Young Romance #175

Young Romance #175 (On Sale: August 12, 1971), has a cover by I'm not sure. Some say Jay Scott Pike, but, not likely I think. The grease pencil style of inking looks more like Win Mortimer or even Jack Sparling, but I don't think it is Sparling.

We begin with "The Wall Between Us" drawn by Artie Saaf and Vince Colletta. A social worker becomes infatuated with one of her out-of-work clients.

Next up is "Man's View" by Robert Kanigher and John Romita and reprinted from Girls' Love Stories #92 (1963). Jim has a girl in every port and doesn't want to get tied down, but when he meets Nina he can't get her out of his mind. Reprinted in Heart Throbs: The Best of DC Romance Comics HC (1979) and Heart Throbs: The Best of DC Romance Comics SC (1979).

That leads us to "A Girl Without Love" drawn by Artie Saaf and Vince Colletta. Gloria's family is affluent and her parents force her to go out with wealthy escorts, but she finds them boring. Then she meets a musician who works in a gas station to make ends meet.

Next, we have "My Summer Romance" drawn by Gil Kane and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Secret Hearts #25 (1954). Vivian returns to Lighthouse Island to reminisce about a summer romance that had ended badly.

We end with "The Love Game" drawn by John Rosenberger and reprinted from Young Love #42 (1964). Phyllis' glamorous older sister teaches her that all fellows should be treated coldly and ruthlessly to avoid getting hurt by them.

Edited by Dorothy Woolfolk.

Superman #243

Superman #243 (On Sale: August 12, 1971), has a classic Superman cover by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

We begin with "The Starry-Eyed Siren of Space" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson. A female alien intelligence creates a body for herself and is endangered by menaces of her own subconscious creation. Her mate asks Superman to help save her, and then, when she falls for Superman, builds a duplicate Superman body for himself, and attacks him. Eventually, the misunderstanding is cleared and Superman is able to return to Earth via the Timestream. Reprinted in Best of DC #12 (1981).

Next is a World of Krypton tale, "The Death-Trails of Krypton" by Cary Bates, Bob Brown, and Murphy Anderson. 2000 years ago, a Kryptonian chemo-engineer named Dol-Nd discovered that he could create flying wings for himself by using a crystalline element he named Trolium, after Trolius, the mythological lord of Krypton's red skies. However, the Trolium created permanent green death-trails in the sky after his flight, which disintegrated any object that flew into them. After defeating a criminal who tried to steal the wings, Dol-Nd destroyed his invention, but the death trails remained in the sky until Krypton's destruction. Reprinted in Best of DC #40 (1983).

Our reprint is "The Battle of the Atoms" by Don Cameron, Sam Citron, and George Roussos and reprinted from Superman #38 (1946).  Clark and Lois follow up on a tip outside of Metropolis. They discover rocks, trees, and metal bent into odd shapes as if melted. Lois is attacked by three men, but Superman fights them off. The reporters then return to the Daily Planet to file stories.

At the office, the Daily Planet building begins melting as well. Luthor is behind the attack using a newly developed molecular impulsion beam. Superman repairs the building, then stops Luthor's henchmen from robbing a bank.

Superman then pursues Luthor. Luthor's weapon temporarily knocks Superman from the sky, but he is revived by a local power plant. Superman then apprehends Luthor, who tries in vain to kill Superman using a miniature atomic bomb.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

New Gods #5

New Gods #5 (On Sale: August 12, 1971), has a cover by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer.

We begin with "Spawn" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Mike Royer. Orion is captured by Slig of the Deep Six, but manages to break free and kills Slig in battle. Meanwhile, Sgt. "Terrible" Turpin of the Metropolis police force starts investigating the mystery of Inter-Gang's actions in the city and Kalibak arrives on Earth looking for Orion. Reprinted in New Gods #3 (1984), Jack Kirby's New Gods TPB (1998), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 HC (2007), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 TPB (2012), and New Gods by Jack Kirby TPB (2018).

Our first backup is Manhunter in "Scavenger Hunt" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Simon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #74 (1942). While attending a costume party, Paul Kirk interrupts a dispute between two guests, Henry and Big Droop. Kirk suggests settling the dispute by competing in a scavenger hunt. Then as the Manhunter, Kirk assists Henry in tracking down and capturing Crusher Burns, a wanted felon, that is Henry’s target for the hunt. As a result, Henry successfully completes his mission and wins a date with Patty, another party guest.

We end with "Introducing Fastbak" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Vince Colletta. Fastbak, a young god of New Genesis, is surpassed in speed only by Lightray, but his races are usually cut short for singing practice. Reprinted in Jack Kirby's New Gods TPB (1998), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 HC (2007), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 TPB (2012), and Black Racer and Shilo Norman Special #1 (2017).

edited by Jack Kirby.

Witching Hour #17

Witching Hour #17 (On Sale: August 10, 1971), has a cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with a framing sequence drawn by Geroge Tuska. The witches move into a new house in the city. At first, they miss their old house, but the smog and view of the polluted river raise their spirits, inspiring them to tell stories.

Our first tale is "This Little Witch Went to College" by George Kashdan and Don Heck. When a college coed goes missing, the campus coven attempts to get a new initiate, Claire, to stop Frederick Stokes from investigating a death that will lead him straight to the witches.

Next up is "Fingers of Fear" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, and Sy Barry and reprinted from Sensation Comics #109 (1952). Albert Tisdale kills the other members of his expedition, but then their faces begin to appear on his fingers and try to take their revenge.

Our next reprint is "The Second Life of Simon Steele" drawn by Howard Sherman and reprinted from House of Secrets #46 (1961). The ghost of a lawyer who relied on sorcery returns after 150 years to take revenge on the descendant of the person who stopped him originally.

That takes us to "The Corpse Who Carried Cash" by Murray Boltinoff, John Calnan, and Vince Colletta. A funeral home employee embezzles from his boss and decides to hide the money in the casket of a recently dead person overnight. He realizes the error of his ways when his boss informs him the following morning that the man had been cremated.

We end with "The Man in the Cellar" by Carl Wessler and Jerry Grandenetti. Miser Ephraim Dark meets a kind stranger through a mirror that he keeps in his cellar. The stranger pulls Ephraim through the mirror and offers him a meal but Ephraim can only think he's being spied on so the stranger can steal his money. When Ephraim notices a painting ajar, he knows that he's located the man's safe. He steals the money and flees back through the mirror, but he panics that they might be able to follow him through the mirror so he burns the money. 

Still not satisfied that he is safe, he breaks the mirror. When he checks his own money hiding place he is shocked to discover his money is gone. The face of the stranger appears and Ephraim realizes the stranger is himself living another life if he had not been a miser. Ephraim realizes that the money he stole and destroyed was his own.

All new material reprinted in Showcase Presents: The Witching Hour Vol. 1 TPB (2011).

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

G.I. Combat #150

G.I. Combat #150 (On Sale: August 10, 1971), has a Haunted Tank cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin with "The Death of the Haunted Tank" by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath. Reprinted in G.I. Combat #169 (1974) and Showcase Presents: Haunted Tank Vol. 2 TPB (2008).

Next up is "The Two-Legged Mine" by Bob Haney and Russ Heath and reprinted from All American Men of War #66 (1959).

That brings us to the U.S.S. Stevens in "Hip Shot" by Sam Glanzman. "Wild Bill" Rogers, a simple deck-hand, jumps into action firing a spread of torpedoes that saves the U.S.S. Stevens from a Japanese warship.Reprinted in U.S.S. Stevens: The Collected Stories (2016).

We end with Sgt. Rock in "Ice Cream Soldier" by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert and reprinted from Our Army at War #85 (1959). Phil Mason, a new replacement, joins Easy Company. Phil is just a kid and has no combat experience. When he melts under pressure, the other members of Easy name him the Ice Cream Soldier.

Easy falls under fire. Phil freezes up forcing Sgt. Rock to protect him. Rock is wounded by enemy fire. Phil blames himself for the incident. The rest of Easy continues to tease Phil, calling him Ice Cream Soldier.

