Comic Coverage

Cover to Cover: The Floating Heads of Marvel Comics

We've all heard it at one time or another from the Anti-Superhero snobs:  "Marvel and DC are as different as Coke and Pepsi"...the familiar charge that America's two largest comic book publishers have product as indistinguishable from the other as the famous Cola Giants.

In answer to that charge, I'll let my favorite Norse thunder god do the talking, "I say thee NAY!"

True, there have been some superficial similarities (such as their mutual focus on superheroes), but the educated fan can easily rattle off key stylistic differences between Marvel and DC Comics...and that's what it's all about here at Comic Coverage. Educating the comics fans of past, present, future, and assorted alternate futures...so let's get to those differences.

Sure, there's the standard differences you find in all the comic book histories, such as DC's traditional preference for plot-driven, squeaky-clean stories vs. Marvel's more character-driven melodramas...or DC's anonymous "editor" figure vs. Marvel's affable "crazy uncle" figure of Stan Lee, and so on, and so forth.  You've heard it a thousand times.  Then there's the subtle, yet truly profound difference that will forever drive a cosmic stylistic wedge between these two publishing titans.

Of course, I'm referring to The Floating Head Cover!

Cover to Cover: The Many Deaths of Barry (Flash) Allen

As DC Comics faced yet another Crisis of Infinite proportions in 2006, as characters were dropping dead left and right, I was reminded of the heavy casualties of its 1986 predecessor Crisis on Infinite Earths. Most of the deaths were third-string "cannon fodder" (losers like Bug-Eyed Bandit and Prince Ra-Man), but a few of them were bonafide A-Listers like Supergirl and the Flash. In a classic one-two punch, the seventh issue of Crisis saw the death of Superman's young cousin, followed by the death of Barry (Flash) Allen in the very next issue.

Already reeling from Supergirl's death, fans were shocked to see yet another character with a nearly thirty year history with DC wiped out.

But should we have been shocked by Barry's death?

After researching my own Flash collection, I've come to the disturbing conclusion that Barry's death was virtually inevitable, and should never have surprised us when it actually came to pass!

In other words, Barry Allen was a marked man!

Cover to Cover: Take This Job and Shove It!

"Take this job and shove it I ain't workin' here no more My woman done left and took all the reasons I was workin' for. You better not try to stand in my way as I'm walkin' out the door Take this job and shove it I ain't workin' here no more."

– Ferret-faced Country-Western legend
Johnny Paycheck

At one time or another, we've all faced the temptation to blurt out Johnny Paycheck's immortal words of resignation to the incompetent, tyrannical employers of the world.  From the lowest ditch digger to the highest corporate executive, "walkin' out the door" remains a potent fantasy for the hassled, unappreciated working man.

However, quitting a job in righteous indignation is by no means confined to our mortal plain, but extends into the fanciful world of comic book superheroes as well!  Yes, even the costumed champions of justice have been known to storm off the job in cold, Paycheck-like fury!

Cover to Cover: Lo, there shall come...HIPPIES!

"What a field-day for the heat
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Mostly say, hooray for our side

It's time we stop, hey, what's that sound
Everybody look what's going down..."

So observed folk-rockers Buffalo Springfield in their classic hippie anthem For What It's Worth back in 1966, as America's counter-culture feverishly grabbed signs (and headlines) and took to the streets to protest against "The Man"! 

Older Americans, which included the middle-aged comic book creators of DC and Marvel, weren't quite sure what to make of the sign-waving, bra-burning Baby Boomers. It's this struggle to both comprehend and appeal to the youth culture of the late 60's that resulted in some of the most unintentionally hilarious comics of the era.  Like most efforts to incorporate fads into superhero comics, DC and Marvel's depictions of the counter-culture were surreal, endearingly clueless affairs.

So, pull up a beanbag chair, flick on the lava lamp, spark up some...er, incense...and enjoy a Magical Mystery Tour through 1960's counter-culture (by way of tie-wearing, middle aged comic book creators).

Cover to Cover: Girl Germs!

Once upon a time, comic books were tailored not to twenty and thirty-something adults (as they are now), but to teeming hordes of Baby Boom children.   

Following the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, comic books of the next two decades became more kid-friendly than ever.  With such a huge audience of young children buying comics, it should come as no surprise that the adult characters within them had many of the same childish emotions and conflicts as their audience. Since young boys were the primary readers of superhero comics, the heroes and their casts routinely reenacted common boyhood anxieties.  Chief among those anxieties was the ever-present “danger” of.... GIRLS!

Whether they were barging their way into a boy's secret clubhouse, besting him in competition, or...horror of horrors...targeting him for marriage, girls represented a very real threat to the Boy Way of Life (except for mom, of course).

This boyish conviction was reinforced by their favorite superheroes, whose female cast members were little more than grown-up versions of pesky kid sisters, tenacious tomboys and flirty girl classmates.

Real-life kid sisters were often bratty pests and hair-trigger tattlers, blabbing a boy's secrets at the drop of a hat.

Supergirl pretty much confirms that assessment on the cover of Action Comics #313 (1964) by blowing Superman's precious secret identity.

Cover to Cover: Superheroes Gone MAD!

"They're coming to take me away,
Haha, they're coming to take me away,
Ho ho, hee hee, ha ha,
To the funny farm
Where Life is Beautiful all the time
And I'll be happy to see
Those Nice Young Men In their
Clean White Coats
And they're coming to take me AWAY,
HA HAAAAA"

--Napoleon XIV (1966)

For well over half a century, superheroes have stood for the best humanity has to offer. As promoters of justice, fair play and civic-minded benevolence, these comic book champions were models of stable, mature adulthood.

That is, when they weren't losing their minds.

Oh, sure ... mental illness has been a common fixture of comic books since their inception, but it's been confined primarily to the supervillain community and its collection of Mad Scientists, Evil Geniuses and World-Conquerors. Their ranting, raving, robot-creating behavior easily qualified them for what mental health professionals commonly diagnose as "Crazy as an Outhouse Rat."

However, as insane as the bad guys could be, there have been many in the good guy set (including some of the biggest names) who've also gone for a ride on the Crazy Train at one time or another.

In addition to the rather obvious nuttiness of wearing garish costumes in public, superheroes have had a long, documented history of even more serious lapses in sanity. So, strap on your favorite straitjacket and let's explore this dark, forsaken ward of comic book history, shall we?

Cover to Cover: "You Are Cordially Invited..."

While most people know that summer is the most popular time of year to marry, you might be surprised to learn that in many parts of the U.S., autumn is a close second.….so what better way to kick off fall than to check out the delightfully skewed world of comic book weddings?

We’ve all been to weddings where the bride and groom didn’t seem like the greatest match…like the clueless Wonder Woman and her gruesome groom on the cover of Wonder Woman #155 (1965).

Cover to Cover: Superboy or Super-Reject?

