365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 178: Turn me on, Deadman

House ad for DC Special Series #15 [Batman Spectacular] (Summer 1978); Showcase [Deadman] #105 (never published), Demand Classics #1 (never published); and Western Classics #1 (never published) printed in Batman #304 (October 1978)

I've discussed the DC Implosion earlier in this series, and here's a house ad for three out of four comics that fell like an abandoned building in the Implosion. That is, except for "Batman Spectacular" (actually DC Special Series #15), they were cancelled and never published. Demand Classics and Western Classics were to contain all reprints, so you didn't miss anything by them going kaput. What about the "25 all-new pages" of Deadman "from the pages of Adventure Comics..."? Well, they probably should have added at the bottom of that ad "To the pages of Adventure Comics, because yes, that story did see print ten months later in Adventure #464.


Cover of Adventure Comics #464 (July-August 1979), pencils and inks by Jim Aparo, colors by Tatjana Wood
Now, if you were the detail-oriented sort of comics reader, you may have specifically noticed that ad at the top had promised you a new 25-page Deadman thriller, but if you counted the story pages in Adventure #464, the Deadman story tops out at 22 pages. Where the Sam Scratch did the other three pages go? Into some sort of spooky limbo from which mortal man would seldom see them again?

Well, yes, sorta! Even tho' Adventure #464 was 68 hefty pages for a buck, three pages were cut from the original Deadman story to make it fit in the comic with the four other "all-new super-star features." As seen in Adventure, page four looked like this:


Panels from "Requiem for a Deadman!" in Adventure Comics #464 (July-August 1979); plot by Len Wein; script by Gerry Conway; pencils, inks, and letters by Jim Aparo; colors by Glynis Wein
The missing three pages fell between panels 2 and 3 of this page, and were published (to keep the copyright when Showcase ended) in the infamous Cancelled Comic Cavalcade, the Xeroxed book of stories that were left hanging high and dry after the DC Implosion. Here's what you were missing, a little ministory about Deadman saving a young kid in peril:




Pages from "Requiem for a Deadman!" in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade #2 (Fall 1978)
CCC #2 also published the artwork for what was to have been Showcase #105 (funny, why didn't they just adapt this for Adventure?)...


Original cover to Showcase #105 (unpublished), pencils and inks by Jim Aparo
...as well as the covers for what would have been Demand Classics #1 (look familiar?) and Western Classics #1:



Original covers to Demand Classics #1 and Western Classics #1 (unpublished). Demand: pencils by Dick Dillin, inks by Frank McLaughlin. Western: pencils by James Sherman, inks by Maurice Whitman
Why, they even published the last can of Who-Hash the text page that would have accompanied "requiem for a Deadman" in Showcase #105—with an unfortunate ad at the bottom:


Text page from Showcase #105 (unpublished), written by Paul Levitz
According to this, those three issues of World of Krypton I featured back on April 12 were to have been published in the pages of Showcase #110-112! Instead, Showcase's cancellation inadvertently led to the first comic book miniseries ever!

And, for completists' sake, here's a letter from Adventure Comics #464 that addresses how DC were using the backlog of unpublished stories in books like this one:


So there you go: a Deadman story that, just like its protagonist, wouldn't quite stay dead.

Bear Attack! Month, Day 27: Only you

Panels from Bart Simpson #74 (August 2012), script by Mary Trainor, pencils by John Costanza, inks by Phyllis Novin, colors by Nathan Hamill, letters by Karen Bates

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Hour 24

Batman is unpredictable. No one can anticipate or foreknow his movements, actions or location at any one time...except right now, this very minute. At 10:48 PM GST (Gotham Standard Time), on today, June 26, you will find the Batman at one particular, specific location: in Gotham City's Crime Alley. The criminal among you however should be advised that now is not a good time to ambush the Dark Knight, or lay in wait on the rooftops with your high-powered sniper rifle. Even tho' he's got something else on his mind at this exact moment, Batman ain't never not paying attention to his surroundings. And attacking him on this day, at this time, at this place, here in Crime Alley? That'll earn you an extra-rough Bat-whupping.

But why here and now? Tonight we'll walk in the bat-soled steps of Bruce Wayne and find out, as I've been telling you all night long (and also last year, altho' an internet problem on 6/26/12 kept me from wrapping up that series as I'm doing tonight), that there is no hope in Crime Alley. Or...is there? So, let's begin our journey. Say, where's a good place to start, Batman?:


Panel from the Batman newspaper comic strip (November 27, 1989), art by Marshall Rogers

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 23

Panels from "Batman Trivia Quiz" in Batman #260 (January-February 1975), creators unknown

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 22

Two-page spread from Batman: Noël graphic novel (November 2011); script, pencils, and inks by Lee Bermejo; colors by Barbara Ciardo; letters by Todd Klein

(Click picture to Bamm-Bamm Rubble-size)