Rock reassigns Phil to be the bazookaman's assistant. When tanks attack Easy during a snowstorm, Phil is cut off from the others. Despite a severe case of frostbite, Phil takes out the tanks with the bazooka. Phil survives the experience, keeping the Ice Cream Soldier nickname.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Brave & the Bold #98

Brave & the Bold #98 (On Sale: August 10, 1971), has a Batman/Phantom Stranger cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with a signpost for the future in "Mansion of the Misbegotten" featuring Batman and the Phantom Stranger by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo. This is Aparo's first Brave and Bold and though he does not draw the next issue, with #100 he becomes the defacto B&B artist. This is one of my favorite Aparo styles and I was so happy to see Jim get a prestigious book like B&B.  When Batman goes to visit his old friend Roger Birnam, who is dying, he promises to watch over Birnam's wife Clorinda, and his son Enoch. After the funeral, when a man who posed as Birnam's doctor and as a religious articles salesman turns out at the Gotham morgue, a victim of ritual murder, Batman rushes to Birnam Towers to check on Birnam's family.

Batman soon finds himself caught in a Satanic cult ritual, with the little Enoch as the leader. Batman is easily captured, but he is saved by the arrival of the Phantom Stranger. Together, Batman and Phantom Stranger try to find a way to stop the cultists, but Batman is captured and offered as a sacrifice to Enoch, the warlock leader of the cult. 

During the ritual, Lucifer appears and takes Batman away, claiming his soul as the ultimate prize. However, it was all a charade staged by the Phantom Stranger to save Batman, and once again, they start working to bring down the evil worshippers. Taking Enoch and bringing him to a psychiatric ward, Batman is shocked to find the boy has no knowledge of the occult and deduces that the Birnams had two children, not just one.

Returning to the Birnam residence, Batman is forced to battle Clorinda and the evil Enoch with the help of the Phantom Stranger. However, the appearance of Roger's ghost scares Clorinda so badly she falls over the railing of a stairwell to her death along with her evil son, Enoch. Afterward, the Phantom Stranger moves away to find the next mystery and Batman makes a promise to take care of Roger's good son, Roger, Jr. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 2 TPB (2008), Showcase Presents: Phantom Stranger Vol. 2 TPB (2008), Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Vol. 1 HC (2012), Batman in the Brave and the Bold: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2017), and Batman in the Brave and the Bold: The Bronze Age Vol. 2 TPB (2019)

Our first reprint is the Phantom Stranger in "The Killer Shadow" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Sy Barry and reprinted from Phantom Stranger #2 (1952).  Heiress Myra Hunter attends a party thrown by her uncle John. During the party which celebrates the construction of his new summer house, John performs a ritual to capture Myra's shadow. Later, Myra really believes her shadow was taken. The Phantom Stranger then appears to show Myra that it was only a series of tricks that led her to be missing a shadow. He then proves that she still has one.

Myra then attends another party where it seems her shadow has been removed. The Phantom Stranger returns and exposes the tricks. Myra's uncle is responsible. He hoped to drive Myra mad or kill her in order to steal her fortune.

We end with the Challengers of the Unknown in "One Challenger Must Die" by Arnold Drake and Bob Brown and reprinted from  Challengers of the Unknown #32 (1963). The Volcano Men are appearing on an island, multiplying by splitting, growing large by merging. The Challengers can't agree on an attack. Ace wants to use LOX, Professor Haley CO2 foam. The team splits to pursue their own methods, but both sides fear "one Challenger might die". Separate attacks fail, and the boys stop Rocky from making a suicidal rush. Finally, they work together. Ace Morgan's LOX cools the Professor, who wields super-CO2. Smothered, the Volcano Man crumbles to ash. The Challengers agree to work together from now on.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Binky #81

Binky #81 (On Sale: August 10, 1971), has a cover by...uh...no one seems to know. Not that great of a cover anyway. It will be almost six years before issue #82 comes out. So, for all intents and purposes, we are going out with a whimper here 

We begin this issue of the doomed with Binky in "A Hairy Business" by who the hell knows? Angel P66 helps Binky get even with Sherwood.

Next is "Binky's Secret Admirer" by Ida No and reprinted from Binky's Buddies #6 (1969). At summer camp, Eloise tries to get Binky's attention.

That is followed by Li'l Leroy in "The Problem Child" by eh? Leroy gets in charge of his entire class.

That brings us to Benny in "Tell Me No Lies" by Sum Won. Benny goes to visit Sherwood in the hospital.

We now get to six 1/3 page untitled Cross-Eyed Pussycat gags by Henry Scarpelli.

We end with Benny in "Monkey Business" John Albano, Winslow Mortimer, and Henry Scarpelli and reprinted from Binky's Buddies #9 (1970). By mistake, Benny babysits a monkey.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

World's Finest Comics #206

World's Finest Comics #206 (On Sale: August 5, 1971), has a Superman/Batman cover by Dick Giordano.

We begin with "The Secret of the Captive Caveman" by Bill Finger and Jim Mooney and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #138 (1963). Batman and Robin attempt to capture an alien being spotted in Gotham City. When the alien realizes his Z-Beam weapon doesn't affect humans he rushes to the Gotham Library to learn why. There Batman and Robin overhear the alien tell its superiors that their weapons cannot affect modern man. Before the two heroes can capture the alien he swallows a pill and dies and his comrades in a ship outside breach the time barrier to escape. 

Seeing a history book opened to the time of pre-historic man, Batman and Robin deduce that the aliens have traveled back in time to try and conquer the human race in the past. Calling Clark Kent at the Daily Planet to tell them of this plot, Clark tells them that he will meet them in the past. Batman and Robin then use Carter Nichols' time machine to travel to the stone age in the hopes of thwarting the alien invasion of the past.

They all arrive in the past before the aliens do and after saving a tribe of cavemen from a sabretooth tiger, Batman, Robin and Superman disguise themselves as cavemen and wait for the aliens to arrive. When the aliens arrive their Z-Rays work at making the early humans their slaves. The three heroes pretend to be enslaved as well so that they can learn of the alien plot. They have the cavemen mine for a rare metal called Drakkium, an ore that -- unrefined -- is harmful to the aliens. The aliens intend to use the unrefined ore to take over the leadership of their race and then refine the ore, which ironically is deadly to humans, and use it to wipe humanity off the face of the Earth and take over the planet.

Batman, Robin, and Superman then free the cavemen and stage a revolt against the alien would-be dictatorship by incapacitating them with chunks of unrefined Drakkium The alien force unconscious, Superman, Batman and Robin then turn the insurgent force over to the alien authorities and launch the remaining unrefined Drakkium ore into space with an alien ship. With the threat over, Batman, Robin, and Superman return to the present.

Next up is "The Creature That Was Exchanged for Superman" by Jerry Coleman, Dick Sprang, and Sheldon Moldoff and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #118 (1961). While on a charity drive for the Heart Fund, Batman, Robin and Superman spot a strange energy beam outside the city and decide to go and investigate. Superman is teleported away and replaced by some strange creature. Concerned about this creature's sudden arrival, Batman and Robin attempt to rope it up, but it breaks free and begins to tunnel into the ground. Batman, spotting a boulder at the top of the hill it's boring into, comes up with an idea of how to attack the creature.

Meanwhile, Superman finds himself transported to the planet Xeron by an alien named Vathgar. Vathgar explains that he transported the creature to Earth, but one drawback to the device was that the transported creature has to swap places with something at its destination. Not wanting Superman, the aliens attack him but he is impervious to their weapons. However, when he uses his heat vision he finds that it freezes things instead of melting them, and his flying powers are wonky and Vathgar manages to get away. 

Flying to a nearby city, Superman sees a runaway vehicle and attempts to stop it by using his super-breath only to find that he has flame breath instead. When the people of Xeron attack him, Superman convinces them to stop to compare notes. He learns that Vathgar is a criminal on this world and that he had captured two Skrans, and the inter-temporal transport device for some unknown purpose. Superman agrees to track down Vathgar to learn his purpose.

