Detective Comics #406

Detective Comics #406 (On Sale: October 29, 1970), has a Batman cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with Batman in "Your Servant of Death -- Dr. Darrk" by Denny O'Neil, Bob Brown and Frank Giacoia. When shipping magnate Count Orsoni is attacked and almost killed, Bruce Wayne decides to visit the man, who is an old friend. Upon arriving at the Count's castle in the foreign country he resides, Bruce is welcomed by Mara Thursday, the Count's cousin and Dr. Darrk, one of Orsoni's friends. However, Bruce is not allowed to see the Count, although he is invited to stay in the place.

Having previously stopped the League of Assassins from murdering another shipping magnate, Bruce decides to investigate the case as Batman and he starts prowling the castle, looking for the Count. He is distracted when Mara Thursday screams in her room and when Batman enters, she makes up a story about an attacker that left without harming her. Batman deduces that this was all a distraction and he rushes to the Count's chambers, but he finds nothing but an empty room.

Batman deduces that the Count was kidnapped recently and he starts looking in the castle, when he is suddenly attacked by another member of the League of Assassins. Batman manages to defeat the assassin and he proceeds to look on the hidden places of the castle. Batman finally reaches the cellar, where he finds the Count but falls for a trap and is forced to lay on top of an execution altar. Batman deduces the identity of the killer as Dr. Darrk and he reveals himself as the president of the League of Assassins and prepares Batman for his execution.

Batman is shackled to the altar and forced to hold a rope that keeps an axe from beheading him. Dr. Darrk leaves with the certainty that Batman's grip will surely fail and he forgets about the Count. As Batman in fact starts losing his strength, the Count recovers and, crawling aimlessly, he pushes the statue of a saint on top of the altar, which falls near Batman's head at the same time as he lets go of the rope. The axe falls on the statue, saving Batman's life and the shackles are broken by the impact.

Batman takes the Count to safety, but by the time he goes to the main rooms of the castle, he finds only the assassin he previously defeated and Mara Thursday. Darrk has left the place long ago and Batman arrests Mara and the assassin, who confess all they know about the League, which is not much. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 5 TPB (2012).

The backup story is Batgirl in "The Explosive Circle" by Frank Robbins, Gil Kane and Vince Colletta. When a residential building is blown up, the sole clue is a book taken out from Gotham Public Library. Finding the book is popular among young hippies/protesters, Barbara Gordon decides to investigate further as Batgirl. Tracing the address of the last person to take out the book in question, Batgirl finds that it belongs to a girl who is a member of the youth group Peaceful Protest. However, when Batgirl informs her the book was found at the site of a bombing, the girl freaks out and slams the door on Batgirl.

Tailing the young woman to a theater known as "Up Against the Wall Baby", Batgirl soon stumbles upon the groups leader Mal who has decided peaceful protesting no longer works and wants to begin using more violent methods. Finding Batgirl at their latest rally, she is knocked out during a performance and when she comes too, she finds that Mal has placed her in a room rigged to explode should she step out of the circle she is standing on. Obviously, continued next issue. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batgirl Vol. 1 TPB (2007) and Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2018).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Adventure Comics #400 (On Sale: October 29, 1970), has a Supergirl cover by Mike Sekowsky and Dick Giordano.

Supergirl stars in "Return of the Black Flame" written and penciled by Mike Sekowsky and inked by Jack Abel. Supergirl is contacted via news station by a mysterious person who asks her to go to a specific address because she is the only person who can help her out. Supergirl heads to the place, not knowing it is a trap of her old enemy, Black Flame.

Black Flame broke out of jail in Kandor and left the Bottle City, managing to enlarge herself afterwards. She then acquired a spaceship, went to a warp portal in the Phantom Zone, and took on three super-criminals from the Phantom Zone: L. Finn (a leprechaun), the Toymaster and the Inventor. She then tricked Supergirl into coming to the house which they use as their headquarters.

Kara realizes too late it is a trap, and is sprinkled with Green Kryptonite. Rather than waiting until the Kryptonite dust takes effect, Black Flame orders her subordinates to take Supergirl to a room where she can torture her before killing her.

Supergirl comes to and sees she has been made to be a "pin" in a bowling alley with Green Kryptonite bowling balls. The Phantom Zone criminals throw ball after ball at Supergirl. However, although she gets hurt, the constant battering shakes the Kryptonite dust off the ropes binding her. Kara manages to free herself and attack, but one of the allies of Black Flame is some kind of sorcerer and freezes her.

Then she is placed in a deathtrap with Gold Kryptonite slowly stealing her powers, and a Green Kryptonite spear is set to be launched through her body once she loses them entirely. But Supergirl manages to reach a remote control for Toymaster's miniature robots and uses them to cut her free. She recovers her powers once she is away from the Gold K, and uses the toys to capture the three Phantom Zoners while she herself takes care of Black Flame. Later, Black Flame is taken back to Kandor and the three other villains are returned to the Phantom Zone.

I think Sekowsky was just new to the Super-mythos, as he gets a few things wrong in this story.  First, Supergirl is exposed to Gold Kryptonite, but somehow instead of immediately robbing her of her powers permanently she retains them claiming that prolonged exposure is needed. This contradicts every other story featuring Gold Kryptonite. Secondly, Black Flame recruits three inhabitants from the Phantom Zone to assist her, but none appear to affected by either Green or Gold Kryptonite. It should therefore be assumed that either not all Phantom Zone inhabitants are Kryptonian, or Sekowsky just messed up. Additionally, Supergirl sends the villains into space at the conclusion of the story. The caption indicates that this is toward the Phantom Zone. No mention of the Phantom Zone projector is made during their release or return which either casts more doubt on whether they are really from the Phantom Zone or Sekowsky once again messed up.

Edited by Mike Sekowsky.

Action Comics #395

Action Comics #395 (On Sale: October 29, 1970), has a Superman cover by Curt Swan and Dick Giordano.

We begin with our cover story,  "The Secrets of Superman's Fortress" by Leo Dorfman,  Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. Superman invites Lois Lane to visit his Fortress of Solitude and unveils a new room dedicated to Lois. During her tour, Lois asks about a door which is marked prohibited. Superman refuses to tell Lois what is behind the door. When she leaves, Superman enters the room and remembers his encounter with Althera.

When returning from a space mission, Superman stopped on a jungle planet to rescue some primitive people. A group of women from Vrandar are trying to enslave the people and uses them to mine ore. The women are led by Captain Althera who becomes enamored with Superman. The Man of Steel also develops feelings for Althera. He is able to peacefully resolve the conflict between the women and the primitives. He then discovers that Althera is of avian descent. Fearing their relationship is impossible, the two would-be lovers part ways.

We end with "The Credit Card of Catastrophe" by Leo Dorfman,  Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson. Superman visits Madame Mephisto, a gypsy fortune-teller at a carnival, who gives him a "credit card" that is good for three wishes. She says once he uses its three times, he will find out what it costs. Superman considers it a gag, until his power fades out three times and he regains it each time by using one of the wishes on the card. When he has used all three wishes, his powers seem to disappear permanently. He goes to Madame Mephisto, who says she has erased his powers magically and will restore them for half the gold in Fort Knox. He agrees. 

She makes him super again, and he returns with half the gold in Fort Knox, given to him with a promise to the authorities to replace it, and dumps it all on Madame Mephisto. Seconds later, he digs her out and unmasks her as Supergirl. She said that she assumed the identity of the fortune-teller to see whether or not she or Superman could be hypnotized into committing a super-crime, and used her super-hypnosis to convince Superman he had lost his powers, while standing nearby when each crisis happened in which Superman used his card. 

