Mighty Comic # 59

Mighty Comic #59, June 1967
Cover artists: Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson


Justice League: Threat of the True-or-False Sorcerer!
Gardner Fox/Mike Sekowsky/Sid Greene
(Justice League of America #49, November 1966)

Lois Lane: The Mystery of Skull Island!
Kurt Schaffenberger
(Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane #16, April 1960)

The Ghost Rider: The Green Men from Horro!
Dick Ayers
(Tim Holt #31, August-September 1952)

Secret of the Three Earth Dooms
Lee Elias
(Strange Adventures #195, December 1966)

Wonder Woman: Strange Power of the Magic Lasso!
Robert Kanigher/Ross Andru/Mike Esposito
(Wonder Woman #167, January 1967)

Elevator to Nowhere!
Howard Purcell
(Tales of the Unexpected #98, December-January 1967)

Superboy: Clark Kent - - Orphan!
John Sikela
(Adventure Comics #147, December 1949)

More Curt Swan spotting...

I’ve spotted another early DC non-Superman Curt Swan reprint:

The Hex on my House!
House of Mystery #20, November 1953
Mighty Comic #46, April 1965

Unfortunately my copy is coverless, and it is too fragile to risk flattening in order to scan a page, but you can check out the details of this issue on the AusReprints site.

Giant Superman Album # 3

Like most of the 20-odd issues following Giant Superman Album #1, Giant Superman Album #3 is a facsimile of a US Superman Annual/80 Page Giant. Of course, many of the issues differed slightly from their US counterparts, typically adding a feature to accommodate the difference in page counts and lack of advertisements in the Australian editions, but in this instance, the contents are based wholly on Superman Annual #4.

I’ve listed the contents below, but rather than duplicate the information from the GCD for Superman Annual #4 I’ve just noted the previous or subsequent Australian reprints of each feature. I doubt it’s complete, it simply reflects the data I have to date. Also note some of the dates for the pamphlet issues may be a few months out either way as they are based on data for the UK editions.

Giant Superman Album #3, 1963

Superman: A Doghouse for Superman!
Australian reprint: Superman #85, January 1955

Legion of Super-Heroes: Key to the Legion of Super-Heroes
(0.5 page text filler, refers to The Origin and Powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes! below)

Superman: Superboy Meets Superman

Superman: The Alien Who Conquered Superman!
(Originally titled The Man Who Conquered Superman)

Superman: The Bride of Futureman
Australian reprint: Superman #133, August 1958; World's Finest Comic Monthly #7, November 1965; Colossal Comic 53, May 1970

Superman: The Outlaws of Krypton!

Jimmy Olsen: The Boy Who Killed Superman
Australian reprint: Giant Jimmy Olsen Album #7, c. September 1972

Legion of Super-Heroes: The Origin and Powers of the Legion of Super-Heroes!

Superman: Rip Van Superman
Australian reprint: Superman #113, October 1956; Superman Supacomic 113, January 1969

Superman: The Menace of Planet Z!

Five-Score Comic Monthly # 2

Five-Score Comic Monthly #2, July 1958
Cover artists: Curt Swan/Stan Kaye

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: The Birdboy of Metropolis
Otto Binder/Curt Swan/Ray Burnley
(Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #26, February 1958)

I Was A Human Guinea Pig
Bernard Baily
(House of Mystery #62, May 1957)

Mystery of the Unknown Invention!
Otto Binder/Sid Greene/Joe Giella
(Strange Adventures #89, February 1958)

Who Am I?
Bernard Baily
(Tales of the Unexpected 11, March 1957)

Amazing Gift From Space!
Otto Binder/Carmine Infantino/Bernard Sachs
(Strange Adventures 90, March 1958)

Mr. District Attorney: The Vanishing Thief
Sheldon Moldoff/Ray Burnley
(Mr. District Attorney #62, March-April 1958)

The Phantom of the Flames!
Joe Maneely/Joe Sinnott
(House of Mystery #71, February 1958)