While back on Earth, the Skran sent there comes out of its tunnel and no matter what Batman and Robin attempt to do to stop it, some impenetrable force keeps them from stopping the creature. While back on Xeron, Superman tracks down Vathgar and learns that he sent the Skran to Earth because there is an element there that is rare on Xeron that makes the Skran invincible and he intended to use the creatures to overthrow the government and take over his world. Superman is forced to battle the Skran that Vathgar has and realizes that extreme cold renders the creature harmless when he uses his freeze vision on the creature.

Back on Earth, the military fires all their artillery at the Skarn there causing it to split in two. One of the creatures passes through the returning teleportation beam, returning Superman to Earth as well. Superman flies off and comes back with a large chunk of ice to drop on the Skarn to render it harmless. With the beast quelled, the heroes bring it off to the Gotham Zoo to resume the remainder of its docile life.

That brings us to "Riddle of the Four Planets" by Jerry Coleman and Jim Mooney and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #130 (1962). An alien starfish creature lands near Wayne Manor and Batman and Robin go to investigate the creature. An alien ship lands and the aliens explain that the creature is a Zelaphod which they accidentally unleashed. They also explain that the creature grows in strength and size and gains the ability to fire explosive bursts of energy by sapping minerals deep below the surface of a planet and is seemingly indestructible. When Superman arrives, they find that the creature proves impervious to Superman's strength and x-ray vision. The alien tells them of an old poem that itemizes ingredients to a chemical compound that can help them defeat the monster.

Telling them the title of the poem -- Sauk -- contains the first letters in the names of different planets that supposedly have the key ingredients. With this information, they alert Commissioner Gordon of the creature and fly off to the various worlds to collect the ingredients they need.

Superman travels to the planet Sinzar to find "sand from the beach of a waterless sea", and upon freeing a trapped archeologist finds exactly what the poem is talking about: a dried-out beach in front of an ancient city buried underground. On Antella, Superman seeks out "moss from a barking tree", which he finds on that worlds "forbidden forest" region after destroying hallucination inducing plants and finding that the poem verse is not quite literal: He finds the moss in a tree that is defended by a small dog-like creature.

While elsewhere in the universe Batman and Robin arrive with the traveling band of aliens to the planet Unxor. There they agree to put on an acrobatics show when the alien cast comes down with space measles. After putting on the show, the aliens gladly tell them where to find "Ears that hear the music of the morning knell" which turn out to be ear-shaped plants that are around giant singing boulders. When traveling to the planet Karos to collect a "tuft of hair from the mystic Krell" they have to battle a giant reptilian creature - a Krell. Although they are overpowered Superman arrives and lends them a helping hand by taking a tuft of hair from the creature. In the aftermath of the battle, Batman notes that a strange gem is shining energy on a hole in the ground shaped like the Zelaphod creature and deduces that it is the source that makes the creatures a threat to the universe.

Destroying the gem to prevent any more Zelaphod threats in the future, Batman, Robin, and Superman return to Earth with the mixture of items and use it to destroy the Zelaphod that is threatening Gotham City.

We end with "The Mirror Batman" by Jerry Coleman and Jim Mooney and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #121 (1961). While attempting to stop some crooks from robbing a warehouse, Batman accidentally falls into a mirror which transports him to another dimension. Robin is unable to bring Batman back, so he contacts Superman for help. Batman emerges from the mirror, altered by it and given bizarre powers.

While Superman and Robin try to corral Batman, the thieves return to steal the mirror, locking in their hide-out safe. Batman is brought down by Superman, but can only be returned to normal by returning to the mirror’s dimension. Finding the mirror missing, Superman and Robin track down the thieves and recover the mirror.

The trio then enters the mirror and meets a strange being responsible for Batman’s transformation. Superman agrees to defeat Xanu, the being's enemy in return for returning the Caped Crusader to normal. Once the task is done, the trio return home, and Superman smashes the mirror.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Girls' Love Stories #162

Girls' Love Stories #162 (On Sale: August 5, 1971), has a cover by Winslow Mortimer.

We begin with "Honeymoon for Three" drawn by Jay Scott Pike and Vince Colletta. Chuck agrees to marry Sally but he is not happy that he also has to raise Billy, her orphaned nephew.

Next up is "Which Girl Am I?" drawn by both Gene Colan and Dick Giordano and reprinted from Young Love #52 (1965). Tomboy Judi gets a makeover, but now she looks just like movie star Didi Taylor and thinks that everyone just wants to meet her because of the resemblance.

That brings us to "The Hard Way" drawn by Winslow Mortimer and Vince Colletta. After Jay breaks up with Liza she has a hard time moving on and treats her next boyfriend badly.

Next, we have "Castle of Love" drawn by Bill Draut and reprinted from Falling in Love #86 (1966). Nolan Grant tries to solve the mystery of "Sleeping Beauty," a girl named Eileen who has cut herself off from the world because of a past heartbreak.

We end with "This Is Our Moment" drawn by John Romita and reprinted from Secret Hearts #109 (1966). Katie always takes advantage of her younger sister Jane but Jane ends up getting the guy they both want.

Edited by Dorothy Woolfolk.

All-Star Western #8

All-Star Western #8 (On Sale: August 5, 1971), has an Outlaw cover by Tony DeZuniga.

We begin with Outlaw: Billy the Kid in "The Scavenger" by John Albano and Tony DeZuniga. Billy the Kid gets arrested for gunning down two men and is locked up with a one-eyed scavenger who tries to take her boots. However, when the Sheriff gets mixed up, the one-eyed man stabs the Sheriff and takes his boots instead. Billy and the scavenger then decide to escape jail together.

However, when making their escape, they are stopped by robbers who want to know the location of where the scavenger hid their loot. When they find out that Billy is a girl, the scavenger talks them into drawing against her, Billy, with the scavenger's help, gets the draw on them and shoots them all dead. The scavenger then tells Billy to leave without him as he's going to occupy himself with the pickings of the dead, but in reality, the scavenger was only making an excuse to stay behind and hold the law that is after Billy occupied while she got away. Reprinted in Showcase Presents Jonah Hex Vol. 1 TPB (2006).

Next up is Buffalo Bill in "The Magic Thunderstick" by Dave Wood and Joe Kubert and reprinted from Frontier Fighters #3 (1956).

Our next reprint is Pow-Wow Smith in "The Sheriff's Birthday Party" by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino and reprinted from Western Comics #78 (1959). 

Next, we have "Timber Wolf" drawn by Gil Kane and Tony DeZuniga. Ben Armstrong is herding a steer and a cow to his ranch when a timber wolf starts hunting them.

We end this El Diablo-less issue with Davy Crockett in "The Renegade Fur-Traders" drawn by John Prentice and reprinted from Frontier Fighters #6 (1956).

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Our Army at War #237

Our Army at War #237 (On Sale: August 3, 1971), has an interesting  Sgt. Rock cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin with Sgt. Rock in  "Nobody Cares" by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath.

Next up is a Medal of Honor story "Assault on the Hermit Kingdom" drawn by Norman Maurer.

Our next story is a reprint, "Battle Sun" by Bob Haney and Russ Heath and reprinted from Our Army at War #61 (1957).

Our next reprint is "The Wall Around the War" by Bob Haney and Joe Kubert and reprinted from Our Fighting Forces #24 (1957).

We end with our final story "The Bloody Star" by Bob Haney and Fred Ray. 

Edited by Joe Kubert.

House of Secrets #94

House of Secrets #94 (On Sale: August 3, 1971), has a gorgeous Mr. Hyde cover by Berni Wrightson.

We begin with "The Man with My Face" by Gerry Conway and Jack Sparling. A gambler agrees to switch bodies with a mysterious stranger in exchange for a lucky silver dollar which allows him to never lose a bet.

That is followed by "Hyde -- and Go Seek" by Len Wein and Tony DeZuniga. A henpecked police officer is shocked to find out his best friend was searching for a cure for drug addiction and developed a serum that transformed him into a strangler that chooses his victims among girls who reminded him of his wife who left him. After the police manage to shoot him at last the dying man tells his friend where the vial of serum is located and begs him to destroy it. 

After he returns to his shrew wife who is telling him about how she's already spent his bonus for solving the case, he withdraws the serum from his coat pocket and drinks it down. Reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #24 (1982).