Superman said he deduced her true identity when he wondered why Madame Mephisto didn't use her magic to get the gold herself, rather than using him to do the job, and then realized he had not lost all his powers. The two Kryptonians fly the gold back to Fort Knox, and Supergirl admits she still doesn't know if they can be hypnotized into committing crimes or not.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

World's Finest Comics #199

World's Finest Comics #199 (On Sale: October 27, 1970), has our third Neal Adams' cover of the day, this one featuring Superman and the Flash.

This issue features Superman and the Flash in "Race to Save Time" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. Continuing from last issue, Superman and Flash, on a race to save the universe, are captured by the Anachronids and taken to the edge of the Phantom Zone. They find themselves under the vacillating light of the Vortex Sun and prisoners of Phantom Zoners Jax-Ur, General Zod, Kru-El, and Prof. Vakox, who are using the Anachronids to escape the Phantom Zone.

Jimmy Olsen is lost in time, and escapes from a barrage of Roman arrows, before appearing in the magistrate of the Spanish Inquisition. Time is out of joint.

The Zoners tell the heroes that the Anachronids are causing the time disruption, and will rupture the barrier between the Zone and the rest of the universe; freeing them while destroying Earth's solar system. Though the Vortex Sun is currently red for the moment, Superman and Flash use their willpower to draw the Green Lantern Medallion and break free and defeat the villains. What began as as a galactic footrace ends with the two heroes crawling in the dirt to shut off the Anachronids. And the Flash wins the race.

After the Vortex Sun goes yellow, Superman uses his newly returned powers to knock out Kru-El and smash the machine that created the Anachronids, inadvertently freeing Jimmy Olsen and returning the timestream to normal. This story was reprinted in Superman Vs. Flash TPB (2005) and Showcase Presents: World's Finest Vol. 4 TPB (2013).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #86

Justice League of America #86 (On Sale: October 27, 1970), has a cover by Neal Adams.  

This issue featured the Justice League in  "Earth's Final Hour" by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin and Joe Giella. This is Friedrich's first JLA story and he will continue on the book for a year and a half till he move over to Marvel. Theo Zappa, the corrupt head of a giant corporation, gains control of a re-memory machine which allows him to reprogram the minds of others. When Panja Darr, an alien from a world where magic is the norm, appears to him offering to buy Earth's supply of plankton to replace that of his own world, which has been decimated by magical pollution, Zappa uses the machine to steal Darr's powerful magic wand. He then absconds with all Earth's plankton and attempts to black-mail both planets. 

Aware that this will eventually destroy Earth's food supply and end all life on the planet, the Justice League goes into action, with Superman and Aquaman attacking Zappa beneath the sea, Flash and Hawkman fighting him in space, and Batman and Atom finally following him to Panja Darr's world with the alien's ship. There he is beaten and his scheme thwarted, but the pollution problems of both planets remain unsolved. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Justice League of America Archives Vol. 10 HC (2012) and Justice League of America: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2017).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Brave & the Bold #93

Brave & the Bold #93 (On Sale: October 27, 1970), has another great cover by Neal Adams. 

This is a classic issue of Brave and the Bold and a rare for the time non-Bob Haney story. Instead of the regular Haney tale we have "Red Water--Crimson Death!" by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams interrupting Nick Cardy's artistic run on this title. This tale had been assigned to Neal long before Cardy started his run on B&B, but Neal being Neal, it took him forever to actually draw the thing. In a tale narrated by Cain from House of Mystery, Batman slips up and almost gets himself killed trying to stop a normal thug, and is forced to go on an extended vacation by Commissioner Gordon, who believes Batman is heading towards a total burn out. Reluctantly taking the Commissioner's advice, Bruce Wayne takes a cruise ship to Ireland, on which he saves a small boy named Sean who falls overboard. Going along with the boy to his home of Arin Island, Bruce finds that mystical forces are working to have him solve a mystery on the island as Batman.

Bruce learns that many on the island including Sean's parents were killed by a red tide which poisoned the fish. Since his parent's deaths, Sean has been fascinated by tales of King Hugh, who once ruled the island. That night Bruce is awakened by a ghostly tap on the shoulder only to discover that he is now wearing the Batman suit he dumped overboard on the ship. He also sees that young Dean is sleep walking. When he tried to stop Sean, he is attacked by locals who believe Batman to be one of the demons haunting old King Hugh's castle.

The locals believe the red sea is part of the haunting of the island by King Hugh and just then demon appears, frightening the locals. Batman sees Sean running towards the monster and gives chase. Heaving a rock he discovers that the demon is just a holographic projection on a large screen. Taking that out, Batman follows Sean into King Hugh's castle. Cain explains that a castle is a type of house and that since Batman does not know what is inside, he has just entered the House of Mystery.

Inside the castle, Batman almost misses a secret trap door, but another mysterious tap on the should alerts him to the entrance. there he overhears some henchmen talking about the fake hauntings they have been in on to scare the people off the island. They also talk about hating to have to poison the boy and Batman takes them out.

Batman soon learns that the leader is businessman Alysius Cabot who is dumping chemicals into the water that is causing people to die and is using technology to play on peoples superstitions. Batman confronts Cabot as he is about to poison Sean, only to have the poison enter an open would on Batman's arm. Cabot offers Batman a sporting chance of taking an antidote found in one of two beakers. In his poisoned state, Batman can not even see the beakers, but he sees a portrait of Hing Hugh and it is pointing to test tube on a back table. Batman leaps for it and drinks its contents. 

Cabot says he has no idea how Batman figured out that both beakers held more poison and that the real antidote was in the tube, but before he can shoot Batman, the picture of King Hugh falls off the wall killing Cabot. Finally, without much understanding of all the inexplicable events that happened, Batman then takes Sean to safety as Cain explains that though old King Hugh is gone, he has not gone far and he can't stand anybody disturbing his rest. I would be remiss if I did not mention the exception coloring of Jack Adler on this story; it is some beautiful work. This tale was reprinted in Limited Collectors' Edition C-59 (1978), Best of the Brave and the Bold #5 (1988), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 2 HC (2004), Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 2 TPB (2008), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 2 TPB (2013), Batman in the Brave and the Bold: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2017), Batman by Neal Adams Vol. 2 TPB (2019) and Batman in the Brave and the Bold: The Bronze Age Vol. 2 TPB (2019).

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Witching Hour #12

Witching Hour #12 (On Sale: October 22, 1970), has another great cover by Nick Cardy. 

Steve Skeates was one of my favorite writers after coming over to DC from Charlton with Dick Giordano, and editor Giordano let Steve own this issue of the Witching Hour. From top to bottom, stem to stern, this is Skeates' issue dealing entirely with the duality of man.

It begins with a one-page framing sequence by Skeates and Alex Toth and it is just wonderful. Toth's smooth exaggeration of the three witches' faces is just priceless as Cynthia tries on a new hat. Just lovely work. 

The framing sequence blends right into our first tale, "Double Edge" by Steve Skeates and Alex Toth. which delves into the double-nature of man. The good, the evil and the ability of talismans of power to amplify each of these. When a teenage boy finds a talisman in an old junk shop, he is sure it has real powers, but one day his step-mother sends him out to do his chores and throws away all of his "junk." A few days later he decides to run away from home and he never returns. He goes to the dump, but is unable to locate his talisman, figuring that some tramp must have found it. 

He spends the next years in search of the talisman or one just like it, which eventually brings him to Los Angeles and the old Pryor Mansion and the old bag who lives there that many say is a witch. He figures that she must have a talisman and he intends to take it and use it for good. One night, as he approaches the old house he is attacked by a bolt of pure energy and the old witch is upon him. Realizing that the man only has the powers of a neophyte, she tows with him as his strength slowly dissipates.

