Detective Comics #391

Detective Comics #391 (On Sale: July 31, 1969) has a cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with Batman in "The Gal Most Likely to Be -- Batman's Widow" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Joe Giella. Tim Clark a masseuse and physical therapist at Bruce Wayne's club is having problems with his girlfriend, Ginny Jenkins (from Detective Comics #380). She has started working for Mr. Arnold at Dining Out Magazine. Through an accidentally turned on intercom Tim and Bruce learn that Mr. Arnold is using the magazine to extort advertising money out of restaurants. While Bruce leaves to change into Batman, Tim learns of Ginny's inadvertent involvement in the plan, as she is the magazine's reviewer.

That night at a restaurant being visited by Mr. Arnold and Ginny, two good threaten to ruin the food if the owner does not buy an expensive ad. the plot is broken up by Batman, but the owner refuses to finger Arnold as the instigator. that night Tim tries to warn Ginny that Arnold is a crook, but Ginny just thinks he is jealous and won't listen to him. Tim thinks she would listen if Batman was the one telling her and then hatches a plan.

Arnold meets his henchmen in the sauna at the club once again and gives them the orders for tonight's restaurant attack. When they leave Batman is seen leaving the building and an unseen person removes a bar of soap from the sauna. At tonight's restaurant, the owner is prepared to pay the extortion money when Batman comes to him with a plan. Shortly the waiter brings Arnold and Ginny a souvenir of the restaurant, only Batman shows up and reveals that the small models actually contain the pay-off money. Arnold pulls a gun, but Batman knocks him out and then comforts Ginny.

Arnold comes to and calls for his men who sneak up on Batman and knock him out. Before they throw him off the balcony to his death they unmask Batman and find that he is Tim Clark. Only the real Batman shows up at that time and mops up the gang, reveals that the money they were given was marked by the owner and also reveals a small tape recorder hidden in a bar of soap that Batman used to gather evidence against Arnold and his men.

The back-up Robin story is "Strike" by Mike Friedrich, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson and continues from last issue. Personally, I thought last issue was a pretty much jumbled mess and this issue doesn't really do much to rectify that feeling.I never liked the Friedrich Robin stories, they never rang true for me, though he sure wrote a lot of them in his five years at DC.

The head negotiator for the college has abruptly ended negotiations with the Teachers' Union. Dick Grayson and Gotham Owl editor Rocky follow the negotiator and see him talking to two kids wearing Skyline jackets, one of whom Dick recognizes as the one that got away from the skirmish Friday night.

Rocky leaves and Dick is free to change into Robin and after a relatively quick fight the head negotiator tells how he was blackmailed into ending negotiations and that someone had tried to run over his son. One of the Skyline kids tells Robin who their boss is, where to find him and what type of protection he has.

Robin quickly foots it to the bosses HQ, and knock out the two guards he was warned about outside the building. He then races into the big man's office only to find two more gunsels that he knew nothing about. Robin realizes he has been set up , but as the thugs prepare to blast him, the police call out over a loudspeaker for the thugs to surrender with their hands up. Robin uses the momentary distraction to take out the two thugs and the big boss. When he calls for the police to come in and take them all away he finds that it was only Rocky, who had followed Robin to the thugs hideout.

It ends up the big boss owned land adjacent to the college and wanted to make sure that his land was used for the campus expansion. Later the negotiations are begun again and a new contract is quickly signed. This story was reprinted in Batman in the Sixties TPB and Showcase Presents: Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 TPB.
Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Adventure Comics #384

Adventure Comics #384 (On Sale: July 31, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with Supergirl in "The Heroine Haters" by Cary Bates, Winslow Mortimer and Jack Abel. After watching her roommates at Stanhope College get computer dates, Linda Danvers becomes Supergirl and uses a computer at the Fortress of Solitude to find her "perfect match." The computer picks a super-hero named Volar, who fights crime on the planet Torma.

Superman warns Supergirl that even his computer is not infallible, but she goes to Torma to meet Volar anyway. Supergirl becomes a friend of Volar, but no romantic interest is felt. She learns that, on Volar, women are considered totally inferior thanks to the teachings of The Visitor, a philosopher who preached against women after he was jilted by a girl on his home world.

Finally, Supergirl learns that Volar is actually a super-heroine masquerading as a male to avoid Torma's sexual discrimination. In anguish, she leaves. But Volar, encouraged by Supergirl's example, begins operating openly as a super-heroine, and vows to shatter Torman prejudices against women. Not a bad little Bates story.

That is followed by another new Supergirl story, "Supergirl's Greatest Failure" by Robert Kanigher and Kurt Schaffenberger. When Linda Danvers takes a summer job as a counselor at Camp Nokomis, she learns that someone has discovered her secret identity, and is trying to expose it. Eventually Supergirl learns that she has been exposed to Red Kryptonite, and it has resulted in Supergirl temporarily having a split personality. While she has been trying to conceal her double identity, her other self has been trying to expose it.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Action Comics #380

Action Comics #380 (On Sale: July 31, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with Superman in "The Confessions of Superman" by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan and George Roussos. Two members of the Superman Revenge Squad come to Earth and convince Superman that he has been performing crimes as a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. When one of the members, Krit, disguised as Supergirl, convinces him he is not suffering from an exposure to Red Kryptonite (which he actually is), he types out his confessions to the crimes at the Daily Planet and goes to his Fortress to expose himself to Gold Kryptonite. This story continues next issue.

That is followed by the Legion of Super-Heroes in "Half a Legionnaire?" by Jim Shooter, Winslow Mortimer and Jack Abel, which was reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9 HC. Duo Damsel is exhausted after her latest assignment, so when Mon-El sends her to deliver important papers to the planet Ikros, one of her twin selves, whom Bouncing Boy dubs Luomu II, undertakes the mission while the other remains on Earth to relax. Days have passed without word from Luomu's other self, when a masked man and woman with super-powers suddenly appear on Earth and begin committing robberies.

Investigating, Mon-El, Bouncing Boy, and Duo Damsel instead find Luormu II has returned to Earth. She introduces them to her fiance, Nam'Lor, who quickly leaves and the two Luomus again become one. Before Mon-El leaves on a space mission, he instructs Bouncing Boy to watch Duo Damsel carefully. A distraught Duo Damsel soon recalls Luomu II's recent experiences in a dream: After completing her mission to Ikros, she had been rescued from a fall by the planet's hero, Nam'Lor, with whom she quickly fell in love. Duo Damsel wakes in terror, and Luormu II suddenly splits off from her and departs. The heroine now realizes that her other self has developed a distinct, separate personality.

After an encounter with the two masked raiders at Metropolis's Amalgonite Refinery, Bouncing Boy and Duo Damsel realize that the criminals are actually Nam'Lor and Luomu II, whom Nam'Lor calls Lelith. Confronted by the two, Bouncing Boy attempts to stop Nam'Lor with a super-power neutralizer, but he avoids the blasts and overpowers the Legionnaire. Lelith then orders Nam'Lor to kill Bouncing Boy, but he refuses.

He then explains that the hyper-aura surrounding his body, which gives him his powers, had turned Lelith evil, and that he had committed crimes for her in the hope that she would return to normal, because he loved her. He now leaves her forever, telling the Legionnaires that the aura-radiation will wear off in a few days, and Lelith will become her old self.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

World's Finest Comics #187

World's Finest Comics #187 (On Sale: July 24, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with Superman and Batman in "The Demon Sin" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The back-up strip is Green Arrow in "The Green Arrow's First Case" a reprint from Adventure Comics #256. This telling of Green Arrow's origin is by France Herron, Jack Kirby and Roz Kirby. Green Arrow and his partner Speedy learn of a scientific expedition bound for Starfish Island. G.A. is worried that the expedition will uncover his secret identity because the island was where he became Green Arrow. As the two archers fly to the island to intercept the expedition, G.A. tells Speedy the story of how he became Green Arrow.

