As Seen on TV: Superman #335

A young punk about to rob a laundrette relaxes by reading Superman #335, from the UK TV series Minder:


Screen shot from the first episode of Minder, "Gunfight at the OK Laundrette" (October 29, 1979)



Cover of Superman #335 (May 1979), pencils by Ross Andru and inks by Dick Giordano, letters by Gaspar Saladino

From our good pals at Wikipedia (accessed 5/2/12):

Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld...The show ran for ten series between 29 October 1979 and 10 March 1994, and starred Dennis Waterman as Terry McCann, an honest and likable bodyguard (minder in London slang) and George Cole as Arthur Daley, a socially ambitious but highly unscrupulous importer-exporter, wholesaler, used-car salesman, and anything else from which there was money to be made whether inside the law or not....The series was notable for using a range of leading British actors, as well as many up-and-coming performers before they hit the big time, and at its peak was one of ITV's biggest ratings winners.

Here's a video of choice clips from the show that not only explains its concept and introduces its characters, but highlights the fine vintage '70s cars featured on the show!:

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 142

Panels from "Vanishing Village!" in Batman #31 (October-November 1945), script by Joe Samachson, pencils by Jerry Robinson, inks and colors by George Roussos, letters by Ira Schnapp

Ten of a Kind: Now is the hour of quitting / Twilight paints the town

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 141

The first two pages of the ten-page entry on Alfred from The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes, Volume 1: Batman by Michael Fleischer (1976, republished 2007).

The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes: Batman is an amazing reference guide with hundreds and hundreds of entries on the characters, events, and tech of the every Batman story of the Golden and Silver Age, from 1938 to the early '70s. It may be dated by now, but this is still an amazingly entertaining reference guide; I find so many great delights in it, again and again. Fleischer published this book (and accompanying Superman and Wonder Woman encyclopedias) during a period when most of the "canon" had not been reprinted, so his chronological history and dedicated puzzle-assembly of the stories is groundbreaking: without the Fleischer encyclopedias, I don't think we would have had the authoritative works of internal comic book history like The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and Who's Who in the DC Universe. And it inspires you to want to re-read all the original stories, which are now more easily available to us today through DC's Archives, Chronicles, and Showcase Presents reprint series. Two hooves up: I highly recommend it!

Today in Comics History: Commissioner Gordon wishes he'd gone to Hamburger University after all

Panel from Batman #405 (March 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, May 19: The day Lois got shot in the head

from "Dead Men Do Tell Tales!" in Superman Family #220 (DC, July 1982), script by Tamsyn O'Flynn, pencils by Bob Oksner, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by John Costanza

Same Story, Different Cover: Nothing can stop the Juggern...hey, all-you-can-eat buffet!

Top left: [Uncanny] X-Men v.1 #12 (July 1965), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Frank Giacoia
Top right: [Uncanny] X-Men v.1 #13 (September 1965), , pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Sinnott
Bottom: [Uncanny] X-Men v.1 #67 (December 1970), reprinting X-Men #12-13, pencils by Marie Severin, inks by Joe Sinnott

(Click picture to juggersize)

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 140

Panels from Batman and Robin v.2 #8 (June 2012), script by Peter J. Tomasi, pencils by Patrick Gleason, inks by Mick Gray, colors by John Kalisz and Guy Major, letters by Pat Brosseau

Today in Comics History, May 19: Lois gets her hair cut with a T-square

from "Dead Men Do Tell Tales!" in Superman Family #220 (DC, July 1982), script by Tamsyn O'Flynn, pencils by Bob Oksner, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, May 19: Some crooks set themselves up to be punched by Superman

from "Dead Men Do Tell Tales!" in Superman Family #220 (DC, July 1982), script by Tamsyn O'Flynn, pencils by Bob Oksner, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by John Costanza

And now, Indian Superman.

You're welcome!


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366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 139

Panels from Batman #230 (March 1971), script by Frank Robbins, pencils by Irv Novick, inks by Dick Giordano, letters by John Costanza

A Moment of DC Animated Universe Awesome: Needs Salt

Another Moment of DC Animated Universe Awesomeness from the comics:



Panels from Superman Adventures #6 (April 1997), script by Scott McCloud, pencils by Rick Burchett, inks by Terry Austin, colors by Marie Severin, letters by L. Lois Buhalis

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 138

Panel from "Batman, Baby-Sitter!" in Batman #93 (August 1955), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Dick Sprang , inks by Charles Paris, letters by Pat Gordon

Just in case you were wondering how Captain America feels about communists

Panel from Captain America Comics #76 (May 1954), pencils and inks by John Romita

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 137

Panels from Batman v.2 #8 (June 2012), script by Scott Snyder, pencils by Greg Capullo, inks by Jonathan Glapion, colors by FCO Plascencia, letters by Richard Starkings

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 136

Panel from Batman #190 (March 1967), script by Gardner Fox, pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Joe Giella, letters by Gaspar Saladino

My Little Real Live Pony

You can't have read comics from a certain period and not be aware of the "sell stuff to get cool prizes" ads that populated comic books:


Comic book ads circa 1976-1978

Yes, all sorts of riches beyond the dreams of boys and girls could be had by selling greeting cards or address labels or garden seeds: bikes, sports equipment, guitars, watches, radios, cameras, and the 1968 Presidency. But quite possibly the most extraordinary prizes you could get would be had by selling, door-to-door (or, conning your gramma into buying the whole lot) easy-to-use, fragrant, delicious Cloverine Salve, the all-purpose petroleum lubricant for protecting skin, leather (which, for cows, is skin) and (apparently) cotton balls!


Ad from Batman #90 (March 1955)

Yes, you could be the first in your neighborhood to get this junk keen stuff! Because when you sold Cloverine (in the easy-to-open and complicated-to-close tin), you could earn such amazing booty as a dolly, a light-up bunny, and...

A REAL LIVE PONY

Imagine the shrieks of joy echoing through the household as your real live pony drops through the mail slot and clops through your home, surprising Mom as she's dishing up a typical 1950s breakfast of toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, donuts, coffee, juice, Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Kellogg's Pep, Kellogg's Wheat Krispies, and Uranium-240! Just picture riding to school on your own real live pony! Consider that you live in a three-floor walk-up in downtown Canarsie before you order this thing! What's more...you can fight a gorilla with it! (Actual pitting of gorilla versus pony is not recommended; see your local animal care laws and statutes; gambling upon outcome of gorilla versus pony fight not legal in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.)



Yes, once again, it's

A REAL LIVE PONY

Also, you could get The Bible, which would eliminate your need to steal one from a hotel. Cloverine Salve can save you from the burning fires of Hell!



All this and a bucket of oats could be yours by selling non-greasy, camphory, slick, delicious Cloverine Salve! It's a medical ointment and a koala aphrodisiac!



And, wouldja believe, that Cloverine is still available today, in our fast-paced world of fax machines, digital calculators, and anti-gravity trams?



Yep, Cloverine is sold today on Amazon.com. And you know what that means...Jeff Bezos has all the free ponies in the world!

Also, Cloverine would like to remind you



Surrrrre you are, guys. Let's just see how many of those ponies are still alive before you make that claim, okay?

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 135

Panels from "The New Batman!" in Batman #94 (September 1955), scripter unknown, pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Stan Kaye, letters by Pat Gordon

Ten of a Kind and Today in Comics History, Mother's Day: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Martha Clark Kent

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 134: Today in Comics History, Mother's Day

from Batman: Dark Victory #8 (DC, July 2000), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, separations by Heroic Age, letters by Richard Starkings