The witch decides she is tired of the game and throws one last high energy bold at the man, only he holds up a charm that reflects the bolt back at the witch, killing her.  As he approaches her body he sees that it is his step-mother and her talisman is the one she said she threw away all those years ago. The three witches watch as he sits in shock and wonder if he will use the talisman for good or follow in his step-mother's footsteps.

Next is "Double Take" by Steve Skeates and George Tuska with an assist on the witches by Alex Toth. An actor is being blackmailed so he decides to end his problems by killing the blackmailer. After shooting him in his apartment, he is confronted by a director and film crew in the room who tell him he has to do it over as he did not follow the script. When the director says they need to do it again, the blackmailer gets up and the actor shoots him again then makes a break for the door. The director tells him to wait, that he needs to go over to the mantel and wipe off his fingerprints. Protesting that he never touched the candlestick, the actor does as he is told, and then starts to leave the apartment. When he opens the door he is confronted by the police and as they arrest him he yells at the director that it is all his fault, but of course, the police don't see anyone else in the room. This story was reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #24 (1982).

We end with "Double Cross!" by Steve Skeates, Gil Kane and Dan Adkins. A young woman joins a yoga class where, unknown to her, the instructor is a Satanist. He teaches her to see the normally unseen forces of good and evil struggling her possession of her soul and this frightens her to the point of wishing to discontinue her studies. He gives her a charm in order to dissuade her from quitting, telling her that it will ward away evil spirits. What she doesn't know is that the charm is supposed to ward away good spirits. When the evil creatures that only she can see accost her, she accidentally drops the charm down a grate. 

She goes to the yoga instructor in order to procure a stronger charm, but the Satanist assumes that she has been possessed and invites her to join their black mass. When he sees that she is upset and confused, he realizes that her soul has not yet been claimed for evil and has his demons pursue her. She breaks the glass of a department store window in order to seize a cross to ward them off. She explains all this to police who tell her she will have to wait in a cell to see if the department store owner wishes to press charges. They remove the cross from the hysterical woman as evidence and leave her terrified waiting in the cell for the demons to find her, unsure if she will be strong enough to fight them off without the cross.

The entire issue was reprinted in Showcase Presents: The Witching Hour Vol. 1 TPB (2011) and was edited by Dick Giordano.

Star Spangled War Stories #154

Star Spangled War Stories #154 (On Sale: October 22, 1970), has an Unknown Soldier cover by Joe Kubert. The cover promises to reveal the "Origin of the Unknown Soldier."

We begin with the Unknown Soldier in "I'll Never Die," which is written and drawn by Joe Kubert. An unnamed man and his brother named Harry enlist in the United States Army two months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. They are assigned to the Philippines when the Pacific War breaks out. The Japanese soon invaded the Philippines where the brothers fight off wave after wave of invading Japanese soldiers.

In their foxhole, Harry tells his brother not to lose hope even though they are outnumbered, because "one guy can affect the outcome of a whole war! One guy in the right place… at the right time…" Eventually, a grenade lands near their foxhole and Harry throws himself on it and is killed instantly. But the explosion also injured Harry's brother's face. Deeply distraught and enraged by the loss of his brother, the man single-handedly beats the remaining Japanese soldiers. Two G.I. medics soon find the man and take him to a First Aid station. However, the doctors are unable to restore his face.

The soldier is flown back to America on the last aircraft leaving the Philippines before it falls to the Japanese. He recovers in a veterans hospital outside of Washington until being discharged, and soon he is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions. But the man declines the medal and, inspired by Harry's words, wants to become that "one man in the right place." His previous identity is erased and he undergoes intensive training to become an intelligence operative code-named "The Unknown Soldier." This story depicts him with his trademark bandaged face for the first time and was reprinted in Showcase Presents the Unknown Soldier Vol. 1 TPB (2007).

Our backup story is Enemy Ace in "Killer of the Skies" by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert and is reprinted from Showcase #57 (1965). While returning from a mission low on fuel, Enemy Ace is attacked by a French plane. He manages to escape the enemy's sights, then returns fire. He downs the French fighter and a bomber, but he is wounded in the encounter.

After returning to base, Von Hammer witnesses two German pilots fleeing from a Canadian ace called the Hunter. Enemy Ace forces the pilots to meet the Hunter's challenge. They are both shot down by the Canadian's superior flying skills. Enemy Ace vows to meet the Hunter in the skies at a later time.

Von Hammer recovers from his wounds and takes to the air to meet the Hunter. Both pilots are skilled and manage to damage their opponent's plane. Both pilots bring their planes in for crash landings. Von Hammer is uninjured, but the Hunter soon dies from the injuries sustained in the crash. Though a reprint, this story has been heavily reworked, including two new half-page panels. 

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Heart Throbs #129

Heart Throbs #129 (On Sale: October 22, 1970), has a cover by Bill Draut and Vinny Colletta.

We begin with our cover story, "Substitute Sweetheart" inked by Vinny Colletta.

Next is "Listen, Darling..." drawn by Bill Draut and reprinted from Heart Throbs #60 (1959),

That is followed by "You're Not My Type... Mr. Winslow" drawn by Artie Saaf.

We end with "I Can't Give You Anything But Love" drawn by Jack Abel. 

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Debbi's Dates #11

Debbi's Dates #11 (On Sale: October 22, 1970), has a cover by Stan Goldberg  and Henri Scarpelli. This is the final issue of Debbi's Dates.

We begin with Benedict in "Turn on with a Kiss" drawn by Bill Williams and Frank McLaughlin. 

Next is a Buddy one-pager, "The Criers."

That is followed by Buddy in "Don't Say It with Flowers" drawn by Bill Williams and Frank McLaughlin. 

Next is the Teeny-Boppers in "The Disco As Seen by the Teeny-Boppers" written and drawn by Phil Mendez.

We end with Harold in "Boy, Is the School Principal Mad" drawn by Bill Williams and Frank McLaughlin. 

Bill Williams was an artist who started out on the Lana book and strip for Atlas (Marvel) in 1949 and then spent the 1950s with Dell Publishing where he produced such humorous series as Henry Aldrich and Homer Brown. In the 1960s, he has also drawn comics with Millie, The Chipmunks and Tweety and Silvester. He drew Millie the Model during 1967 and also drew for Marvel in the late 1980s doing Dennis the Menace. Also did the long-running Pee Wee Harris strip in Boy's Life. His only work for DC was in this and the previous issue of Debbi's Dates.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Young Romance #169

Young Romance #169 (On Sale: October 20, 1970), has a cover by Bill Draut and Dick Giordano. 

We begin with "No Wedding Ring for Me" by Robert Kanigher, Werner Roth and Dick Giordano,

That is followed by a Dates 'n' Mates page by Liz Berube.

Next is "Tell Me That You Love Her" Jack Miller, Jay Scott Pike and the horrible Vince Colletta.

We end with "We Can't Be Strangers" drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Heart Throbs #62 (1959).

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Flash #202

Flash #202 (On Sale: October 20, 1970), has a cover by Dick Giordano. 

We begin with the Flash in "The Satan Circle" by Robert Kanigher, Irv Novick and Murphy Anderson. Iris is sent to Hollywood to write a series of articles about missing persons and cults. Shortly after she arrives, Barry Allen gets a phone call alerting him that Iris is in trouble. The Flash runs to Hollywood where he encounters members of a satanic cult. They have captured Iris and dose the Flash with hallucinogenic drugs. The Flash is able to overcome the effects of the drugs, rescue Iris, and defeat the cult and its leader, Lucifer.