One night, Oliver Queen fell overboard on a ship. He was unable to be rescued, so he swam to a nearby island. He made a home in a cavern on the island and fashioned a bow and arrow for hunting. At first his aim was poor, but long hours of practice paid off and he improved.

While fishing with his arrows, the fish would swim away after being hit, so Queen attached a vine to the arrow so that he could reel in his catch. This became his first trick arrow; a rope arrow. He soon created net and drill arrows, as well as a green leaf outfit for camouflage while hunting.

One evening Queen spotted a ship offshore. He swam to the ship to discover that the crew was mutinying. Using grease to cover the reflection of light on his white face, The masked Queen defeated the pirates and acted for the first time as Green Arrow.

Green Arrow kept a diary of events on the cavern wall. He is worried the expedition will find it and learn his secret identity. Using a fake-uranium arrow, G.A. scares off the expedition who believes there is radiation on the island. G.A. then destroys the diary so no one will learn his secret.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Showcase #85

Showcase #85 (On Sale: July 24, 1969) has a very nice Firehair cover by Joe Kubert.

We have a feature-length Firehair origin story, "I Don't Belong Here -- I Don't Belong There" which is obviously a labor of love for writer/artist/editor Joe Kubert. the story opens sometime in the early 1800's with our hero riding bareback across the desert being chased by a gaggle of towns-people shooting in his direction. Firehair is a teen-aged boy in Native American garb, with white skin and glowing red hair in two long tails trailing down his back. he has been shot but continues to ride.

When he reaches a rock face he leaps for it and begins to climb its face. The towns-folk dismount and take aim just as a hand reaches out of a cave in the rock and pulls Firehair to relative safety. The enraged towns-people fire off so many shots that they cause a landslide which covers the mouth of the cave, trapping Firehair and his unknown benefactor. Inside we find a Shaman and Evening Star, a young woman of the Blackfoot nation.

Firehair has been shot multiple times and they cannot move him from the cave, As the Shaman dresses his wounds, Firehair is enveloped by delirious dreams of his past. He sees a tribal fire he never witnessed where the Shaman tells the tribal elders of the terrible destruction of the Blackfoot and their brother nations at the hand of the paleface that he has foreseen. He also speaks of a great warrior who will arise, who will not look like any warrior in the Indian Nations, who will be despised by his own people and those he will seek to help. A great warrior who is the Blackfoot's only hope for salvation.

As Firehair's vision continues he sees the same tribe gathered on a mesa and attacking the wagon train below. Attacking relentlessly until all the pale ones are dead, all save one child with flaming red hair, whom Chief Grey Cloud takes to raise as his own. The resentment and hostility towards the white child runs deep in the village, but to some extent hidden. As young Firehair grows he learns that in order to survive and to prove himself worthy of being the Chief's son, he must be better than all the other children in the village, and so he is. But he is also alone and friendless. The years pass and Firehair reaches the age of manhood and goes off on a vision quest; the only one in the village offering him good luck is Evening Star. He fasts for five days seeing visions of his past, present and future and arises a man.

Back at his village he tells his father he dreamed of others with skin like his and wants to find them, to see if he belongs in their world. And so, Firehair heads off for the town, where he is attacked by a bully in the general store and when he fights back the whole town wants his hide. The town Sheriff steps in to break things up, but Firehair has had enough and breaks away, riding out of town, the towns-people shooting at his back.

His feverish vision ends and he finds himself in the cave with Evening Star, who says that now that he is better they can return home. But Firehair says he does not have a home, not with the Blackfoot and not with the palefaces. And so he sets off to travel the Earth looking for a place where he can belong.

I can not say enough about Joe Kubert's artwork on this book. He obviously spent a lot of time doing research on the Blackfoot nation and culture and you see it in every panel. He littered the book with wonderful detail and employed a grease pencil on every page, some times just a little, some times a lot, to give the pages a look different from any of the other books being published at that time.

Firehair would appear in two more issues of Showcase before finding a spot as a back-up strip in Tomahawk for another three issues. He didn't show up again till the character-packed Showcase #100 and then again in Crisis on Infinite Earths. In 1989 he was in one issue of Swamp Thing and then completely forgotten until the publication of War That Time Forgot in 2008 and where he can still be seen today.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Justice League of America #74

Justice League of America #74 (On Sale: July 24, 1969) has a cover by Neal Adams.

"Where Death Fears to Tread" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Sid Greene continues from the previous issue. Banished living star, Aquarius, got hold of Starman's Cosmic Rod and used it to wipe out of existence all of Earth-Two, except for a sextet of Justice Society members. who along with Black Canary's husband, Larry Lance, are trapped in a mystic sphere of Dr. Fate's creation and the android hero Red Tornado who escaped to Earth-One and is now bringing back the Justice League.

I need to stop here for just a moment to discuss foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is a literary device where the author drops hints or clues early on in a story, the more innocuous and seemingly unimportant the better, only to have those hints come back later on as a key component in solving whatever predicament arises in the story. For foreshadowing to work, there has to be somewhat of a slight-of-hand going on, the reader must take in the information but not realize it has any importance. What Denny O'Neil does next is a bit of foreshadowing, but it is so clumsily handled that anyone reading the story can see it for what it is and it takes away something from a story that is of classic importance. Yeah, this is a classic issue for a couple of reasons, as you will soon see, but what you are going to see first is a really fumbled attempt at foreshadowing.

As the JLA traverse the dimensions between Earth-One and Earth-Two, most of the member are protected by Green Lantern's ring. Right before they complete the journey, Green Lantern makes sure he avoids the negative matter universe, whose entrance just happens to be right there, along the inter-dimensional path the heroes travel. Oy!

Aquarius is growing bored with the JSA heroes and is contemplating finishing them off when the JLA heroes pop up. Needing time to figure out what is going on, Aquarius places a mesmeric command in the air and then disappears. Seeing Aquarius flee, Dr. Fate relaxes his energy bubble and when he does so Aquarius's command to "Destroy the Intruders!" takes hold.

We are then treated to a fairly interesting eight-page fight between the JSA and the JLA. The only really important part of this fight is when Green Arrow hits Black Canary with a "stickum arrow" which covers her in a gloppy mess, adhering her to the ground (OK, since Earth-Two and everyone on it have been destroyed I have no idea to what "ground" she is stuck, but she is.). The important thing to remember is that she is stuck and can't move. OK, there is one other important thing, Green Lantern of Earth-One has used his ring to find Aquarius and bring him to the JLA.

Aquarius fights off Green Lantern's energy beams and sends some of his own back in Lantern's direction. The beams of energy coalesce into a huge multi-hued sphere, but Aquarius's aim is a little off and instead of heading for Green Lantern the sphere is heading for Black Canary. Canary's husband, Larry Lance, senses the danger to his wife and does the only thing he can think of to save her, he jumps in front of the sphere and shields her body with his own...and it kills him!

The energy released by the exploding sphere releases the JSA from the murderous command of Aquarius and it also restores Earth-Two and everyone on it, but it kills Black Canary's husband. A few hours later the combined heroes bury Larry Lance and Aquarius shows up and laughs at the anguish of the heroes.

The heroes attack Aquarius and the Green Lanterns are able to taunt Aquarius into following them in the negative matter universe where their rings protect them, but Aquarius is destroyed.
The threat ended the JLA say their good-byes and prepare to return to Earth-One, but before they leave, Black Canary, saying she can't stand the thought of living in a world full of memories of Larry, asks if she can go with them to Earth-One. Superman picks her up and the first of the Golden Age DC characters moves from Earth-Two to Earth-One. This has been reprinted in Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 2 TPB, Justice League of America Archives Vol. 9 HC and Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Windy and Willy #3

Windy and Willy #3 (On Sale: July 22, 1969) has a very nice cover by Bob Oksner. Damn did Bob Oksner draw sexy women!

