Joe Jusko covers Amazing Spider-man 50

Original cover by John Romita and Mike Esposito; Marvel 1967. Joe Jusko's website is here.

Jimmy Wallin covers Star Spangled War Stories 90

Original cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito; 1960. Jimmy Wallin's website is here.

Our Fighting Forces #127

Our Fighting Forces #127 (On Sale: July 9, 1970) has a Losers cover by Joe Kubert.

We begin with the Losers in "Angels Over Hell's Corner" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.

The back-up story is the U.S.S. Stevens in "Dragonfly" written and drawn by Sam Glanzman.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Superboy #168

Superboy #168 (On Sale: July 7, 1970) has another of my favorite Neal Adams' covers. Just beautiful.

We begin with "Leave Us... or We Perish" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Murphy Anderson.

The back-up Superboy story must have been in inventory for a few years. "The Negative Boy of Steel" is by Arnold Drake who was fired in 1968, Al Plastino who was also fired in 1968 and Mike Esposito. Except for a Superman's Wedding Album pin-up in 1996, this is Al Plastino's last work for DC.

Al Plastino's earliest comic work was as an assitant to Bill Everett working on Sub-Mariner for Timely Comics and his first credited work was the cover of Novelty Press' Blue Bolt Comics #9 in 1943.

In 1948 Plastino showed samples of his work to editors at DC and began a 20-year stint on the Superman family of books. At first he was required to mimic Wayne Boring's style but as time went on he was allowed to draw like Al Plastino. The worked on Superman, Superboy, and Lois Lane. With Otto Binder he co-created Supergirl and The Legion of Super-Heroes.

Plastino also drew the Superman newspaper strip in the late 60s and the Batman strip from 1966-1972. When DC ousted him from their books in 1968 Al Plastino also took over the Ferd'nand newspaper strip which he drew until he retired in 1989. In 1983 he drew the Sunday episodes of Nancy after Ernie Bushmiller died and he also drew a year's worth of Peanuts strips in the early 1980s to be used if Charles Schulz became ill. I don't think those will ever see the light of day, but it does make for an interesting trivia question, "Who besides Charles Schulz drew an entire year's worth of Peanuts strips?"

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Action Comics #391

Action Comics #391 (On Sale: June 30, 1970) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with our cover-story, the imaginary tale "The Punishment of Superman's Son" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito.

The back-up is the Legion of Super-Heroes in "The Ordeal of Element Lad" by E. Nelson Bridwell, Winslow Mortimer and Jack Abel. This story was reprinted in Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Vol. 9 HC.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #103

Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #103 (On Sale: June 25, 1970) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

We begin with our cover-story "The Devil's Bride" by Robert Kanigher, Irv Novick and Mike Esposito. The back-up story is "The Fantastic Wigs of Mr. Dupre" drawn by Kurt Schaffenberger and reprinted from Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #35. Lois Lane attends a performance of Booth Barry, an old actor. Barry invites Lois backstage and relates a story about magical wigs that cause a person wearing them to die in the same manor as the model for the wigs did. Barry then is accidentally shot with a pistol in a manor similar to Alexander Hamilton, whose wig he was wearing.

Lois investigates the story and is led to the shop of Anton Dupre. Lois tests two wigs herself and is nearly killed. The third attempt nearly succeeds as Lois wears a Supergirl wig, however the real Supergirl has replaced Lois. Together they expose Dupre’s plot to eliminate Lois from discovering his underworld activities. The dangerous wigs were merely a hoax, and Dupre turns out to be Booth Barry in disguise.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Ryan Alexander-Tanner covers Amazing Spider-man 50

Original cover by John Romita and Mike Esposito; Marvel 1967. Ryan Alexander-Tanner's website is here.

James Henry Dufresne covers Frankenstein 13

Original cover by Ron Wilson, Mike Esposito, and Frank Giacoia; Marvel 1974. James Henry Dufresne's website is here.

Aaron Conley covers Flash 177

Original cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito; DC 1968. Aaron Conley's website is here.

Superboy #166

Superboy #166 (On Sale: April 2, 1970) has a cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with our cover-story, "Here Lies the Real Superboy" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Mike Esposito. The back-up is "The Kryptonite Conqueror" also by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Mike Esposito.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Jimmy Giegerich covers World's Finest 177

Original cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito; DC 1968. Jimmy Giegerich's website is here.

Our Army at War #220

Our Army at War #220 (On Sale: March 31, 1970) has an awesome Sgt. Rock cover by Joe Kubert.