Our backup story is Kid Flash in "The Accusation" by Steve Skeates,

Dick Dillin and Murphy Anderson. Carson has a recurring nightmare in which Kid Flash accuses him of killing Walter Savin. Carson has no memory of killing anyone, but he recognizes the name from a news report. Savin was killed by a hit-and-run driver. Plagued by feelings he doesn't understand, Carson gets into his car and begins remembering hitting the boy. He tries to leave town. On the road he passes Kid Flash, who has just rounded up a gang of street thieves. The sight of Kid Flash causes Carson to swerve. He crashes his car and is killed upon impact.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Batman #227

Batman #227 (On Sale: October 20, 1970), has a cover by Neal Adams. in a bit of the gothic genre that DC was trying out at the time. The looming wash figure of Batman in the background is an homage to the cover of Detective Comics #31 by Bob Kane.

We start with Batman in  "The Demon of Gothos Mansion" by Denny O'Neil, Irv Novick and Dick Giordano. Alfred receives a letter from his niece Daphne, saying she is teaching the children of Gothos Mansion but thinks there is something strange. Batman decides to investigate and once he arrives, he is attacked by some men, but easily defeats them. In Daphne's room, she tells him she has discovered the children were Dwarves and she is forced to wear ancient clothes. On the wall there is a portrait of a girl who looks exactly like Daphne. When Batman steps outside the room into a hallway, he falls through a trapdoor into a net.

The Elder Heathrow and his men bind Batman's hands and he is placed on a stone with a noose round his neck. In about a quarter of an hour it will drop into the cellar and Batman will be hanged. He tells Batman that as Daphne was born at precisely midnight on October 31st he will sacrifice her to summon the demon Ballk, which his family has waited six generations to do. He claims an ancestor of his did so also and the spirit of the sacrifice walks these halls. When he is left to die, Batman escapes using a torch to burn through the rope. Once outside, he sees a girl he mistakes for Daphne but she says she is not her. She leads him to the coven in an old chapel and he finds himself loving her.

Inside the chapel, Daphne is bound and gagged, standing on the altar while the coven chants. She is forced down and the Elder prepares to slay her with a pitchfork. However Batman enters and puts an end to the sacrificial ceremony. As the coven attacks, he throws the Elder to them and they run out. The Elder dies and Batman deduces that his heart couldn't take it. Batman unties Daphne, telling her to go to the mansion as he goes out to meet the girl that guided him, but she says in besting the coven he has freed her and disappears into the night. Finally, Batman finds the image of the girl similar to Daphe fixed to a tree. Reprinted in Batman from the 30s to the 70s HC (1972), Limited Collectors' Edition C-59 (1978) and Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 5 TPB (2012).

We end with Robin in  "Help Me --- I Think I'm Dead" by Mike Friedrich, Irv Novick and Mike Esposito. While working a college help line, Dick Grayson receives an emergency call from photographer Phil Real. Dick rushes to the nearby riverside where he saves Phil's life as Robin. However, he finds that the river is badly polluted. Dick joins the campaign of Professor Stuart who is running for Congress on a platform of cleaning up the environment including the river.

The ICM Corporation is angry that Stuart is receiving backing from Hudson University students. They hire arsonists to torch the professor's office. Robin tries to stop them, but he is too late. Then a photograph surfaces showing Stuart taking a payoff. This story is continued next issue. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 TPB (2008) and Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 5 TPB (2012).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #81

Green Lantern #81 (On Sale: October 15, 1970), has a cover by Neal Adams. For the first time, Black Canary is listed on the cover.

Continuing from last issue, we have "Death Be My Destiny" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary are brought to Oa to act as character witnesses for the old-timer, the Guardian who has been traveling with the heroes on Earth. The other Guardians of the Universe blame the old-timer for choosing to save the life of Hal Jordan rather than act in the best interest of the greater good. Despite the objection of Hal and Ollie, the old-timer is stripped of his immortality by his fellow Guardians and exiled to the world Maltus, where the Guardians originated.

The old-timer is joined on the trip to Maltus by his three human friends. Although the planet was once sparsely populated, it now is host to an overpopulation problem. By consulting the archives, the heroes learn that when Maltus passed through a strange cloud of cosmic dust, the people lost the ability to have children. A scientist calling herself Mother Juna began cloning children from the cells of her fellow Maltusans. Although the people recovered their ability to reproduced, Mother Juna has not stopped creating more clones which has led to overpopulation.

While Green Arrow distracts the angry crowd of Maltusans, Green Lantern breaks into Mother Juna's laboratory. He and the others are then confronted by Juna's minions. As the battle between the two sides commences, the Maltusans enter the laboratory and begin destroying it. Mother Juna explains that she never recovered from the effects of the cosmic cloud and cloning was the only way for her to be a mother.  With her lab destroyed, she will no longer be able to create her clones and the overpopulation problem will no longer grow worse. The old-timer accepts his fate and remains on Maltus to help its residents. The heroes of Earth return home.

Not to suggest that these stories were popular, but this one was reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #16 (1981), Green Lantern/Green Arrow #3 (1983), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB (1992), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC (2001), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012) and Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC (2016).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Girls' Romances #153

Girls' Romances #153 (On Sale: October 15, 1970), has a cover by Nick Cardy. 

We begin with "Love Me, Love My Child" which was drawn by Arthur Peddy. Sheila, a young widow with a child, keeps her circumstances a secret from her new boyfriend Brad, who doesn't like children.

Next is "All My Tomorrows" drawn by Mike Sekowsky and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Girls' Romances #94 (1963). Paul meets Karen, who is running away from a failed relationship, but he is unable to convince her to give him a chance.

We end with "Never Trust a Man" drawn by Lee Elias. Janie refuses to fall in love with any guy, no matter how much they care for her.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

All-Star Western #3

All-Star Western #3 (On Sale: October 15, 1970), has a gorgeous El Diablo cover by Neal Adams that is only the beginning of a comic art extravaganza. I love every single thing about this cover and grabbed this off the stands immediately. The foreground figures are lifted almost in tact from an interior panel by Gray Morrow, but the addition of El Diablo leaping over the cabin and that unique color palette just adds to the dynamic scene.

This issue begins with Outlaw in "Death Deals the Cards" by Robert Kanigher and Gil Kane. This issue features some beautiful work by Kane, who was really starting to hit his peak about this time. With his father still hot on his trail, Outlaw Rick Wilson joins up with Dix, a train robber who has targeted a train which Rick's Texas Ranger father is traveling on. When Dix's men pull guns on Rick they reveal Dix's plan to kill Rick as well, since Dix does not trust the son of a Texas Ranger With the help of his hawk, Rick manages to to turn the tables on the men taking them out. At the same time, Rick's father is able to get the drop on Dix sending him of the train and to his death. Rick then flees the scene to avoid being captured by his father. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents Jonah Hex Vol. 1 TPB (2006).

Next is a text story, "And the Sun Beat On" by Mike Friedrich, is about a train robber being chased by deputies. The robber is on the wrong horse at the wrong time.

We end this issue with a real gem, We are to learn the origin of El Diablo in "Call Him Satan--Call Him Saint!" by Robert Kanigher and Gray Morrow. Morrow's artwork on this entire series is just stunning and this issue is no exception. When an old prospector, Pop Woods, is bushwhacked on night, he is rescued by the masked rider, El Diablo. Pop says that he recognized the men as being members of the Hanged Man's Gang, who made his daughter, Ellie,  a widow and his grandson an orphan. Like a shadow, El Diablo disappears.

We go back 33 days to the town of Puerta Del Sol in Southern California, where we witness bank teller Lazarus Lane being humiliated in the streets by a group of men accosting Nora Hayes. A few hours later the same men come into the bank in masks and kill fellow teller Albert before making away with a month's payroll. Later Albert's wife calls out Lazarus in front of the town for being a coward and doing nothing to stop Albert's murder. Ashamed and saddened, Lazarus rides out to his hacienda where he is met by Wise Owl, an old native medicine man taken in by Lazarus after he was shunned by his own people. While Lazarus explains what happened in town , Wise Owl tells him that all men are "given a chance to even accounts...sometimes in mysterious ways."