21st Century Hercules!
Otto Binder/Sid Greene/Joe Giella
(Mystery In Space #37, April-May 1957)

The Menace of the Mole Men!
Jim McArdle
(House of Mystery #71, February 1958)

The Town That Went Underwater!
Ramona Fradon
(Adventure Comics #246, March 1958)

Mystery of Meteor Crater
Otto Binder/Sid Greene/Joe Giella
(Strange Adventures #90, March 1958)

The Witches Candles!
John Prentice
(House of Secrets #2, January-February 1957)

The 100,000 Year-Old Weapon!
Gardner Fox/Sid Greene/John Giunta
(Strange Adventures #90, March 1958)

Puppets of Doom!
Howard Purcell
(House of Mystery #69, December 1957)

Big Town: Secret Beyond the Footlights!
John Broome/Manny Stallman/John Giunta
(Big Town #50, March-April 1958)

Plus a couple of 1-page fillers: Private Pete and Jerry the Jitterbug

I began writing a short spiel about this issue but got side-tracked double-checking some of the details, and then I accidently deleted what I had written, so I began again and got sidetracked again, and couldn't get back into the zone, and then I just short-circuited and conceded the jinx was on, and I should just let it be for moment.

Maybe it’s because whenever I see this issue I think about how I came to own it, which is a great little story that I won't share here because it involves some deliciously deadly sins (no, nothing as banal as theft...) which, rather than leading to confession, in my case tends to lead to hubris. Which, as I understand it, does not officially lead to eternal hell and damnation, but does evidently lead to all sorts of little jinxes. Even a stray pox or two.

So. No spiel for now. But I will come back to this issue later when I review more issues of Five-Score. The exorcised ones.

Oh, and if you really must know what I'm referring too, I've been known to give in to the promise of a beer...

Amazing Adventure: Rebound Gold Key comics

This is another volume of rebound US comics similar to Fantastic Adventure and Daring Adventure. Whereas those two volumes carried rebound Dell comics, this issue contains the following coverless K.K. Publications/Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Gold Key) comics:

Magnus, Robot Fighter 11, August 1965 

Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery 12, December 1965 

The Twilight Zone 9, November 1964 

The contents range over a 13-month period to the end of 1965, but the decimal currency suggests it was published in 1966 rather than late 1965.

Horror Encounters # 1

Horror Encounters #1

The Tree
Manuel Gamez/Mauvais
(The Illustrated, Editorial Vilmar, Barcelona)

Monster Mill
(Haunted Thrills #6, 1952, Ajax Farrell)

The Reign of Terror
Ralph Alfonso/Carlos Pino

Masquerade

The End of the Line!

The Village of the Dead

One of the Family
Don Glut/Carlos Pino

The End

Hitchike
Ralph Alfonso/Carlos Pino

I don’t recall indexing this issue. The details may have been sent to me by someone somewhere along the line, or I may have made quick notes myself before parting with a copy of this issue. I’m not sure. It’s mainly sketchy title and credits information, and that’s pretty much what you get from the magazine itself.

It’s a bit like when you’re browsing in a record shop and you pick up an album, and you check out the cover, and you’re thinking should I buy it or not, and you turn to the back cover to check out it further, to see whether any of the details will tip you over the edge to buy it. So this might have been one I played once and then traded. But like many albums in the past, I bet next time I see a copy, I’ll buy it once again and think How on earth did I not appreciate this the first time around?!.