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 21

Panels from "Citizen Wayne" in The Batman Chronicles #21 (Summer 2000), script by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils and inks by Michael Gaydos, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Janice Chiang

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 20

Panels from Batman: Madness one-shot (1994), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright with Android Images Enhancements, letters by Todd Klein

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 19

Page from World's Finest Comics #321 (November 1985), script by Joey Cavalieri, pencils by Jose Delbo, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Nansi Hoolahan, letters by Duncan Andrews

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 18

Panels from Justice League Unlimited #37 (November 2007), script by Matt Wayne, pencils by Min S. Ku, inks by Jeff Albrecht, colors by "Heroic Age," letters by Mike Sellers

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 177: There Is No Hope That John Byrne Will Draw More Than One Issue of This Miniseries

House ad for The Untold Legend of the Batman (top) #1 and (bottom) 2-3 (July-September 1980);
printed in Batman #324 & 325 (June & July 1980)

Comic cover art: #1: pencils and inks on #1 by José Luis Garcia-López, inks on #2-3 by Dick Giordano; inset art on top ad: pencils by John Byrne, inks by Dick Giordano

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 17

Panels from "To Kill a Legend" in Detective Comics #500 (March 1981), script by Alan Brennert, pencils and inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 16

from Detective Comics #600 (DC, May 1989), script by Sam Hamm, pencils by Denys Cowan, inks by Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Todd Klein

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 15

Panel from World's Finest Comics #285 (November 1982), script by Cary Burkett, layouts by Rich Buckler, finishes by Sam de la Rosa, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Todd Klein

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 14

Panels from Batman: War on Crime graphic novel (November 1999), story and text by Paul Dini; story and painted art by Alex Ross

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 13

Panels from Batman: The Dark Knight (volume 3, second 2011 series*) #12 (October 2012), script by Gregg Hurwitz, pencils and inks by David Finch, colors by Sonia Oback, letters by Carlos M. Mangual

*Yes, it's come to that to try and describe New 52 titles.

Bear Attack! Month, Day 26: There Is No Hope in Bear Alley

Panels from "A Grizzly End" in Scary Tales #8 (November 1976), script by Nicola Cuti, pencils and inks by Mike Zeck

I was originally hesitant to post so many panels from this comic book, but then I thought "Hey! It's Charlton! What're they gonna do, sue me?"

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 12

Panels from Batman: No Man's Land #0 (December 1999), script by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Greg Rucka, pencils by Greg Land, inks by Drew Geraci, colors by Rob Schwager, letters by Willie Schubert

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 11

Panels from Batman: Book of the Dead #1 (June 1999), script by Doug Moench, pencils by6 Barry Kitson, inks by Ray McCarthy, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Kurt Hathaway

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 10

Panels from Batman #430 (February 1989), script by Jim Starlin, pencils by Jim Aparo, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 9

Panels from "The Man Who Radiated Fear!" in Batman #200 (March 1968), script by Mike Friedrich, pencils by Chic Stone, inks by Joe Giella, letters by Gaspar Saladino

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 8

Panels from Detective Comics (1937 series) #0 (October 1994), script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Graham Nolan, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 7

Panels from Spider-Man and Batman one-shot (September 1995), script by J. M. DeMatteis, pencils by Mark Bagley, inks by Scott Hanna and Mark Farmer, colors by "Electric Crayon," letters by Richard Starkings

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 6

Panel from The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #7 (July 2011), script by Sholly Fisch, pencils by Rick Burchett, inks by Dan Davis, colors by Gabe Eltaeb, letters by Dezi Sienty

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 5

Panels from Detective Comics #812 (December 2005), script and layouts by David Lapham, pencils by Ramon Bachs, inks by Nathan Massengill, colors by Jason Wright, letters by Jared K. Fletcher

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 4

Panels from "Batman's First Case" in Detective Comics #265 (March 1959), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Charles Paris

Explaining current events through comics

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 3

Panels from Batman: Dark Victory #1 (December 1999), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, separations by Heroic Age, letters by Richard Starkings

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 2

Panels from Batman #408 (June 1987), script by Max Allan Collins, pencils by Chris Warner, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Todd Klein

There Is No Hope In Crime Alley, Hour 1

Panels from The Secret Origin of Batman one-shot (1980 Leaf Candy giveaway), scripter unknown, pencils by Don Newton, inks by Frank McLaughlin (?), colors by Adrienne Roy

Today in Comics History, June 25: Mother arranges a montage for Mr. Holden

from "The Wild One" in Young Lovers #17 (Charlton, December 1956), script by Joe Gill (?), pencils by Bill Molno (?), inks by Sal Trapani (?), letters by Jon D'Agostino

Today in Comics History: Peter Parker stays at home reading Popular Science

Panel from Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #7 (July 1999), script by Joe Kelly, pencils by Bart Sears and Andy Smith, inks by Mark Pennington, colors by Joe Rosas and Mark Bernardo, letters by "Benchmark Productions"