Our Sgt. Rock cover-story is "Stone-Age War" written and illustrated by Joe Kubert. This story was reprinted in Sgt. Rock #318. Next is "The Last Soldier" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. We end with a U.S.S. Stevens story, "The Idiot" by Sam Glanzman.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

World's Finest Comics #193

World's Finest Comics #193 (On Sale: March 10, 1970) has a cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

This issue begins with Superman and Batman in "The Breaking of Superman and Batman" by Bob Haney, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The back-up story stars Robin and is from Star Spangled Comics #120 and is drawn by Jim Mooney.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Our Fighting Forces #125

Our Fighting Forces #125 (On Sale: March 3, 1970) has a Losers cover by Joe Kubert

We begin with our cover-story, the Losers in "Daughters of Death" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. Finally, a book I don't own!

That is followed by "Too Much G.I." from All-American Men of War #60 by Bob Haney and Russ Heath. We end with "The Browning Shot" another story of the U.S.S. Stevens by Sam Glanzman.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Brave and the Bold #89

Brave and the Bold #89 (On Sale: February 24, 1970) has a Batman and Phantom Stranger cover by Neal Adams over an obvious Carmine Infantino layout. This is the first issue to use the new Batman logo, which will disappear next issue but return after that.

This issue is dreadful. From the uninspired cover to the uninspired ending this book reeks. Bob Haney doesn't have the slightest clue how to use the Phantom Stranger or worse yet, Dr. Thirteen. We open with a group of covered wagons pulled by oxen and led by one Josiah Heller, self-proscribed descendant of the Hellerite leader of the same name. The Hellerites, so Batman says the legend goes, settled in Gotham 150 years ago, a strange sect of people (think Amish crossed with Mormon) who frightened the citizens of Gotham because they were so different. When a child is found dead on the streets the citizens blame the Hellerite sorcery for the death (most likely caused by a fever) and burned the Hellerite encampment, killing Josiah who proclaimed as the flames engulfed him that, "Someday the dust of the desert will fill Gotham's streets--and then this city's sins must be cleansed!"

These modern-day Hellerites set up camp in Gotham Park, where Batman and Commissioner Gordon head Heller tell his people that they have returned to Gotham for reparations and that they will demand that Gotham give up the land where their ancestor's encampment once stood. This land is now part of downtown Gotham, even Bruce Wayne owns a piece, and worth a fortune. The declaration splits Gotham in two and at a council meeting, Bruce Wayne (who Haney seems to think in on the City Council), donates the Wayne Foundation building to the Hellerite cause.

As Batman, Bruce keeps tabs on Heller and that night Heller is visited by the Phantom Stranger, who warns Heller that he has "unleashed a terrifying threat against Gotham City." When Heller tried to attack the Stranger, he knocks himself unconscious and Batman enters Heller's room and finds cigarettes in his pocket. He notes that Hellerites don't smoke and that they are supposed to be non-violent, yet Heller attacked the Stranger.

The city is soon crawling with Hellerites with glowing eyes and when Batman attempts to find out why he is confronted by the Phantom Stranger who paralyzes Batman so he can watch the Hellerites confronting Gotham citizens and demanding their property. The people find it impossible to resist the glowing stare of the Hellerites. The Stranger tells Batman that some of the Hellerites are "spectral beings...ghosts of Gotham's past."

Batman heads to Gotham Park and confronts Heller, who says that his people are all in the park and knows nothing of the Hellerites walking around Gotham. The Stranger appears and says that Heller has unwittingly called forth the spirits of the long-dead Hellerites. Dr. Thirteen shows up to call the Stranger a fraud (does he do anything else?) and karate-chops the Stranger unconscious.

Heller disappears during all of this and Batman goes searching for him, finding him painting a mark on the door of a house in Gotham. When Batman confronts Heller, his hands go right through him and Heller vanishes. Batman notices that the house is the one he has rented after vacating the Wayne Foundation building. Using the Gotham police computers Batman finds out that all of the houses "marked" by the Hellerites have an elder son at home (I guess Haney decided to ignore the fact that Robin wasn't living at home anymore).

Returning to his house Batman is psychically attacked by Dick and when Heller arrives to ask Bruce Wayne for even more "reparations" he is attacked by the ghostly Heller who calles him "an imposter." The ghostly Heller says that the modern-day Heller is not his decendant and only has the power to "unwittingly stir the spirits from their eternal sleep. Once aroused, all we can do is evil--until he who called us forth confesses his sacrilege."

Batman awakens the Stranger in police lock-up and the two of them go on the attack against the ghostly Heller and Dick. The ghosly Heller tries to kill the modern-day Heller and the Phantom Stranger intervenes. A sherriff arrives with a wanted poster for Karl Lofus, the modern-day Heller. Seeing the poster snaps Lofus out of his delusion that he is Heller and the spirit Heller and all his Hellerites disappear.

It is explained how Lofus had amnesia after breaking out of jail and ran into the Hellerite settlement in the desert and was mistaken by them for Heller. Dr. Thirteen looks stupid once again and the real Hellerites head back for the desert. Ugh! Horrible story all around. This piece of dreck was reprinted in Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 2 TPB and Showcase Presents: Phantom Stranger Vol. 2 TPB.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Superboy #164

Superboy #164 (On Sale: February 17, 1970) has a cover by Neal Adams. Given the subject matter, this one should have been much more effective and emotional.