Crypt of Creatures # 5

Crypt of Creatures #5

A Skeleton in the Closet
Strange Fantasy #7, August 1953, Ajax Farrell
Terror Tales Vol. 3 #2, March 1971

The Corpse (previously titled The Corpse That Wouldn’t Hide - TBC)
Web of Evil #5, 1953, Quality
Weird Vampire Tales Vol. 4 #3, 1980

The Empty Coffin

Druid's Castle
Fantastic Fears #3, September 1953
Tales of Voodoo Vol. 1 #11, 1968

Forever Dead
Horror Tales Vol. 3 #1, January 1971,

Hands of Terror
Haunted Thrills #5, 1953, Ajax
Weird Vol. 2 #6, 1967

Weird Safari
Horror Tales Vol. 6 #5, October 1974

The Mummies
Weird Vol. 5 #4, August 1971

It’s quite a challenge identifying the contents of these Gredown horror comics. I'm building up a few more references, and I’ve managed to identify a couple above via the web. And note there’s a large TBC next to The Corpse – if it’s not in fact retitled, then the original source quoted is incorrect too.

I also note that similarly to other Gredowns (such as Monsters from Hell #1) it appears almost all the contents are sourced from various Eerie Publications issues.

So, it's still baby steps, but it no longer feels like crawling.

Weird Mystery Tales # 37

Weird Mystery Tales #37, c.1978
Cover artist: Luis Dominguez

Experiment in Fear
Jack Oleck/E.R. Cruz
(House of Mystery #230, April 1975)

The Eavesdropper
Gil Kane/Ralph Reese
(Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #13, October-November 1973)

Swamp Thing
Len Wein/Bernie Wrightson
(House of Secrets #92, June-July 1971)

The Wondrous Witch's Cauldron
Lee Elias
(House of Secrets #58, January-February 1963)

Double Edge
Steve Skeates/Alex Toth
(The Witching Hour #12, December 1970-January 1971)

The Avenging Grave
Robert Kanigher/Tony deZuniga
(Weird War Tales #8, November 1972)

The Secret of the Fossil Egg
Mort Meskin
(House of Secrets #27, December 1959)

Drive-In Death
Paul Levitz/Quico Redondo
(Weird Mystery Tales #15, December 1974-January 1975)

Come Share My Coffin
Jack Oleck/Jess M. Jodloman
(Weird Mystery Tales #13, August-September 1974)

From the cover this appears to be an average DC-centric mystery issue from towards the end of the run, but it does have some unexpected contents, such as the Swamp Thing reprint and the Toth cameo. Top it off with a bit of Meskin, and a couple of instalments from Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion and Weird War Tales, and suddenly it’s not all that shabby a comic.

Doctor Strange # 4: Just for the sheer nostalgic heck of it!

Doctor Strange #4, 1975, Newton Comics
Cover artist: Frank Brunner
...Where Bound'ries...DecaySteve Englehart/Frank Brunner/Crusty Bunkers/Dick Giordano
(Doctor Strange #4, October 1974)

A Woman Possessed!Gary Friedrich/Tom Sutton/Syd Shores
(Ghost Rider #1, September 1973)

Note: This is the third issue in the series, incorrectly numbered #4. The following 'real #4' issue was numbered 4A.

I mentioned yesterday that I’m not a completist when it comes to the pamphlet format K.G. Murray reprints from the 1950’s.

I feel similarly towards the Newtons. However, the difference with the Newtons is that I do feel a strong nostalgic pull towards them. I think I must have bought just about every Newton comic in the first year they were out, and read them cover to cover, over and over – including the iron-on transfers! I may have read Spider-Man comics before the Newtons, but it was via the Newtons that I first read the earliest Ditko issues.

These days I don’t have many Newtons around the place. I’m not sure why not. Maybe because I have the material that most interests me in Masterworks editions or Essentials volumes or other reprints. But if I come across a nice copy of an issue which I had as a young kid, say any of the first dozen Spider-Man or Planet of the Apes or Avengers or Fantastic Four issues, well, it’s an easy sell.

And so it is with this issue of Doctor Strange. I didn’t go looking for it, but when it fell in my lap like a stray begging for a home, I resolved to take care of it and make it mine. And the Brunner art in black and white is still very nice to look at. I think I have the proper colour issue somewhere in the junkyard, but sometimes that’s really not the point at all.