As I've touched on before, DC superhero comics of the late 50's and early 60's were virtual windows into the souls of their child audience.  Childhood insecurities were routinely transposed into superhero adventures by DC's editorial staff.  However, the undisputed king of tapping into the latent anxieties of children was Mort Weisinger, long-time editor of the Superman titles. Weisinger went straight for the "psychological jugular" by infusing his Superman books with all the petty jealousies, bitter rivalries and deep-seated insecurities of childhood.  In other words, Mort hit the kids right where they lived.

One of Weisinger's most common themes was that of rejection, by no coincidence the radioactive core of childhood anxiety.  Whether it was the fear of a popular kid stealing away their best friend, or a new baby edging them out of mom and dad's hearts, children constantly struggled with rejection....of being pushed aside for another.  Someone better.  Most of Weisinger’s stable of characters dealt with rejection in one form or another, but it was Superboy who became the undisputed poster child for rejection.

Cover to Cover: I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar!

Comic book publishers have always had their collective finger on the pulse of the larger culture, looking to incorporate whatever fad, trend or movement they perceived their readers wanted to see reflected in their stories.  Invariably, these attempts to mirror the culture came off as unintentionally hilarious, endearingly clumsy affairs that did more to caricature the trend than capture it.   The Women’s Liberation Movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s was no exception to this rule. Most likely spurred on by the idealistic Young Turks trickling into the business, the Old Guard (no doubt trying their best to make sense of it all) gradually began featuring female characters with aggressive, take-charge attitudes. The traditional roles of Girl Friday, Damsel in Distress and Passive Background Figure were replaced with brassy firebrands that had plenty to prove.

Cover to Cover: World's Laziest: The Misspent Years of Batman & Superman

"... and I swear by the spirits of my parents to avenge their deaths by spending the rest of my life warring on all criminals."

– Young Bruce Wayne, Detective Comics #33 (1939)

With these words, the grief-stricken orphan embarked upon a grim, life-long path of retribution, honing his body and mind to battle crime as...The Batman.

That is, until he met Superman on the Golden Age covers of World's Finest Comics.

Suddenly, his mission to avenge the murder of his parents was all but forgotten, as Batman was swept up into Superman's world of frivolity and idle leisure.

Along with his young ward Robin, the Batman of World's Finest spent much of the 1940's living the good life with his pal Superman, a sort of Kryptonian Huckleberry Finn who reveled in the world's myriad lazy pleasures.

Don't believe me?  Here....let the covers speak for themselves!

Cover to Cover: Frankenstein meets...EVERYBODY!

October MONSTER MASH!
The Scarier Side of Superhero Comics (part one of four)

As arguably the first work of science fiction, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) has gone far beyond its gothic novel roots to cast a towering shadow across literature, film and the larger pop culture.  So much so, it’s probably safe to assume that nearly every living soul on the planet could identify Frankenstein or, more accurately, his monstrous creation.

Although the primary sources of the creature’s popularity are the Universal horror films starring Boris Karloff, Frankenstein’s Monster also turned up in the horror films of competing movie studios, as well as countless plays, toys, radio shows, TV shows and, of course, comic books!

Cover to Cover: GHOSTS! The Haunted Heroes of Comics

October MONSTER MASH!
The Scarier Side of Superhero Comics (part two of four)

“When twilight everywhere released the shadows, prisoned up all day, that now closed in and gathered like mustering swarms of ghosts.”

– Charles Dickens, from The Haunted Man (1847)

Since ancient times, ghost stories have fascinated mankind.  In giving shape to their anxieties and superstitions, ghost stories have provided the world’s diverse cultures a measure of control over the unknown forces that surround them.  From the campfires and dusty scrolls of distant history to modern day television and movies, ghost stories have permeated every form of human storytelling…including comic books!

While the traditional venue for comic book ghost stories has been the horror comics genre, a fair number of ghost stories and ghostly characters have haunted the superhero genre as well, primarily those published by DC Comics (Marvel, for whatever reason, seems largely ghost-free).

Cover to Cover: Hauntingly Familiar Marvel Monsters!

October MONSTER MASH!
The Scarier Side of Superhero Comics (part three of four)

Following the 1961 debut of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four #1, a virtual army of new titles and characters sprang to life in its wake.  Now-famous names like Spider-Man, Thor and the Hulk entered the pop cultural landscape, thanks to the success of Marvel Comics’ inaugural title.

However, those particular names (and many others) have a secret history prior to the publication of Fantastic Four #1, when Marvel was known as Atlas Comics.
For most of the 1950’s, Marvel’s future superstars (such as Lee, Kirby, Steve Ditko and John Romita) toiled away on Atlas horror, romance and sci-fi titles. The sci-fi titles, such as Strange Tales and Journey Into Mystery, featured a staggering array of giant, malevolent monsters...each with its own bizarre appearance and name.

Some of the monster names demonstrated the creative flair of the proto-Bullpen, such as Fin Fang Foom (check out the green swim trunks).

…while other names suggest a “rough patch” where their creativity may have been on the wane.

 

Yet the most fascinating category of pre-Marvel monsters was the one with some startlingly familiar names.

Cover to Cover: Sinister Superhero Transformations!

Like those leftover fun-size candy bars at the bottom
of the Halloween candy bowl, a final installment of
October MONSTER MASH!
The Scarier Side of Superhero Comics (part four of four)

“Even a man who is pure of heart
And says his prayers by night
Can become a wolf when the wolf-bane blooms
And the moon is full and bright.”

–Gypsy fortune teller Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) from The Wolfman (1941)

Stories of the good and decent transformed into a monstrous evil are as ancient as humankind itself.  These potent mixtures of superstition and human psychology have long served to terrify even the most upstanding among us that somewhere, deep inside, exists a monster just waiting to claw its way out.  Even comic book superheroes, our fictional paragons of human goodness, have been twisted and warped into frightening, darker versions of themselves.

Cover to Cover: Stars & Stripes (and Capes) Forever!

On the heels of the United States elections, not to mention the November 11th commemoration of Veteran's Day, I thought it would be fitting to run a patriotic Cover to Cover column I originally wrote this past summer for Independence Day.  Enjoy....and God Bless our veterans!

Ever since the birth of the United States in 1776, its people have devised countless ways to express their patriotism.  Some of these expressions are noble and dignified…

 

…while others…not so much.

Similarly, comic book covers have a long history of patriotic sentiment, with many of them easily qualifying as “noble and dignified”...

…while other covers…..well, let’s just say they fall into an entirely different category.

As great as the more noble covers are, I wanted to dig a little deeper to find patriotic covers that stray off the beaten path.  In other words, covers that better represented the endearingly surreal world of superhero comics.

Cover to Cover: "Grandma, What a Big Head You Have!"

Comics' Colossal Craniums

Of all the freakish distortions of the human body depicted on the covers of superhero comics, none of them quite compared to the spectacle of Big Head Covers (not to be confused with Floating Head Covers).

Huge, swollen craniums have been a staple of science fiction dating back to the pulps of the 1920s and '30s, usually associated with malevolent alien masterminds or highly evolved future-men.

As pulps gradually gave way to comic books, big-headed characters found their way into the burgeoning superhero fad, usually as villains...such as Brainwave (All-Star Comics #37, 1947).