A week later, Nora has visited Lazarus and talked him into taking her for a buggy ride. However, they are stopped by the Hanged Man Gang and this time Lazarus is determined to protect Nora, But he is lassoes and drug into a river. When a soaking wet Lazarus stands up to the men, he is struck by lightning and before the gang can react, a barrage of bullets erupts from the other side of the river and they hightail it out of there. Wise Owl emerges from the trees and ride across the river. He takes Lazarus to the hacienda while Nora heads off to retrieve her father, the town doctor.

When they return, they hear Wise Owl singing an Apache chant for the dead and fear they are too late, but inside they find Lazarus sitting in a chair. Though his heart is still beating, he appears to be in a waking coma of some sort. Wise Owl explains that "Paleface medicine is useless here, It is best that you leave us alone. I will look after him." As they leave they hear Wise Owl taking up the chant of the dead once more. For days and nights Wise Owl looks after Lazarus, administering herbs and root drugs till finally, he opens his eyes.  Lazarus speaks of strange dreams and how is now living on borrowed time, how the lightning which should have killed him instead split his soul asunder. He is now two men, the husk of Lazarus Lane and someone else, "a shadow...a phantom...a devil of a man with a task to be done before I can rest. Tonight the part of the man that is Lazarus Land sleeps, while his other self rides as...El Diablo."

Meanwhile, at Pop Woods' ranch, The Hanged Man and his gang have broken in and are eyeing the widow Ellie. The Hanged Man explains that it was Ellie's husband who was the foreman of the jury that found him guilty and that it was only by freak accident that he did not die when he went through the trap door. When his men cut him down and revived him, he swore revenge on her husband and his whole family. When one of his men go to the well for water he is attacked by El Diablo's bolo and a few minutes later the cabin starts to fill with smoke. The Hanged Man sends one of his men to see what has happened but he is gunned down by El Diablo, up on the roof. 

The Hanged Man comes out holding a gun to Ellie's head and tells El Diablo to drop his gun, which he does. HE chides El Diablo for being a fool but is silenced when el Diablo's bolo strikes him in the neck, hanging him once again, this time from a porch post. El Diablo rides off, returning to the Lane Hacienda where he removes his costume and returns to his chair by the fire. "The watchful moon listens..." as Wise Owl once again takes up the Apache chant of the dead. This classic DC western has been reprinted in Weird Secret Origins #1 (2004), DC Universe: Secret Origins HC (2012) and DC Universe: Secret Origins TPB (2013).

Edited by Dick Giordano. 

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (On Sale: October 13, 1970), has a cover by Neal Adams.

This issue we have "The Mountain of Judgment" by Jack Kirby and Vince Colletta. Continuing from last issue, Jimmy Olsen leads the Newsboy Legion and the Outsiders from the Wild Area in an effort to find the Mountain of Judgment. When Superman tries to stop then, he is once again knocked out by Kryptonite gas. With Superman out of the way, Jimmy and the others then locate the Zoomway, the road which leads to the Mountain. Along the road, Jimmy and his friends encounter multiple dangers and obstacles, but the Whiz Wagon triumphs over each.

Meanwhile, back at the Habitat, Superman awakes and follows Jimmy along the Zoomway. He catches up, just as Jimmy has reached the Mountain of Judgement, a giant rolling missile carrier built by the Hairies, the creators of Habitat, the Zoomway and all the fantastic weapons and gear Jimmy has encountered. Superman prevents Jimmy and his friends from being run over, but they are all sucked inside of the Mountain

Inside they are greeted by the Hairies, who seem to know more about Jimmy and his mission than they should and begin to carefully inspect the Whiz Wagon, locating a powerful bomb inside of the television camera the Newsboy Legion has been using to transmit back to Morgan Edge. They remove the bomb inside it and Superman muffles the blast using his body. Jimmy was unknowingly used to deliver the bomb in an attempt to destroy the Hairies, a scientifically advanced group living in secret. Superman reveals that he knew about the Hairies and their Top Secret location. Jimmy and the Newsboys are denied the full story, but they get a glimpse of the Hairies activities inside the Mountain.

Back in Metropolis, Morgan Edge is forced to report the failure of the bomb to his boss, Darkseid. Yep, that Darkseid and the cameo at the end of this story is the real beginning of Kirby's Fourth World This story was reprinted in Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby Vol. 1 TPB, Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1 HC and Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited, they say, by Murray Boltinoff. Yeah, we believe that.

Superman #232

Superman #232 (On Sale: October 13, 1970), AKA Giant #G-78, has an all Krypton cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, or as we used to call them, Swanderson. This is a strange issue of Superman in that half the stories are of Superboy.

We begin with Superman in "Superman's Return to Krypton" by Jerry Siegel, Wayne Boring and Stan Kaye and is reprinted from Superman #141 (1960).While out on patrol, Superman is stopped by Professor Galsworthy at the Metropolis Observatory, who has made an astonishing discovery. Showing Superman his telescope, they find a strange planet out in space, Superman goes to investigate and learns that it's actually a living creature. 

Upon his approach, the living creature flees, Superman chases after it but goes too fast and ends up flying through the time barrier and into the past. Finding himself in a sector of space before Krypton exploded, he begins to lose his powers due to proximity to the system's red sun. Trapped on Krypton, Superman frets over the fact that now that he is stuck on Krypton, he will be as doomed as everyone else when the planet explodes. He is mistaken for an extra in a movie production which earns him a job and later meets Jor-El and Lara who are just getting married. He befriends the newlyweds and becomes Jor-El’s assistant.

Superman then falls in love with Lyla Lerror, a movie starlet. He is cautious of getting involved with her since Krypton is doomed. Jor-El reaches that conclusion as well and decides to build a ship to reach Earth. Superman sees Jonathan and Martha Kent before they were married and even assists in catching a crook.

Jor-El’s space ark is built in the city of Kandor. However, the city and the ark are stolen by the space villain, Brainiac. Without the ark, Superman realizes he will stay on Krypton until its destruction. He agrees to wed Lyla after the completion of her latest film. As an extra on the film set, Superman is on board a prop rocket when a flame-beast breaks loose and powers the rocket’s engines. Superman is launched to Earth again where he regains his powers. He travels back to the present with only the memory of his home planet.

Next is Superboy in "Father's Day on Planet Krypton" by Leo Dorfman and George Papp and reprinted from Adventure Comics #313 (1963). Superboy celebrates father’s day with his foster parents by giving Jonathan Kent a new pipe created from a meteor. Wanting to honor his Kryptonian father too, Superboy uses his mind prober ray to discover the Kryptonian father’s day rituals. He learns that Kryptonian’s honor their ancestors inside a crypt containing statues of their family.

Weeks later, Superboy discovers the statues belonging to his family floating in space. He covers them with lead to protect himself, since they have been transformed into Kryptonite. Then he places objects within a chest in the hands of the statues. By doing so, Superboy is able to learn about his family history.

We return to a Superman story with "The Fugitive from the Phantom Zone" by  Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan and George Klein and reprinted from Superman #164 (1963).  When Superman is called to stop the accidental detonation of a nuclear missile, he diverts it into space where the detonation opees a rift in the Phantom Zone, allowing villain Ras-Krom to escape. Ras-Krom set out to cause a larger nuclear war to blast free the rest of the Phantom Zone criminals; but is deterred by Superman. When Ras draws a Kryptonian demon for luck, Superman not only knows that he is dealing with an escaped Phantom Zone inmate -- but he is a superstitious one.

