Witching Hour #17

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Brave & the Bold #98

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

All-Star Western #8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Strange Adventures #232

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Batman #235

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #92

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Flash #209

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Superman #242

Superman #242 (On Sale: July 13, 1971), has yet another beautiful cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with "The Ultimate Battle" by Denny O'Neil, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson. Jimmy Olsen finds Superman's weakened and injured body in a junkyard, where a paper-created monster inhabited by a spirit from the Quarrm dimension dragged him. Jimmy has the doctors operate on Superman's head injury while two criminals try to take advantage of the monster's abilities before they become its victims. The monster is drawing itself toward where Superman is in order to finish him but finds himself contending with the sand-created Superman figure whose power is partially restored, wondering why he even cares to act on behalf of anyone. 

Superman and the sand-created duplicate work together to bring the spirit inhabiting the monster back to the Quarrm dimension, but now the duplicate wants to take over Superman's role as protector of the planet. Superman fears that he would have to battle this duplicate whose very touch can trigger off a powerful explosion, when I-Ching mysteriously causes such effects to be canceled, which results in a knock-down-drag-out fight between the two Superman which results in the world's destruction. However, this fight turns out to be nothing more than a dream that I-Ching cast both Superman and his duplicate into, to make them realize the futility of such a fight. The duplicate decides to return to the Quarrm dimension, and Superman is left with a third less of his powers than before. Reprinted in Best of DC #32 (1983) and Superman: Kryptonite Nevermore HC (2009).

Next, we have "The Girl Who Didn't Believe in Superman" by Bill Finger, Wayne Boring, and Stan Kaye and reprinted from Superman #96 (1955). Alice Norton is a young girl who wins a contest and is awarded a sight-seeing trip from Superman. However, Alice is blind and does not believe Superman is real. Superman uses his powers to try and convince the girl that he is real, but she thinks he is using tricks.

Superman then examines the girl's eyes and sees a sliver of glass which is responsible for her blindness. Doctors can't see the glass, so Superman volunteers to do the operation himself. Superman reads every medical book at super speed, then he performs the surgery.

Alice's sight returns. Superman takes her on her sightseeing trip, convincing her that he is real. Alice's father also returns from a self-imposed exile, because he blamed himself for Alice's injury. Mr. Norton learns he wasn't responsible, and the family is reunited.

We end this issue with "The World's Mightiest Weakling" by Otto Binder, Carmine Infantino, and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Strange Adventures #54 (1955).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Ghosts #1

Ghosts #1 (On Sale: July 1, 1971), has a cover by Nick Cardy.

I guess I was one of the few readers who were bored by just about every book Murray Boltioff was editor of except the Brave and the Bold. Since it was mainstream DC, I bought this series but never cared for it at all, and the gimmick of "true" stories just made it even worse. Despite how I felt about it, this title would last for over eleven years.

Interesting tidbit: The indicia reads just Ghost, with a lot of white space on both sides of the word. The cover and later issues read as Ghosts. It appears that the book was at first to be titled True Ghost Stories, thus the white space in the indicia, but then it was changed to just Ghosts. When they updated the indicia they whited out "True" and "Stories," but they forgot to add the "s."

We begin with a one-page introduction to ghosts drawn by Tony DeZuniga.

Our first take is "Death's Bridegroom" by Leo Dorfman and Jim Aparo. The police discover the body of a young woman who committed suicide, with a note saying she took her own life because the man she was engaged to only courted her to steal her life savings and leave her penniless in a tenement. The swindler who stole from her ends up lost in a fog as he skips town, and comes across a mansion owned by a strange beautiful woman who claims to be waiting for her long-lost fiance. She seems the perfect new target to him, but little does he know she and her home have long rotted away and with his proposal, he joins her in the fog. Reprinted in Limited Collectors' Edition C-32 (1974).

That is followed by "Ghost in the Iron Coffin" by Leo Dorfman and Sam Glanzman. A resistance fighter is caught and executed while trying to sabotage a Nazi U-Boat but haunts the vessel killing its crew until he's able to use his spiritual powers to turn the U-Boat's own torpedoes against it and destroy it.

Next up is our first reprint: "The Tattooed Terror" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Sy Barry and reprinted from Sensation Mystery #112 (1952).