This issue begins with "Your Death Will Destroy Me" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Mike Esposito. The back-up story is "Revolt of Ma Kent" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Mike Esposito.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

World's Finest Comics #192

World's Finest Comics #192 (On Sale: January 27, 1970) has a Superman/Batman cover by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.

This issue begins with our cover-story, Superman/Batman in "The Prison of No Escape" by Bob Haney, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The back-up is Robin in "Danger in the Hall of Trophies" reprinted from Star Spangled Comics #126 and drawn by Jim Mooney.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Superboy #163

Superboy #163 (On Sale: January 8, 1970) has a superb Neal Adams' cover which seems inspired by Cool Hand Luke.

This issue begins with Superboy in our cover-story, "Reform School Rebel" by Frank Robbins, Bob Brown and Mike Esposito.

The back-up is "The Super-Robot" from Superboy #52 and produced by Otto Binder, Curt Swan and John Fischetti. Two swindlers build a Superboy robot. They then sell the robot to the gullible Pop Peabody who thinks the robot has super powers. Superboy tricks the crooks by posing as the robots and performing super deeds for Pop. When the crooks see that the robot possesses powers they offer to buy it back for twice the price. The crooks then take the real robot back to their workshop where they discover it to be worthless junk. Superboy explains his trick to Peabody and gives the extra money to charity.

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.

Our Fighting Forces #124

Our Fighting Forces #124 (On Sale: January 8, 1970) has a Losers cover by Joe Kubert.

This issue begins with The Losers in "Losers Take All" by Robert Kanigher, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito. The Losers sneak in through Nazi-occupied France to another, unnamed Nazi-occupied country to rescue a king from the hands of the Nazis. There is a modicum of action along their way to the castle where the king is being held, but they eventually make it. There they find that the king is only a child.

As the Nazis storm the castle ("Have good time stormin' the castle!"), the Losers escape with the boy-king by making parachutes out of the royal curtains ("No, not the curtains!"). After blowing up a statue of Hitler in the town plaza the Losers turn the boy over to Allied forces. I'm not quite sure I see the purpose in this story existing, but I feel that way after reading many Kanigher books.

There is a nice two-page Battle Album on the "Killer Flying Fish of the North Atlantic" by Ken Barr.

We end with the "find' of the issue: "Parable" by Jerry DeFuccio and John Severin. This is the first of five war stories that Jerry DeFuccio would write for DC and it is wonderful in its richness of character and place. This may be due to Jerry's tenure at EC Comics where he was an assistant editor and researcher for Harvey Kurtzman's war books, Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales, books for which Jerry also wrote stories. But Jerry is mainly known for his long career as a writer at Mad Magazine, where was was also an associate editor for 25 years. Jerry DeFuccio died of cancer in August, 2001.

The "Parable" takes place in British-occupied Kandahar Afghanistan in the 1880s and tells the tale of one Private Shelley, a tightrope walker turned British soldier who fell in love with Afghanistan and after his discharge went to live with one of the local tribes. There he made the tribesmen's lives better, lowering the infant mortality rate and turning the men to a more peaceful way of life. But they believed that Shelley was a saint and as such would serve them better in paradise looking after their black souls, so one day they gutted him and left him on the side of the road for dead while they rushed home to pray for his released spirit in paradise.

But he wasn't quite dead yet and a British patrol finds him and brings him to their fort, where none of them recognize him since his appearance had changed so much since joining the tribe. When they ask him through a translator if his wound is deep he answers with a quote from Romeo and Juliet, "Tis not deep as a well nor wide as a church-door" and they realize that he is an Englishman. As one of the men put it, "He died as an Englishman...without denying his people of the Hindu-Kush!" This story was reprinted in Sgt. Rock Special #3.

This story also marked the first work at DC by John Severin since 1958, his first work with the company being in 1948 on a Boy Commandos story. Severin has had four good runs at DC, the first in 1957-1958 doing war stories. The second begins with this story and continues a year from now when he takes over the reigns of the Losers from 1971-1974. The third begins in late 1980 and really picks up steam in 1981 when he draws Enemy Ace for two years. His fourth run began in 2000 and contains runs on Desperadoes Quiet of the Grave, Caper, and Bat Lash.

John Severin is well known for his stint at EC Comics working on Two-Fisted Tales and of course as one of the five artists who began Mad. When EC folded John worked for years at Atlas/Marvel and was well regarded as an inker for Dick Ayers in Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos and Herb Trimpe on The Incredible Hulk. In the 1970s he worked with his sister Marie Severin on King Kull.