Next up we have "The Day Nobody Died" drawn by George Roussos and reprinted from Tales of the Unexpected #9 (1957). A man is certain no one will die today because he is Death and it's his day off.

That brings us to  "Track of the Invisible Beast" drawn by Alex Toth and reprinted from House of Mystery #109 (1961).

We end this issue with "A Bottle of Incense.. a Whiff of the Past" by Gerry Conway, Alan Weiss, and Berni Wrightson. An old woman who lost a man she fancied in an auto accident fifty years ago uses an occult ritual to return him to her, but he returns as a hungry zombie who devours her. Reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #17 (1982).

Entire issue reprinted in Showcase Presents: The House of Secrets Vol. 1 TPB (2008).

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Forever People #5

Forever People #5 (On Sale: August 3, 1971), has a cover by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer.

We begin this issue with "Sonny Sumo" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Vince Colletta. Mother Box helps heal Sonny Sumo of burn wounds after he fights a robot. Then it transports Sonny to Happyland, where he helps break the Forever People free of Desaad's traps. When Desaad's guards attack them, Sonny takes the advice of Mark Moonrider and unites his will with that of the Mother Box, putting their enemies to sleep. 

Darkseid, watching from afar, realizes that Sumo possesses the Anti-Life Equation. He decides that the Forever People must be killed, and Sumo captured. Reprinted in Jack Kirby's Forever People TPB (1999), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 HC (2007), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 TPB (2012), and Forever People by Jack Kirby TPB (2021).

Next, we have the Sandman in "Crime Carnival" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Simon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #84 (1943). Four men begin a robbery spree, using carnival talents in their crimes. Sandman investigates, but the criminals give him the slip using a convertible van. Sandman deduces that they are members of a carnival and catches up to them again. This time he sees through their ruse of the trick van and captures them.

We end with  "Lonar" written and penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Vince Colletta. Lunar, poking amidst the ruins of an "old gods'" battlefield, liberates a great white horse, Thunderer from suspended animation. Reprinted in Jack Kirby's Forever People TPB (1999), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 HC (2007), Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2 TPB (2012), and New Gods Special #1 (2017). 

Edited by Jack Kirby.

Detective Comics #415

Detective Comics #415 (On Sale: July 29, 1971), has a nice Batman cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with Batman in "Challenge of the Consumer Crusader" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown, and Dick Giordano. Batman saves a consumer advocate from murder and discovers the extortionist who is shielding herself behind his front by tricking one of his criminal allies into revealing the truth. Batman uses make-up to resemble the man that was marked for murder and he pretends to be his ghost in order to force a confession out of the thug.

After listening to the plan and learning about the master criminal behind it, Batman confronts the woman and his large gang before finally capturing her. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 6 TPB (2016).

The backup is Batgirl in "Death Shares the Spotlight" by Frank Robbins and Don Heck. When taken out on a date by Jason Bard to see the play "Invitation to Murder", the couple soon finds themselves entangled in an attempted murder of Hollywood's "Royal Couple" Robbie and Tiz Marlow. Leaving Jason behind to guard the starlets, Barbara goes off to call the police.

After the crime is reported, both Jason and Barbara begin their own investigations. This leads Batgirl to Gotham Arena, which is currently putting on a western exhibition that features Big Chuck Walla, who is responsible for the attempt on the Marlows lives.

Battling Walla, Batgirl and Jason learn that Tiz was secretly going to marry Walla, but left him instead for Barlow and that it was out of jealousy that he attempted to murder the couple. After learning the truth, and that Walla's exhibition gun is loaded with blanks, Jason knocks Walla out with one punch and he and Batgirl turn Walla over to the police. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batgirl Vol. 1 TPB (2007) and Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2018).

Our first reprint features Mysto, Magician Detective in "The Forbidden Trick" by William Woolfolk and Leonard Starr and reprinted from Detective Comics #211 (1954).

We end with "The Case of the Finders Keepers" drawn by John Prentice and reprinted from Gangbusters #54 (1956).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Adventure Comics #410

Adventure Comics #410 (On Sale: July 29, 1971), has a Supergirl cover by Bob Oksner on this the first official post-Sekowsky issue.

We begin with Supergirl in "The Nature of the Beast" by John Albano, Bob Oksner, and Vince Colletta. Linda Danvers is visiting Nasthalthia (Nasty) at her apartment. Nasty is hopeful that Linda will agree to move in with her so that she can keep her under surveillance and prove she is Supergirl. While touring the apartment Linda spots a horrifying scene in the apartment next door, quickly changes into Supergirl, and bursts in next door where a man is being attacked by strange manbird creatures.

She subdues the creatures and pursues them as they fly out the window but she loses her superpowers. Her powers have been coming in and out since swallowing a drug in issue 404. Supergirl falls from the apartment to the street but manages to catch herself. She returns back to the man's apartment dressed as Linda and finds Nasty coddling the handsome young man, Mike Merrick, that had been attacked. Mike thinks that it was Nasty who saved him from the bird creatures. He invites both girls out to dinner and they dine at the Club 500 where Mike devotes most of his attention to Linda instead of Nasty. Mike and Linda spend most of their time on the dance floor and find that Nasty has left apparently out of jealousy and boredom. Mike and Linda leave the club where they are both abducted once again by the bird creatures.

The bird creatures fly them to their island where they are brought before the leader who accuses Mike of stealing jewels. The chief bird explains that they used to be villagers with normal human appearances until a professor came accompanied by Mike and performed bizarre experiments on them. The injections they received from the Professor and Mike altered their appearance into bird-like creatures. The Professor and Mike also stole a jewel from a sacred idol as they prepared to leave the island. The Professor was later found dead on the beach, supposedly murdered by Mike. 

Mike denies the accusations so the bird creatures threaten to drop Linda into a volcano to make Mike confess. At that point, Mike reveals that the jewel is back at his apartment. He and Linda are imprisoned in a cage until the jewel is recovered, but Mike tries to escape by setting a fire. As they escape, Mike is attacked by the bird creatures once more. Linda changes into Supergirl and flies Mike to safety off the island. As she is flying, Supergirls powers fade away yet again. 

She is rescued by Mike who swims her back to the beach. He lays Supergirls unconscious body down and confesses that he knows that Supergirl and Linda are one and the same. He also reveals that he lied about the location of the jewel and admits that Supergirl will eventually have to hunt him down as he walks away from Supergirls unconscious body on the beach.

The reprint backup is the Legion of Super-Heroes in "The Revolt of the Girl Legionnaires" by Jerry Siegel and John Forte and reprinted from Adventure Comics #326 (1964). Saturn Girl summons all the female Legionnaires to the Super-Hero Clubhouse to begin laying plans to destroy the male members. Ultra Boy, Mon-El, Sun Boy, Lightning Lad, Colossal Boy, and Matter-Eater Lad, returning from a mission are diverted elsewhere by Saturn Girl. The remaining male Legionnaires are selected as victims by the various girls, who plan to pair off romantically with each and kill them at the Interplanetary Fair.

The next day at the fair, Light Lass causes Element Lad to be stranded on a mountain peak, while Triplicate Girl, assisted by Shrinking Violet, splits into three girls who use ring devices to reduce Invisible Kid, Cosmic Boy, and Brainiac 5 to a tiny size, and entombs them inside a matchbox. Saturn Girl lures Superboy into fighting a robot lead creature, which bursts open to reveal deadly Kryptonite. Supergirl teases Chameleon Boy into becoming phantom-like, then uses a cancellite spray to keep him from changing back, and Phantom Girl tricks Star Boy into making himself super-heavy so that he sinks into the ground.

Back at the Clubhouse, the girls celebrate their success with a wild party. Queen Azura of the planet Femnaz, a world controlled by man-hating women, suddenly appears on their space monitor and releases them from the super-hypnotic command she'd put them under. She explains that the other male Legionnaires, while on their mission, had saved her people from disaster, and thus changed her attitude toward all males.

Normal once again, the girls release the boys from their traps, and all is explained and forgiven.

