Special Representative

Mike Deodato — Wonder Woman — © DC Comics

Thank you Diana, your help would be most welcome!

The Daring & The Different

I have a genuine fondness for the DC comics of the 1967-74 years, a transition period of sorts between the Silver and Bronze Ages. The art and the stories were actually better in many ways than the Golden and Silver Ages, as the comics industry was starting into its 3rd generation of talent. Don't get me wrong though, the Golden and Silver years were raw, bold, colorful, and wonderful — with a huge nostalgic factor. 

Below is a tribute by Nick Cardy, one of the 2nd generation artists that was at the top of his game during this period. I have bittersweet memories of this time, as it bookended my high school years into my army years, when I was still collecting as I could, attending early comicons and such, and seeking out my favorite creators to shake their hands.

Nick Cardy — Comic Book Artist — 1999

Rarity

A rarity! On this day absolutely nothing happened in the DC Universe!

DC calendar page 

This is from either 1976 or 1977, I can't remember. Pre Final Crisis though, in the good ol' silly DC daze. I miss that daze and those days.

The Big Sixteen

Good goggley woggely, look at the entertainment a dollar-sixty cents could buy for a kid in just one month's time, from just one publisher back in the 1940s. What a great time to be a kid!

Yuh Yuh!

Today is the fictional birthday of one of the most infamous fictional anarchists of our times, which I won't be celebrating.

DC Calendar page—

don't set appointments by it, it's all off from this year, it's from the 1970s

In fact, I might celebrate August the 19th—National Aviation Day, according to the DC calendar above, portraying Wonder Woman's private robot plane . . . her private glass robot plane . . . her private transPARent glass robot plane.

Elder/Kurtzman — Woman Wonder — Mad magazine

Comic Book Characters

Okay, so we know there are no super villains in real life (other than the corporate thugs that already rule the planet), and any individuals who have delusions that they can be super villain copycats are quickly put in their place by law enforcement.

But let's take a few minutes here to enter into the 'DC Universe' and take a look at some of the super villains that have been in residence there for a long time, even through all the reboots.

Neal Adams/Dick Giordano — DC's Super Villains — 1970s

I look at the depictions of super villains differently now that real life has been haunted by one of those copycat killers. It now doesn't seem as interesting or fun to see their stories unfold. In the world of comic book fantasy, they seem more evil and dangerous than ever before. I want comic book justice to deliver a final lockdown, so that these villains cannot keep escaping again and again.

Let's take a closer look at the DC criminals in the above rendering from the '70s, a high point for comic book storytelling. There are sixteen individuals shown, all classified as 'super' villains, yet not one really has a 'super' power, though one or two have magical powers. They are megalomaniacs who have adopted a persona to feed their egos as they satisfy their greed. Even though they're shown here in a group, they rarely work together to meet objectives. When they do, they are ready to abandon their cause at the earliest convenience, with probably a knife in somebody's back.

Out of the sixteen, eleven of them are smiling. But they're not happy smiles. They are grim and arrogant smiles, perhaps while thinking of their ill-gotten gains. At least two, maybe three are the leering smiles of the psychopathic insane. Many of this group laugh a lot, but only when gloating over people in pain and misery.

The floating fellow was once a likeable mischief maker who grew evil over the years, finally murdering most of the silver age Superman's loved ones in a rampage of horror.

One of those fellows is there with his daughter, having seduced her into his campaign to destroy most of humankind on earth so that he and she can save the earth from homicidal tendencies of humankind.

One is an arrogant simian who thinks that he's smarter than everyone else, so to hell with everyone else. Several of these miscreants are just plain thieving thugs, who have learned to control weather, and mirrors, and puzzles, and Frigidaires just to own the biggest diamond or the most bullion.

One of these guys has learned to master fear, to strike humankind at its mental roots, causing unimaginable fear to drive them insane. Basically, a terrorist.

A couple are mad scientists — one who is compensating for his ugliness and short stature, and the other who is capable of curing cancer and eradicating world hunger, but instead uses his scientific genius to cause pain and suffering. Both are the only bald ones in the bunch, hmmm.