We have a feature-length untitled story reprinted from Many Lives of Dobie Gillis #20 and drawn by Bob Oksner. It is partially redrawn and retitled Windy and Willy.

The one note of interest on this one is that, though the cover is newly drawn by Oksner, the joke is taken from the cover of Many Lives of Dobie Gillis #6. The insides are from Many Lives of Dobie Gillis #20. 

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Sugar and Spike #85

Sugar and Spike #85 (On Sale: July 22, 1969) has a cover by Sheldon Mayer.

We begin with "Bernie the Brain and the Octopus" reprinted from Sugar and Spike #72. Next is "The Mystery of the Giant Jungle-Gym" reprinted from Sugar and Spike #43. That is followed by "Sugar Becomes an Indian Chief" reprinted from Sugar and Spike #48. Next is "Who Said That?" reprinted from Sugar and Spike #41. We end with "Sugar's Great-Great-Great Grampa Plumm" reprinted from Sugar and Spike #24. All stories and artwork are by Sheldon Mayer.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Adventures of Jerry Lewis #114

Adventures of Jerry Lewis #114 (On Sale: July 22, 1969) has a cover by Bob Oksner.

We have Jerry Lewis stories: "The Flowers That Boom in the Spring" by Alan Riefe and Bob Oksner. Getting out of a taxi at the Garden Show, Jerry and pretty young woman, Abigail, accidently switch suitcases. While waiting for the Butterfly Exhibition to be cleared from the room, Jerry orders a steak. Meanwhile Abigail arrives to her meeting on a small island where she is going to sell her latest invention, the world's most powerful explosive, for a million dollars. She opens her suitcase only to find boxes of plant food. Realizing where the switch must have taken place, Abigail and some goons head for the Garden Show.

Jerry notices that his daisies look a little hungry. On opening his suitcase though, all he finds is a bottle of what look like water. Jerry feeds the explosive to his daisies and they perk right up. After a Venus Fly Trap eats the last steak in the place, Jerry dines on some flowers that turn out to be a Borneo Pepper Tree. Running to the restroom, Jerry douses the heat inside with water and refills the explosive bottle with water for later on.

Abigail shows up and Jerry gives her back her suitcase. Jerry is finally assigned a place for his plants and on the way plays "she loves me, she loves me not" with the petals of the daisy, which explode whenever they land, destroying the other entries in the show. Jerry is run out of the hall and into the arms of Abigail and her men, she having realized there was only water in the bottle Jerry gave back to her. They capture Jerry and take him back to the island. There they strap him to the lens of a lighthouse and let him heat up. He keeps telling them he fed the explosive to the daisies, but they don't believe him. A henchman tosses the daisies to the side and the entire island is destroyed in the resulting explosion. Jerry decides that raising daisies is just too dangerous.

That is followed by "The Nut That Holds the Wheel"  also by Alan Riefe and Bob Oksner. Jerry is learning to drive when his instructor flees and Jerry is carjacked by some bank robbers, who disguise themselves as women. Meanwhile, at a local theater, a frantic stage manager wonders when the Three Queens will show up for their performance. As Jerry and the bank robbers attempt to get away, the Three Queens realize they passed the town they were suppose to be playing in and turn back.

The police catch up to Jerry and the robbers but they think they are the Three Queens and offers to escort them to their show. On the way they crash into the car of the real Three Queens. The police tell Jerry that the reward for capturing the bank robbers should just about cover the damage that Jerry has made to the cars.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff

Teen Titans #23

Teen Titans #23 (On Sale: July 17, 1969) has one of the most popular Nick Cardy covers of all time. I know the 13-year-old me drooled over this one for hours, eh weeks... OK, months... alright, years! This cover always reminds me of Kurt Busiek's afterword in The Art of Nick Cardy where he recalls, "...I'm at a Marvel Christmas party and Cardy's name comes up, and Miss Jo Duffy, sitting on a desk, bursts out with, "Oh, man! He was the best--he did the best jailbait ever!" Indeed, and Nick Cardy's Wonder Girl was the queen of my Silver Age jailbait.

"The Rock 'n' Roll Rogue" is by Bob Haney, Gil Kane and Nick Cardy and is another example of Cardy's wonderful inking style. The Teen Titans are enjoying a Sammy Soul concert from the front row when Sammy suddenly runs from the stage causing the kids to start a major riot in the theater. Robin and Wonder Girl, showing off her new and improved costume distract the kids with a show of acrobatics while Kid Flash gives everyone on hand an instant refund. the immediate crisis averted the Titans take the Titan whirlybird to Sammy Soul's estate, where below Sammy's cousin Irmgard and her husband Luther are arguing with Sammy's manager over who owns him till he reaches legal age.

The Titans land and listen to Sammy's tale of woe, an orphan who grew up in a foster family who never loved him but now fight over custody since he has become famous and rich, how the only person who ever loved him was his Uncle Matt who was lost in South America years ago whole looking for treasure. Wonder Girl tries to come on to Sammy, to console him and Robin tells her to "Cool it." Looking back on these stories I guess, for a while there, they played up Wonder Girl as a little slut, something I never minded as a kid.

Anyway, the Titans leave but the next day they return to find Sammy is missing, but they find a clue in a guitar given to Sammy by his Uncle Matt and decide that Sammy has headed off to South America to find his Uncle. Sammy has landed in Los Santos Venezuela and is mobbed by fans even there, but is rescued by Juan Sastre, who tells Sammy he remembers Sammy's uncle, Matt Murdock (strange how that name gets around comics), who vanished in the great plateau of the interior of the country. Juan signs on as Sammy's guide and off they go.

Meanwhile, the Titans have tracked Sammy and locate his helicopter on the plateau. When they land to inspect the site, they are attacked by native headhunters, who are beaten back by an onslaught of arrows from Speedy. Sammy and Juan have been taken by the natives to their village where they find Uncle Matt unharmed in one of the huts, However, he has lost his memory, which Juan says is the only thing keeping him alive as the natives will not shrink the head of an amnesiac.

The Titans discover the village and using all of their powers they manage to rescue Sammy, Juan and Uncle Matt and thanks once again to Speedy and his amazing array of arrows they manage to keep the natives from following them. But, a short time later Matt's memory returns and he leads them through a tunnel to a hidden indoor pool,, which he says is El Dorado, where the old Indian civilization tossed their fortune in gold and emeralds to keep them from the Spanish conquistadors. It was while diving deep for the treasure that Uncle Matt lost his memory and was captured by the headhunters.

Wonder Girl says that she can swim very deep and will dive for the treasure but all she finds are the bones of those who tried to find El Dorado in the past. Convinced that he has not found El Dorado Uncle Matt agrees to return home, but on the way back to the choppers the natives capture Juan. Using Sammy's amps and mics from his helicopter, Uncle Matt booms his voice out into the jungle pretending to be the thunder god, Pichu Pichu and using Wonder Girl to drop Sammy Soul dolls from the sky as thunder god tributes the natives are convinced to let Juan go free. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Strange Adventures #220

Strange Adventures #220 (On Sale: July 17, 1969) has an Adam Strange cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin with Adam Strange in "The Beast from the Runaway World" reprinted from Mystery In Space #55 and created by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Bernard Sachs. Adam Strange waits for the Zeta Beam to strike Earth and return him to Rann, but the Beam never comes. Puzzled by its failure to appear, Adam calculates when the next beam is scheduled to strike and takes it to Rann.

When he arrives, he meets Alanna, who explains that the first beam was intercepted by a planet with an erratic orbit. A creature from that planet was brought to Rann, Zaradak. Zaradak, a giant dinosaur-like beast, has been causing damage on Rann ever since.