We have another reprint up next in "The Last Dream" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Frank Giacoia and reprinted from Sensation Comics #107 (1952). Tybalt Fletcher, the last of his line, dies in a feud with the Beaumont clan. His ghost then spends the next 400 years killing Beaumonts with the pistol he requested to be buried with.

We end with "The Spectral Coachman" by Leo Dorfman and Tony DeZuniga. Tombstone, Arizona, draws its name from the town graveyard where the greatest badmen of the west are buried. But tonight one of them lives again when a young modern prospector is rescued from a pack of wolves by the ghost of a long-dead stagecoach driver. Reprinted in Limited Collectors' Edition C-32 (1974).

All of the new material was reprinted in Showcase Presents Ghosts Vol. 1 TPB (2012).

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

DC Special #14 (On Sale: July 1, 1971), has a Wanted: World's Most Dangerous Villians cover by Murphy Anderson proving that DC 100-Page Super Spectacular was not the only book named for the company that would be the launching pad for new titles.

We begin with Superman in "The Toyman's Castle" by Don Cameron, Ira Yarbrough, and Stan Kaye and reprinted from Superman #47 (1947). While in prison, the Toyman is allowed to create toys that discourage crime. However, his toys are actually robbery plans for his gang. Though Superman is able to stop the robbery, the Toyman is able to escape jail.

Toyman then creates a party machine designed to tell fortunes. His real plan is to steal the signatures of wealthy party guests. Lois sees him, so the Toyman takes her prisoner. When Superman catches him, he uses Lois as a hostage. Superman foils Toyman's plans using a toy jack-in-the-box and then sends the crook back to prison.

From 1943 to 1948, Ira Yarbrough drew 77 Superman stories and worked closely with Superman creator Joe Shuster.

Next up is the Flash in "The Heat Is On... for Captain Cold" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Flash #140 (1963). Flash is asked by Henry Willens, an attorney, to search for a missing girl. The girl was lost in an accident many years before. Her father has died recently and his dying wish was to locate the girl. A diamond-shaped birthmark is the only clue Flash has to her identity.

While searching for the girl, Flash learns that Captain Cold has broken jail. He quickly catches up to Cold but is preventing from making the capture by a new villain, Heat Wave. Heat Wave teams temporarily with Cold, but the two have a dispute over the affections of a TV model, known as Dream Girl. The two crooks compete in a crime spree to win Dream Girl. They halt their rivalry again when Flash shows up. Flash is able to overcome both opponents and turn them into the authorities.

Learning of the crooks' passion for Dream Girl gives Flash an idea. He meets Dream Girl who turns out to be Priscilla Varner, the missing girl. Flash is able to take her to Mr. Willens to receive her inheritance.

We end this issue with Batman in "The Bird Sayings Crimes" by William Woolfolk, Lew Sayre Schwartz, and Stan Kaye and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #55 (1951). On his birthday, the Penguin receives presents containing mocking bird sayings from other criminals. For this reason, Penguin decides to use those same sayings as inspirations for crimes, and thus dispose of Batman and Robin, but as usual, he ends up captured by the Dynamic Duo.

Edited by E. Nelson Bridwell.

Detective Comics #414

Detective Comics #414 (On Sale: June 29, 1971), has a stunning Batman cover by Neal Adams.

We begin this issue with Batman in "Legend of the Key Hook Lighthouse" by Denny O'Neil, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano. Batman has followed a mob of gun-runners, who are providing weapons for a dictator, but one of the members of the gang decides to help Batman capture the war criminal in exchange for protection. Batman agrees and he is taken to a nearby lighthouse, where the exchange is supposed to take place. 

When General Ruizo and his men arrive, Batman takes them by surprise and finds a way to round up Ruizo's henchmen, but the General manages to escape. Batman is able to follow the General on his boat and witnesses how the army man is struck by the light coming from the lighthouse and driven mad by a supernatural presence. 

When Batman investigates the lighthouse, he is unable to find any evidence of anybody activating the light and he suspects that he has been helped by a powerful entity. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 6 TPB (2016).