That's a nice Tiffanyish lamp they have dangling there over their poker table. I can't imagine any of these people bought it, even though they have a gazantajillion stolen dollars. Why have all that money when they don't want to spend it on anything that they can steal. It's a mystery.

And then there's this one:

She is not evil or demented. She has a soft spot for the underdog and could almost work on the side of justice, but for her weakness and passion for shiny baubles that she can't afford. Still, a thug is a thug is a thug.

I could go on and on, but these are only characters in comic books. They demonstrate that crime doesn't pay, that there is not infamy for murderous megalomaniacs. They're not role models for society's dropouts and misfits.

They're just comic book characters.

Favorite Fictional Four-Color Female

Sorry I missed commemorating the anniversary of Krypton blowing up, and wow, Kal-el made it to Earth the very next day! But I'd rather celebrate the birthday of Shayera (Hawkgirl), one of my favorite fictional four-color females, especially as delineated by Joe Kubert who gave her a sparkling joie de vivre.

Don't forget to have a moment of silence for Wing on the 28th.

note: this calendar dating is not for this year!

Joe Kubert

Joe Kubert

Joe Kubert

Steve Rude

Goodbye

This am not Bizarro #1 here, and me wish miserable birthday to Mr. Mxyzptlk. Him always give Superman happy times, not like me who am perfect sense maker, cause when me make backward sense then that too am backward so that when me wish you miserable April Fool's Day that not make sense, cause me really not wish you anything, me unwish you—which make no sense at all, except to me it make perfect sense, except me mean imperfect sense, which is nonsense, which to me mean perfectly logical, except me mean imperfect which mean me had it right all along, which mean it wrong. See what me not mean?

Bizarro birthday am not on April 2, 7, 12, 17, 23, 25, or 27, which mean me got lots of birthdays!

Me not go look for that ugly tramp Donna Troy on April 26, cause me no have thing for her and no have present for her which am not Bizarro #1.

Hello!

DC calendar — 1970s

Feat of Clay

Did you have any notion at all that today is the birthday of the original Princess Diana, Wonder Woman? At least it is according to DC Comics back in the 1970s.

Perhaps instead of a birthday, she should have a Made of Clay Day...

The Mightiest Heroes of Our Time

When I was just a wee lad, starting to cruise the DC universe, this house ad popped up in one of the lesser titles, and I just went all popcorn. I had to have it! Well, none of my wee friends read comics and there were no back issue catalogues or stores. Even the drugstore didn't carry the JLA title until #9 , the first JLA I bought off the spinners (the cool origin issue which I read a gajillion times). I only finally got to read this issue once I bought the hardcover JLA Archives many years later.

This ad was for JLA #1, yet the actual cover had no number on it. A 1st issue DC comic, with no #1 emblazoned on it? JUST IMAGINE!

Discovery of the Golden Age of Comics

These were some of the panels (to the best of my recollection) that were reprinted in the Playboy article by Feiffer. It must have been promoting his book, since the copyright on the book was of that year. I bought the book the following summer, having dreamt about it until then. Have I told you what a dork I was?

This was the very first image I ever saw of golden age Superman, and the brightness of his colors compensated for the crudeness of his drawing. I came to love that simplified drawing style.

And this Batman panel sent me soaring. Not even the newly introduced 'New Look', courtesy of Carmine Infantino, was as serious and dramatic as this panel. I yearned for more.

I think by this time I was introduced to Jay Garrick as the Flash, thanks to the Silver Age Flash and Justice League, but it was exciting to see the original in action.

Golden age Green Lantern had a mystique and spookiness that the silver age GL couldn't touch.

And speaking of spooky, this Spectre panel is my favorite logo panel of any comic, anytime, anywhere. This is what comics was all about. Too bad the stories didn't always live up to the promise, or premise, but there were some that were pretty good. I'm grateful for the DC archives of Spectre stories (as well as all the other DC archives). Shame on you DC for not continuing the archive run for the mainstay golden age heroes. Even losing money, it should have been subsidized for posterity sake.