Adam attempts to stop the creature with his ray-gun, but the creature absorbs and reflects the blast. Adam has food brought to the beast, which settles its rampage. It was only hungry.

When an alien attack force arrives, Adam plans to use the creature to deflect their bombs, but the Zeta energy in the creature returns it to its native world. Adam flies into space to intercept the bomb, destroying with his ray-gun just prior to his own return ride to Earth on the Zeta Beam.

Next is "The Star Oscar" reprinted from Strange Adventures #34 and the work of Sid Gerson and Frank Giacoia.

We end with the Atomic Knights in "The Lost City of Los Angeles" reprinted from Strange Adventures #126 and produced by John Broome and Murphy Anderson. After a hurricane devastates Durvale, Gardner Grayle proposes to discover what remains of the country. He instructs the Hobard brothers to build gliders with which they can fly across country. Bryndon joins Gardner and the Hobards on the trip west. The plains of the midwest are black and lifeless and the Rocky Mountains have become volcanic.

The Knights finally reach Los Angeles, where they locate a small band of living humans. The Knights help them retrieve a supply of food from a canyon protected by electrical beings which are merely illusionary. After getting the food, Bryndon sets up a radio allowing the Knights to communicate with Durvale.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Flash #191

Flash #191 (On Sale: July 17, 1969) has the last of the three brilliant covers by Joe Kubert. This is the least of the three, but it is one of those like Secret Six #1 where the cover is the first panel of the story.

"How to Invade Earth -- Without Really Trying" is by John Broome, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito and begins with a groggy figure crawling around a corner to find the Flash's suit and as the cover tells you, it is not Barry Allen. No, it is Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan and he is surprised as anyone to find the Flash's costume and not his own.

From this point the story backtracks to earlier in the day when Hal is visiting the home of the Barry Allen's, Hal being in Central City on toy business. Iris Allen informs Hal that she has a surprise for him, a beautiful woman who she met while doing interviews for an article on modern fashions for her newspaper. Hal then recounts how he had met another woman in Florida last week and how she had stole his client by employing "the most shameless use of her feminine wiles!" This of course took place in Green Lantern #71 earlier this month and a nice bit of cross-over work by John Broome and Julius Schwartz, something you rarely saw at DC in 1969.

The doorbell rings and the cross-over continues as in walks brazen toy saleswoman Olivia Reynolds. Hal is really annoyed but over a good home-cooked meal he begins to warm up to Olivia and can't believe she is the same woman who went for the "hard sell" in Florida. Hal wonders which Olivia is real when his ring attempts to read her mind to find out. It is an unconscious act which Hal can't stop, but he does manage to turn the mind-probing beam invisible at least. However, for some reason the beam is thrown back at Hal, who yelps in pain. While getting some air he explains to Barry what happened and Barry thinks it might be that the Guardians prevented the beam from reaching Olivia and sent it painfully back at Hal because he was trying to use it for personal gain.

Suddenly spaceships appear over Central City and begin sending out telepathic communications saying they are the Mogrians and the they are taking over the Earth. Barry and Hal change into the Flash and Green Lantern and attack the Mogrians only to be attacked by strange monsters, that look like something out of a science-fiction movie. Something isn't adding up here as the Mogrian's ray-guns are just toys. Just then the aliens link arms and blast the Flash and green Lantern, appearing to disintegrate them.

Inside the spaceship we see a different type of character, an old alien named Glabr, who we learn is from an ancient race know as the Lenglyns, who use the power of subconscious mental giants they call U-Minds to sustain their civilization. Glabr has found a U-Mind on Earth in Olivia Reynolds. It was Glabr who repelled Hal's energy beam from Olivia's mind and decided to distract Green Lantern by staging a fake invasion of Earth using the Mogrian robots he carries on his ship, robots that just so happen chose this time to revolt against their masters and begin constructing machines to build more of themselves.

Which takes us to the opening scene of Hal waking up on a sidewalk to find the Flash's uniform. Just then Barry comes round the corner in Hal's Green Lantern suit, Barry saying he was told where to find Hal by a voice in his head. Glabr appears and tells them what has transpired and that only the Flash and Green Lantern can defeat the Mogrians. But Hal and Barry soon learn that they have been stripped of their powers. Glabr says that the Mogrians do not have the power to do such a thing unless they have already tapped into the power of Olivia's U-Mind. By banding together Glabr, Barry and Hal are able to telepathically locate Olivia being held captive in the spaceship.

They are able to connect with her mind and convince her that she has the power to mentally restore the Flash and Green Lantern's powers, which she is able to do. All that remains is for the Flash and Green Lantern to board the spaceship, defeat the Mogrians and rescue Olivia. Green Lantern uses his ring to remove Olivia's knowledge of what has transpired, a requirement for the Lenglyns to use her U-Mind. They wake Olivia up back at the Allen's house and she is none the wiser where the four of them play some bridge.

The letters page is a real winner this issue, featuring letters by regulars Gary Skinner and Peter Sanderson Jr and a guy named Mark Evanier.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Date With Debbi #5

Date With Debbi #5 (On Sale: July 17, 1969) has a cover by Samm Schwartz. Is it just me, or does that pose, that posture on the cover remind you of Alley Oop?

Editor Dick Giordano, you just couldn't trust him. A throwaway Archie rip-off like Date with Debbi should not be as interesting as this book ends up being. For sure I wish I owned a copy. Subversion had finally come to DC, and it came wearing the mask of innocence called Date with Debbi. 

We begin with an untitled seven-page Debbi story drawn by John Rosenberger. That is followed by the five-page "Debbi Meets the Hawk" by Henry Boltinoff, John Rosenberger and Henry Scarpelli, which was reprinted in Best of DC #53. We next have Debbi in the seven-page "Who's Flirting?"  by persons unknown. that is 19 pages of Debbi, zero pages of subversion.

Lastly we come to a four-page story featuring a character called Flowers, which is drawn by L. Stuchkus and Frank McLaughlin. My guess would be that Stuchkus also wrote it. This is the subversion you were looking for.

This is the first DC work by L. Stuchkus who would do one more Flowers story in the next issue. In the early 1980s Stuchkus would work on a daily newspaper strip entitled Chip's Place. What other work Stuchkus did I do not know.

What I do know is this story is loaded with not so hidden drug references that somehow made it past the CCA.

This is also the first DC work for Frank McLaughlin who would go on to ink more than 365 stories for DC in the next 26 years. McLaughlin is another of the Dick Giordano imports from Charlton, where McLaughlin got his start in comics.

He became Charlton's art director working under Giordano and worked on such books as Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Sun of Vulcan, The Fightin' Five and Sarge Steel, it is his co-creation of Judo Master with Joe Gill for which McLaughlin's stint at Charlton is remembered.
McLaughlin remained the art director at Charlton through 1972, despite also working for DC during this period.

Despite his skills as a penciler, Frank McLaughlin was only utilized as an inker at DC and besides his work on Date With Debbie and Debbi's Dates, he is mainly remembered for long stints on Action Comics Weekly, Flash, Batman, Detective Comics, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, the Justice League of America, Wonder Woman and World's Finest Comics. His last work at DC was on Batman: Shadow of the Bat #39 in 1995.

At Marvel McLaughlin inked Captain America, Captain Marvel and The Defenders. He also did articles and pencils and inks for Marvel's black and white The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu.

Frank McLaughlin has also had a long career in newspaper strips. He was an assistant on The Heart of Juliet Jones. He also worked on Brenda Starr, Nancy and The World's Greatest Superheroes.
As an author he was written How to Draw Those Bodacious Bad Babes of Comics and How to Draw Monsters for Comics both with Mike Gold.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Batman #215

Batman #215 (On Sale: July 17, 1969) has a cover by Irv Novick. I have always wondered if this cover inspired the soon to happen desertion of Wayne Manor.