The backup is Batgirl in "Invitation to Murder" by Frank Robbins and Don Heck. On the night of the anniversary of their first meeting, Jason Bard takes Barbara Gordon to go see the play "Invitation to Murder." The two are shocked to find that they are the only two people in the audience. When spotting a rifle set to shoot one of the actors, Jason stops the gunman but is knocked out. Changing into Batgirl in the darkness, Barbara tries to stop the shooter but the gunman still manages to get away. Changing back into her civilian guise, Babs checks on Jason and finds that he is all right.

Realizing that the wild shot must have hit somebody, they find that it winged Robbie Marlow who was viewing the play with his wife Tiz (both are referred to as the "Royal Couple" of Hollywood.) After questioning the couple they find out that they were given the tickets to a sold-out showing of the play by an anonymous admirer, and the only reason why Jason and Barbara happened to be there is because of a mix-up with the date they were going to see the show. Finding it all suspicious, Babs tells Jason to keep an eye on the couple while she goes to "call the police". This story continues next issue and was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Batgirl Vol. 1 TPB (2007) and Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2018).

The reprints begin with  "The Australian Code Mystery" by David V. Reed, Alex Toth, and Sy Barry and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #66 (1953).

We end with "Private Eye of Venus" by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino and reprinted from Strange Adventures #83 (1957).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Action Comics #403

Action Comics #403 (On Sale: June 29, 1971), has a Superman cover by Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson.

We begin this issue with Superman in our cover story, "Attack of the Micro-Murderer" by Cary Bates, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson. Superman's body is invaded by a Zohtt, a magical wraith-being that attempts to destroy him, and not even a blood transfusion from most of Metropolis' citizens can save him.

Our backup Superman story is "The Man with the X-Ray Mind" by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson. Superman learns that a Metropolis University janitor has psychic powers, including precognition, the ability to predict the future -- and that the janitor knows that he is Clark Kent.

Our first reprint is the Vigilante in "The Impossible Legend" by Dick Wood and Bob Brown and is reprinted from Action Comics #176 (1953). Vigilante proves an old legend by capturing criminals, two while deaf, two while he could not speak, and the final two when he could not see.

We end with a Superboy reprint, "When Krypto Was Superboy's Master" drawn by George Papp and reprinted from Adventure Comics #310 (1963). Professor Lang discovers several artifacts within a lost city. When he returns to Smallville his translations of the ancient inscriptions are questioned by the faculty of his school, and they force him to prove their validity in order to get a promotion.

Lang has not had enough time to translate everything, so Superboy pretends that one of the artifacts that the professor has translated switches his mind with Krypto’s. Superboy acts like a dog for a few days in order to convince the members of Lang’s school board. When the professor has completed his work, Superboy drops the act and claims the effect has worn off.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

From Beyond the Unknown #12

From Beyond the Unknown #12 (On Sale: June 22, 1971), has a cover by Joe Kubert. This is another book that actually got smaller with the page expansion.

We begin with our cover story, "The Dawn-World Menace" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Strange Adventures #147 (1962). A time-space warp brings two savage cavemen riding pterodactyls into the present day.

Next up is "Mystery of the Runaway Meteor" by John Broome and Sy Barry and reprinted from Mystery in Space #27 (1955).

That is followed by "Earth for Sale" by France Herron, Carmine Infantino, and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Strange Adventures #89 (1958).

Next, we have "The Sign Language of Space" by Otto Binder, Sid Greene, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Strange Adventures #63 (1955).

We end with  "Gateways to the Stars" by Gardner Fox and Sid Greene and reprinted from Mystery in Space #78 (1962).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

DC 100-Page Super Spectacular #4

DC 100-Page Super Spectacular #4 (On Sale: June 17, 1971), has a nice cover by Berni Wrightson. There were no issues 1-3 and the first three published issues (4-6) had subtitles - the first two of which were later used for ongoing comics series and the third became the title of a series of Mego figures based on comics super-heroes: #4 "Weird Mystery", #5 "Love Stories", and #6 "World's Greatest Super-Heroes".

The title then became the replacement for the "Giant" comics series (previously "80 Pg Giant") which ran as part of regular, ongoing series titles (i.e., #7 also known as Superman #245, #8 aka Batman #238, #9 aka Our Army at War #242, #10 aka Adventure Comics #416, #11 aka The Flash #214, #12 aka Superboy #185 and #13 aka Superman #252) for six issues.