During the science-fiction craze of the late 1950s and early 60's, Big Head covers began appearing at an alarming rate. It should come as no surprise that the constantly transforming Superman Family was hit particularly hard.

Cover to Cover: "Does This Make Me Look Fat?"

Chubby Champions of Justice!

With Thanksgiving Day now behind us, it’s inevitable that many of us will pack on even more pounds over the coming holidays (Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, Super Bowl, etc). However, perhaps a look at normally ultra-fit superheroes dealing with sudden morbid obesity will shock you into avoiding Grandma’s bacon-wrapped, chocolate covered cheese balls.

First up, on the cover of Flash #115 (1960), is the “The Fattest Man Alive” himself, weighing it at an even 1,000 pounds.  After being zapped by Gorilla Grodd’s moisture absorbing ray, Barry Allen rapidly expands to the point of resembling a costumed fan at a comic book convention!

Cover to Cover: Unmasked!

The Fine Art of Blowing a Secret Identity

Once upon a time, before TV and movies made it oh-so uncool, a superhero’s secret identity was guarded with the utmost care and vigilance!  Ostensibly, the importance of heroes hiding their identity was to protect their loved ones from an enemy’s retribution, but for those of us reading their adventures, the true appeal of the secret identity was….well…that is was a secret.

Secrets have a powerful kind of currency in the world of children, so the concept and sanctity of a hero’s secret identity was easily grasped and solemnly supported.  It naturally followed that whenever we spied a comic book cover depicting a secret identity threatened or even (gasp!) exposed, we’d snatch ‘em up, no questions asked. After all, a secret I.D. in jeopardy was some heavy drama, pal!

The fine art of blowing a secret identity often fell into three distinct categories:  (1) The “What?--Is he CRAZY?” self-reveal, (2) The betrayal of a trusted friend or family member, or (3) discovery by their enemies.

The first, and in some ways, most disturbing category is when the hero apparently loses his mind and reveals his own secret identity.

The cover of Flash #149 (1964) shows Barry Allen doing just that, earning a “jumpin’ jets” exclamation from freaked-out sidekick Wally (Kid Flash) West.

Cover to Cover: "I've Fallen, and I Can't Get Up!"

Superheroes as Senior Citizens

If we’re to believe those TV commercials for sunbelt retirement communities, growing old is non-stop conga line of carefree living and frivolity....cleverly disguising the fact that getting old stinks! 

As children, the gripes and groans of aging parents and grandparents suggested that getting old was no picnic, yet it was the spectacle of Senior Citizen Superheroes that really drove home the grim reality that "all things must pass away". Witnessing perpetually young superheroes reduced to feeble oldsters got a child thinking about his or her own mortality, in a way older real-world relatives never could.  In other words, if Superman could grow old...kids could too, right?

Senior Superhero stories typically took two broad approaches.  The first approach was through "imaginary stories" that depicted an elderly version of the hero tottering around in the far future.  More often than not, the futuristic super-senior was portrayed as a feeble, marginalized figure, like Superman on the cover of Action Comics #251 (1959).

Note the long white beard, the universal indicator of advanced age, perhaps dating all the way back to Rip Van Winkle himself. 

Cover to Cover: Have Yourself a SUPERHERO Christmas...

The power of American pop culture has worked its delightfully skewed magic upon a whole host of traditions and institutions. Transforming the transcendent to tacky and the solemn to silly, holidays like Christmas have become the venue of Norelco-driving Santas, caroling Star Wars characters and prancing Victoria’s Secret models.  It’s within this surreal alternate universe that even comic book superheroes gather to celebrate Christmas (or its generic equivalent “the holidays”) in their own inimitable style.

One of the earliest examples appeared on Comic Cavalcade #9 (1944), where Flash, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern are either leaving presents for a deserving child….or stealing them!

Cover to Cover: Here Comes Santa Claus!

“When, what to my wondering
eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.”

–The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore

Conspicuously missing from my recent survey of Christmas covers was Santa Claus, the beloved harbinger of Christmas whose mythic stature easily outranks the relative “rookie” folklore status of the superhero.  Yet, despite Santa’s towering legend, his appearances with superheroes have always felt natural, as if he lived only a few blocks away in the public’s collective imagination. 

This is especially true of his appearances in simpler, less cynical times…such as the cover of Comic Cavalcade #5 (1943), where a Jabba The Hutt-sized Santa laughs it up with Green Lantern, the Flash and Wonder Woman (the permanent stars of the title).  Though they couldn’t come from more disparate backgrounds, Santa and the colorfully costumed threesome just seem right together, don’t they?

Cover to Cover: The Mythadventures of Superman!

Ancient Strongmen Meet the Man of Steel!

The inaugural storyline of DC’s All-Star Superman (by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely) has proven to be a dazzling fusion of Morrison’s trippy big ideas and the delightfully wonky world of the Silver Age Superman (fittingly one of Morrison’s early influences).  One of the highlights of the tale has been the boisterous appearance of Superman’s godly pals Samson and Atlas in issue #3, harkening back to a time when Superman routinely encountered ancient strongmen of Scripture and myth.

Superman’s first brush with these heroes of old was in Superman #28 (1944).  Though only a statue on its cover, Superman encounters the “real” Hercules in one of the issue’s stories, albeit a weakling Hercules Superman has to cover for.  No sign of an actual Atlas, though.

Cover to Cover: Tales from the Kiddy Table

The Second Childhoods of Superheroes!

Here in the first week of January, the familiar sight of Baby New Year not only symbolizes the dawning of 2007, but also brings to mind the baby superheroes of years past.  More specifically, the adventures of adult superheroes when they were children, or, in some cases, de-aged from adults into teenagers…or even toddlers! 

Like so many whimsical comic book transformations, kiddy superheroes were a more frequent sight in simpler times, when readers were still primarily children and not mortgage-paying cynics. As such, kids were genuinely amused to see child versions of powerful, grown-up superheroes, much as they would be by photos of their own parents as children.  It was somehow reassuring to find out that these mighty grown-ups were at one time children themselves, or, if they were de-aged, could be reminded of what it’s really like to be a kid.

The very first kid-version of an adult superhero was, of course, Superboy, who made his debut cover appearance on More Fun Comics #104 (1945). 

Awww, ain’t he cute?

Cover to Cover: Superheroes in the Slammer!

Of all the dramatic devices used to grab the attention of comic-book fans, few could surpass the shock of a superhero (or similarly upstanding character) behind bars. Normally dedicated to truth, justice and the American Way (I don't edit that last part out), superheroes portrayed as prisoners were an especially alarming, incongruous spectacle.

Case in point, the cover of Captain America #260 (1981), which featured an understandably bummed-out Cap "behind bars."

Cover to Cover: They Might Be GIANTS! (part 1)

Tall Tales of Super-Sized Superheroes!

For all the changes the modern world has introduced, a few things remain constant…one of which is our near-universal fascination with GIANTS. From fairy tales to American folklore, 50’s films, and freakish professional athletes, giant humans represent a kaleidoscope of mankind’s dreams and nightmares.  Whether symbolizing a young America’s can-do spirit, a woman’s wrath, or mankind’s blundering, hubristic power, giants simultaneously embody our brightest aspirations and darkest fears in a way few mythic figures can.