Many people know John Severin from his years of association with Cracked Magazine, where he did countless movie and TV parodies and tons of covers.

Edited by Joe Kubert.

Brave and the Bold #88

Brave and the Bold #88 (On Sale: December 23, 1969) has a cool Batman and Wildcat cover by Neal Adams.

We begin with Batman and Wildcat in "Count Ten ...and Die" by Bob Haney, Irv Novick and Mike Esposito. Much like the Vigilante in this month's Justice League of America, this too is a new Wildcat of Earth 1 and never before seen. Bruce Wayne visits a flophouse on skid row to find Ted Grant, the retired undefeated heavyweight champion, who has fallen on hard times since he left the world of heavyweight competition to open a gym for underprivileged children. Over time Ted lost the gym and is now just another bum existing on the seedier side of town.

Bruce offers to pay off all of Grant's debts if Ted will coach the American boxing team for the World Youth Games in Vienna, in which Bruce is coaching the fencing team. Ted declines, saying his best days are in the past and after Bruce leaves he pulls out his old Wildcat costume and thinks how he is even too old and slow to wear it anymore. But when he sees Bruce being hassled by two guys on the street, Ted leaps into action and takes the two out easily. He decides that maybe their is still life in his old bones after all and accepts Bruce's offer. After Ted leaves Bruce pays off the two "thugs" whom he hired to rough him up knowing it would spur Ted into action.

Weeks later in Vienna, the seemingly Russian coach (if is never said for sure), Koslov, taunts Grant in front of his team, saying he was too afraid of Koslov to ever fight him. Meanwhile, as Batman, Bruce is briefed by "Military Intelligence" in Vienna on a free-lance spy named Kurt Schimmerling who was supposed to sell some information on the date the "other side" is planning on launching an armed space station. Schimmerling never delivered the information and it is now assumed that the "other side" has offered him more to sell it back to them. Batman's job is to get the information from Schimmerling before he sells it back.

Back in the athlete's village Ted breaks up a fight between the American boxing team and the team from the "other side." Koslov is there to say that the Americans started the fight and are bad sportsmen. Signs of "Americans Go Home!" and "Americans Don't Play Fair" spring up around the village and later Koslov eggs Ted on and challenges him to a fight, which Ted backs away from. His kids see it all and are afraid of becoming a laughing stock and Bruce tells him that he has now become part of the cold war and needs to fight Koslov and win. Grant is unsure what to do and walks off to think it over.

Bruce needs the time to change back into Batman and pick up Schimmerling's trail. He finds him and begins following him through the streets of Vienna. Meanwhile Ted has borrowed a bike from the cycling team and is tooling through the streets in his old Wildcat uniform when he sees Batman chasing Schimmerling into the sewers. Schimmerling loses Batman there but Wildcat picks up the trail only to lose him as well when he is suckered over a waterfall.

Back as Ted Grant spots him entering an amusement park and when Ted takes a ride on the giant Ferris wheel, Batman joins him in the car. Batman tells Ted that he must fight Koslov and says that Ted has not lost his old gifts at all and to prove it takes Ted on in a massive fight in the car. In the end only Ted emerges, Batman flat on the floor and thinking that though he pulled some punches, that Ted was quite a scrapper in his time.

The ploy works and Ted begins to train for the fight with Koslov. Batman meanwhile sets a timer on the arena lights to turn them off in the seventh round, figuring that if Ted is losing he will "take his place using a plasti-face-mask from my disguise kit." Batman then gets back on the trail of Schimmerling finding a ticket to the Koslov/Grant fight in his room, but before he can act on this information he is captured by agents from the "other side."

Later the big fight takes place and Ted goes out strong against Koslov, but by the fourth round Ted is tired out and Koslov is coming on strong. Later when Koslov gets Ted in tight he tells him that they have Batman and that if he wants to see him alive he needs to lose the fight. Just then the lights go out and Ted knocks Koslov out, carries him out to a nicely placed cycle with sidecar and gets the now awake Koslov to tell him that they are keeping Batman on a river barge.

Ted drives off a bridge onto the barge and rescues Batman and they somehow manager to get back to the arena before the lights go back on. Batman spots Schimmerling as Koslov knocks Ted to the mat. As Batman follows Schimmerling out of the arena and Ted is being counted out, Batman throws a batarang into the ring to land in front of Ted on which Batman has written "has-been!" This is enough to inspire Ted to his feet where he knocks out Koslov. Meantime Batman is able to intercept the transfer of information between Schimmerling and the folks from the "other side"

The American boxing team does well in the games and Ted begins to think that maybe Wildcat isn't completely washed up either. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: The Brave and the Bold Batman Team-Ups Vol. 2 TPB.

The back-ups are both filler stories written by Murray Boltinoff and drawn by George Tuska: "Death Turns the Dial" and "Killed with Kindness."

Edited by Murray Boltinoff.