We end with Supergirl in "The Ruler Without a Planet" by John Albano, Bob Oksner, and Vince Colletta. Supergirl is on patrol in search of Mike Merrick from the first story. She encounters a huge ape creature causing havoc on the city block below. She notices that the beast is clutching a small boy in its hand. Supergirl quickly subdues the creature and rescues the boy. As she is setting the boy down, Supergirl notices flames coming from a nearby storage room. She tries to blow the flames out using her super-breath but finds that her superpowers have disappeared again. 

Suddenly a young girl appears out of nowhere and seemingly blows out the flames with a super breath of her own. Supergirl is amazed at the little girl's power. The girl explains that she does not have any parents, only a stepfather and that she had accidentally traveled to earth on a spaceship. The craft exploded once she landed and now she is trapped on earth. She demonstrates her powers of flight and offers to help Supergirl fight crime on earth. She also reveals that she knows Supergirls secret identity. The girl's name is Judy and Supergirl allows her to assist in crime-fighting adventures. 

One night Judy receives a telepathic message from her stepfather telling her that she was sent to earth to destroy all superheroes starting with Supergirl. The stepfather encourages Judy to shoot Supergirl with a green death ray gun but she refuses. Enraged, the stepfather attempts to shoot the girl with a death ray of his own but Supergirl blocks it from hitting Judy. In the meantime, the United States Air Force has detected the stepfather's ship hovering in the sky. They shoot it down with their weapons as Supergirl and Judy view the night sky. Judy points to the trailing flames of the craft and remarks that it is a falling star. Supergirl responds by saying it was a falling star that climbed too high and burned itself out.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Action Comics #404

Action Comics #404 (On Sale: July 29, 1971), has a Superman cover by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

We begin with Superman in "Kneel to Your Conqueror, Superman" by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson. Superman is tricked into the clutches of Rufus Caesar, a "human computer" who uses an apparatus of his own devising to drain the Man of Steel's superpowers and infuse them into his own body.

Our first reprint is the Atom in "The Specter of 3000-Moons Lake" by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, and Murphy Anderson and reprinted from Atom #5 (1963). Ray Palmer and Jean Loring accompany millionaire Don Morgan to where he keeps his cottage at 3000-Moons Lake. There, a series of strange thefts and supernatural activities have become the subject of debate. Since the grounds are the location of an ancient Indian curse, the people of 3000-Moons Lake are torn between believing in the curse or summing up all the strange happenings as unrelated pranks by local children.

Ray decides to investigate as the Atom, and when another subject of strange supernatural events occurs, the Atom learns that they are really being caused by resident Fred Harris, who is using the old curse to get away with the thefts. However, the Atom tricks him into confessing by pretending to be an ancient Indian spirit (really shrunk down in size and hiding in Harris's ear) and incapacitating him by throwing off his center of balance.

Next, we have Aquaman in "The Coward and the Hero" by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from Adventure Comics #220 (1956). Aquaman meets Johnny Blake, a former war hero who is now scared of the water. Johnny is humiliated when he won't dive into the water to save his own girlfriend. Aquaman saves her, then doubles as Johnny to save the man's reputation. 

His hoax is soon discovered. Aquaman explains that Johnny crashed into the water during the war and barely survived which has led to his fear. Aquaman then stages an accident where Johnny must enter the water to save him. Johnny unknowingly dives in to save Aquaman and regains his courage.

We end this issue with Superman in "The Day They Killed Clark Kent" by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson. Clark Kent teaches a lesson to a group of fraternity brothers who like to haze new pledges.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

World's Finest Comics #205

World's Finest Comics #205 (On Sale: July 27, 1971), has a Superman/Teen Titans cover by Neal Adams.

Our cover story is Superman and the Teen Titans in "The Computer That Captured a Town" by Steve Skeates, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella. A town is controlled by an alien computer which programs them all according to the wishes of a man whose memories it took and then killed. The computer makes the Teen Titans act like racists until Superman gets a subconscious message from Lilith and arrives to stop the computer from controlling the titans and the townspeople. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB (2007), Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus HC (2017), and World's Finest: Guardians of Earth HC (2020).

Next is "Secret of the Last Earth-Man" by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Murphy Anderson and reprinted from Strange Adventures #111 (1959). 

We end with a real artistic treat, the Shining Knight in "The Duel of the Flying Knights" by Joe Samachson and Frank Frazetta and reprinted from Adventure Comics #153 (1950). In the days of Camelot, Mordred meets a Greek warrior displaced in time by a magical mist. Mordred pits the warrior and his flying steed Pegasus against the Shining Knight. Mordred using trickery to aid the Greek warrior, but the Knight prevails with the aid of Merlin.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Strange Adventures #232

Strange Adventures #232 (On Sale: July 27, 1971), has a cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin with "Hollywood in Space" by John Broome, Mort Drucker, and Sy Barry and reprinted from Mystery in Space #14 (1953). Though mostly known as a penciler/inker, many of \Mort Drucker's assignments before 1955 were pencils only.

Next is The Star Rovers in "Who Caught the Loborilla?" by Gardner Fox and Sid Greene and reprinted from Mystery in Space #66 (1961). Three adventurers answer the challenge of capturing the Loborilla, an animal with features resembling both lobster and gorilla. The first adventurer, Karel Sorensen, travels to Zaddara, the planet where the beast was spotted. She relates her experience to the others, explaining that she captured the creature.

Her story is heard by Rick Purvis, another adventurer. He tells her that he witnessed her capture of the Loborilla, but the beast tricked her using a special form of camouflage to disguise a tree as itself. When Karel checks her cage again, she discovers only a tree, not the Loborilla. Purvis then claims to have captured the beast.

Homer Glint informs Purvis that his own story was flawed because he witnessed the creature create a mental illusion to trick Purvis. When Purvis checks his cage, the illusion vanishes. Glint makes a final claim of the prize creature and shows his own cage.

The creature breaks free and telepathically explains that even Glint failed. The Loborilla is intelligent and also a hunter. He actually captured Glintand returned with him. Proof of his tale is recorded on a special camera. He then disappears, thanking the adventurers for a unique experience.

That is followed by Adam Strange in "The Multiple Menace Weapon" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, and Murphy Anderson and reprinted from Mystery in Space #72 (1961). Adam Strange has resumed his profession as an archaeologist on Earth because the Zeta Beam will not return for nearly a year. He is surprised when a purple beam strikes him while in New York, which teleports him into the future. Then, upon his arrival, the Zeta Beam strikes him, bringing him to Rann 100,000 years in the future.

Julan, a future Ranagaran, explains that they are menaced by aliens from the planet Klannf. They have brought Adam, Rann’s legendary hero, here to combat them. Adam indeed finds a way to beat the aliens using a magnetized boomerang.

Adam is then sent back to present-day Rann to defeat a cone menace that threatens Alanna and her people. The future Zeta Beam lasts longer, allowing Adam to spend months with Alanna before he is returned to Earth. There, he awaits the next Zeta Beam to reunite him with his lover again.

We end with "The Magnetic Duel" by John Broome and Murphy Anderson and reprinted from Mystery in Space #17 (1953).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Date with Debbi #17

Date with Debbi #17 (On Sale: July 27, 1971), has a cover by Henry Scarpelli and Stan Goldberg.

We begin this last issue for the time being with "The Hard Sell" drawn by Doug Crane. 

Next is "The Kid with the Stupid Mouth" also drawn by Doug Crane.

That brings us to "A Bottle of Love" drawn by Stan Goldberg.

Next up is a reprint  "Losers, Weepers" drawn by Henry Scarpelli and reprinted from Debbi's Dates #9 (1970).

We end with "The Money Maker" drawn by Henry Scarpelli and Stan Goldberg.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Unexpected #127

Unexpected #127 (On Sale: July 22, 1971), has a very nice cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with  "Follow the Piper to Your Grave" by Robert Kanigher and George Tuska. A man leaves his girlfriend at a house in the swamp which turns out to be haunted by a killer. Once he realizes this, he rushes back into his car even though he has been warned that the bridge is out. Meanwhile, strange pipe music wakes the girl and compels her to follow it into the bog where she will drown. 

She prays for her man to save her and suddenly he appears to pull her from the bog. She wonders why the music doesn't affect him and, abruptly, he fades away. She is puzzled until the man who warned her boyfriend about the bridge being out appears. She learns that he died in attempting to jump the collapsed bridge in order to save her.