Then, even later on, it reverted back to its own title again (#14 through #22, utilizing as cover titles the existing titles of regular, ongoing series, but not being part of those regular series' numbering - in other words, no corresponding issue numbers for those issues.

The planned issue #23 became Shazam! #8 and the Super Spectacular's own numbering disappeared and advertisements were added. The DC 100 Page Super Spectacular title itself was used on another 96 issues of varying regular, ongoing titles through 1975.

We begin this issue with a one-page Table of Contents by Sergio Aragones and that is followed by a one-page introduction drawn by Berni Wrightson. 

Next up is "I Was the Last Man on Earth" drawn by Mort Drucker and reprinted from My Greatest Adventure #8 (1956).

That is followed by "The Phantom Enemy" drawn by Carmine Infantino and Sy Barry and reprinted from Sensation Mystery #116 (1953).

Next, we have "I Fought the Clocks of Doom" drawn by Mort Meskin and reprinted from My Greatest Adventure #14 (1957).

That brings us to  "The Witch's Candles" drawn by John Prentice and reprinted from House of Secrets #2 (1957).

We have another Sergio Aragones humor page next, followed by a one-page Eerie Tales introduction page by Berni Wrightson.

Next is "I Was Lost in a Mirage" drawn by Mort Meskin and reprinted from My Greatest Adventure #12 (1956).

That is followed by Johnny Peril in "Horror in the Lake" by Robert Kanigher, Frank Giacoia, and Sy Barry and reprinted from Sensation Mystery #110 (1952).

Next up is The Phantom Stranger in "The Haunters from Beyond" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Sy Barry and reprinted from Phantom Stranger #1 (1952). Anne Parris is haunted by two ghosts from the Salem witch trials. The ghosts blame Anne's ancestors for their deaths and curse her in revenge. Anne becomes distraught and nearly kills herself, but the Phantom Stranger stops her. He takes her home, where the ghosts show up again.

The Stranger is suspicious, so after the ghosts leave he asks Anne to stage her own death. Within minutes Anne's cousin Bryce and his fiancee arrive on the scene. The Phantom Stranger proves that they were the ones disguised as ghosts and forces Bryce to confess he set Anne up in order to steal her inheritance. After the pair are arrested, the Phantom Stranger disappears.

We have yet another Berni Wrightson introduction page, this one on Monsters.

That is followed by "I Was the Last Martian" drawn by Jim Mooney and reprinted from My Greatest Adventure #20 (1958).

Next, we have  "I Hunted the World's Wildest Animals" drawn by Nick Cardy and reprinted from My Greatest Adventure #15 (1957).

Another Berni Wrightson introduction, this on Science Fiction is followed by "The City of Three Dooms" drawn by Mort Meskin and reprinted from Tales of the Unexpected #15 (1957).

Next, is  "Jungle Boy of Jupiter" drawn by Lou Cameron and reprinted from Tales of the Unexpected #24 (1958).

Next up is "Childhood Haunt" a one-page text story illustrated by Berni Wrightson.

Our last reprint is "The Mysterious Mr. Omen" drawn by Leonard Starr and reprinted from House of Mystery #49 (1956).

We end with a one-page humor story Weird Tales by Lore Shoberg.

Edited by Joe Orlando.

Brave & the Bold #97

Brave & the Bold #97 (On Sale: June 15, 1971), has a Batman/Wildcat cover by Nick Cardy.

We begin with Batman and Wildcat in "The Smile of Choclotan" by Bob Haney, Bob Brown, and Nick Cardy. While Bruce Wayne is vacationing in South America, as Batman, he saves a young boy named Luis Mercado from a sniper's bullet. Following the boy into town, he learns that his old friend Wildcat is also in the area, resuming his career as a boxer. Observing Wildcat's match and spotting somebody putting a chemical in his drinking water, Batman strikes and helps Wildcat and Luis escape.

He learns that Wildcat has amnesia and that Luis is being targeted by a crime boss named El Grande. He explains that Ted was friends with his father, and both were looking for the Choclotan, a priceless archeological find if it exists. Ted had learned its location and since an attack left him amnesiac, he and Luis have been a target ever since.

