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The Down Side of Dynamic Tension...

Maybe "Mac" should have kept working on his physique until his buttocks came in. Also, is it just me, or does his reflection look like he has his trunks pulled down a little low in front? Like he's doing a Boogie Nights reenactment.

Also, as a sales pitch, "LATER" is a little vague.

Top 5 Silver Age Super Heroes, NOT from DC or Marvel.

Here's my list of the top 5 Silver Age heroes NOT from DC or Marvel. This is highly subjective and pure opinion. I would have been happy to include characters like The Phantom, or Plastic Man, or Captain Marvel... but I feel that their pedigrees are more Golden Age. So...*drumroll*...

#5: Doctor Weird


First Appearance: Star Studded Comics#1, September 1963
Publisher: Texas Trio
Story: In the 24th century, Dr. Rex Ward invents a means of time travel. He travels back in time to 1963, where he subsequently dies. The paradox created by dying before he was born leaves Ward trapped between worlds, a living ghost.
Superpowers/abilities: from Wikipedia

"Dr. Weird can pass through walls with ease, making himself immaterial and invisible at will. He has a sixth sense that alerts him to the presence of evil. He can teleport anywhere, and his glare can petrify anyone who sees it. He is abnormally strong and can fly. Dr. Weird seems to be able to send visions of himself to other places, and can make contact with any spiritual beings."

Created by fanzine author Howard Keltner in the 1940's, Dr Weird made his debut in a small-press publication Star Studded Comics #1. In the 1970's Dr. Weird got his own title with some stories written by Jim Starlin and George, R.R. Martin. Dr. Weird eventually found his way to Big Bang! Comics, where he has the distinction of being the only hero in their stable with a legitimate publishing history.

What's so cool about him?:
Well, I always like a good,mystical hero and this one has the added dimension of being a sci-fi hero as well. Sort of like if Doctor Strange could become intangible due to a teleporter accident. Plus I'm a sucker for heroes named "Doctor". Especially when they actually have the credentials.

#4: Captain Flash

First Appearance: Captain Flash #1, November 1954
Publisher: Sterling Comics
Story: Exposed to a lethal dose of Cobalt during a laboratory demonstration, Professor Keith Spencer does not die, but instead gains phenomenal super powers. Spencer decides to use his newfound abilities for the betterment of mankind and the defense of the good, ol' U.S.A. as Captain Flash.
Superpowers/Abilities: By clapping his hands together, Captain Flash creates a "miniature nuclear explosion" which, rather than causing him to blow up, instead turns him into a living reactor. He is superhumanly strong and resistant to injury and he can move at superfast speed.

What's so cool about him?: Arguably the first hero of The Silver Age, Captain Flash is THE first "Atomic superman" beating out Solar, Nukla and Captain Atom by a decade. The comic's artwork by (Future JLA artist) Mike Sekowski has a decidedly ahead- of- it's- time look to it, that makes it feel like it was printed a decade too soon.


#3: Blue Beetle

First Appearance: Captain Atom#83, November, 1966
Publisher: Charlton
Story: Dan Garrett, the original Blue Beetle passes his mantle to Genius Inventor Ted Kord. Kord can't seem to make Garrett's mystical scarab (the source of his powers) work, so he compensates by inventing a high-tech airship, and numerous crime-fighting gadgets.
What's so cool about him?: The Blue Beetle is a wise-cracking gadgeteer. He's a very human character, but-by far- the least angsty or heavy character associated with Steve Ditko.

Charlton had already bought the rights to the Golden Age Blue Beetle and had tried to make a go of publishing a series featuring him in the early 1960's but it was a no-go. Apparently the missing element was Steve Ditko. Ditko, fresh from Marvel where he had co-created Spider-Man gave BB a make-over that included a new origin, new alter-ego and a whole new schtick. Basically, he kept the name and wove the earlier beetle into the new character's backstory. Very reminiscent of the DC Silver-Age makeovers of Hawkman, or The Atom.

#2: Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom

First Appearance: Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom#1, October, 1962
Publisher: Gold Key
Story: Nuclear physicist, Phil Solar is exposed to lethal amounts of radiation saving a co-worker from radiation exposure. Instead of dying, Solar gains the ability to manipulate matter at the atomic level, converting his human form into any kind of energy.
Superpowers/Abilities: Ability to manipulate matter at the atomic level,
fly and blast bolts of energy
What's so cool about him?: A god in human form, Solar is almost infinitely powerful. As time goes on, he becomes less and less able to relate to his fellow humans. This comic was fairly sophisticated and way ahead of its time.


#1: Space Ghost

First Appearance: Space Ghost television program, 1966 season
Aired on: CBS
Story: Space Ghost is so cool, he doesn't HAVE a back-story.
Superpowers/Abilities: Flight, invisibility, freeze ray, heat ray, force field, stun ray... you name it, he's got it.
What's so cool about him?: The BEST of the Hanna-Barbera superheroes, hands down (sorry, Birdman) Space Ghost has a really boss spaceship, TWO kid sidekicks and a monkey! Do any of you have a money? I didn't think so. Seriously, though, the look of this cartoon (designed by Alex Toth)would go on to influence a whole generation of animators and comic-book artists.

The Greatest Heroes of the Silver Age Battle a Big Starfish- Brave and the Bold #28

Well, "The Greatest Heroes of the Silver Age" minus Superman and Batman.
For those of you who don't already know, The Brave and the Bold #28 is a landmark issue in the history of Silver Age comics. Having already resurrected/revamped Green Lantern and The Flash, the next logical step for DC was to try and resurrect/revamp the old Justice Society of America. Only this time, it was decided that "League" sounded much hipper than "Society".

