Today in Comics History, February 14, Valentine's Day: Happy Blphfsvxl Plf

from Sugar & Spike #63 (DC, February 1966); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer
The story itself rivals Ocean's 11 in complexity and involves the wee tots lugging a giant box of candy back and forth to keep it hidden...




But it all turns out to be a front for their ultimate plan: to unseat Hallmark and American Greetings from the crowned royalty of Valentine's Day cards. Pretty smart, Sugar!

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 31: Halloween Terror Beyond Imagination

Let's wrap up on the spookiest day of the year by posting the most terrifying adventure ever of Spike Wilson and Sugar Plumm! Have a sugary Halloween and a spiky All Hallow's Eve, everyone!


Panels from "Night of the Living Doll" in Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer one-shot (1986); script by Robert Loren Fleming, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by Bob Oksner, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by John Costanza

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 30: How come they have all these costumes yet every Halloween story is about them not being allowed to go out trick-or-treating?

"Pint-Size Pin-Ups" in Sugar and Spike #49 (October-November 1963); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 29: Shy comic book characters sneakily manage to stay off-panel in every shot

Panels from "Sugar and Spike's Halloween Adventure" in Sugar and Spike #49 (October-November 1963); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 28: Somebody's gonna get a rock and it sure as heck ain't gonna be Spike

Splash page from "Sugar and Spike's Halloween Adventure" in Sugar and Spike #49 (October-November 1963); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 27: NYPD Orange

Splash panel from "Uncle Charley's Talking Pumpkin" in Sugar and Spike #43 (October-November 1962); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer
Say, what's that "HCS" mean at the end of Mayer's signature?

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 26: Control tower to Goblin / Your broomstick is wobblin'

Panel from "A Real Halloween Goblin" in Sugar and Spike #55 (October-November 1964); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 25: The elephant is very like a rope

Panels from "The Monster" in The Best of DC [Blue Ribbon Digest] #41 (October 1983); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 24: G-g-g-g-glrps!

Panels from "Halloween Adventure" in Sugar and Spike #49 (October-November 1963); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 23: Everyone run from the Pumpkin King

Panels from "The Halloween Monsters" in Sugar and Spike #37 (October-November 1961); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 22: Apparently Mr. Wilson lives in this neighborhood, too

Panel from "Sugar and Spike Tackle Halloween" in Sugar and Spike #31 (October-November 1960); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 21: You'll get a big delight in every bite of Hostess Pumpkin Pies

Panel from "A Real Halloween Goblin" in Sugar and Spike #55 (October-November 1964); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 20: I'm walking backwards for Halloween

Panel from "Sugar and Spike Tackle Halloween" in Sugar and Spike #31 (October-November 1960); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 19: The Haunting Return of Same Story, Different Cover

Left: cover of Sugar and Spike #55 (October-November 1964); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer
Right: completely redrawn cover of Sugar and Spike #89 (October-November 1971); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer
(Click picture to giant gourd-size)
And here's the #98 version is again as a widescreen pin-up on the back of a DC reprint digest!:


Back cover illustration from The Best of DC: Blue Ribbon Digest #29 (October 1983); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 18: The Adventures of Pumpkinhead and Barrel Boy

"Trick or Treat Pint-Size Pin-Ups" in Sugar and Spike #37 (October-November 1961); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 17: The Cats-in-Jammies Kids

Panels from "Sugar and Spike Turn into a Pair of Halloween Cats!" in Sugar and Spike #61 (October-November 1965); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 16: You can't always get what you want

Panels from "Halloween Magic" in Sugar and Spike #67 (October-November 1966); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 15: Boys and girls of every age / Wouldn't you like to see something strange?

Panels from "Sugar and Spike Tackle Halloween" in Sugar and Spike #31 (October-November 1960); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 14: You Didn't Tell Me You Were Gonna Kill It!

Panels from "The Big Ha-Ha Time" in Sugar and Spike #25 (October-November 1959); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer

A Sugar and Spike Halloween, Night 13: Monsters, LLC.

Panel from "Pint-Size Pin-Ups" in Sugar and Spike #49 (October-November 1963); script, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Mayer