Working with Batman, Wildcat's memory is restored, they defeat El Grande and his men, and find the Choclotan idol for Luis, which they agree to turn over to a Mexican museum. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 2 TPB (2008), Batman in the Brave and the Bold: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2017), Batman/Wildcat TPB (2017), and Batman in the Brave and the Bold: The Bronze Age Vol. 2 TPB (2019).

The backup is a classic, "Who Has Been Lying in My Grave?" by Arnold Drake, Carmine Infantino, and George Roussos, reprinted from Strange Adventures #205 (1967) and featuring the origin of Deadman. Boston Brand, a trapeze artist and minority owner of a circus, walks the circus grounds before his nightly performance as the aerialist Deadman. He discovers a local constable poking around the grounds and chases him away. He then discovers that Leary the barker is stealing from the box office. He also catches Heldrich the animal trainer getting drunk. He fires Heldrich, then heads to the big top.

After reaching the top of the trapeze, Boston is shot by a sniper with a hook for a right hand. He falls to his death. Then his astral form is met by Rama Kushna, a Hindu spirit goddess. Rama allows Boston to walk the Earth as a spirit until his killer is caught.

Boston, now truly a Deadman, begins the search for his killer by checking up on the circus performers. He discovers that he is invisible, but can temporarily take control of human bodies. While inhabiting the body of Tiny the strongman, Deadman discovers Heldrich and Ramsey, the constable, making a drug deal. Deadman stops the crooks, then resumes the search for the killer, Hook. This story was also reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #5 (1980), Deadman #1 (1985), Deadman Collection HC (2002), DC Comics Presents: Brightest Day #1 (2010), and Deadman Vol. 1 TPB (2011).

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Batman #234

Batman #234 (On Sale: June 10, 1971), has a wonderful cover by Neal Adams proclaiming the return of Two-Face after a 17-year hiatus.

We begin with "Half an Evil" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano. When a parade balloon is stolen in broad daylight, Commissioner Gordon lights up the Bat-Signal at night to contact Batman, despite the disapproval of Arthur Reeves. When Batman arrives at the GCPD Headquarters, they start investigating the mysterious robbery, but they are suddenly interrupted by an officer informing them about a crime at the Nautical Museum. Gordon and his men get going, but Batman arrives first by his own means. Once inside, he confronts a couple of masked thugs, the same that stole the parade balloon. After taking one of them down, Batman interrogates the second thug and learns that he doesn't know who is the man he is working for, but that he always keeps his face concealed while tossing a coin.

After leaving the criminals for the police, Bruce Wayne returns to his penthouse at the Wayne Foundation building and he informs Alfred that his long-time enemy, Two-Face is back on crime. After remembering how the former District Attorney, Harvey Dent became Two-Face and turned to crime, Bruce investigates some of the clues provided by the thugs he captured. Searching a book about ocean and ships, Bruce learns that Two-Face is looking to strike on a boat docked at the Marina across Gotham River and he goes to stop the master criminal.

When Batman arrives at the scene, he takes down a couple more of Two-Face henchmen and he discovers that Two-Face's plan is to steal, sink, and raise an old two-masted ship belonging to Captain Bye, seeking a cache of gold doubloons Bye had hidden in the vessel. Following the ship to a dark swamp, where Two-Face has planned that it would emerge, Batman finally confronts the criminal, unaware that while on the rising, the ship has carried a homeless man to the top of the mast. Batman is distracted trying to save the man and Two-Face takes the opportunity to attack Batman and tie him to the ship's mast. After stealing the historic doubloons, Two-Face gets ready to leave, but Batman tricks him into using his coin in order to decide to save the homeless man or not. When the good side of the coin shows up, Two-Face is compelled to save the man and Batman takes the chance to free himself and capture Two-Face while also saving the homeless man. Reprinted in Best of DC #14 (1981), Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told HC (1988), Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told TPB (1989), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 3 HC (2006), Batman Vs. Two-Face TPB (2008), Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Vol. 3 TPB (2013), Batman Arkham:Two-Face TPB (2016), Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 6 TPB (2016), Batman by Neal Adams Omnibus HC (2016), Two-Face: A Celebration of 75 Years HC (2018), and Batman by Neal Adams Vol. 3 TPB (2020).