As Ras-Krom continues to try to free his brothers from the Zone, Superman uses Kryptonian superstition against him. An artificial comet drives Ras-Krom into a magnetic cave that disables his belts' safety aura, and Jimmy Olsen sends him back in the Zone with a plastic Phantom Zone Projector.

We end with Superboy in "The Wizard City" by Bill Finger, Curt Swan and George Klein and reprinted from Adventure Comics #216 (1955). Superboy investigates the disappearance of missing museum curator Professor Mark Olsen, who has gone in search of a fallen meteor in Africa. Superboy discovers the professor in the dense jungle held captive by some knights. He learns that a Wizard City exists nearby, and the professor's guide, Vedders, has gone there.

Superboy locates the city, which was brought to Earth in the meteor. It is a Kryptonian city which has fallen to Earth after the planet's destruction. The Kryptonite prevents Superboy from approaching, so the professor dresses as Superman to stop Vedders from using the weapons of the city.

After defeating Vedders, Superboy and the professor return to civilization. The professor's young son Jimmy is grateful for his father's return. Jimmy idolizes Superboy and eventually grows up to be Jimmy Olsen, Superman's pal.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Sugar and Spike #93

Sugar and Spike #93 (On Sale: October 13, 1970) has a standard cover by Sheldon Mayer.

This issue has six Sugar and Spike features, from one-page gags to six-page stories. They are entitled: "The Phone Call," "How to Play 'Arrgh'" (reprinted in Best of DC #28 (1982)), "Where's the Toozit Tree?" (reprinted in Best of DC #47 (1984)), "Grown-Up Invention," "Full Speed Ahead" and finally, "Spike's Table Trouble" All content written and drawn by Sheldon Mayer.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

G.I. Combat #145

G.I. Combat #145 (On Sale: October 8, 1970) has another cool Haunted Tank  cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin this "BIG" issue with one of the original stories in it, "Sand, Sun & Death" starring the Haunted Tank, written by Robert Kanigher an drawn by Russ Heath. In the desert of North Africa, the Haunted Tank in surrounded by enemy tanks. When they run out of ammunition, Jeb orders the tank to take cover in a sand storm. When the storm clears, they are lost, but they soon find a crashed bomber. 

The pilot is still alive, but he has gone mad. Jeb convinces him to get back into the fight when the enemy tanks arrive. Rick, Slim, and Arch man the plane's guns while the pilot and Jeb strike at the enemy from behind. They win the battle, but the pilot is killed during the fight. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Haunted Tank Vol. 2 TPB.

Next we have the first of the reprints, "A Hatful of War" by Bob Haney and Mort Drucker and reprinted from G.I. Combat #61 (1958). A green recruit asks his Sarge what the tightest spot he could expect to be in, to which the Sarge replies, "You'll know it when you're in it." Out scouting one day the kid gets pinned sown by a machine gun and his helmet starts to feel real tight, but the kid manages to get close enough to use a grenade to end the threat and his helmet suddenly feels much looser. Shortly, while guarding a deserted farmhouse, the kid sees a German grenade flying at him and uses his helmet to knock it away, He crawls under the farmhouse steps and from there is able to take out the Nazi who threw the grenade, making his restrictive helmet feel loose again.

A few days later he is in a foxhole when a German tank arrives and once again his helmet begins to tighten. He jumps onto the tank and manages to take it out. Later when the Sarge asks if he has found the tightest spot in the war yet, the kid points to his head and say, "Right in here!"

Our next reprint is "The Iron Punch" by France Herron and Arthur Peddy and reprinted from Our Fighting Forces #5 (1955). When Seabee Bob Tully is ordered to get supplies through a jungle he uses his bulldozer, Peg, to get the job done, promising to go "straight through the jungle." When attacked by snipers from up in some trees, Peg knocks them down. when attacked by machine guns in pillboxes, Peg bulldozes them over, and when challenged by an enemy tank, Peg pushes it over a cliff. Later at Seabee headquarters, Tully is shown an aerial photo of his rad and it is anything but straight.

Next we have a new two-page Battle Album, "Terror in the Sky!" on different types of anti-aircraft shells used during World War II. The art is by Sam Glanzman.

The next reprint is "Hot Corner" by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert and reprinted from G.I. Combat #59 (1958). When ball player Arnie gets his chance in the big leagues, his hitting is fine, but his fielding at third base, what his manager called the "Hot Corner" was so bad his career was over before it started. Too embarrassed by the stories in the papers to return home, Arnie joins the army and is shipped out to North Africa where he hopes to prove himself on the front, but it is not to be. He is ordered to babysit some supplies till another platoon comes to pick them up. 

While waiting he sees a platoon of Nazi infantry approaching and prepares to stop them with his machine gun. He is so distracted by the approaching men that he fails to see the Nazi sneaking up behind him, and they knock each other out in a fist fight. He awakens to the approaching Nazis and opens fire on them. Suddenly he is attacked from the air by a Stuka which in his mind is a running trying to score on him. He manages to shoot the Stuka down, but later he sees a tank attack as another runner trying to get past his corner. He manages to get a grenade into the tank and later when the second platoon shows up for his supplies and asks what he thinks he is doing just sitting there, he says he is, "Sitting on a hot corner!"

That is followed by "Mile-Long Step" by John Reed and Jerry Grandenetti and reprinted from Our Fighting Forces #2 (1954). After landing on a beach, an infantry group has to help another company three miles away. Their transport by truck is interrupted by a Nazi tank, which they mange to take out but they now have to hoof it to the next company. After dealing with some more Nazis, they arrive safely. A few weeks later they parachute into enemy land and are once again attacked but manage to fight their way out, one remarking that "War's only a step away--one after the other---a million of them."

Our last reprint is  "Glory Dive" by France Herron and Joe Kubert and reprinted from Our Army at War #32 (1955). On a US held island the soldiers put on a mini Olympics, but when one of the men from a submarine crew, Barney, participates in the high diving event, he does not come back u to the surface. He has dived into enemy frogmen who capture him and take him to a nearby island in their mini sub. There he is questioned for information but manages to escape, where he sees a hidden Japanese air-craft carrier. Barney steal a Japanese mini sub, returns to his men and an air strike is called to take out the carrier.

We end with the other new story, "Missing: 320 Men" a U.S.S. Stevens tale by Sam Glanzman. This is the story of Jerry Boyle a crewman who spent all his spare time drawing the hardware around him. After battles he would draw them from memory. The rest of the men loved his drawings, but after the war Jerry would notice that although he drew all the tings around him, he never drew any of the 320 men on the ship. 

Edited by Joe Kubert.

From Beyond the Unknown #8

From Beyond the Unknown #8 (On Sale: October 8, 1970) has a  cover by the unusual team of Gray Morrow and Neal Adams.

We begin this mostly reprint book with our cover-story, "Station Mars on the Air" by John Broome and Sy Barry and reprinted from Mystery in Space #25 (1955). when Martian scientists aim powerful telescopes toward Earth they see our vibrant population and decide to build a ship and visit us. On their way to Earth they pas through an ionic storm and when they reach us, everyone on Earth is dead from some unknown blight. they return to Mars but when they look at Earth again, everyone is still alive. They theorize that the ionic storm passed them through a time warp and to the future and they return to Earth to warn us of our impending disaster. They are successful when our scientists destroy a new chemical compound they were working on that the Martians pinpointed as the cause of our destruction.

Next is "Riddle of the Counterfeit Earthmen" by Otto Binder, Gil Kane and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Mystery in Space #54 (1959). Two astronauts reach Titan for the first time only the aliens that live there do not believe they are actually from Earth as they do not look like the Titanians have deduced they should. When two other "Earthmen" show up and look as the Titanians think they should, they are accepted, but they threaten to destroy Titan. Tee real Earthmen are able to expose the frauds and save Earth from a retaliation attack from Titan. 