"Call Me Master" is by Frank Robbins, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. Three of Gotham's leading citizens, J. Carlyle, Andrew Barclay and Clem Sterling, receive strange phone calls giving them orders of some sort. A fourth call to Bruce Wayne is not completed as Bruce is out that night patrolling as Batman. While on patrol Batman and Robin foil a robbery at Carlyle Department Stores warehouse only to find Carlyle himself on site and calling it a legitimate shipment , even though the men a a bunch of ex-cons.

Later on the Dynamic Duo break up a robbery at Andrew Barclay's mansion only to find Barclay there and insisting that the man in the mask breaking into his safe is a locksmith. Still later that night Batman and Robin spy a group of phony guards stealing jewels from Sterling gems. When they call Sterling he says that he turned off his alarm system and opened the vault an hour earlier, but does not know why he did it.

Bruce notes that all three men involved in tonight's crimes are members with Bruce of the Gotham Civic Conscience Council. The next day, after more digging Bruce learns that all the members of the Council have been similarly involved in strange activity where they have somehow assisted in the participation of crimes against themselves. Just them Bruce gets a phone call and won't tell Dick who the caller was.

When it comes time for their nightly patrol, Bruce says he has some business to attend to and Dick tails him as Robin. Bruce drives to one of his warehouses and unlocks the door for a group that Robin recognizes as pharmaceutical smugglers.. Robin breaks up the heist and confronts Bruce, who says he doesn't know why he did it, but felt compelled to do whatever the voice on the phone told him to do. Robin orders Bruce to hit him on the chin and Bruce does it, proving that Bruce will do whatever he is ordered to do by anyone.

The next day Bruce calls an emergency meeting of the Council and lays out his theory of what is going on and gives each member a locket containing a bug that Batman will be listening in to. Should any of them receive a call ordering them to do something Batman will be there too break up the crime and hopefully catch the mastermind. However one of the people at the table is the mastermind and thinks this is his opportunity to get rid of Batman.

That night Myron Mycroft gets a call ordering him to bring his negotiable securities to the Gotham First National Bank. Batman and Robin stake out the place and when Mycroft shows up to hand over the securities the Dynamic Duo attempt to collar the bad guy, only a gunman tries to ambush Batman. Robin takes care of the assassin, but the bad guy gets away with the securities. Batman assumes the gunman was aiming for Mycroft and when he apologizes to Mycroft for bungling their planned trap Mycroft tells him to "Take your inept paws off of me!" to which Batman responds, "Yes, master." Mycroft realizes that Batman is also somehow subject to voice control.

Later Mycroft calls police headquarters and asks to speak to Batman. Robin notices that Batman gets the same strange look on his face as Bruce did when he was ordered to do something. When they return to the Batcave, Batman says he needs to do some "gardening," but Robin and Alfred follow him as he plants explosives around Wayne Manor. Mycroft arrives and orders Batman to complete the destruction of Wayne Manor as he has been ordered. Batman tries to fight the mind-control, but in the end he cannot and he presses the detonator, causing a massive explosion. However when the smoke clears, Wayne Manor still stands and Mycroft thinks that Batman was only pretending to obey his orders in order to capture him, that Batman realized he was wearing on of Mycroft's "micro-wave will-power nullifiers" and removed it. His hands behind his back batman removes something from his wrist and knocks the gun out of Mycofts's hands.

Alfred and Robin appear revealing how they followed Batman around replacing his explosives with fireworks and smoke-bombs. Mycroft is confused by this and Batman explains how when Mycroft revealed that Batman had to be wearing the mind-control device he realized it must be the gold, electronic watches that the Civic-Conscience Council was given that were provided by Mycroft's company. Mycroft then admits that he had made some bad investments and was on the verge of bankruptcy and that the devices contained a "micro-mechanism that tunes the watch-vibrator to a frequency that numbs the voluntary-control center of the brain."

The probmen I have with this story is that it does not explain how Batman got one of the watches unless his secret identity is as one of the members of the Civic-Conscience Council.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Phantom Stranger #3

Phantom Stranger #3 (On Sale: July 15, 1969) has its first cover by Neal Adams, and the new Neal Adams logo. What is interesting is that while the logo depicts the revamped Phantom Stranger, using his hat's shadow as a mask, the cover shows an entirely different guy, closer to the Bill Draut covers of the first two issues.

We begin with the Phantom Stranger in "How Do You Know My Name?" a reprint from Phantom Stranger #5 (1953) by John Broome, Frank Giacoa and Joe Giella. A carnival mystic, Vasti, predicts supernatural behavior will increase at an amusement park. Suddenly ghosts and spectres are seen and cause trouble for the park. The Phantom Stranger investigates in order to debunk the supernatural explanation. He exposes Vasti as a fraud, trying to force the park owner to sell cheaply.

Next we have Doctor 13 in "No Such Thing as Ghosts" a reprint from Star-Spangled Comics #126 by France Herron and Leonard Starr. We end with the only new material in the book, the Phantom Stranger in "Some Day in Some Dark Alley..." by Mike Friedrich and Bill Draut. This was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Phantom Stranger Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Angel and the Ape #6

Angel and the Ape #6 (On Sale: July 15, 1969) has a cover by Bob Oksner on this their final issue, though there will be one more comic in this series, simply entitled Meet Angel.

We have three short Angel and the Ape stories this issue. We start with "The Robbing Robot" by John Albano, Bob Oksner and Wally Wood. Angel and Sam are hired by Professor Eightstein to find a missing robot that was stolen from his laboratory. The robot possesses incredible strength and the crooks use it to steal a bank by removing the entire building from its foundations. The crooks then kidnap Eightstein and Angel. Sam tracks down the crooks, but they use the robot against him. Sam then dresses as a female robot and returns. When the crooks attack Sam, the real robot who has fallen in love with Sam, knocks them out.

Next is "The Liberator" a one-page featuring only Sam, which is also drawn by Bob Oksner and Wally Wood. When Sam Simeon sees a chimpanzee chained up, he breaks the chain setting the monkey free. The monkey's owner, an organ grinder, returns from lunch in time to see what Sam has done. He then forces Sam to perform as his new monkey to replace the one that ran away.

We end with "The Ape of 1,000 Disguises" by John Albano, Bob Oksner and Wally Wood. Angel makes a date with photographer Alec Sharp. Alec has a lucky coin that has been passed down through generations. Sam does not like Alec, so he uses various disguises to follow Angel on her date. Angel recognizes Sam as a cab driver, a waiter, an usher, and as a woman. She does not mention it during the date, but plans to chastise Sam the next day. Just as Angel starts yelling at Sam, Alec returns. He is upset about losing his lucky coin. Sam then produces the coin which Alec used to pay for cab fare.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Young Love #76

Young Love #76 (On Sale: July 10, 1969) has a cover by, I would guess, Dick Giordano. He certainly inked this beauty.

We start with "Memo: To My Love," penciled most likely by Winslow Mortimer. Unrequited office romance is the theme of this story when Maggy is in love with her boss, but he asks every other girl in the office on dates except her.

Next is "To Bill... With Love," which is reprinted from Secret Hearts #41 and penciled by Mike Sekowsky, or so they say. the office romance theme continues as Martha and Bill have been dating for years, but don't plan to get married until Bill is established in his career. Bill's co-worker, Irene, has designs on him and Martha fears that she and Bill may never be married at all.