Our fist backup is Robin in "Vegeance for a Cop" by Mike Friedrich, Irv Novick, and Dick Giordano. A police officer is brutally attacked outside of the Hudson University and Robin starts investigating the crime in order to bring the attacker to justice.

In search of the assailant, Robin joins a commune and finds the shooter among a group of hippies, but he is not allowed to leave with him as they all get ready to confront the Teen Wonder. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 TPB (2008).

Our bigger and better reprint is Batman in "Trail of the Talking Mask" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Detective Comics #335 (1965). Batman and Robin attempt to stop a jewel robbery, but the three perpetrators escape without noticing the Dynamic Duo. Batman suspects the crooks were automatons controlled via remote. He was tipped off to the robbery by private investigator Hugh Rankin. Rankin has followed the crooks himself, and in so doing, leaves a trail for Batman to follow.

Ranking arrives at the crooks' hide-out first. He is quickly apprehended by the gang's boss the Make-Up Man. When Batman arrives, a trap has been prepared to kill them. Batman escapes the trap and defeats the gang. Rankin is released, but Batman then realizes he is an imposter. The Make-Up Man is captured, and the real Rankin is found.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Justice League of America #91

Justice League of America #91 (On Sale: June 8, 1971), has a cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with the Justice Leage of America in "Earth -- The Monster-Maker" by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella. On a joy-ride between dimensions, an alien boy called A-Rym and his symbiotic pet, Teppy, are flung into the separate worlds of Earth-One and Earth-Two. They must be re-united, or both will die, but the environment of Earth changes both into rampaging, monstrous menaces. 

Flash has already been injured in an encounter with Teppy, while the Earth-Two Green Lantern falls prey to A-Rym, who takes his power ring, sensing that it can reunite him with his pet. Joined in the battle by the Robins of both Earths, the Justice League and Justice Society form two new teams to deal with the threats. Green Lantern joins the two Hawk-men and the two Robins against A-Rym, while Flash of Earth-Two teams with the two Supermen and the two Atoms against Teppy. 

While this second group successfully captures Teppy, on Earth-Two, Robin of Earth-One is injured in the struggle, and A-Rym finds an ally in the macabre Solomon Grundy. Concluded next issue. This has been reprinted in Crisis on Multiple Earths Vol. 3 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Robin the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 TPB (2008), Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Justice League of America Archives Vol. 10 HC (2012), Justice League of America:The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2017), and Justice League of America:The Last Survivors of Earth TPB (2019).

The first backup is Knights of the Galaxy in "The Day the World Melted" by Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Mystery in Space #6 (1952). The Master of Doom transports the Galaxy Knights back in time to the 20th Century while he attempts to conquer their own time, and Lyle and his men find themselves fighting to save Earth from nuclear devastation. Ultimately, the power of the H-Bomb they manage to detonate harmlessly in space gives them the energy needed to return home and defeat their nemesis.

Our final backup is Hourman in "The Hour Hourman Died" by Gardner Fox, Dick Dillin, and Sid Greene and reprinted from Spectre #7 (1968). Hourman fights Tricky Dick Arnold to recover stolen Tyler Chemical Company blueprints. However, a shot from the Metalizer Gun that Tricky Dick used to get into Tyler's vault seems to have killed Hourman. 

Dick disposes of the Metalizer Gun, but Hourman isn't dead yet-- it would seem the radiation won't kill him until the Miraclo wears off! He pursues Arnold, captures him, and retrieves the gun, allowing him to find the antidote to reverse the effects of the Metalizer gun - just in time!

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Flash #208

Flash #208 (On Sale: June 3, 1971), has a beautiful cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with the Flash in "A Kind of Miracle in Central City" by Robert Kanigher, Irv Novick, and Murphy Anderson. The Flash rescues a teenage boy from a fall off a rooftop. Vic, the boy, claims it was an accident, but the Flash suspects otherwise. Vic was thrown off the roof by a gang leader known as the Chief. Vic had been working for the gang, but he was made expendable when his sister Anne alerted her fellow nuns to the presence of the crooks in the church.

