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, May 5: Happy birthday, Aunt May! (Or: Aunt May's birthday present from Peter is a five-pack of Dos Equis and a sombrero)

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published May 5, 2016.

Today (ignore the caption that sez "Tomorrow"...dunno what that's doin' there): it's the two hundred and eighth birthday of everybody's favorite Marisa Tomei impersonator, Aunt May Reilly Parker Octavius Terwilliger Jameson!


from Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964 series) #20 (Marvel, November 1986), script by Christopher Priest (as Fred Schiller and Ken McDonald), pencils by Mark Beachum, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Jim Novak
Yes oh yes, but which day is Aunt May's birthday on?

Memorial Day

Pearls Before Swine (United Feature Syndicate, May 25, 2003), by Steven Pastis

Today in Comics History, Day Before Memorial Day: Take that, Ted Turner

from "A Black and White World" in Batman: Batman and White (1996 series) #2 (DC, July 1996), script by Neil Gaiman, pencils and inks by Simon Bisley, letters by John Costanza
Well, that wraps up that! A relatively straight-forward story, especially for Neil gaiman! No last minute twist, no meta commentary, no...what the?!? It's starting again!


Oh, well, that explains it...huh?!?

Today in Comics History, Day Before Memorial Day: For Memorial Day, I would actually suggest grilling hamburgers and sausages

from The All-Nighter #2 (Comixology/Dark Horse, March 2022), script by Chip Zdarsky, pencils and iunks by Jason Loo, colors by Paris Alleyne, letters by Aditya Bidikar

Today in Comics History, Easter: Easter Bunny is really into growing his own organic mushrooms this year

from Captain America (2002 series) #1 (Marvel/Marvel Knights, June 2002), script by John Ney Rieber, pencils and inks by John Cassaday, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Richard Starkings and Wes Abbott

Today in Comics History, April 2, 1972: US Army takes hunting for chocolate eggs very seriously

from The 'Nam #72 (Marvel, September 1992), script by Don Lomax, pencils and inks by Wayne Vansant, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Phil Felix

Today in Comics History, April 1: Those were the days, my friend

from Batman: The Long Halloween #11 (DC, October 1997), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, April 1: Batman takes all the holiday decorations down from the Wayne Manor attic at once

from Batman: The Long Halloween #7 (DC, June 1997), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Richard Starkings
(Click picture to long holiday weekend-size)

Today in Comics History, April 1: Cruel April Fool's prank pulled on Steve Lombard? I'm...going to allow it.

from "If I'm Here...What Am I Doing Over There?" in Action Comics #472 (DC, June 1977), script by Bill Kunkel, pencils by John Calnan, inks by Tex Blaisdell

Today in Comics History, April 1: "Who's the more foolish? The fool or the fool who follows her?"

from "Easter Hunt" in Love and Rockets (1982 series) #42 (Fantagraphics, August 1993); script by Gilbert Hernandez; pencils, inks, and letters by Jaime Hernandez

Today in Comics History, April 1: April Fool around and find out

As we saw last night, the night of March 31 (HINT HINT HINT), scientist Victor Gattling has turned himself into the police for murdering his best friend and co-worker Joe, startling all the boys in blue, especially when Vic tells them Joe murdered him first! How could such a thing even be possible?!? Well, first, it's a tale from an EC comic. Second...


from "This'll Kill You!" in Crime SuspenStories #23 (EC, June 1954), script by Otto Binder, pencils and inks by Reed Crandall, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten
Joe fell and accidentally injected Vic with Hypno-Helio-Static-Stasis (containing X-4) Virus Y-44-Gamma, so you'll expect he's about to turn into Victor-Hulk. Sadly, no, it just means what it means in the real world: Vic's gonna die. No antidote, no tomorrow, no picnic in the park this Saturday, no seeing the opening of The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters in a few weeks, even though it's sure to be the #1 box-office draw for the entire summer blockbuster season.

Notably, Joe's all broken up about it. So, for slightly better reason, is Vic.


Knowing you have only 24 hours to live, what would you do? Make peace with your family? Go speak to a minister? Eat all the cookies you could possibly hold? Naw, not Vic. He goes back later to the lab and murders Joe todeath with a microscope! (A small crime, then. They oughta let him slide for that. certainly none of his actions could magnify his crime. Um...ah...microscope!)


Still, after that amoeba-disturbin' murder, Vic comes to his senses and realizes he's going to have to live the rest of his life (less than 24 hours) with that guilt. He drags Joe's body to the police station — geez, there wasn't a trolley in that lab? — and confesses to the crime. But what can they do to him? Vic will die anyway (checks watch)...slightly less than at the beginning of this paragraph.


Give yerself a gold star or a No-Prize or one of the coverted EC Irony Awards if you, the reader, has sussed out exactly what happened and what day this is happening...


Good Lord! Choke!

Today in Lucky St. Patrick's Day Comics History, March 17: The budget's not in the green

from "A Very Harley Holiday" in DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 one-shot (DC, February 2017), script by Paul Dini, pencils and inks by Elsa Charretier, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Josh Reed

Today in Lucky St. Patrick's Day Comics History, March 17: The boys of the GCPD choir were singing Galway Bay

from Batman: Dark Victory #6 (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 Lucky St. Patrick's Comics Day History, March 17: That was actually industrial waste, Commissioner Gordon

from Batman: The Long Halloween #6 (DC, May 1997), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Richard Starkings

St. Patrick's Day: Hey, remember when his name was "L.C.?" Me either.

advertisement from DC Comics cover-dated October 1964, artist unknown

Today in Lucky St. Patrick's Day Comics History, March 17: Vicious slur on the Dutch weaponized

from Spider-Man: Marvels Snapshots one-shot (Marvel, December 2020); script, pencils, and inks by Howard Chaykin, colors by Jesus Aburtov, letters by Ken Bruzenak

Today in Lucky St. Patrick's Day Comics History, March 17: Leprechaun waits on stoop to enact Irish Kitchen Mob vengeance

from Batman: The Long Halloween #6 (May 1997), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, Chinese New Year: These days, she says, "I feel my life / Just like a river running through" / The year of the bat

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published January 31, 2014.

Happy Chinese New Year! Now begins the Year of the Tiger, as heard in that popular music song by Survivor. I'm sure I'll still be writing "Year of the Bull" on my checks for a couple more months. Yes, I loved the Year of the Bull in 2021 and I'm looking forward to when it comes around again in 2033 (I'll be 7), but please enjoy helping Batman solve the mystery of "The Crimes of Jade!" Aw, Miz Jezebel, you said you were gonna go straight, shame on you.



from "The Crimes of Jade" in Detective Comics (1937 series) #139 (DC, September 1948), cover by Win Mortimer, script by Bill Finger, pencils by Dick Sprang, inks by Charles Paris

Today in Comics History, January 1, 1991: Luther Vandross partied a little too hard on New Year's Eve

from Astonishing Tales (1970 series) #34 [Deathlok the Demolisher] (Marvel, March 1976), plot and pencils by Rich Buckler, script by Bill Mantlo. inks and colors by Klaus Janson, letters by Karen Mantlo