Next, we have "The Cats Who Knew Too Much" by Jack Kirby and reprinted from House of Secrets #8 (1958). Butler Michael Renner kills his employer but soon finds out that her will stipulates he must take care of her cats or he will receive no money. Soon he begins to imagine that the cats are out to get him.

That brings us to "The Ferry Was Waiting" drawn by John Giunta and reprinted from Sensation Comics #109 (1952). Doctor Rawlings is transported on a night ferry whose captain died shortly ago. This way the deceased captain pays off a debt to the doctor.

That is followed by "The 30,000 Corpses" by Murray Boltinoff, John Calnan, and Vince Colletta. A criminal is released from prison but he gets an unexpected surprise when he goes to retrieve the stolen money he hid before he was caught.

Next up is Johnny Peril in "Queen of the Snows" by Robert Kanigher,  Alex Toth, and Sy Barry and reprinted from Sensation Comics #107 (1952). Johnny Peril finds his friend Lee Allen, who just before he dies swears he has seen Subara the Ice Queen, who the natives believe lives on frozen Mt. Subara. Johnny returns to the mountain with two more friends, but only he encounters Subara. They refuse to believe he met the mythical woman until he produces her crown of roses.

That brings us to "Frightened to Death" by Murray Boltinoff and George Tuska. A man in a raft floating on the ocean finally finds land. 

We end with "Till Death Us Do Unite" by George Kashdan and Jim Aparo. Truman Wilkes kills and disposes of his wife, but with no physical body, he must wait seven years until she is ruled legally dead to inherit her money.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #114

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #114 (On Sale: July 22, 1971), has a nice cover by Dick Giordano.

We begin with Lois Lane and The Rose and the Thorn in "The Foe of 100 Faces" by Robert Kanigher, Werner Roth, and Vince Colletta, with an inking assist by Murphy Anderson. Lois Lane ventures into a black community to recruit a young black writer to work for the Daily Planet. When she arrives she finds Dave Stevens and his girlfriend Tina in the middle of planning a protest. 

As Lois and Dave walk outside of their building, they are attacked by henchmen from the 100. They are rescued by the vigilante Thorn and proceed to the protest site where they are fighting for better community conditions. Unbeknownst to them, the 100 have planted henchmen to disrupt the protest and violence soon breaks out. 

Thorn and Superman arrive to put down the violence. Superman offers to help with some construction that would be beneficial to office buildings and the community. Superman constructs a housing model and the community comes out to celebrate it. During the celebration, members of the 100 show up and throw a firebomb at the occupants. Lois picks up the bomb and throws it out of harm's way. 

As Lois disposes of the bomb she spots Thorn sneaking into the housing community. She follows and witnesses Thorn battling members of a group known as America Awakes which is a splinter group of the 100. Thorn subdues the gang members and Lois receives medical attention for her burnt hands. Dave Stevens is hired as the first black writer for the Daily Planet and Lois receives love and respect from Dave’s girlfriend Tina.

This issues reprint is "The Reptile Girl of Metropolis" by Leo Dorfman and Kurt Schaffenberger and reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #61 (1965). When Lois attends a nuclear experiment she is transformed by a radioactive accident into a reptilian. The nuclear physicist she was working with is also transformed. However, the scientist and the reporter are really imposters. The real Lois was taken prisoner during the experiment and held captive.

Lois escapes by drugging her guard, then she contacts Lucy and Jimmy. Lucy helps capture her imposter, then she joins the physicist to learn more. When she returns home, Lois discovers that Lucy was overpowered and the imposter escaped.

Lucy and Lois then track down the imposters. They watch as the pair is abducted by tiny aliens. Lois returns to the Daily Planet to report her story and discovers the reptilian imposter at her desk. Both imposters reveal themselves and turn out to be Superman and Supergirl.

Superman then explains that he found a scout to an invasion fleet, who planned to abduct the physicist. He and Supergirl disguised themselves so that they would be taken instead. Working together, the two heroes were then able to thwart the invasion and return to Earth.

Edited by E Nelson Bridwell.

Batman #235

Batman #235 (On Sale: July 22, 1971), has a  cover by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

We begin with "Swamp Sinister" by Denny O'Neil, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano. A heavy and large package arrives for Bruce Wayne at the Wayne Foundation Penthouse. Alfred and Bruce manage to open the box and they realize that it is a coffin with a dead body inside. Bruce quickly changes into Batman and prepares to leave with the corpse to the GCPD Headquarters and start an investigation, when suddenly Ra's al Ghul appears and informs Batman that he sent the package because he needs Batman's help.

Ra's tells Batman that Striss, one of the scientists working for him, had developed a formula to alter chemical elements' properties without his permission and that during a confrontation between them, Ra's was knocked by Striss' assistant, Pollard. Ra's was thought to be dead, but with help from his other scientists, Ra's recovered and started looking for Striss. After an extensive search, all his men could find was the dead body of Pollard, the man who attacked Ra's. When they examined the body, they found traces of the formula developed by Striss and also discovered that when humans were exposed to the formula, it turned into a deadly plague, which is what killed Pollard. After telling the story to Batman, Ra's asks the Dark Knight to find and stop Striss from spreading the plague and also save Ra's daughter, Talia, as she had already begun a manhunt for the scientist, unaware of the dangers.

Batman starts his investigation in the house of a notorious chemist, who could provide Striss with the chemical elements he needed to test his formula. When Batman arrives at the place, he realizes that it is too late, as both Striss' men, as well as Talia's henchmen, have arrived before him and someone had kidnapped the chemist. Batman takes down the thugs guarding the house and when he enters the place, he interrogates the housekeeper, who informs Batman that the thugs have taken Mr. London to a "small stream."

Batman deduces that the housemaid refers to the Louisiana swamps and he prepares a flight on Ra's private jet to Louisiana. Batman descends on the marked location and starts following the traces left by Striss' formula until he finds an odd abandoned cabin in the middle of the swamp. When Batman enters the place, he finds a concealed elevator inside and he prepares to descend, unaware of the activities taking place below, where Talia had already caught up with Striss and Mr. London, and she was ready to eliminate the scientist for the murder of her father. Batman arrives in time to stop Talia from killing Striss, but when he is explaining to them about the deadly plague contained in the formula, Striss attacks them and Batman is forced to defend Talia from Striss, who grabs a machine gun and tries to shoot at them. Batman manages to hold Striss' aim away from them, but one of the bullets hits the vial with the formula, spilling the chemical over the desk. Batman punches Striss and the man falls on top of the formula, which starts affecting him immediately. Batman takes Talia and Mr. London out of the room and he seals it completely in order to avoid the plague from spreading away.

Finally, Batman, Talia and Mr. London reach the surface of the swamp, where Ra's is waiting for them and Talia is overjoyed to learn that her father is still alive. Ra's has taken a team of doctors to make sure they are not infected and they prepare to leave the place. Before leaving the swamp, Talia shows her gratitude to Batman by kissing him, but Batman is still shocked at Talia's willingness to kill, which makes him unsure about her last kiss. Reprinted in Saga of Ra's Al Ghul #2 (1988), Batman: Tales of the Demon TPB (1991), Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 6 TPB (2016), and Batman: Tales of the Demon HC (2020).

The Robin backup is "The Outcast Society" by Mike Friedrich, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano. Continuing from Batman #234, Robin works hard to convince the communards to let him take Pat Whalon, the main suspect of the attack on a police officer, to stand trial. However, Whalon breaks away, confessing his crimes and he runs into the forest, where he causes a brushfire that may destroy the commune. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 TPB (2008).

Our reprint of this issue is "Castle with Wall-to-Wall Danger" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Detective Comics #329 (1964). Batman and Robin receive a tip that Pragnel, a wanted criminal, is in England. They fly to England to find Pragnel and extradite him. When they arrive at the castle at which Pragnel was seen, they realize that the castle owner Albert Maunch merely looks similar to the crook. Though their mission seems to have failed, the Dynamic Duo accepts Maunch's invitation to dinner.