Since Vic won't accept outside help, the Flash uses his super speed to remain invisible. He then helps Vic and protects him from the gang. Vic makes things right, and the Chief and his partners are apprehended without anyone knowing that the Flash is involved.

The new backup is the Elongated Man in "Malice in Wonderland" by Len Wein and Dick Giordano. As Ralph Dibny is passing through the town of Dodgson it is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. When he enters town Ralph is given a copy of Alice in Wonderland. While pausing to read the book, he sees a white rabbit. His curiosity is aroused and he follows, only to lose the rabbit in traffic.

The Elongated Man then meets a man dressed as the Mad Hatter. The man explains that his uncle who founded the town was a relative of Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland. The town is celebrating by dressing as characters from the book. Ralph still wants to catch up to the rabbit, who steals a rare first edition of the book on display at the town civic center. The Elongated Man tracks down the rabbit and his partners and retrieves the stolen book. He was tipped off by the fact that the criminal dressed like the movie version of the rabbit, instead of the original book version.

The reprint backup is the Kid Flash in "The Flash's Sensational Risk" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Flash #149 (1964). A large explosion near Blue Valley draws the attention of Wally West aka Kid Flash. Kid Flash examines a crater created by the explosion and is transported to the other-dimensional world of Ikora. Kid Flash then discovers explosives used by Ikoran criminals are responsible for the damage on Earth. Kid Flash attempts to apprehend the criminals, but he is struck by one of their weapons.

Kid Flash returns to Earth to gain the aid of the Flash. After relating his story, Kid Flash loses his memory as a delayed side-effect of the ray weapon. Flash fails to restore Wally's memory until he devises a way to unmask on TV at super-speed. Wally's memory is shocked back to normal by the surprise.

Flash and his protégé return to Ikora and defeat the K-10 Gang. After turning them into Ikoran authorities, the speedsters return to Earth. Flash explains that because he unmasked at super-speed, only Wally's super-speed vision could identify his real face.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Strange Adventures #231

Strange Adventures #231 (On Sale: May 27, 1971), has a really cool cover by Sid Greene. 

We begin with our cover feature  "Attack of the Flying Gorillas" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, and Murphy Anderson and reprinted from Strange Adventures #125 (1961). A small planetoid populated by flying gorillas approaches Earth and begins to steal its atmosphere.

Next up is the Atomic Knights in "Here Come the Wild Ones" by John Broome and Murphy Anderson and reprinted from Strange Adventures #160 (1964). The Knights encounter a roving band of boys who want to become outlaws when they grow up. Marene disguises herself as a boy and infiltrates the group.

Kadey and his Blue Belts stumble upon a pre-war invention that turns people into automatons. They use it to enslave the rebel boys until the Knights defeat them. This is the last Atomic Knights story and they will not appear again till Hercules Unbound #10 (1977).

That is followed by "The Martian Masquerader" by John Broome, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Strange Adventures #67 (1956).

Next, we have "Assignment in Eternity" by Otto Binder, Sid Greene, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Strange Adventures #83 (1957).

This brings us to Adam Strange in "The Challenge of the Crystal Conquerors" by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Mystery in Space #71 (1961). Adam Strange catches the Zeta-Beam to Rann where Alanna greets him and explains that crystal beings called the Karalyx have arrived on Rann and began immediately attacking the world. The weapons of Ranagar city are ineffectual against the creatures, so she takes Adam to a secret hideout on Crater Island to hopefully design a weapon to defeat the Karalyx. There Adam devises a weapon that uses ultrasonics that he hopes will destroy the invaders. In attempting to use the weapon, it does not work, and "Alanna" reveals herself as Kathifran, one of the Karalyx who has taken Alanna's place. She explains that they are fugitives from the Karalyx's homeworld and they plan to switch bodies with all the humans of Rann so that when the police of their own world arrive, they would destroy the Karalyx bodies that contain the minds of the people of Rann. She goes on to explain that they created a being known as Akabubu an "electro-nuclear brain" that allows them to create this feat. With Adam Strange defeated, the renegade Karalyx plot to not only take over Rann but other worlds as well, including Earth.