That is followed by "Across the Ages" by John Broome, Jerry Grandenetti and Joe Giella and reprinted from Strange Adventures #60 (1955). While transporting Cleopatra, Napoleon and Columbus from the past to the future the National Historical Society's Time Conductor's time machine breaks down in the 20th century. Sad to say that not much of real interest happens before they are returned to their proper times.

Next we have "The Dreams of Doom" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Strange Adventures #132 (1961). An alien arrives to conquer the Earth with the weapons he dreams while sleeping. This one is so bad I can't even repeat the details to you. Just a dreadful story.

We reach  the one piece of new material in this book: "Earth Shall Not Die Part II" and continued from last issue. his story is by Denny O'Neil and Murphy Anderson. Last issue we learned that Commander Glenn Merritt believes that aliens are attacking the space program and convinces Congress to set up a base on the moon for him to investigate his theories. This issue, Merritt and his crewman, Sgt. Tempest are attacked by alien ships and are only able to survive when another alien ship comes to their rescue. During the resulting fight, the rescue ship is damaged and crashes on the moon. Merritt and Tempest land and are attacked by an alien, which they are able to subdue and tie up in their ship.

When he awakens the alien, K-way-zzer, explains that he comes from a war-like people who were going to attack Earth. He demanded peace instead and was forced to fee his world, being chased by the ship he just help disable. When the other aliens show up to kill the Earthmen and K-way-zzer, Merritt and Tempest are saved when K-way-zzer uses Merritt's gun to kill the attackers. K-way-zzer joins forces with Merritt and Tempest to defeat his fellow aliens. It ends with, "Is this the Beginning?"

It wasn't, but two things to mention here. First, Murphy Anderson's artwork is just terrific and this would have been an interesting strip to watch. Second, this strip was not to star Commander Glenn Merritt, but rather Major Matt Mason. Yes, DC was going to do a book on the popular Mattel toy, but it fell though at some point and Mason's name was changed to Merritt.

Our next tale is "The Incredible Eyes of Arthur Gail" by Edmond Hamilton, Sid Greene and Joe Giella and reprinted from Strange Adventures #77 (1957). An accident causes Arthur Gail to lose the ability to see anything that is not organic which allows him to clear himself when charged with stealing his companies secret formula

We end with "Meet Your Masters -- the Ants" by Manny Rubin, Bob Oksner and John Giunta and reprinted from Strange Adventures #23 (1952). In the past giant ants are destroyed by humans but they send their eggs into space to return 10,000 years later.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Binky #76

Binky #76 (On Sale: October 8, 1970) has a  cover by Stan Goldberg and Henry Scarpelli.

We have very little information on this book. It begins with Binky in "A Couple of Fakers."

That is followed by Binky in "Guard Duty," drawn by Stan Goldberg.

Next is Binky in "The Great Defender."

We end with Binky in "The Blabbermouth."

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Unexpected #122

Unexpected #122 (On Sale: October 6, 1970) has a  cover by Dick Giordano.

It is issues like this that made me hate the Unexpected. The stories are some of the most banal and uninteresting tales you will ever read. "The Phantom of the Woodstock Festival" by George Kashdan, Dick Dillin and Vince Colletta. Given this is a DC story and there are "young people" in it, you know the dialogue is as corny as can be, full of "Crazy Man"s and "splitsville"s and all sort of things no one ever really said. Three members of a struggling rock group, "The Stone Cantaloupes," are on their way to the Woodstock Festival and looking for a place to stay, so they stop at a deserted monastery for the night. They find an old organ there and Forbush starts playing it while the others jam along, lead singer Trina leading the way. 

That night a voice calling to her wakes Trina up and she finds the "owner" of the place, a hooded man rejected by society years ago for his "mad" music. The guys wake up and begin to search for Trina, only to get locked in an air-tight room. The "owner" is revealed to be not that good looking and plans on letting the boys die so he can have Trina's voice to himself.

The boys find a piece of sheet music in the room and Forbush begins to play it on the organ and as he does so the door begins to move. opening up so they can escape, which they do taking Trina out of the clutches of the "owner" and away with them to the festival. At Woodstock, Forbush, sheet music in hand, plans to go back to the monastery and retrieve the organ once the festival is over, but a gust of wind blows it from his hands and it is lost in the debris of Woodstock. The dumbass end. 

The next underwhelming story is "Lady Killer" by Al Case (Murray Boltinoff) and Murphy Anderson. A guy hides out in a department store every night to spend some time with his girlfriend. Do I need to go any further? At work his friends all laugh at him, calling him "lady killer" as a joke as they all know he is alone. One night when he has to work late and can't get to the store before it closes he sees his "girlfriend" in the window in a wedding dress and goes ape shit. I guess if you are the editor you can make a few extra bucks by calling this a story.

Next we have "To Die a Dozen Deaths!" by Carl Wessler, Jerry Grandenetti and Wally Wood. Guy kills a Gypsy man and is cursed to die a dozen deaths and while awaiting his execution has 11 dreams of being hung. The twelfth time is real. Wow, what a story. Grandenetti and Wood have done some interesting work together in the past, but this is not one of those times.

We end with "Scarecrow" where editor Murray Boltinoff makes another few bucks and Jerry Grandenetti does as well in this story of a man tormented by crows who wants to get a scarecrow to get rid of them and accidentally impales himself on a pitchfork becoming his own scarecrow. I think I actually bought this pile of crap of the stands.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superboy #170

Superboy #170 (On Sale: October 6, 1970) has a  cover by Curt Swan and Dick Giordano.

We begin with Superboy in "Easy Rider to Doom" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Murphy Anderson. Bone to pick time. The scene on the cover is inside the book, but it is a dream Superboy is having. Cheap shot by editor Boltinoff. When Crusty, the son of Jonathan's cousin, comes to stay with the Kents while his father moves to Alaska, Clark works hard to protect his secret identity while Crusty is living in their house. Crusty is a bit of a delinquent, stealing money from Martha Kent and attempting to steal a car. Clark tricks Crusty into stealing the getaway car used by a gang of bank robbers. When the car is gone, the crooks are apprehended by the police and Clark and Crusty are given a reward for helping thwart the robbery.

However, the bank manager, Mr. Cullis, is none too happy, as he was the mastermind of the robbery, hoping it would hide his embezzlement of bank monies. When Cullis sees Crusty pick-pocketing money from a teller's purse, he confronts the boy, convincing him to plant a bomb under the bank. Only, Cullins plans for the bomb to kill Crusty. Superboy snatches the bomb away in time and uses it to force a confession from Cullins. When Crusty returns to the Kent's house that night, he finds a note from Superboy and decides to go straight, leaving the house that night to join his father in Alaska.

We end with "Superboy's Biggest Blunder" also by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Murphy Anderson.  When a tornado throws Superboy back in time, he finds himself in Mongolia near the great wall of China. A young leader named Temujin sees Superboy and seeks an alliance. Superboy refuses to help the young warlord, who demonstrates great cunning of his own. Superboy saves Temujin from two assassins and returns to his own time wondering if he had done the right thing. Later that say in school, Clark learns that Temujin would grow to become known as Genghis Khan.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Secret Hearts #148

Secret Hearts #148 (On Sale: October 6, 1970) has a  cover by Bill Draut.

The issue begins with a one-page table of contents and a poem, "Homecoming" by Len Wein and Gray Morrow.

The first story is "Love Is Not a Happy Thing" by Barbara Friedlander and John Rosenberger. Linda falls in love with Rick, an irresponsible hippie. When she is arrested at the scene of one of Rick's crimes, she refuses to give him up to the police.