While in the castle, several attempts are made to kill Batman and Robin. Soon, they are attacked outright by two thugs and a man in a trenchcoat. When they capture him, the man turns out to be Pragnel, alias Vincent Maunch, Albert's cousin. Pragnel was searching his cousin's castle for hidden Nazi gold and threatened Albert's family to keep him in line. Batman returns to America with Pragnel, and Albert eventually finds the gold.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Young Love #88

Young Love #88 (On Sale: July 20, 1971), has a  cover by Don Heck and Dick Giordano.

We begin with "Take Back Your Love" by Jack Oleck, John Rosenberger, and Vince Colletta. Ellen's boyfriend Clay comes back from the war with serious injuries and refuses to resume their relationship. Ellen can't move on with anyone else until, after Clay's death, she finds proof that he kept on loving her until the end.

Next up is "The Secret of Happiness" drawn by John Rosenberger and reprinted from Girls' Romances#101 (1964). Raven's sister sets her up with Miles, a local widower.

That brings us to "The Sister" penciled by Winslow Mortimer. Penny thinks her sister Wilma is trying to steal her boyfriend but they are only preparing for a surprise party for Penny's birthday.

Next is "Stand-In for Ginny" by creators unknown. Sue believes that she'll never find a guy of her own as long as her more glamorous roommate Ginny is around.

We end with "I'll Find You Again" drawn by Gene Colan and reprinted from Young Love #56 (1966). Nora returns to the site of her summer romance with Lee, which ended when he left in the fall. Though she is nearly overwhelmed with sad memories, she meets Michael again and remembers how kind he was to her after Lee left.

Edited by Dorothy Woolfolk.

Justice League of America #92

Justice League of America #92 (On Sale: July 20, 1971), has a  cover by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

Concluding from the last issue we have the Justice League of America and the Justice Society of America in "Solomon Grundy -- The One and Only" by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella. As A-Rym encounters Solomon Grundy on Earth-2, the JLA meets up with the JSA to try and stop A-Rym's rampage. After, the Earth-2 Hawkman sends both Robins away to the Batcave. While there, the Earth-2 Robin gives his Earth-1 doppelganger a new costume designed by "a costume designer named Neal Adams" to replace his damaged one. Meanwhile, the teams realize that if A-Rym and Teppy aren't reunited soon, they'll die, and both teams scramble to reunite them. After A-Rym and Teppy return home, the teams part, with Batman waiting for the League to aid him on his case and the Earth-1 Robin wondering if he should continue to wear his new costume. Reprinted in Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 3 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 TPB (2008), Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Justice League of America Archives Vol. 10 HC (2012), Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2017), and Justice League of America: The Last Survivors of Earth TPB (2019).

Next, we have "The One-Man Justice League" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Flash #158 (1966). When the Flash attempts to pursue the Land-Sea-Air Gang he discovers that his costume has been replaced by Green Lantern's. Flash also learns that he no longer has super speed, but he does have GL's powers. As Green Lantern, Flash brings down half the gang, then mysteriously finds himself transformed into Hawkman. The crooks manage to overpower him and escape.

Flash's transformations have been caused by Professor Ivo, who is secretly operating in a Central City laboratory. Ivo has devised a way to transfer the powers of the Justice League to himself. However, an anomaly caused by Flash's protective aura causes him to be the recipient of the powers too.

When Flash recovers from unconsciousness, he has become Aquaman. He continues to pursue the crooks and overtakes their escape boat. The crooks shoot at him as another transformation causes him to become the Atom.

The crooks begin to get the upper hand when Ivo switches his machine to focus on Superman. The Man of Steel's invulnerability protects him and overloads Ivo's machine. Ivo's lab explodes, ending the experiment. Flash returns to normal and defeats the gang with his own powers. Flash does not learn the cause behind his strange transformations. The other Justice Leaguers were not using their powers when Ivo targeted them, so they didn't even notice.

We end with a filler reprint "Space-Enemy Number One" by John Broome and Carmine Infantino and reprinted from Mystery in Space #29 (1955). The Solar Police are searching for Dinagren, a master criminal who can appear to be from several different planets.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Flash #209

Flash #209 (On Sale: July 20, 1971), has a  cover by Dick Giordano.

We begin this issue with "Beyond the Speed of Life" by Cary Bates, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano. The Flash receives a mental picture revealing the whereabouts of the Trickster and Boomerang. He races to the scene but is tripped up by an extended rope set up by the two villains. Flash trips at super speed and his velocity throws him into another dimension. A sentinel voice tells him that he has broken through the speed of life.

In the meantime back in the earthly dimension, Boomerang and Trickster examine Flashes lifeless body which appears to be dead. Back in the alternate dimension, Flash is informed that a being called the Devourer is threatening to eat its way to earth's own dimension and Flash prepares to do battle with it. As Flash battles the Devourer, it changes shape. It even takes the form of Flashes wife Iris. 

Flash battles the Devourer until it devours itself. Back on earth, Grodd the Super Gorilla has appeared and reveals that it was he who mentally controlled the two villains into tripping up the Flash. He subdues the two villains and scoops up Flashes lifeless body for disposal. At that point, Flash’s ghostly figure arrives from the other dimension. He is assisted by the sentinel in reentering his own body and pounds Grodd into the ground.

Next up is Kid Flash in "Coincidence Can Kill" by Steve Skeates, Dick Dillin, and Dick Giordano. Wally West witnesses a robbery as he rounds the corner. He activates his costume ring but instead of his costume appearing, he gets hit with a cloud of gas. He examines the ring and discovers that it isn’t his. He recalls that the only time he took off his ring was to wash his hands in the biology lab. He was washing next to a classmate that he refers to ad Genius George. Fearing that his identity might be compromised, Wally rushes to George’s house to recover his ring but George’s mother informs him that her son has left with an acquaintance to attend a school meeting. 

Wally transforms into Kid Flash and tracks down George's car to a sleazy neighborhood. George is being escorted to see a crime boss who is interested in hiring George to create technical gimmicks to assist them in crimes. George secretly intends to take down the crime boss and turn him in. George deploys his ring and expects to have a gas come out but the Flashes costume comes out instead. 

Kid Flash arrives instantly and subdues the thugs. Flash then talks to George to try to explain why his costume came out of his ring but George himself theorizes that the gas must have leaked out of his ring and that Flash threw the costume out as a distraction. Kid Flash is relieved that he doesn’t have to come up with an explanation himself.

This issue's reprint is "The Elongated Man's Undersea Trap" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Flash #119 (1961). The Elongated Man, Ralph Dibny, and his new wife Sue are honeymooning in the Caribbean. While skin diving, Ralph disappears. Sue sends a message to the Flash for help. Flash arrives in the Caribbean and begins his search for Ralph. He sees some creatures riding underwater skis. Suddenly, one of the creatures shoots and captures the Flash.

When he regains consciousness, Flash is in a pool with several other missing divers. The Bredans, as the creatures are called, are fishing for the men. Flash is caught and becomes the slave of the capturing Bredan.

Flash plays along with the situation so that he can locate Ralph. He finds Ralph at a construction site, but his friend’s memory is missing. Flash helps Ralph recover his memory, then the two heroes defeat the Bredan slave masters. Flash and Ralph free the other slaves, and Ralph is returned to his honeymoon with Sue.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Young Romance #174

Young Romance #174 (On Sale: July 15, 1971), has a  cover by Bob Oksner.

We begin with "For Your Sake, Darling!" drawn by Frank Langford. This is the third of four stories British artist Langford would do for DC.

Next up is "How to Succeed in Love" drawn by John Rosenberger and reprinted from Young Love #67 (1968).

This is followed by a one-pager, "Do's and Dont's of Dating" drawn by Steve Englehart and Vince Colletta. This is one of the very rare Englehart pencils.

Next, we have "Teacher's Pet!" drawn by Werner Roth and Vince Colletta.

That brings us to "Never Look Back" drawn by Arthur Peddy and retouched by Artie Saaf and reprinted from  Girls' Love Stories #88 (1962).

Edited by Dorothy Woolfolk.

