Not pictured: Mac Tonight #1

You know, I'm fully aware that this character is a shill for horrible, terrible food, but Ronald McDonald's 1971 Charlton comic is actually kind of cute.


Cover of Ronald McDonald #3 (Charlton Comics, January 1971), pencils and inks by Bill Yates
It's a Ronald who's off-model from the usual advertising icon, and they've put him in whatever town it is that the Peanuts Kids live in!


Panel from Ronald McDonald #3 (Charlton Comics, January 1971), pencils and inks by Bill Yates
It's extremely suitable for young kids, as it features no burger evangelism (Ronald's daytime job is never even mentioned in the comic stories) and some extremely gentle humor for the young 'uns.


And: a guest appearance from Dennis Mitchell!


It also features Ronald's haunting dramatization of the tragic ballad The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald!


Yes, the rather cute and innocuous Ronald McDonald comic book. It's actually very charming from front to back cover and


Back cover pin-up from Ronald McDonald #3

AIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 60: Another Thing for Ben Grimm to Lug Around [Unidentified KirbyTech]

Panel from Giant-Size Super-Stars #1 (May 1974), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek

Today in Comics History, March 1: Keanu Reeves declares his candidacy for Mayor of Gotham City; also declares "whoa"

from Detective Comics #503 (DC, June 1981), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Don Newton, inks by Dan Adkins, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Ben Oda

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 59: Doctor Doom's Device [Unidentified KirbyTech]

I dunno what this furschlugginer contraption Doomsie is pulling the switch on is, but you can bet it has something to do with destroying the accursed Richards! Or, it's a cookie-making machine. Either/or.


Pin-up from Fantastic Four Annual (1963 series) #1 (September 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Sol Brodsky, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
When this pin-up was reprinted in Giant Size Super-Stars #1, the inset picture was replaced with some trivia and, to then, a complete checklist of his appearances. Remember when Doom had appeared only 47 times? Me neither.


Pin-up from Giant-Size Super Stars #1 (May 1974)
These info-packed pin-up gallery pages were the forerunners of what would eventually become The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe!


"Doctor Doom" from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (1983 series) #3 (March 1983), script by Mark Gruenwald and others, pencils by John Byrne, inks by Joe Rubinstein, colors by Andy Yanchus, typeset text

Today in Comics History, February 28, 1962: Batman celebrates Roberto Alonzo's birthday by stealing his driver's license

from Detective Comics #748 (DC, September 2000), script by Greg Rucka, pencils by Phil Hester, inks by Steve Mitchell, colors and color separations by Wildstorm FX

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 58: The Rock Trolls' Invasion Shaft Lever

The Invasion Shaft Lever! What does it do? Well, it opens the Rock Trolls' Invasion Shaft into Asgard!


Panels from Thor (1966 series) #137 (February 1967), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Sam Rosen
I guess the Invasion Shaft lever would probably also close the Rock Trolls' Invasion Shaft into Asgard, but I don't wanna go too far off established canon here.

Today in Comics History, February 27: Bruce Wayne has terrible handwriting

from Batman and Robin (2011 series) #19 (DC, July 2012), script by Peter J. Tomasi, pencils by Lee Garbett, inks by Ray McCarthy and Keith Champagne, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Dezi Sienty
But also see "Bruce Wayne has Beautiful Handwriting." Clearly one of these Bruce Waynes is a fake.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 57: Doctor Doom's Di-Lithium Thermal Mine

Panel from Super-Villain Team-Up #6 (June 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Herb Trimpe, inks by Jack Abel, colors by Janice Cohen, letters by Tom Orzechowski
"Its tactical advantages are enormous!" Probably because it's a freakin' Di-Lithium Thermal Mine.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 56: Government Seismograph

Here's what a real-life seismograph looks like. Thanks, Wikipedia!


And here's what Jack Kirby's Seismograph looks like:


Panel from Captain America (1968 series) #102 (June 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Syd Shores, letters by Artie Simek
Advantage: Kirby.

And here's my seismograph:

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 55: Reed Richards' Portable Energy-Detector

Tonight at 13th Dimension you can find a guide, with specially-written mini-biographies, of each of the contributors to 13D: The 13thD Super Team: Who We Are and How We Came to Be! I would like to point out that it include my person pal John DiBello. Aside from that claim that "he writes most of the stuff" here at Comics Oughta Be Fun! (heresy!) it's a pretty accurate depiction. He does want to shake Ben Grimm's hand and thank him for the events of Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7, one of the greatest superhero comic books of all time. How great is it? So great that the Thing is acclaimed as the ultimate fighter in the universe, the warrior who will not give up.

Also, because of Reed Richards' Thing-Finderer...I mean, his Portable Energy-Detector.