We end with an untitled Lisa St. Claire story (Chapter Eight), inked with his usual attention to detail (that's a joke folks) by Vinnie Colletta.  Private investigator Steve Finch is pursuing Lisa, but as usual she believes he's only interested in her money. However, she knows he can't be as bad as the man her father has picked out for her.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Our Fighting Forces #121

Our Fighting Forces #121 (On Sale: July 10, 1969) has a Lt. Hunter's Hellcats cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin with Lt. Hunter's Hellcats in "Take My Place" by Robert Kanigher and Artie Saaf (I really hate when things like this happen, Robert Kanigher writes a good story. I just need to remember my mantra: Kanigher was an asshole, Kanigher was an asshole). We begin on top of a windswept fjord in Norway, as we meet a pretty young redhead, who we learn is Pvt. Heller, the newest member of the Hellcats. She soon meets and defeats a Nazi Command Car, with the assistance of the Hellcats who arrive JIT.

They steal the Command Car and leave the Nazis in their underwear. While heading away, Heller remembers how she got here...Her father was a cop who was murdered by a neighborhood kid, Tommy Carlin. Heller promised her dying father that she would track Carlin down and get revenge no matter what. When Heller went looking for Carlin she learned he had enlisted and in order to follow him, she did the same.  A troublemaker, Heller winds up in the WAC guardhouse where Lt. Hunter choses her to join the Hellcats. In her first assignment with the group of ex-cons, they decide to answer a German Poster offering to free captured resistance leaders if they would take their place in front of the firing squad.

Coming back to real time the Hellcats get to the town and give themselves up. Later in their cell they meet the officer from the Nazi Command Car who tells them that they will not honor the poster and will execute all of them. The next morning they are taken out to be hung in public when the people of the town rise up in revolt against the Nazis.  As Kanigher put it, "Like a broken dam the people pour over their oppressors." They free the Hellcats but are stopped when the hostages are about to be shot.

Heller breaks away from the rest and sidles up to the Officer, saying, "Mind if I join a winning commander?" She is hot, he is stupid and once she get close enough she takes him and his guards out. The last page is pretty stunning. It is a single large panel with a round insert panel in the lower right side where Hunter and Heller talk in closeup. But it is the top of the page that is so well done. It says, "Following the Hellcats--the enraged townspeople mete out the kind of justice that is the ultimate end of all tyrants...Brutal--Permanent--and to the point" Below this you see the bottom of their boots as the townspeople cheer at their hung bodies.

Loved it. I was really surprised at how much I liked a lot of the Artie Saaf art. When it is good it has a sort of Frank Springer feel to it; when bad it looks like Vinnie Colletta inked it. Besides the really effective last page, Saaf did some interesting work, including the first page of the story that he liked enough to actually sign.

The back-up is "Jump into Two Wars" by Bob Haney and Joe Kubert and reprinted from Star Spangled War Stories #108. It is the night before D-Day and a plane full of ally soldiers is about to jump into enemy territory. Their job is to stop a division of Nazi tanks from shelling Omaha Beach. Andre, a Frenchman, relates to Lt. Link how they are about to jump where Charles Martel defeated the Moors centuries ago. On his way out of the plane, Link hits his head on the doorframe. When he lands he is met, not by his men, but by Charles Martel about to attack the Moors.

Link notes that he is in the exact same spot he was supposed to be, looking down at the same bridge he was supposed to keep the Nazis from crossing. The Moors are stopped at the bridge by Martel's men, but some of them head away and attempt to cross on a dam hidden around the bend of the river. Outmanned at the dam, Charles Martel tells Lt. Link to save himself while Martel attacks. Link's machine gun had jammed when he arrived, but he bets his hand grenades still work. He tosses one at the dam which explodes stopping the Moors. A chunk of debris from the dam whacks Link in the head, knocking him silly. When he regains his senses, he is back in his parachute, high over France, the day before D-Day.

When he lands, he is able to stop the Nazi tanks with the knowledge of the dam he gained, while in the past with Charles Martel.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

House of Mystery #182

House of Mystery #182 (On Sale: July 10, 1969) has another cool cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with "The Devil's Doorway" by Jack Oleck and Alex Toth. Wealthy student of the occult, Phillip Warren, buys a strange mirror from a New England auction. Phillip mentions his wife's misgivings about owning the piece and the auctioneer says that it is perfectly safe as the contents of the house were exorcised over a century ago and that the records of the exorcism are in the family records in City Hall.

Satisfied, the mirror is shipped home, but almost immediately strange things begin to happen. Phil's daughter Beth begins to disappear for hours at a time and when she does show up she says she has been in the mirror playing with Mr. Belial. Beth is told to stay away from the mirror, but just a few nights later she brings her father a gift, an ancient cult demon statuette used in black magic.

Beth once again claims that she has been in the mirror and the the gift is from Mr. Belial. Knowing the mirror has been exorcised, Phil tells his daughter to stop making up stories and sends he off to bed. But Phil can't sleep and that night while sitting in front of the mirror he sees inside it a strange world. He walks into the mirror and meets Mr. Belial, AKA Satan, who says that he has been expecting him to arrive. Satan explains that he finds students of the occult a challenge and since he could not leave the mirror he had to find a way to lure Phil into his world. He threatens to soon have Phil's wife as well.

Phil hurls the demon statuette at Satan and fights his way past demons to finally reach the mirror portal. Once outside he takes an axe to the mirror and then burns what remains. However, once the mirror is completely consumed Phil falls into a coma, yet a fitful coma of nightmare dreams. Days later the dreams end and Phil tells his wife that he was just sick and hallucinating. Now that Phil is better his wife tells him that their daughter Beth has vanished, that she has not been seen since the night Phil destroyed the mirror. But the mirror is harmless, the mirror had been exorcised. Phil heads to City Hall to look up the records of the house and finds that yes, everything in the house was exorcised, except a mirror that has been sent out to be gilded.

This story is a real winner and Alex Toth's artwork is an amazing workshop in minimalist line-work in the support of a story. This is wonderful work from Toth.

This is Jack Oleck's first credited work at DC, though he is known to have written both issues of Bother Power: The Geek. This only makes sense as Oleck was Joe Simon's brother-in-law and as Simon has said, "the number one scriptwriter for Simon and Kirby since the early days of Young Romance," though, it would seem, largely uncredited. According to the Jack Kirby Museum, Oleck also worked at Atlas in the 1950s when the company was publishing 85 titles a month, but exactly what work he did is not known as there are few records from this era. Jack also wrote for EC Comics doing war stories for Aces High and science-fiction for Incredible Science Fiction.

As a credited writer Jack Oleck would write more than 200 stories for DC, mostly in the horror/mystery books, but a few wars stories and humor stories for Plop! and the first three issues of Kong, the Untamed. Jack also wrote both of the paperback anthologies of adaptations of The House of Mystery stories and EC Comics The Vault of Horror paperback as well.

Oleck also wrote novels, including Messalina. As reviewer Joe Kenney says on Amazon, "Published in 1959 and continuously in print for the next several years, Jack Oleck's Messalina is now long out of print and barely remembered. Yet it is historical fiction of the best sort: trashy, exploitative, packed with violence and graphic sex. No "detectives in togas," no poorly-written military fiction, no thinly-veiled Christian glurge - this is a full-on romp in the salacious world of Imperial Rome, more Technicolor than Elizabeth Taylor's "Cleopatra."

Messalina recounts the tale of the real-life woman who married Claudius, the fourth emperor of Rome. She's known to history as a backstabbing schemer with an insatiable lust for sex, so don't go into this novel expecting a G-rated story of ancient Rome. Oleck takes us from her youth to her end, barring no details of her cold-blooded and predator-like ways: for Messalina, sex was a means to power, and boy did she know how to use it. "

Next is "Grave Results!" a "Cain's True Case File" by Marv Wolfman and Wayne Howard.
It tells the story of the Chase family of Barbados and how each time they go to bury a family member in the family crypt they find the caskets thrown about the crypt and overturned, even though the crypt is sealed each time with molten lead to keep anyone out. The two caskets belonging to the original owner of the crypt and her grand-daughter are never disturbed. Eventually the family has to leave the island to escape the cursed crypt. Reprinted in House of Mystery #229 and Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery Vol. 1 TPB.