In the case of superhero comic books, that balance leans toward the “darkest fears” end of the spectrum, though comics aren’t without their heroic giants.  One of the first (if not THE first) person to achieve extra-large hero status was Hank Pym, a scientist who created size-altering “Pym Particles”.  Beginning his heroic career as Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #27 (1962), Pym went on to become a founding member of the Avengers. In Tales to Astonish #49 (1963), Pym switched gears to become the much more impressive Giant-Man.

Cover to Cover: They Might Be Giants! (part 2)

Tall Tales of Super-Sized Superheroes!

In part one of "They Might Be Giants", we began the titanic tale of comic book giants, ending with a skyscraper-sized Baby Superman terrorizing his home planet of Krypton.

In part two, we jump from a Skyscraper Superman to a “Skyscraper Wonder Woman”, as Wonder Woman #122 (1961) kicks off a trio of King Kong tribute covers.

Cover to Cover: Unfrozen Caveman Superhero

The History of Prehistory in Superhero Comics

The prehistoric world has always fascinated the modern audience, most likely because it’s so completely out of our reach. 

Unearthed artifacts and scattered remains offer some vital clues as to what prehistoric life might have been like, but ultimately that ancient era and its people are unknowable to us.  Despite this knowledge gap, our collective imagination has settled upon a standardized archetype of early man: the fur-clad, hairy brute lugging a massive club (or stone-tipped spear), generically referred to as a “caveman”.  Whether he was capable of speech (or not), a contemporary of dinosaurs (or not), or able to propel stone cars with foot power (I’m looking at you, Flintstone), the caveman has been a remarkably versatile and enduring member of the pop cultural pantheon.

Proof of that versatility can be found in Tales of Suspense #40 (1963), as Iron Man (in only his second adventure) meets Gargantus, a caveman bent on conquering the small town of Granville.  However, Gargantus was no run-of-the-mill caveman, but actually a robot created by invading aliens who wanted to avoid detection. Because, you know, a twelve-foot giant caveman is much more subtle than invading aliens.

Cover to Cover: Love Is In The Air!

The Happiness and Heartaches of Superhero Romance!

When it comes to matters of love and romance, only the Immortal Bard
can say it best. No, not William Shakespeare, but the late, great Barry White.

Take it away, Barry:

Thanks, Barry.

Now that the deep-voiced crooner has set the proper mood, it’s time to pour some wine, pull up a bearskin rug and swoon over some superhero romance covers.

Although comic book covers are normally the place for heated battles, villainous schemes or zany transformations, they’ve also been known to feature the occasional romantic interlude…as Cupid’s arrows compel busy crime fighters to take a break and experience the finer things in life.

Our first love connection harkens back to the melodramatic romance comics of decades past. Captain America #44 (2001) finds the two lovebirds secretly fretting over their relationship.  Cap/Steve wonders if the lovely Connie Ferrari will accept him for who he is, while Connie can't decide which identity she's really in love with. And why Cap is only wearing half a mask.

Cover to Cover: Way-Out West!

Sci-Fi Comes to the American Frontier

When the popularity of superhero comic books faded in the late 1940’s, one of the genres that filled the void was Western comics.  These All-American tales of sturdy cowboys, noble gunslingers and earnest Hollywood matinee stars dominated the newsstands for the next decade. Western comics typically kept their stories within the realm of believability, as these champions of the Old West encountered conflicts and threats that at least seemed authentic, even if historians didn’t quite see it that way.

Despite their huge success, the exploding popularity of science fiction in the late 1950’s forced most Western comics to ride off into the sunset, while the handful of stragglers that stuck around needed to make some rather drastic changes in order to survive.  Instead of the traditional Old West threats of bullies, crooks, varmints, owlhoots and polecats, cowboy heroes now faced an almost endless parade of Atomic Age menaces!

Always a magnet for frontier weirdness, Tom Hawk and his Rangers battled “The Alien Indian Chief”, who made the Native American cause his own in Tomahawk #79 (1962).

Cover to Cover: Bring on the (really bad) Bad Guys!

A Collection of Comicdom’s Sorriest Super-Villains

Not every hit can be a home run. 

Not every car can be a Lamborghini.

Not every guitar solo can be Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption.

Well, you get the picture.

Similarly, not every comic book supervillain can be The Joker or Dr. Doom. 

In fact, the rigors of monthly deadlines have ensured that most comic book bad guys remain forgettable, vanilla flavored non-entities.  However, that same deadline pressure is also responsible for spawning some of the most delightfully stupid supervillains to ever grace a comic book cover.  Of course, “deadline pressure” doesn’t explain all of the hapless losers I’m about to inflict upon you, but I’d rather give the well-meaning creators of years past the benefit of the doubt.

Cover to Cover: From Russia With Love (Part One)

The Commies of Comics!

First, a little context from Serious Voice-Over Guy:

"Following their uneasy World War II alliance against Nazi Germany, the United States and the Soviet Union began a decades-long struggle termed “The Cold War”, a political, industrial, technological and military rivalry that stopped just short of a full-scale (or “hot”) war.  At its core, the Cold War was driven by the radically incompatible philosophies of Soviet communism and the democratic capitalism championed by the United States.  The Soviets sought to aggressively expand their empire into new parts of the world, while the United States used its power to contain and frustrate their ambitions…made all the more difficult when Communists gained control of China in 1949.  Through it all, the ever-present threat of nuclear war (or “mutually assured destruction) kept the two superpowers locked in a virtual stalemate."

At this point, serious students of history may be wondering, “Yeah, but what did this mean for comic books?”

Well, I’m no Serious Voice-Over Guy, but here’s my take on it.

Nostalgic for the sales figures of the World War II years, American comic book publishers of the early 1950’s initially treated the Cold War as a “sequel” of sorts to their pot-banging propaganda comics of the previous decade.  Like the wickedly caricatured Axis forces of WW II comics (particularly Japanese), some of the earliest Communist villains were either clownish cultural stereotypes or sub-human monsters.

A great example of this early approach is the cover of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s Fighting American #3 (1954), as the buffoonish duo Poison Ivan and Hotsky Trotsky are easily foiled by Fighting American and Speedboy.

Cover to Cover: From Russia With Love (part two)

The Commies of Comics!

Our Story Thus Far:

The players:  The United States and The Soviet Union. 

The conflict: A fundamental clash of ideologies and the overarching threat of Mutually Assured Destruction.

The result:  Nearly forty years of international tension.

The side effect: A gold mine of comic book villainy.


Which brings us to Part Two of the Cold War of Comics (click here for Part One).

As the late 1960’s rolled around, second-generation comic creator Roy Thomas introduced a note of ambiguity to the Cold War’s stark morality in Avengers #43 (1967).  While still ostensibly a “villain”, the Red Guardian was positioned as the Soviet answer to Captain America and, as such, fought with a sense of honor not seen in previous agents of the U.S.S.R.