Panels from Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7 (1982); script by Tom DeFalco; pencils by Ron Wilson; inks by Bob Camp, Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia, Dan Green, Armando Gil, and Chic Stone; colors by George Roussos; letters by Jim Novak
Clearly an evolutionary and technological advance on Reed's Heat-Image Tracer, it picks up and analyzes not heat, but alien residue. So, like, stray hairs that fell off the Watcher's head (wait, perhaps a bad example), fabric shreds where Dominus stepped accidentally on his really dramatic albeit waaaaay-too-long cape, or the Silver Surfer's belly-button lint. Instantly Reed discovers that the alien being who kidnapped Ben Grimm has cosmic energy and power greater than Galactus and stranger than anything our puny Earth minds can conceive. So, Cosmic Paris Hilton, then.

Later, of course, Sue pointed out that they could just click on Ben's laptop to "Show My StarkPhone," which zeroed directly in on the Thing, allowing the Fantastic Four to rush directly to his side at the bar of the Yancy Street Grill. It was Monday night: 25¢ buffalo wings and buck-a-drafts, and Mavericks vs. Knicks on the big screen. Sometimes Ben just can't escape his "pals," not even for just one ferschluggin' night. Whatta revoltin' development.

Where I Am and Why I've Come to Tell You That

Please excuse the lackadaisical lack of posts around here for the past few days. I've been off on the road, traveling the world, spanning the globe, to bring you the constant variety of sports more Jack KirbyTech and other fun features, but I'm just settling back into my little Brooklyn home after a week away.


So, don't despair, stare! I mean, stay tuned and I'll be catching up on the lost days this week. Because one of Darkseid's Anti-Life Quantum Mines is a terrible thing to waste!

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 54: Reed Richards' Transformer

Me, I love Benjamin J. Grimm better than the average bull, but sometimes I wish he'd just slow down...


Panels from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #56 (November 1966), co-plot and script by Stan Lee, co-plot and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott, letters by Artie Simek
...and listen to Reed for once.


Yep, for Ben Grimm, truly this transformer was...more than meets the eye.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 53: Apokoliptian Ground Probe

And now, a little bit of personal time for Scott Free and Big Barda.


Panels from Mister Miracle (1971 series) #18 (February-March 1974), script and pencils by Jack Kirby, inks and letters by Mike Royer
WHOA MAMA WOCKA-CHA-WOCKA-CA-WOCKA

That is, until some pesky groundhog interrupts. No, wait, it's not Comics Oughta Be Fun!'s beloved furry rodent favorite Grover Groundhog, but the forces of baddie-planet Apokolips, searching underground for Mister M. and Big B. by using a frankly fantastic Ground Probe! Ah, if only Bill Murray had had one of these in Caddyshack.


Luckily Mister Miracle has one more trick up his sleeve: the equivalent of shining a flashlight in the eyes of somebody wearing night-vision goggles, or sprinkling Tabasco sauce on Matt Murdock's tongue. SENSORY OVERLOAD AHOY!


Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! That trick never gets old! You won't believe how many times Blue Beetle and Booster Gold fell for this when they were in the JLI with Mister Miracle.

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 52: Baron Zemo's Circular Television Set

Panel from "The Strength of the Sumo" in Tales of Suspense #61 (January 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Chic Stone, letters by Art Simek
Wow, a circular TV screen! That Nazi super-science is lightyears beyond ours! I bet that thing's really fragile, though, so you probably need to treat it with kid gloves and great care, because that picture tube has got to be uber expensive to replace, and

D'OH

Today in Comics History, February 20: The movie The Great Escape is reenacted by pigs

Panel from "Strange Laws" in Detective Comics #278 (DC, April 1960); script, pencils, inks and letters by Henry Boltinoff

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 51: Reed Richards' Noisy Nuclear Activators

WHAT'S THAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

WHAT?

WHAT'D YOU SAY?

WHAT?

Panel from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #21 (December 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by George Roussos, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Oh, that's better.

Today in Comics History, February 20, 1947: MTR: Music Television Radio is on the air!

from Steed and Mrs. Peel (2012 series) #6 (Boom, February 2013), script by Caleb Monroe, pencils and inks by Yasmin Liang, colors by Ron Riley, letters by Ed Dukeshire

Today in Comics History, February 20: The notorious Culvert Diamond Thief is captured

from a Ray-O-Vac battery advertisement in DC Comics cover-dated October 1950

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 50: The Toad Men's Magnetic Mind-Detector

Please excuse this little stuffed blogger if posts in this series are momentarily out of order or post-dated! I'm currently catching up to fill in all the days I've missed while I've been away! Rest assured, KirbyFans...you'll get all 365 of 'em!

The Toad Men are attacking! Well, technically, they're the Tribbites from Toadworld (aka Tribbit), but hey, let's call 'em the Toad Men, because hey! Orange Toads!


Panels from The Incredible Hulk (1962 series) #2 (July 1962), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Ah yes, the magnetic weaponry of the Toad Men. And there's no greater magnetic tool for our Kosmic Kermits than the Magnetic Mind-Detector!


BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA IT'S A TENNIS RACKET WITH A REAR VIEW MIRROR BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!

Today in Comics History, February 19: Secret Squirrel and associate crack the Case of the Zodiac Killer

from "Pity Poor Pisces..." in Sweethearts (1954 series) #116 (Charlton, May 1971), pencils by Art Cappello, inks by Charles Nicholas, with Keuffel & Esser Leroy lettering