Next is "Journey to Love" drawn by Jay Scott Pike. Kathy has run away to Europe to keep herself away from Howard, a cad that she finds inexplicably attractive, but she fears that he will come after her

We end with "Love Song in Blue" by Jack Oleck, Ric Estrada and Vince Colletta. Kelly starts to sing with her boyfriend Greg's band, but she thinks that Greg is jealous of her success.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Our Army at War #226

Our Army at War #226 (On Sale: October 1, 1970) has a Sgt. Rock cover by Joe Kubert.

You never know what you are going to find in a DC war book, and "Death Stop" written and drawn by Russ Heath is a real treat. New  recruits Mac and Rickey are pinned down in a trench with the rest of Easy Company by a Nazi machine gun nest. Rickey is so scared that he contemplates shooting Sgt. Rock when he tells the men to reload and prepare to attack.

Snapping out of it, Rickey remembers how all through his childhood he has been afraid, of gangs, graveyards at night, heights, diving and dogs, running many times to the comfort of his mother. He is shaken from his reverie when Rock orders him and Mac to flank the nest from the left while Rock and the rest of Easy attack from the right. He confides his fear to Mac who says he is terrified too, but that they will get through it together. Rock gives the attack order and Rickey leaps out of the trench only to find he is alone, that Mac is still in the trench.

Just then, Rickey is hit by machine gun fire and calls back for Mac to help him, but Mac does not move. Seeing that Mac is too yellow to do the job, Rickey slowly crawls towards the machine gun nest, vowing to settle with the cowardly Mac when this is over. Jumping into the nest Rickey single-handedly kills all the Nazis, then begins to stagger back to deal with Mac. But suddenly, Mac is shot in the back from another nest, falling once again to the dusty ground. He slowly begins to drawl towards Mac who is still in the trench aiming his gun at Rickey, Rickey begs Mac once again to help him, telling him that if he does not, that Rickey will kill Mac when he gets to him. Inch by inch he moves toward Mac, goading him, saying "You are what I been running away from all my life...guys like you Mac. Now...I'm goin'...to...get...you."

When Rock and the rest of Easy show up, having taken the other nest, they find Rickey dead, inches from the frozen Mac. When Rock shakes Mac, asking why he did not help Rickey, Mac falls over dead, having been hit by the first shot from the nest and how if it had not been for Rickey wanting to pay Mac back for not helping they would probably all be dead by now. 

We end with "Up, Up and AWA-A-AY" drawn by Fred Ray. It is the Civil War and misfit Union soldier Lt. Walker is ordered for fly a tethered hot-air balloon equipped with cameras and telegraph over Confederate lines. But Walker is afraid of heights and gets motion sickness. Walker gets orders over the telegraph from the general, but does not know Morse Code. Rebel shells cut the tether and Walker is loose over Confederate land. A sniper puts a hole in his balloon and he crashes on a farm, where he steals a dress off a clothes line and uses it to patch his balloon. Walker gets back in the air, but his balloon is shot again. However he manages to take some pictures as he once again suffers from motion sickness and crashes into a tree near Union lines.

He is rescued but when they look at his pictures of the Confederate positions, all he got were pictures of cooking pots. Walker is yelled at for being incompetent till someone notices that their are enough pots to feed an entire division. They realize that Confederate troops must be massed and hiding in the forest and they call off the planned attack. For saving their lives Walker is rewarded by being made commander of the balloon squadron.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

House of Secrets #89

House of Secrets #89 (On Sale: October 1, 1970) has a glorious cover by Gray Morrow, mimicking the Paperback Library Gothic series that was popular at the time and hinting once again that DC was interested in moving into gothic romance/horror.

This issue's framing sequence featuring Abel is by Gerry Conway and Bill Draut. This first part is but a single page of Abel standing in silhouette in a doorway looking into a black room.

Our first story, "Where Dead Men Walk!" is by Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow and is just stunningly illustrated. One can imagine editor Giordano seeing this moody work full of coaches, horses and costumed characters and begging Morrow to draw the new El Diablo series in All Star Western.

Phillip Hastings and his wife inherit what they learn from their driver is a haunted castle in Europe. The Hastings are greeted by the family caretaker, Jamison when they arrive. Jamison warns the couple of the evil spirits which haunt the place but they refuse to leave. 

Hastings wakes in the night from bad dreams to find his wife missing. He and Jamison find her in the dungeon strapped to a rack, unaware of how she got there. They find themselves locked in the dungeon, but Jamison shows them a hidden passage out. Hastings tells Jamison to burn the evil place to the ground and he agrees that perhaps is indeed for the best. In the morning, Hastings regrets destroying his inheritance as he feels the events of the previous evening were all brought about by a suggestible mind until the local constable informs him that the caretaker died three days ago.

The framing sequence continues as Abel is unable to find the door once he enters the dark room.

Next is "A Taste of Dark Fire" by Gerry Conway and Don Heck. Though Heck is still drawing Iron Man and will soon draw the Black Widow at Marvel, he will spend most of the next four years at DC doing Wonder Woman and the back-up strips: Batgirl, Jason Bard, Zatanna and The Rose and the Thorn. A Christian priest and Jewish Rabbi battle the forces of evil together as they fear that an acquaintance has been possessed by the Devil. The priest's housekeeper attempts to sow distrust for the rabbi, but he isn't having any of it. She convinces him to allow her to accompany the two of them to the suspected man's house, but no further. They give her instructions to seek the police if they don't return in an hour and then enter the house.

Once inside, they encounter the man, who has indeed become a devil worshiper, and begin a mystic battle for his soul. They are surprised when the housekeeper has followed them inside and reveals herself to be another servant of evil. The priest and rabbi triumph by using both the cross and the Jewish name of God to defeat their foes.

The framing sequence ends with Abel able to get out of the dark room, which ends up being a broom closet in the House of Secrets.

The entire issue was reprinted in Showcase Presents: The House of Secrets Vol. 1 TPB.

The last page of the book is a full-page ad for "The Magic of Kirby" with our first looks at The Forever People, The New Gods and Mister Miracle. DC will never be the same.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Challengers of the Unknown #77

Challengers of the Unknown #77 (On Sale: October 1, 1970) has a cover by Jack Kirby.

We have the book-length  "The Menace of the Ancient Vials" by Writer/Artist Jack Kirby and inker Wally Wood and reprinted from Showcase #12 (1958). The Challengers are assigned to capture Karnak, an international spy. The spy and his henchmen land their plane on a small island whose only inhabitant, archeologist Amos Hunter, has discovered five vials from an ancient civilization. When the Challengers land on the island, Karnak has his henchmen drink the contents of one of the vials.

Goons Gortz and Brommer are transformed by the potion into giants. The Challengers manage to defeat them and corner Karnak. The henchmen revert to normal size and start fighting the Challs again. In the process, the second vial is shot and destroyed, releasing a fire being. The being sets the forest on fire, forcing everyone to retreat to the beach.

Red and Rocky chase the henchmen who have escaped using Hunter’s boat. A third vial, carried by Brommer is dropped into the ocean summoning a kraken. Meanwhile, using Hunter’s manuscripts Ace and Prof defeat the fire being. Karnak escapes in his plane, followed by the Challengers .

From the air, Ace and Prof spot Red and Rocky in the water. They rescue their comrades and manage to defeat the kraken. They follow Karnak’s plane to the California coast where Karnak has used the fourth vial which has created dozens of duplicates of himself.

The Challengers are able to catch some of the duplicates, and are only able to locate the real Karnak by following one of the duplicates back to Karnak’s hide-out. Karnak tries to escape using the final vial, but it is only the antidote to the vial which created the duplicates. After the Challengers capture Karnak, his doubles disappear.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.