Cover to Cover: Déjà vu All Over Again

A Crisis of Infinite Homage Covers!

Comic book covers based upon famous images, from other comics or elsewhere, are commonly referred to as “homage covers”.  As the term implies, homage covers pay tribute to revered “touchstones” of comic book, pop cultural or even “real world” historical imagery.  They also provide a sense of fun and community, as seasoned fans recognize the visual as the hat-tip, the nod, the gentle satire or the arcane “in-joke” knowledge it was intended to be.

One of the most prevalent homage cover themes is sometimes referred to as the Pieta Cover, a reference to Michelangelo’s famed Pieta sculpture. Depicting the body of Jesus Christ in the arms of his mother Mary, the Pieta conveys a sense of quiet grief and profound helplessness in the face of death. 

Which begs the question: “What better image to exploit and slap onto dozens of superhero comic books?”

Of course, the most famous of the Pieta homage covers was Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (1985), depicting a grief-stricken Superman cradling the dead body of his cousin Supergirl as a throng of helpless superheroes looks on.

Crisis #7, in turn, inspired dozens more homage covers, though many more Pieta Covers came before it.  Without further ado (or commentary), I present the Pieta Cover Gallery.  Click on the link below and enjoy....

Cover to Cover: The Wide World of Sports (Covers)

Examining the Surreal Intersection of Sports and Superheroes

At first glance, comic book and sports fans don’t seem to have much in common.  However, a closer look reveals some surprising parallels between the two camps, chief among them their mutual admiration of grown men wearing colorful uniforms with cool logos.

Now, with a new baseball season under way, I think it’s worth taking a look at those rare occasions when the parallel worlds of comic books and professional sports actually did overlap.  So pour yourself a cold one, settle back in your Lazy Boy, grab the remote and

“LET’S GET READY TO RUMMMMBALLLLLL!”

(cue your favorite blaring stadium anthem)

Cover to Cover: “To the Bat-Garage, Robin!”

The Lesser-Known Vehicles of Batman!

Like a teenager anxious to ditch his first junker for a tricked-out sports car, the Batman of 1939 quickly traded in the nondescript red sedan of his first few adventures for a “specially built high-powered auto” in Detective Comics #30 (1939).  A few years later, the “high-powered auto” would give way to the The Batmobile in Batman #5 (1941), though it would take another two years for the legendary roadster to make its cover debut in Batman #20.

 

As everyone knows, a Bat-Plane and Batboat soon followed.

 

However, even with land, air and sea covered, some adventures called for even more specialized modes of transportation…which spawned a dizzying array of Bat-vehicles many of you have never heard of.

Until now, that is.

Déjà vu All Over Again: Amazing Fantasy #15

What better way to begin Spider-Man Week than at the beginning?

In 1961, Marvel Comics launched Amazing Adventures, yet another in a long line of monster/suspence/sci-fi anthology titles.  With that particular genre on the wane, a new direction was introduced in issue #7, along with a name change to Amazing Adult Fantasy (no snickering, now).  Dubbed "the magazine that respects your intelligence", writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko cranked out eerie, twist-ending tales similar to what one might have seen on TV's The Twilight Zone (along with even more monster tales).

Obviously, the new strategy didn't work, since publisher Martin Goodman decided to pull the plug on the series with issue #15.  As a sort of go-for-broke "Hail Mary Pass", Lee and Ditko used their final issue...now titled simply Amazing Fantasy....to try an outrageous experiment.  Bucking every trend of superhero comics before it, the creators with nothing to lose made a teenage loser into Spider-Man!

Needless to say, Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962) was an instant success, making Lee and Ditko's desperation play into one of the most important (and valuable) comic books ever published.

As with any cover achieving that level of "iconic immortality", homage covers were pretty much a given.  As you can see from the gallery below, Amazing Fantasy #15 has become a very popular target for serious and satirical tributes alike.

Did I miss any?  Click the "comments" link below and drop me a line if you have an Amazing Fantasy #15 homage cover to add to the gallery (please send either a link or the issue title and number).  Any new ones that come in, I'll be sure to post an update!

UPDATE! Well...that didn't take long!  Good ol' Siskoid comes through with four more homage covers, though the one in the lower left looks like a cropped-in version of the Hero Illustrated magazine cover from above.  I like the altered camera angle of the Amazing Spider-Man cover (top right). 

Thanks, Siskoid!

Cover to Cover: Webhead's Wild Kingdom

Spider-Man's Animal-Themed Adversaries!

As the old proverb says, “you can know a man by his friends”, but I believe a man can also be defined by who his enemies are.  In the case of comic book superheroes, a compelling collection of villains (or “rogues’ gallery”) can only enhance an already solid character.  Having a memorable rogues’ gallery certainly isn’t essential to ensure superhero immortality, but it sure doesn’t hurt.  The best rogues’ galleries can be defined along simple criteria, such as Batman’s collection of dark lunatics, or the Flash’s gimmicky felons….but when it comes to an overarching theme, Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery wins the prize.

Looking back over the past four decades of Spidey comics, it’s hard not to notice the huge number of animal-themed villains he’s encountered. Considering his powers and heroic identity are also based on a member of the animal kingdom, I guess it makes sense that so many of Spider-Man’s villains followed suit…..immediately, I might add. 

Right out of the gate, the inaugural issue of The Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963) introduced the threat of the Chameleon, a master of disguise named for the color-changing reptile.

Cover to Cover: That's GOTTA Hurt!

Bruises, Burns & Beat-Downs from the Pain Hall of Fame.

In the knock-down, drag-out world of comic book combat, superheroes routinely experience boatloads of pain and physical punishment. So much so, veteran readers (such as myself) seldom bat an eye when confronted by the sheer amount of punching, kicking, gouging, smashing, and pummeling experienced (and dished out) by superheroes.  Like a Looney Tunes anvil to the head or a Three Stooges slap fest, it’s just part of the gig.

However, every now and then, a comic book cover comes along that depicts injuries so intense or disturbing, even the most jaded, battle-hardened reader will wince in sympathetic pain.

Kicking things off is the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #133 (1974), featuring a nice, comfy third degree burn to the neck…courtesy of the Molten Man. Mmmm…smells like bacon!

Cover to Cover: Extreme Makeovers!

Superhero Fashion Disasters.

As part of their never-ending battle to sustain reader interest (and sales figures), comic book publishers often resort to their standard bag of tricks to give their titles a jolt.  Some of these stunts include retelling a superhero’s origin, the “shocking” return of an old enemy, killing off a supporting cast member, or that old standby…a new costume!

It goes without saying that many “costume upgrades” were very successful, as an invigorating new look replaced a poorly designed or boring original costume.  Here are some "before and after" shots of successful costume upgrades:

However, not every costume upgrade has worked out for the better.  In fact, many of them are so astonishingly bad, pop culturally tone-deaf and unintentionally silly, I just had to go all “Joan Rivers” on a few of them.

