to remember...that song "Last Christmas"...who was that sung by?


Well gosh, thanks for talking to us, Mister Cage. One last question: if you were to read any kind of little stuffed animal blogger, which one would be your favorite?


Happy Sweet Christmas to you too, Luke.

Countdown to Infinite Weddings, Day 4: In every state in the 616, being married by Stan Lee is legal

The Wedding of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage!

(Click this one to Marvel event-size)



from The New Avengers Annual (2006 series) #1 (Marvel, June 2006), script by Brian Michael Bendis; pencils by Olivier Coipel; inks, colors, and letters by a whole lotta guys; Misty Knight's hair styled by William Van Alen

Sweet Luke Cage's Baadasssss Christmasssss

Hey, Luke Cage! What's your favorite holiday?



Um, I'm sorry, you'll have to speak up...what did you say?



Really? I woulda thought you'd say Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or Kwanzaa. But you really prefer...



Well, that's great. I bet you're gonna get some fantastic gifts.
What do you want for Christmas?



So how's the Hero for Hire business? Are you working on any special cases this holiday season?



How do you plan on celebrating Christmas?



Really? When do the festivities begin?



And I'm sure you'll be decorating the place and making it look so festive! Say, where do you think you'll put your Christmas tree this year?



Whoops, speaking of Santa, here he comes!



I think you're right! But you'd better get to bed, Luke. If you don't Santa will never come. You can't stay up all night!



Oh, you know, Mister Cage, I'm been trying to remember...that song "Last Christmas"...who was that sung by?



Well gosh, thanks for talking to us, Mister Cage. One last question: if you were to read any kind of little stuffed animal blogger, which one would be your favorite?



Happy Sweet Christmas to you too, Luke.

Comic ads oughta be fun!

Remember when even the Marvel ad department had a sense of humor?

Marvel Comics house ad for Power Man and Iron Fist, ad drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz
Printed in Marvel Comics dated July 1984 (this was in Secret Wars #3)

Fun comics in Seattle!

Hi hi hi everybody! Here I am in the Emerald City! No, not that one—that's what they call Seattle, Washington! John and I are here on a business trip (even tho' he is doing mort of the business!) Yesterday we went to see Mister Mulliner (no relation to this guy!) at Amazon.com so John could sell him the wonderful Norton books he has, and then today we went to visit Fantagraphics and had lunch with Mister Gary and Mister Kim 'n' Eric 'n' Greg 'n' even Conrad came along for the visit! I had a wonderful Cuban sandwich that was so good it made me immediately forgive Fidel Castro for most anythin' that he might have done. Viva la sandwich! I even got to play with Mister Kim's dachshund, Lugvig! I miss Ludvig. He was very long and low and cute. If you are reading this, Ludvig, hi hi hi!

We went to Zanadu Comics in Seattle which is a lovely lovely store! They have lots of comics and books and action figures and toys and all sortsa stuff. John bought me a bunch of new comics to read but instead I thought I'd tell you about some other things he got for me there and that I got this week in Seattle that were so much fun than just the usual bunch of weekly comics!


THE ESSENTIAL LUKE CAGE, POWER MAN: HERO FOR HIRE: This comic is fun! First of all John bought me a big fat Marvels Essentials collection of Luke Cage: Hero for Hire! This is one of the 1970s Marvel comic books John loves a lot and I thought it was the most fun ever. It's about a big strong black superhero private detective in New York—he's kinda like "Shaft" except he has super-strength and diamond-hard skin and you can sing a song about him without being told to shush yo' mouth. Luke Cage works out of an office by a movie theater on 42nd Street back in the 1970s and has all sorts of adventures fighting bad guys and solving crime and yellin' "Sweet Christmas!" and "Jive Turkey!" and "Luke Cage is Bustin' Through!" all the time! He sure did get beat up a lot but he's pretty tough. It's a big big book of black-and-white comics reprints and it took me all day to read it. I highly recommend it. Two hooves up! (You can buy one for yourself if you click on the Amazon link up and to the right—see? Right over there! Tell 'em Bully sent ya!)


WESTERN GUNFIGHTERS #16: This comic is fun. John usually buys me new comics but he said what I need once in a while is to see what comic books used to be like. That's why he bought me the Luke Cage book and that's why he bought me this raggedy old back issue from the bin at Zanadu and told me I'd enjoy it. And boy howdy did I! We are going to Reno, Nevada next week (we'll be visiting Amazon's Fulfillment Center there) and I'm really looking forward to seeing the West. This comic book got me all ready for being out West! It was four reprints of Marvel western comics that were—as the cowboys would say—darn tootin' fun! There was a Kid Colt, Outlaw story, and Black Rider (oooh, he's spooky!) and Apache Kid, and a story about a bad gambler...western fun all around! Some of the stories were by my personal pal Stan Lee. (Stan's a heck of a nice guy but make sure you remind him, very politely and gently, that he didn't create the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man all by himself! He had lotsa help!) Anyway, yee-haw, this old comic was fun, and I sure do hope John will buy me some more back issues once in a while.

THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1957-1958: This comic is fun. And John didn't even buy this one for me! Eric at Fantagraphics gave it to me and said that even tho' the book won't be published and in your local bookstore until October, I could have a early paperback copy! YAY! Thanks, Eric! You're the coolest, dude. If you look at the picture above you can see it isn't a finished book. This is what we in the publishing world call an "advance reading copy" or "galley" (well, at least what John tells me it is called!) I was a little worried when they told me it was an "advanced reading copy" because I was thinking maybe I wasn't advanced enough to read it, because, you may recall, I am jus' a little stuffed bull! But Eric assured me that it wasn't "advanced," it was "advance" and that just meant it came out early. Hooray for Eric! He also gave me a nifty "Dennis the Menace" pin and John told me that Camilla would say it was very approprate for me to be wearing a "Menace" pin .............. I don't get it. Anyway, that just made it the best visit every to Fantagraphics and I really, really enjoyed reading THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1957-1958 in our hotel room in Seattle. It is all early comic strips by Charles M. Schulz (make sure you spell it right! it's not "Schultz!) and some of the best strips are in here. Mister Kim said "Sparky was hitting on all cylinders in these strips!" I didn't see any sparks or cylinders but I laughed and laughed and laughed. That's why THE COMPLETE PEANUTS 1957-1958 gets my award for the most fun comic of the week.