This little piece of fluff was Wayne Howard's first work for DC and his first credited work anywhere. He contributed to comics fanzines in the mid-1960s before becoming an art assistant at the Long Island, New York studio of Wally Wood in 1969 and the Wood influence is evident in every panel Howard ever did. Wayne would only draw four stories for DC, though he would ink another 8 over the next 13 years. Howard also did work for the short-lived Web of Horror black and white book that also appeared in 1969.

Howard did work for a number of publishers. He penciled a story in Gold Key's TV-series tie-in The Twilight Zone and inked stories for Warren's Creepy and Eerie. At marvel he did inks for Worlds Unknown, Marvel Team-Up, Thongor! Warrior of Lost Lemuria in Creatures on the Loose and the Marvel black and white Haunt of Horror.

But none of this is what Wayne Howard is known for. Wayne Howard was the first American comics' cover-credited series creator, with the Charlton horror anthology book Midnight Tales which carried the blurb: "Created by Wayne Howard" on each issue. Howard did other work for Charlton, but it is with this book that he made his mark. Charlton writer/editor Nicola Cuti says that Howard's credit was granted since "it was his idea, his concept, his everything." Howard created the main characters, host Professor Coffin, The Midnight Philosopher, and his niece, Arachne, who in a twist on the horror-host convention would themselves star in a story each issue. Howard also developed the notion of having each issue be themed. He penciled and inked every cover, most of the stories and he even wrote a few of them.

In Comic Book Artist #12, Charlton editor George Wildman, described Howard as, "sort of shy. Easy come, easy go",and said Howard had married the sister of one of Wildman's early secretaries. In the same issue, Nicola Cuti said the heavy-smoker artist "always wore the same outfit: a white shirt, a kind of tan bush jacket, black hat, black pants and black tie. ...I was over at his apartment, and he opened up his closet, and there were 20 white shirts, 20 bush jackets, 20 black pants...."

Wayne Howard's last known comic work was for Warlord #64. Always a bit of a recluse, when Comic Book Artist attempted to contact him in 2001 they were told that "the artist/writer had no interest in delving into the past." Wayne Howard, one of the first African-American comic book artists of the Silver Age, died December 9, 2007 at the age of 58.

Next we have a one-page ad for the House of Secrets featuring Cain and written and drawn by Joe Orlando. That is followed by a Cain's Game Room by Sergio Aragones.

The last story in the book is "The Hound of the Night" by Robert Kanigher and Jerry Grandenetti. It was reprinted in Showcase Presents: The House of Mystery Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Green Lantern #71

Green Lantern #71 (On Sale: July 10, 1969) has a very simple but very dramatic cover by Gil Kane.

This one is going to be more than just your normal recap of an issue. There are some things about this issue that are indicative of DC Comics in 1969. Let's start with the first of the two Green Lantern stories, "The City That Died!" by John Broome, Gil Kane and Joe Giella. First off, when you look at the excellent Gil Kane cover it is very hard to believe that the interiors were penciled by the same artist. Joe Giella does everything in his power to quash the vibrancy and life right out of Kane's pencils. He is completely unprepared to handle Gil Kane's expressive faces and dynamic, powerful anatomy. Likewise, there is something very wrong with John Broome's script, something essential that is missing, as you shall see.

Hal Jordon visits a school for handicapped children in Solar City while there trying to land the toy account for the Wilson Chain Stores. His boss has promised him a bonus if he can land the deal and Hal plans on turning the money over to the school for their building fund. His only competition is Olivia Reynolds.

Hal pitches his companies line of toys to the Wilson executive but when it is Olivia Reynold's turn she strips down to s skimpy outfit and garners not only Mr. Wilson's attention but his dinner invitation as well. A little despondent, Hal heads off for his hotel, but along the way his car stops. Soon all the cars in Solar City are stopped as are everything electrical. Hal switches to Green Lantern to investigate.

As Green Lantern Hal works the city, providing emergency energy for medical facilities and stopping an armored car robbery, when he notices that even people are now passing out on the streets. Using his ring Hal pin-points the source of the strange power drain, forty miles beneath Solar City. Diving down Hal finds a pit of boiling metal, which, and this is where Broome really lets us down, seems to be the cause of the problem. Hal closes the pit and all is back to normal in Solar City. Wow, this is about as thin a threat as you can come up with.

With the threat to the city averted, Hal learns that old man Wilson, who must of had a great time with Olivia, has chosen her company over Hal's. However, all is not lost as the city wants to give Green Lantern a reward and though he does not accept payment for his services, he makes the suggestion that the money be given to the handicapped children's school. This lightweight piece of fluff was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 4 TPB.

The letter page is interesting in this issue for two reasons. First, it contains a letter by Irene Vartanoff. If you read enough DC comics around this time you know that eventually there became the thought that Irene was not a real person, but was actually a name DC editors used to concoct fake letters and eventually leading to these "Yes Grandma, there really is an Irene Vartanoff" messages after she appeared at one of the early conventions. Second, there is a letter by Don McGregor where he re-plots Green Lantern #68 to include the scene Gil Kane had depicted on the cover. This was of course years before McGregor would write Sabre, Detectives, Inc., Nathanial Dusk, Black Panther or War of the Worlds to name but a few.

This brings us to the back-up story, called a Green Lantern Brother Story, "Hip Jordan Makes the Scene!" and it is by John Broome, Dick Dillin and Murphy Anderson. If that name doesn't tell you something really inappropriate, old fogey stick-in-the-mud and decidedly un-hip is about to be shoved down your throat by DC, nothing will. Some of these people where absolutely clueless about where young people in America were in 1969. It is the annual family reunion of the Jordan clan held at the palatial home of millionaire Titus Jordan and the fun of the evening (Uncle Titus thinks that nephew Jim's wife Sue's new dress looks like a bathing suit, etc,) is interrupted by the appearance of cousin Doug "Hip" Jordan, the long-haired hippie black-sheep of the Jordan family.

Some want Hip thrown out but Uncle Titus says he can't do that because he is family, though he does suggest that Hip take a bath because, you know, all long-haired hippies were dirty in DC comics. Now Sue thinks that her husband Jim is really Green Lantern and demands that he change into his suit and check Hip out. She pulls out a Green Lantern costume from a past year's masquerade party and argues that Jim needs to put it on. The argument is heard through the fireplace by Hip who decides he does not want to mess with Green Lantern and jumps out the window beat a hasty retreat.

Unable to convince Sue that he is not Green Lantern Jim puts on the costume to humor her and takes a run around the house in a pretend search. However, Hip thinks Jim really is Green Lantern and that he is tracking him, so he knocks him out and decides to use Green Lantern as a way to win over the Black Scooter gang he has been trying to join for a while, because at DC all hippies are criminals and gang members. Well, when it is discovered that Jim, Hip and Uncle Titus's Rolls Royce are all missing Hal get into the real Green Lantern costume and locates Jim, unconscious in the back of the Rolls which is just stopping at the Black Scooter gang's hideout (Black Scooter? This is the best Broome could come up with? Scooter???). Thinking Jim is the real Green Lantern they tie a bomb around his neck and give Hip the detonator. Just then the real Green Lantern arrives, but gives up his ring when Hip threatens to blow up Jim.

When Hip reaches for the ring, he is paralyzed, as Hal commanded the ring to do before giving it up. Hal then beats the rest of the gang up with plain fists. Hip and the gang are taken to the police and Jim asks Green Lantern if he will show up at the reunion to prove to Sue that he is not Green Lantern. Later Jim wonders why Lantern did not show up as he stands next to Hal. Really, this kind of crap makes me want to puke. This insulting piece of junk was also reprinted in Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 4 TPB. If you happen to read it, check out the artwork. I don't know how often Dick Dillin and Murphy Anderson worked together, but what a great team they made; I prefer the inks on this story to most of the inking done on Dillin during his long run on Justice League of America.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Girls' Romances #143

Girls' Romances #143 (On Sale: July 10, 1969) has a cover by John Rosenberger and Vinny Colletta.