Cover to Cover: Déjà vu All Over Again (FF #1)

The Homage Cover Chronicles (part 2)

Comic book covers based upon famous images, from other comics or elsewhere, are commonly referred to as “homage covers”.  As the term implies, homage covers pay tribute to revered “touchstones” of comic book, pop cultural or even “real world” historical imagery.  They also provide a sense of fun and community, as seasoned fans recognize the visual as the hat-tip, the nod, the gentle satire or the arcane “in-joke” knowledge it was intended to be.

This time around, I thought I'd take a look at the homage covers of The Fantastic Four #1, no less than the “Big Bang” of the Marvel Universe. 

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby back in 1961, The Fantastic Four introduced a new kind of dynamic to the superhero genre, one in which characters occasionally made mistakes, argued with each other or, in the case of The Thing, were grotesque, reluctantly heroic monsters.  Even the cover hinted at the new level of emotion, cocksure bravado and pessimistic griping that quickly became hallmarks of the emerging Marvel style.

The first tribute to this cover appeared, appropriately enough, in Fantastic Four #126 (1972), an issue devoted to a retelling of the F.F.’s origin.  Note that this version features all of them in costume battling the Mole Man's creature.

Cover to Cover: You Say You Want a Revolution

Superheroes Catch the Spirit of '76

More than two centuries gone, their names are still familiar: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, James Madison and many others…all patriotic heroes of the great American Revolution.

However, there have been other patriots whose names you’ve never seen in a history book or on a Washington D.C. monument, but were just as dedicated in their fight for liberty and sweet freedom.  These, of course, were the proud ranks of costumed superheroes that either lived in, visited, or were mystically connected to the dawning years of the United States of America!

Of the heroes who called the late 1700’s their home, one of the most prominent was DC’s frontier adventurer Tom Hawk.  “Tomahawk”, as he became known, lead a fighting force nicknamed “The Rangers”, composed of volunteers from all over the nascent United States.  They spent the Revolutionary War years fighting British forces….that is, when they weren’t busy with dinosaur-riding cavemen, giant tree creatures, or alien Indian chiefs.

Cover to Cover: "YEEEEEEE-HAWWWWW!"

The Legion of (Missile-Riding) Superheroes

Of all the highlights from Stanley Kubrick’s classic Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove (1964), its surreal final scene remains its most memorable. While on a B-52 bombing run, the buffoonish Major T.J. “King” Kong (Slim Pickens) rides an atomic bomb rodeo style, whooping and hollering all the way down to nuclear obliteration (click on the screen below to watch it).

However, as memorable as Slim Pickens’ turn as an Atomic Age cowboy has proven to be, it should be noted that Major Kong wasn’t the first fictional character to fly the friendly skies while straddling a missile, bomb, or rocket.  While researching previous Cover to Cover columns, I’ve come across several comic book superheroes who also rode the High Explosive Express, some of them several decades before Kong’s famous flight.

Our first bomb-riding superhero appears to be none other than Captain Marvel himself, seen here on the cover of the first (and only) issue of Special Edition Comics (1940). 

Considering the United States wouldn’t enter World War II for at least another year, it’s not clear who the missile and its costumed rider were aimed at.  In addition to that, despite the famous line that “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”, one can’t help but notice the rather obvious…er…"Freudian shadings" of the missile-riding phenomenon.

Cover to Cover: To All the Girls I've Loved Before

The (Caddish) Adventures of Bob Hope

It’s often said, “In springtime, a young man’s thoughts turn to love”.  Well, after reviewing the covers of DC’s Adventures of Bob Hope series, one could say an old man’s thoughts could turn to love not only in the spring, but the other three seasons as well!

By 1950, comedian Bob Hope had already enjoyed a long career, appearing in nearly every form of popular entertainment the 20^th century could dish out.  From vaudeville and radio to movies and TV, Hope pretty much occupied the entire “entertainment spectrum”, making his jump into comic books the most obvious kind of no-brainer.

As the popularity (and sales) of superhero titles sank lower and lower, comic book publishers like DC Comics turned to genres like romance, westerns and celebrity humor to pump up their cash flow.  Along with popular stars like Alan Ladd and the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis team, Bob Hope headlined his own series of comic misadventures starting in early 1950.

What began as a series of publicity photo covers soon gave way to an impish cartoon version of Hope in a variety of exotic locales, goofy outfits, and wacky situations. However, the one consistent theme running through the vast majority of the title’s covers was, of course, Bob’s insatiable appetite for romance.

Cover to Cover: The Dog Days of Summer

The Crime-Fighting Canines of Comics!

The phrase “Dog Days of Summer” has traditionally referred to the hottest period of the summer, typically falling between early July and late August.  In other words, right about now….so what better time of the year to take a look at the unusually intelligent, super-powered and (in some cases) cape-wearing members of the comic book Adventure Dog community?

Though he was a wolf in the original comic strip version of The Phantom, Devil was eventually identified as a dog.  Loyally serving the Ghost Who Walks alongside Hero the horse and Fraka the Falcon, Devil was essentially a well-trained attack dog with no special powers.

 

Cover to Cover: Welcome to the Jungle

Superheroes Catch Jungle Fever!

Jungle life
We're living in the open
All alone like Tarzan Boy.
Hide and seek
We play along while rushing 'cross the forest
Monkey business on a sunny afternoon.
—Tarzan Boy, by 80’s one-hit wonder Baltimora

Ever since Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes burst onto the scene in 1912, the world’s jungles have been overrun by a virtual stampede of loincloth and leopard skin wearing imitators.  Their roll call is a nearly endless list of exotic sounding, two-syllable names like Bomba, Tom-Tom, Kaanga, Ramar, Sheena, Nyoka, Lorna, Rulah, Wambi, Zago, and Zegra.

However, an altogether different branch of the comic book Jungle Genre included a number of costumed superheroes that either made the jungle their home, or (for whatever reason) had temporarily defected from civilization and “gone native”.

Among the costumed heroes who enjoyed the jungle’s “home field advantage” was Leopard Girl. Wearing an outfit similar to that of Wildcat, the Cheetah, and the modern Catwoman, Leopard Girl shared Jungle Action #2 (1954) with a couple of generic members of the Loincloth Brigade and the gorilla hero “Man-oo the Mighty”.  In a tough spot, she could utter the “cry of the leopard” and summon a group of real leopards to her aid (or a “leap” of leopards if you want to get technical).

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part one)

I've been at this comic book collecting thing for awhile, and part of the fun has always been hunting down and (occasionally) completing major runs of a specific title.  Earlier this year, I bragged-up my 50+ years of Superman comics, so now I thought I'd cover another major milestone of my collection.

But before we get to that, let me set the stage a bit. 

One of the great summer traditions when I was growing up was the annual team-up between the Justice League of America and their Earth-2 counterparts the Justice Society of America.  Fascinated by all-things JSA and Earth-2 from the first moment I saw them, I anxiously awaited the annual JLA-JSA meeting from about the mid-70's onward. Since then, I've managed to collect every JLA-JSA team-up from the first one (1963) all the way through to the final one of the so-called "Pre-Crisis era" (1984).