Weird War Tales #1

Weird War Tales #1 (On Sale: July 15, 1971), has a  cover by Joe Kubert. The ever-expanding line of horror..er I mean weird books continues at DC. This title would prove to have some pretty great legs lasting over 11 years.

"Let Me Tell You the Things I've Seen" serves as an introduction to book host, Death and is written and drawn by editor Joe Kubert. In the winter of 1944, a lone G.I. is separated from his outfit and is lost in the woods that are located in German territory. He is almost hit by a German tank shell but is left with a broken leg. The G.I. painfully drags through the icy fog to try to find and warn his outfit about the Germans until he comes upon a house in the middle of a clearing. 

He is taken inside by an old man who then helps him patch his leg and gives him time to rest. When the G.I. insists on returning to his men despite his injury, his host tells him that he is too weak and that there is time to warn his friends. To spend the passage of time, the old man tells the G.I. stories about the wars that he had seen in his life.

This first tale is a reprint, "The Secret of the Fort Which Did Not Return" by Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath and reprinted from G.I. Combat #86 (1961). A bombardier returned from a mission to be greeted by his fellow airmen. As more bombers flew into the sky for another raid, the bombardier recalled the mission when he and his squadron flew in a B-51 bomber called "Mother Hen" to Munich. When Mother Hen and the other bombers entered Nazi territory, the enemies fired at them with artillery and sent their own planes, taking down the Brooklyn Belle and Powerhouse Pete. 

The American bombers exchanged fire with the Nazis as the former of the forces attempted to reach their target. All of the bombers except for Mother Hen were destroyed and Mother Hen's tail gunner, two pilots, and waist gunners were both killed, but the bombardier managed to drop their bombs on the target; three oil tanks. The bombardier noticed that nobody was piloting the plane and that more Nazi planes were chasing him, so he jumped out of Mother Hen in a parachute. In the present, the bombardier decided that he couldn't tell the others what had happened to Mother Hen. A week later, he was in another bomber, on a mission, and saw Mother Hen flying by.

Next is "The Story Behind the Cover" by Joe Kubert. A German patrol under Lance Corporal Mueller suddenly comes across an American patrol and a fight breaks out. In the narrow confines of the ditch both sides find themselves in, a grenade is lobbed among them and explodes. By some miracle, only Mueller survives much to his astonishment. Mueller runs back to his position to warn his Lieutenant about the enemy. 

Mueller tries to explain to the Lieutenant, who then doesn't speak a word to him and acting as if Mueller wasn't there. Mueller believes that the Lieutenant doesn't like his report and that he had failed him. When he tries to explain to his comrades, they too ignored him. Mueller thinks the men are shunning him for losing his patrol. Gripped by terrible guilt, Mueller believes that the only way to wipe out his shame and regain the respect of his comrades is by facing the entire Allied army by himself.

Mueller never felt the storm of lead that lashed him and the crushing death dealt by enemy guns. But by the pain and agony will be with him forever, as a skeletal specter in the battlefield. Reprinted in Sgt. Rock #401 (1985) and Showcase Presents: Weird War Tales Vol. 1 TPB (2013).

That is followed by "The End of the Sea Wolf" by Bob Haney and Joe Kubert and reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #71 (1958). Sometime after World War II, a German ship was sailing through the North Sea, looking for Allied ships to salvage. The captain recalled the time he had captained a U-boat called the Sea Wolf. The Sea Wolf encountered an Allied fleet. They sunk one ship before they encountered a Q-boat that opened fire on them. The Sea Wolf fired back, taking down the Q-boat's guns. The Q-boat was sailing towards the Sea Wolf, about to ram into it. In the present, the captain of the ship came upon wreckage, which happened to be both the Q-boat and the Sea Wolf, which had been sunk while sinking the Q-boat.

Next up is "Baker's Dozen" by France Herron and Irv Novick and reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #116 (1964). In Normandy, on Friday the 13th, a thirteenth member was assigned to Baker's Company, much to the sergeant's dismay, believing it to be bad luck. The company left without him, but the captain told the soldier to join them in battle. During the battle, Baker's Company saw a black cat as the thirteenth soldier had arrived. As the thirteenth soldier petted the black cat, a German fighter swooped in and opened fire on the company. 

Not wanting to be considered bad luck, the soldier opened fire on the fighter, shooting it down, but the sergeant chewed him out, believing he had almost been killed by debris. As the sun began to set, an enemy tank had appeared and the soldier decided to take it down himself, but the sergeant chewed him out again. They arrived in a town where the soldier broke a mirror, causing the sergeant to chew him out again. The soldier believed that he may actually be bad luck. When he saw a license plate that read "13-13", he entered the vehicle and drove towards a tank, with TNT inside, getting out before the explosion. Afterward, the sergeant insisted that the soldier stayed with them and that the enemy had to worry about the number thirteen.

We end with the final part of the framing sequence, "You Must Go" by Joe Kubert.  The old man has finished telling his stories and the G.I. is fully rested as the night is almost gone. So the G.I. is ready to reach his outfit and warn them about the enemy waiting in the woods. The G.I. suggests to his host that he should leave as his house will likely be caught in the inevitable crossfire. The old man reassures him that he is in no danger for he has seen war "swirl around [his] doorstep like winter snow!" The G.I. and the old man bid farewell to each other.

The G.I. continues wandering through the woods until he sees a villager gathering firewood. The villager helps him point the way to a nearby road before asking where he had come from. The G.I. explain to her about the cottage and the old man. The villager is very surprised to hear of this because there was no one living in that house because an artillery shell had landed on it and killed its owner...on the very last morning of the Great War. All that is left are ruins.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Teen Titans #35

Teen Titans #35 (On Sale: July 15, 1971), has a  cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with "Intruders of the Forbidden Crypt" by Bob Haney, George Tuska, and Nick Cardy. The Titans and Mr. Jupiter are in Italy to see the beginning of construction of Jupiter's newest laboratory. Lilith believes she is the reincarnation of Shakespeare's Juliet, and the son of Jupiter's enemy appears to be the reincarnation of Romeo. Together they begin to act out the drama from the play Romeo and Juliet. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB (2007) and Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus HC (2017).

Next up is a solo Mal story, "A Titan Is Born" by Bob Haney, George Tuska, and Nick Cardy. While the rest of the team is in Italy, Mal minds the store at Mr. Jupiter's American base. A dimensional monitoring experiment goes awry, and the Titans' old enemy, the Gargoyle, is released from his banishment in Limbo. Mal manages to deduce the villain's true identity, though he is disguised as a scientific colleague of Mr. Jupiter's, and causes the computer monitor to reverse its error, returning Gargoyle to his exile in Limbo. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB (2007) and Teen Titans: The Bronze Age Omnibus HC (2017).

Our first reprint is Aquaman and Aqualad in "The Doom Hunters" by Jack Miller and Ramona Fradon and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #139 (1964). After Aquaman and Aqualad refuse to place prize markers for an undersea treasure hunt in dangerous areas, Wally Welky, head of the Daredevils' Club, goes ahead with it on his own. Aquaman has to rescue one of the contestants from a whirlpool, thus indicating the need for he and Aqualad to look after the others. 

When Tom Blake, another member, almost dies from a deliberately-set trap, Aquaman lures Welky into revealing his intentions to murder Blake, his cousin, and thus gain Blake's uncle's wealth by inheritance. The heroes capture Welky and his confederates.

We end this issue with Green Arrow and Speedy in "Have Arrow – Will Travel" by Robert Bernstein and Lee Elias and reprinted from Adventure Comics #263 (1959). Green Arrow’s partner Speedy wants to buy a sailboat. To make money, he places an ad in the paper to perform odd jobs using archery. Many requests for his services come in and Speedy begins saving money for his boat.

Some crooks hire Speedy to test out manufactured targets. Using the holes left in the target, they are able to create an arrow identical to Speedy’s with a time bomb inside. They switch arrows with one of Speedy’s in hopes that it will explode and kill him. However, Speedy is tipped off to the fake arrow by the color of the arrowhead and is able to catch the crooks.

During his jobs, Speedy’s wallet was lost. Without his money Speedy can’t buy his boat, but he saves the life of a boat manufacturer who happily gives Speedy a boat as reward.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.