Naturally, sales powerhouses Batman and Superman were part of the line-up, as well as their old-school gal-pal, Wonder Woman. Also joining the new team were the brand-new sales sensations Green Lantern and The Flash. And rounding out the dream team were back-up feature stalwarts, Aquaman and J'onn J'onnz- Manhunter from Mars.



The story gets off to a great start, with Aquaman (maybe for the last time) being the first hero to learn of a threat to the Earth:

"Peter the puffer-fish"? Seriously? Anyway, a giant, alien menace preparing to invade the Earth? This sounds like a job for SUPERMAN!

Except Superman is too busy. Hmm, well, Batman's always been pretty clever. I'm sure the World's Greatest Detective could use his superior intellect and cutting-edge technology to save us all from the certain domination of an evil, alien intelligence...

Or, I guess he could beg off to stop some street crime. Well, I suppose we'll have to rely on the new kids and the second string, then:

Why does everyone make their HQ in a cave in the 50's and 60's? You know, I don't actually know how much it costs to renovate a cave. Is suspect with having electricity, gas, and running water installed, not to mention all the custom fit walls and carpet, it's probably pretty pricey. Maybe the JLA should have priced one of those pre-fab, steel buildings or something. Bad guys seem to have no trouble finding abandoned warehouses. I'm just saying is all.

So, setting a precedent that will be repeated many times for years to come, the five available members of the JLA split up and try to take on Starro's minions around the globe, individually. Except Wonder Woman. Can't send a girl out there by herself, so she teams up with the Martian.

During his part of the mission, Flash picks up a new friend:

A really irritating friend. A really irritating friend who snaps his fingers all the time and speaks in a completely bogus youthful slang clearly written by out-of-touch adults.

Of course, "Snapper" turns out to be the key to the whole thing. For some reason, Snapper is immune to Starro's influence.

Getting the team back together, Green Lantern uses his power ring to do a spectrographic analysis on Snapper and discovers that the lime Snapper was adding to his parents' lawn or "grass mat" is actually harmful to Starro and his minions.

The JLA quickly obtain some lime from local farmers...

Whew! I thought for a minute there I was going to have to not care if they paid for that lime!

and Starro shrivels up and dies.

Or does he??

But wait, even though Batman and Superman were completely useless to the JLA, they make Snapper an honorary member. Unfortunately for us, Snapper regularly comes to the meetings.

Gardner Fox will use this same formula for some time to come. Team finds out about problem. Team fights problem as individuals. Team teams up and wins. But hey, if it works, don't mess with it.

Mike Sekowsky does an admirable job of giving a universal look to seven heroes typically drawn in seven, individual and character-specific styles.

For those of you out there who feel I spend an unfair amount of time on DC comics and not enough on Marvel, I would like to mention that this single issue of Brave and the Bold was what inspired Marvel publisher Martin Goodman to tell Stan Lee to create a line-up of super-heroes. That's right, without the JLA, there would be no Fantastic Four, no Avengers. Pretty cool, huh?

Spectergirl's Crypt of Post-Code Horror

Life not horrific enough? Stop by...

Spectergirl's Crypt of Post-Code Horror

We've dusted off a mouldering short-box of penny-dreadfuls from the Bronze Age of FEAR!

It's TERROR only the Comics Code Authority would DARE approve!

Have a Happy Easter- IF YOU DARE!

I think the boys at DC were smoking a little too much Easter grass when they wrote this one.

I saw this cover over at Seduction of the Indifferent and the memories came flooding back. I bought this comic when I was eight. I tried to re-read this at HTML comics, but they don't actually have this particular issue.

The basic premise is simple: Some kids go to an Easter egg hunt which is hosted by a large, friendly-looking Easter Bunny and are, one by one, lured into a series of diabolical traps. At the end, all of the children have ended up in a big vat of chocolate in the basement of a scary old house. The Easter Bunny resurfaces, now looking like the one on the cover.

The bunny reveals to the children that he is bent on getting revenge for the hundreds of chocolate bunnies which are eaten every year. He plans to eat them (the children) and he "Always bite the heads off first!".

Like many stories in Unexpected, the twist ending doesn't make a damn bit of sense. Chocolate bunnies are, after all, just that. They are not rabbits dipped in chocolate. And if there really was an Easter Bunny, why would he suddenly crave revenge? It's analogous to Santa Claus vivisecting someone because they rip the paper on the packages.

Still, I must confess, this story scared the bejeezus out of 8-year-old me. I remember lying in bed, needing to pee, but terrified that the bathroom rug was really a trapdoor which would whisk me away to a vat of chocolate in the basement where that scary bunny (I can't even type "scary bunny" without cracking a smile) would eat me. We didn't even have a basement. Just a crawlspace.

Happy Easter!

Charlton Romance Series Cancelled in Its Prime!

One of the first comics to break the barriers of inter species dating, Grizzly Romance lasted a scant 33 issues before being cancelled.

"We really thought more people were open to the idea of, you know, bestiality..." said Charlton's then editor-in chief George Wildman. "I mean, it was the 70's, everyone was doing their own thing. Turns out, having sex with animals is illegal in, like, 25 states. Who knew?"

Perhaps more surprising was the fact that the series lasted for nearly three full years.

"Well, the sales figures were pretty good in Arkansas, West Virginia, Iowa, Mississippi, Connecticut, Maine and Alabama. We were HUGE in Alabama! After the poor sales most of those states had had when Dell Comics tried to market their new western title, Lobo, I was afraid those states wouldn't buy into something as sophisticated as Grizzly Romance, but sometimes these things just come along and surprise you!"- Wildman said.

The comics' sales took a dramatic downturn in sales after intorducing a series of romantic advice pages featuring Page Peterson.

"I don't know if that really had anything to do with it, " Wildman mused, "still, it was funny. We added Page and the sales dropped. ESPECIALLY in Alabama..."

APRIL FOOLS!