Despite what the calendar says, we all know summer really ends when the new school year begins (which is next week for us), so what better way to mark the waning days of summer than by taking a look back at those legendary JLA-JSA team-ups of summers past?

Besides listing issue numbers and cover images, I'll also be including some additional information and art along with my own impressions for each of the team-ups. However, since there were a whopping twenty-two of them, logic (and compassion for my readers) dictates that I should probably break up the survey into smaller, easy-to-digest sections. 

WARNING: If stories from simpler times aren't your thing, or if extended nostalgia trips make you crazy, click on any of the excellent blog links in my sidebar and I'll see you another day.  But for those of you who share my fond memories for the JLA-JSA adventures, or if you're a newbie who wants to learn more about them, let's get started!

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part two)

As the summer winds to a close, I thought I'd revisit the legendary team-ups of the Justice League and their Earth-2 pals the Justice Society.  If you missed part one, click here.  If not, kick back and enjoy part two... 

Okay, then...where was I? Oh, yeah...

Justice League of America #64-65 (1968)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Hawkman, Green Arrow and JLA mascot Snapper Carr.

JSA: Starman, Flash, Hourman, Black Canary, Dr. Fate, the Atom, Sandman, Green Lantern, Dr. Mid-Nite, Hawkman, Mr. Terrific and Red Tornado II.

Villains:  T.O. Morrow, the faceless androids, cosmic creatures, animated souvenir statues of Amazo, Starro, Dr. Light, the Diamond Creature and Super Duper.

Summary: An android calling himself the Red Tornado stormed a JSA meeting and demanded to join the team, so they invited him along on a mission.  While responding to a bank robbery with four JSA members, Reddy accidentally destroyed them (oopsie!), which made him wonder if he was created by some sinister hand for that very purpose. It turned out he was absolutely right, as the evil scientist T.O. Morrow revealed his master plan to eradicate the JSA using technology stolen from the future (which included the Red Tornado himself).

Learning this, Reddy attacked his creator, but instead ended up killing the rest of the JSA with a blast from a "FuturEnergy" gun (oopsie!).  With the JSA out of the way, T.O. Morrow then turned his focus to the JLA by sending an array of strange creatures, animated JLA trophies and even energy duplicates of their sweethearts to kill the Earth-1 heroes!

Like the JSA before them, the JLA are eventually "killed" by FuturEnergy, with only a barely-functioning Red Tornado left to save the day.  Reddy bridged the dimensional gap to Earth-1 and revived each JLA member with a kiss from their real sweethearts.  He then revived the fallen Earth-2 heroes, who (despite the android's horrible track record) immediately granted him full JSA membership.  True to form, Red Tornado greeted the good news with "I wish I was human" yearning and moping.

Highlights:  The Red Tornado's child-like earnestness as he tries to prove himself to the JSA, as well as the surreal casualness of both the JSA and the JLA being "killed" by FuturEngery.  These days, it would have been a twelve part series. Then?..a plot device!

 

Lowlights: Writer Gardner F. Fox's continual reliance upon generic, spontaneously-generated monsters to eat up the page count.

Artist Dick Dillin's perpetual inability
to draw Superman's S symbol.

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part three)

For those coming in late, part one covered the humble beginnings of what became a treasured annual tradition: the JLA-JSA team-ups.  Part two chronicled the expansion of the concept, as ever-greater threats were met with ever-increasing numbers of superheroes.  We now find ourselves in 1973, as the superhero head count just keeps going up! 

Justice League of America #107-108 (1973)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Elongated Man, and the Red Tornado (now a JLA member).

JSA: Superman, Flash, Hourman, Sandman, and Dr. Fate.

The Freedom Fighters of Earth-X: Uncle Sam, the Human Bomb, Doll Man, Phantom Lady, Black Condor, and the Ray. Flashback cameos of Plastic Man and the Blackhawks.

Villains:  The Third Reich of Earth-X.

Summary: When a new dimensional transporter malfunctioned, three JLA members and three JSA members were mistakenly sent to yet another alternate earth, where they were immediately attacked by high-tech Nazi troops.  Just when things were looking grim, our heroes received an assist from the Freedom Fighters, the native superheroes of the nightmarish "Earth-X".  Following the battle, Uncle Sam (yes, that Uncle Sam) gave the JLA and JSA a quick history lesson, explaining that the German Third Reich of Earth-X had won World War II, and now controlled the entire planet using mind control devices stationed in various locations.

Wasting no time, the three teams combined their forces to hunt down and systematically destroy each of the mind control devices, and met with heavy resistance along the way.  When the final device was smashed, the JLA & JSA suddenly attacked the Freedom Fighters, indicating yet another mind control machine was in operation. Free of the device's control, the Red Tornado discovered it orbiting around the planet.  After an encounter with "Adolph Hitler" (actually just an android), Reddy smashed the satellite and freed his teammates.  Following a round of handshakes and back-slapping, the repaired dimensional transporter returned the JLA and JSA to their respective worlds.

Highlights: Wow...where to begin?  This one definitely makes the Top Five cut, since there's so much to like here. 

When I'm not reading fiction, I enjoy reading history..and occasionally I blend the two by reading "alternate history" fiction, so obviously the victorious Third Reich of Earth-X is a fascinating concept in and of itself.  Add to that the revival of Golden Age characters originally published by Quality Comics along with the generous number of battles with high-tech Nazis, and you've got yourself one heck of a story. 

Dick Dillin's artwork never looked better than when Dick Giordano was inking it (as he does here), evoking the work Giordano did with Neal Adams around the same time period.  Oh, and you'll be happy to learn that the Earth-2 Superman finally received his own subtly distinctive look with this story (the graying temples and Golden Age "S" symbol I was going on about in Part II).

Lowlights:  None come to mind.  This really is one of the very best.

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (part four)

Way back in the summer of 1963, two legendary teams of superheroes bridged the dimensional gulf and shared an adventure. That adventure became an annual event, which continued on for another twenty-one summers. 

I've been fondly remembering each of those summer adventures, which you can catch-up on by reading parts one, two, and three.  We now find ourselves in 1978, fifteen years after that first fateful meeting...

Justice League of America #159-160 (1978)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Superman, Flash, Elongated Man, and Hawkman. Cameo appearances by Batman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, and Black Canary.

JSA: The Huntress, Dr. Mid-Night, Wonder Woman, and Star-Spangled Kid. Cameo appearances by Superman, Dr. Fate, and Green Lantern.

The Heroes of Yesterday: Jonah Hex, Viking Prince, Miss Liberty, Black Pirate, and Enemy Ace.

Villains:  The Time Lord and his computer, The Eternity Brain.

Summary: As the JLA and JSA enjoyed an elegant dinner at the swanky Club 22, five heroic figures from the past suddenly burst through the walls and plunged a number of the modern-day superheroes into a mysterious coma. Unsure of why or how they had done such a terrible thing, the oddly superpowered time-lost figures fled the scene.