Taken to Akabubu, Adam has his body switched with one of the Karalyx, named Tragdol. Now in a Karalyx body, Adam is reunited with Alanna and the other people of Ranagar that have been converted. To their surprise, they are unable to use any of the Karalyx's fantastic powers. Instead, they secure weapons and attempt to attack, however in a subversive move, the fake "Adam" and "Alanna" use it as a way to convince the people of Rann that they are who they pretend to be. The fake "Adam" and "Alanna" then round up all of the Ranagarian's that are trapped in Karalyx forms and dump them in the Lake of Insalla.

Adam realizes this lake is where Ranagar's drinking water comes from, and the group travels into the refinery plant. In traveling through the filtration system they realize the Chlorine that is used to purify the water weakens their crystalline bodies. Realizing that Chlorine is the weakness of the Karalyx and that they can contact Akabubu telepathically, the converted Adam Strange has his soldiers collect bottles of pure Chlorine from the refinery and then orders Akabubu to change them back into humans. Before the now restored Karalyx renegades can command Akabubu to reverse the process, Adam uses Chlorine on them and they are soon defeated. Soon the police of Karalyx arrive and are informed of what happened.

Later, Adam tells Alanna that he planned for the ultrasonic device to fail to begin with because he was tipped off that something funny was going on when the fake Alanna had kissed him. After getting a kiss from the real Alanna, the Zeta-Beam wears off and Adam is once more returned to Earth.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

DC Special #13

DC Special #13 (On Sale: May 4, 1971), has a Strangest Sports Stories Ever Told! cover by Murphy Anderson. OK, I was never a fan of this strange genre of story, but Julie Schwartz sure seemed to love them.

We begin with "Warrior of the Weightless World" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Brave and the Bold #49 (1963). Spaceball was a new sport of the future, combining zero-gravity with basketball. Cray Duncan was a great player, but he didn't really like the game. When war broke out between Earth and the Creon Empire, Cray enlisted himself to fight. Little did he know that his knowledge and expert abilities in Spaceball would help the army win the war.

Next up is "Super-Athlete from Earth" by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Strange Adventures #125 (1961).

That is followed by "The Fishermen of Space" by Joe Millard, Carmine Infantino, and Bernard Sachs and reprinted from Strange Adventures #94 (1958). 

Joe Millard was a comic book writer during the 1940s and 1950s, mainly at Quality where he wrote Blackhawk, The Barker, Plastic-Man, and Doll Man, and at DC, where he wrote 13 Sierra Smith stories in the late 40s and seven science fiction stories in the late 50s. In the 60’s Millard left comics and began to write paperback originals the most well regarded of which was a science fiction novel, The Gods Hate Kansas, (filmed as They Came From Beyond Space), and a series of novels based on Clint Eastwood’s character The Man With No Name, first doing novelizations for The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly and For A Few Dollars More, then following that with four more novels unrelated to any films in which he gave "Blondie," abilities that seemed to come straight out of the comics.    

Next, is "The Martian Horse" by Manny Rubin and Howard Sherman and reprinted from Mystery in Space #9 (1952). Manny Rubin wrote 18 stories for DC between 1951 and 1953 before leaving the business for film. He wrote "The Best of Everything", "Brainstorm" (the 1965 film starring Jeffrey Hunter, not the Christopher Walken film), "Warning Shot", "The First Deadly Sin, and "The Human Shield".  For TV he wrote for many shows including Studio One in Hollywood, Tales of Tomorrow, Dynasty, The F.B.I., The Feather and Father Gang, The Fugitive, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, The Mod Squad, Perry Mason, Quincy, M.E., The Rockford Files, The Six Million Dollar Man, Starsky & Hutch, and Dragnet. He died in 2013.

We next have another tale written by Manny Rubin. "The World Where Dreams Come True" is drawn by Alex Toth and Sy Barry and reprinted from Mystery in Space #7 (1952).

We end with "Saga of the Secret Sportsmen" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Murphy Anderson and reprinted from Brave and the Bold #47 (1963). The world of the 30th Century has embraced a laid-back lifestyle, thanks largely to an invention called the Sportscaster, which lets the user play virtual sports games from the comfort of their own home. Real sports, in fact, have been outlawed altogether for the danger of being too physical. But beings from Uranus have begun an invasion of Earth, and only a secret organization of real sports-lovers have the will to stop them.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.