We begin with "A Lock on My Heart" drawn by John Rosenberger and Vinny Colletta. That is followed by "The Matchmaker by Mail" penciled by Jay Scott Pike. Rounding out the issue is "Summer Heartbreak" from Heart Throbs #55 drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #123

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #123 (On Sale: July 8, 1969) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with "The Sacrifice of Jimmy Olsen" by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan and George Roussos. That is followed by "The Robber Robot" by Jim Shooter and Pete Costanza, and we end with "The Puzzles of Space and Time" by E. Nelson Bridwell and Pete Costanza.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #95

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #95 (On Sale: July 8, 1969) has a strange cover supposedly by Curt Swan and Neal Adams. I'm not sure I see Adams in these inks and if so, it is another example of where DC had someone else go over Neal's Superman face. If there are some Neal Adams' inks on this it is the last Lois Lane cover that Neal would work on.

We begin with "Lois Lane's Super-Brain" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #27, which is drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Lois Lane’s head grows to enormous size when she subjects herself to Professor Holt’s brain bank. The knowledge of famous scientists is transferred to her mind for a week, but her huge bald head is embarrassing. She attempts to cover her disfigurement throughout the week. Only her sister Lucy knows the truth. Her greatest fear is that Superman will see her like this. Fortunately only Bizarro sees her, but he falls in love with her because of it. When her head returns to normal, Bizarro becomes disenchanted with her "ugliness".

Next is "The Superwoman of Metropolis" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #8 written by Alvin Schwartz and also drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Superman gives Lois Lane temporary super powers for her birthday. She decides to keep her identity a secret, so she wears a blonde wig as Superwoman. Clark Kent tries to prove that Lois is the new Superwoman which makes it difficult for her to preform her duties.

After successfully protecting her identity several times, she eventually has to reveal herself in order to make a rescue. However, her powers have worn off. Clark secretly makes the rescue, and thinks it’s funny that Lois pretended to be Superwoman. Lois now understands how much of a pest she is to Superman.

That is followed by "Lois Lane, Slave Girl" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #33 also drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Lois is transported back in time by some crooks to prevent her from testifying against them. Lois winds up in ancient Rome where she is auctioned off as a slave to Crassus, a cruel master. Lois is rescued along with some other slaves by Petronius, an ex-gladiator. Petronius is betrayed by one of the slaves, Julia. Lois tries to rescue him, but learns that he already free because he is really Crassus. He uses the disguise to cover his liberation of prisoners. Petronius proposes to Lois, but she is returned to the present in time to testify.

Next is "The Widow in Black" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #32 also drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Lois is upset that Perry White will not let her cover any dangerous assignments. When she complains Perry assigns her to locate the Playboy Poisoner, a con man that poisons widows and steals their valuables.

Lois attracts the attention of the Poisoner at a hotel and tries to gather evidence against him while avoiding getting poisoned. Eventually the Poisoner catches on and ties up Lois. He threatens to blow her up, but Lois has discovered that the Poisoner is really Perry White. Perry tried to trick Lois to teach her a lesson, but the girl reporter has seen through the scheme, forcing Perry to give in and give her tougher assignments.

That is followed by "The Madam Jekyll of Metropolis" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #36 also drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. While explaining the properties of Red Kryptonite to her fan club, Lois Lane struck with a neutron beam of energy which is focused through the Kryptonite. Later that day Lois begins to exhibit a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Her friends try to help, but Lois gets out of control. Finally, they trick her into getting exposed to another piece of Red Kryptonite which once turned a Phantom Zone villain good. The effect cures Lois of her evil ways.

We end with "Lois Lane, Hag" from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #40 once again drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger. Lois Lane investigates a doctor who claims to have invented a youth serum. Lois is knocked out during her attempt to prove the doctor a fraud. She dreams that she has grown old and ugly, until Perry White revives her. The doctor’s scheme is then exposed, and Superman arrives to arrest him.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Binky's Buddies #5

Binky's Buddies #5 (On Sale: July 8, 1969) has a cover by Henry Scarpelli.

We begin with Binky's Buddies in "Surfs You Right" drawn by Winslow Mortimer and Henry Scarpelli. Next is Binky, Buzzy and Benny in "One Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures, " Benny in "The Hidden Complex" and Binky's Buddies in "The Music Men?" I have no creator information on any of these tales.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Tomahawk #124

Tomahawk #124 (On Sale: July 3, 1969) has another beautiful cover by Neal Adams. It is hard to believe this book was not selling well.

We begin with "The Valley of No Return" by Robert Kanigher, Frank Thorne and Joe Kubert. As Tomahawk and his Rangers march through the thick snow back into Echo Valley, they are faced with three lines of warriors under the guidance of Buffalo Horn, waiting for the Rangers to get into range of their riffles and bows. Behind Tomahawk stands the wagons of the Smith family, steadfastly refusing to go back into the valley. As Tomahawk and his men move forward they are attacked from all sides and Tomahawk thinks back to the first time he entered Echo Valley.

It was warmer days and Tomahawk and his men found the beautiful valley and thought it would be the perfect spot for the Smith family to settle. But Buffalo Horn and his warriors had other ideas and attacked the Rangers. The fight was heavy and brutal, but in the end only Buffalo Horn remained, awaiting Tomahawk's knife. But Hawk surprised him by showing mercy and letting him go, Buffalo Horn remarking that it was a weakness he would not have shown if the roles were reversed.

Tomahawk and his men get to the business of felling trees and getting the place ready for a settlement. Frenchie comment that Big Anvil smells like a bear and that pretty ladies are coming, but Anvil replies that he took a bath last spring and besides, "No gal ever looked at me!" However, when the Smith wagons arrive, Big Anvil meets Liza Smith and his life is changed forever. When the house and barn are completed a party is in order and Liza says she will save her first dance for Big Anvil. Smitten with each other it is only a matter of time before they profess their mutual love and Big Anvil tells Tomahawk that he plans on coming back to the valley and marrying Liza. The Rangers stayed till fall and then headed back to the fort, Big Anvil promising to return to be with Liza.

They find the fort under attack and it only survives due to the extra fire-power of the Rangers. Tomahawk tells Big Anvil that maybe he should slip back to Liza, but the big man says he will stay, that as long as "the Injuns are attackin' this fort -- Liza an' her kin must be safe!" One night while on patrol the Rangers see the warriors sneaking up on the fort with torches and in silence they attack them, fighting them till morning when the "Indians fade away like shadows."

The Rangers head back to Echo Valley only to find the cabin on fire and the Smiths leaving, saying they don't want to stay in the place where Liza was murdered. A shaken Big Anvil charges into the valley with the rest of the Rangers facing off the warriors gunfire. All of a sudden it becomes quiet as the gunfire stops and the whistle of arrows begins. Tomahawk thinks he understands why and has his men fire their guns off in rapid succession, firing everything they have. The gunfire starts an avalanche which buries Buffalo Horn and his men. In the end only Buffalo Horn emerges from the mountain of snow, saying he has had enough of fighting a white man who fights like an Indian.

The Smiths decide to stay on in the valley and as the Rangers leave a weeping Big Anvil kneels down in front of Liza's grave and places a flower. I can't let this one go without mentioning the wonderful art. Frank Thorne and Joe Kubert made a great team and the styles of both men survive the team-up. It's too bad that Kubert could not ink Thorne more as the results were a great treat.

The back-up story is "The Man Who Posed as Tomahawk" a reprint from Tomahawk #31 drawn by Bruno Premiani and Ray Burnley.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.