Meanwhile, in the year 3786 A.D., the Time Lord and his time-manipulating "Eternity Brain" computer gloated over the attacks they engineered.  However, unknown to the Eternity Brain, the Time Lord actually feared the sentient computer and was plotting to destroy it with the unwitting help of his historic champions, the JLA and the JSA. The plan appeared to work, since the vengeful JLA and JSA followed the "history warriors" across time and space, straight to the Time Lord's Palace of Eternity.  One by one, the castle's defenses defeated the superheroes, sending them into the same coma-like state as their teammates back in 1978. One remaining hero, the Elongated Man, rose to the challenge and managed to destroy the Eternity Brain...proving to himself that he wasn't a "circus clown" unworthy of JLA membership.

Highlights: Er...not many to speak of here.  Yeah, it was intriguing to see historical heroes brought into the mix, but check out the Lowlights to see how that worked out. I thought the reluctance and fear of the Time Lord toward the Eternity Brain was an interesting twist to the standard supervillain motivation.  Elongated Man's big save at the end of the story was also nicely done.

Also, a tiny Atom hooked to a tiny I.V. on
a hospital bed.  Awww....ain't that cute?

Lowlights: While it was a novel idea to include some of the historical heroes of DC's past, granting them immense yet nonsensical superpowers while whisking them around the time stream was a really poor way to utilize them. Because of the breakneck pacing and the bewildering sci-fi surroundings, they were little more than one-dimensional, cliche-spouting caricatures.  The modern day heroes didn't fare much better, since their bizarrely overheated emotions and endless internal monologuing only added to the feeling of sensory overload.  Top it off with some exceptionally weak Dick Dillin art, and it's safe to say this story is one of the most forgettable JLA-JSA team-ups in my entire collection.

Summers Past: The JLA & JSA team-ups (conclusion)

The team-ups of the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America were a much-anticipated annual tradition for an entire generation of comic book fans...including me!  In fact, I became such a fan of their summer meetings that I've managed to collect all twenty-two of them.  I thought it would be fun to list them all, along with some of my own impressions.

Before I head into the fifth and final part of my series, I hope you've enjoyed parts one, two, three and four.  Putting this together has taken a bit more work than I initially thought it would, but really...it's been a labor of love.  These stories, lumps and all, were a big part of my "wonder years"...so it really has been a joy to get back into them again and to share them with you.  With that, let's finish this thing off...starting with a massive five part crossover with the All-Star Squadron...

Justice League of America #207-209 and
All-Star Squadron #14 & 15 (1982)

Roll Call: 

JLA: Superman, Firestorm, Hawkman, Zatanna, and Aquaman.

JSA: Green Lantern, Power Girl, Starman, Huntress, and Dr. Fate.

The All-Star Squadron: Commander Steel, Liberty Belle, Robotman, Johnny Quick, and Firebrand.

Villains:  Per Degaton; Ultraman, Power Ring, Superwoman, Owlman, and Johnny Quick; Nuclear the Magnetic Marauder.

Synopsis: As various JSA members hopped into their transmatter cube to visit the Earth-1 universe...you guessed it...something went wrong! Instead of the JSA exiting from the JLA's transmatter cube, it was the Crime Syndicate from Earth-3 in full attack mode!

After their evil doppelgangers soundly trounced them, the JLA transported to Earth-2 for answers and found the JSA's headquarters in ruins.  Not only that, but the world was ruled by the JSA's old time-traveling foe Per Degaton.

So where did the JSA go?  Well, they appeared on Earth-Prime (where we live), which they discovered had been devastated by a nuclear war.  After battling the standard post-apocalyptic mutated humans, the JSA traced the atomic devastation back to the history-twisting machinations of Degaton during Earth-Prime's 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. 

Back on Earth-2, Superman flew the JLA back in time to 1942 for a clue on what happened to the 1982 JSA. Instead of finding the JSA, they (almost literally) ran into members of the All-Star Squadron (composed of other Golden Age heroes owned by DC Comics).  After getting everyone up to speed, the assembled heroes headed for the White House to meet with the always-available (and jovial) President Roosevelt.  During their Oval Office meeting, Degaton broadcast a video message to FDR and other world leaders demanding that he be made Ruler of Earth.  If not, he would unleash his nuclear arsenal (which he had stolen from 1962).

Got all that?  Good...because we're not done yet!

Once the JLA and the All-Star Squadron were joined by the time-jumping JSA, they split into smaller teams to hunt down Degaton's hidden stash of twenty-seven nuclear missiles.  Despite members of the Crime Syndicate guarding each location, the heroes defeated them and dismantled the weapons.

Next on the agenda, the heroes jumped to 1962 to prevent Degaton from stealing the missiles in the first place.  At that point, with the Crime Syndicate sent back to Limbo and Degaton totally defeated, time reverted back to its proper course...ensuring that the JLA-JSA meeting that opened the story could proceed without incident (and plenty of snacks).

Highlights: I was glad to see some of the more obscure Golden Age heroes brought into the mix through the All-Star Squadron (which was kinda the whole point of that series).  Speaking of which, I thought the chapters taking place in All-Star Squadron (parts 2 and 4) were the strongest of the two titles, mainly because of the fantastic artwork by Adrian Gonzales and the crisp inking of Jerry Ordway.

Despite having a more secondary role than I'd have liked, it's always good to see the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3.  Degaton's nuclear threat was also an interesting idea, since it used time-travel in such a malevolent new way.  Sure, the JLA villain T.O. Morrow had previously smuggled weapons from the future to use in his crimes, but this was different since the future weapons Degaton had stolen were "our" weapons (real-world nuclear missiles).  Definitely a thought-provoking twist.

Lowlights: Artist Don Heck, God bless him, had always been one of those competent artists who could get the job done, yet his work was never what you'd call flashy or dynamic.  Following his jump from Marvel to DC in the late 70's, Heck turned in art for titles like The Flash and Justice League that, as I said, was certainly competent and did the job of telling the story...but was also as dull as dishwater.  Not the ideal style of art you'd want for an epic time-traveling adventure with a cast of thousands (okay, dozens).

The story had the same frenetic pacing as past JLA-JSA team-ups, but I think what made it even harder to track was the additional element of time-travel...especially since three distinct time periods were in the mix (1942, 1962, and 1982).  Add to that the staggering number of cast members (some of whom I wasn't sure if they were the 1942 or 1982 versions of themselves), villains from yet another alternate earth, three U.S. Presidents, and elements of real political history, and you can start to see how this was a tough tale to follow over five installments.  Easily a third of parts two through five seemed to be spent recapping the adventure thus far...which is usually a sign that you've got too much on your plate.

Despite being a long-time fan of WWII superhero stories, I have to admit I get tired of President Roosevelt's constant cameo appearances.  In so many of the superhero stories set in WWII, especially those written by Roy Thomas (I love Roy, but you can sure tell the guy was a history major!), FDR shows up time and time again as this avuncular secular saint, spouting Solomonic Wisdom while chomping jut-jawed on his cigarette holder.  In fact, the man showed up so often in Roy's WWII stories, he became a sort of "wartime Professor X" (complete with wheelchair) coaching and cavorting with wartime superheroes.