And I do have a hankering to replace my old Planet of the Apes issues. What a strange series that was – at least from memory. I haven’t read it since the 1970’s, and although I guess I could find it reprinted somewhere, I’m not really interested in doing so. I think I just want to pick up or put together a run, and read them in exactly the same format as I did when I was in the fifth grade. Just for the sheer nostalgic heck of it.

Super Adventure Comic # 94

I’m not a completist when it comes to the pre-1956 K.G. Murray series of DC reprints, or the ‘pamphlet issues’ as I think of them. I do appreciate them, but unlike the 100-page anthologies, I do not salivate like Pavlov’s mutt at the sight of them. Maybe it’s because many of their contents are reprinted in later issues, especially in Colossal Comic. And it’s true I’m not fond of the quality of the 1950’s colour editions. And apart from all that, they do have a tendency to appear ‘slight’ next to the likes of Century and Superman Supacomic. Or maybe I’m just not old enough for them to have any direct nostalgic (ie: criticproof) appeal.

Having said all that, I do seek out specific issues, for example the odd Batman issue with a particular Dick Sprang or Lew Schwartz reprint, or an issue with an especially appealing reprint of a US cover which would otherwise be out of my reach.

Or pretty much any with an Australian cover, especially by Hart Amos, such as this one which is adapted from Action Comics #118, March 1948. And if it’s in as almost perfect condition as this copy, well… Resistance is Futile.


Super Adventure Comic #94, March 1958
Cover artist: Hart Amos

Superman: The Man Who Could Read Superman's Mind!
Wayne Boring/Stan Kaye
(Superman #103, February 1956)

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: The Puppet Batman
Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
(Batman #106, March 1957)

Superboy The Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy: The Super-Clown of Smallville!
Jerry Coleman/Creig Flessel
(Superboy #62, January 1958)

And a couple of one-page fillers: Little Pete, Jerry the Jitterbug

Super-Villains Album: A Batman Album by any other name...

The conjurors (ahem – editors!) at K.G. Murray had their thinking caps on for this one.

The cover image is sourced from the rear cover of Detective Comics #484, June-July 1979, and voila! A new one-shot Batman title is born!

This is from the period of related one-shots and short runs rather than long-established titles, so putting together issues based on a theme involved some finessing of available material, hence the stories from the DC team-up titles along with a Detective Comics cameo.

It’s safe to say this would have been a (Giant) Batman Album had that title not expired a few years earlier. Or maybe even a Bumper Batcomic.

Super-Villains Album, 1984
Cover artist: Jim Aparo

Batman and Ras Al Ghul: The Crystal Armageddon!
Denny O'Neil/Jim Aparo
(The Brave and the Bold #159, February 1980)
Note: The cover of Brave and the Bold #159 is used to begin the story, adding a page in the process.

Superman and Batman: Showdown At Gotham City!
Denny O'Neil/Rich Buckler/Dick Giordano
(World's Finest Comics #261, February-March 1980)

Batman: The 6 Days of the Scarecrow
Gerry Conway/Don Newton/Dan Adkins
(Detective Comics #503, June 1981)

Batman and The Riddler: The Death of Batman
Don Krarr/Carmine Infantino/Mike De Carlo
(The Brave and the Bold #183, February 1982)

Batman and The Joker: Only Angels Have Wings
Dan Mishkin/Gary Cohn/Jim Aparo
(The Brave and the Bold #191, October 1982)

The Alex Toth Reprint Stocktake Part 4

For those keeping score on The Alex Toth Reprint Stocktake…

Johnny Thunder: Johnny Thunder's Last Roundup!
Robert Kanigher/Alex Toth/Sy Barry
(All-American Western #125, April 1952)

This is the 36th reprint spotted in the K.G. Murray titles, and I’ll update the list when I get to a round 40 or 50 reprints.

Daring Adventure #5: More rebound Dell comics

Here’s another of collection of rebound Dell comics similar to Fantastic Adventure:

Daring Adventure #5, c.1967

This particular copy contains the following rebound comics:

Combat #21, September 1966

The Outer Limits #6, April-June 1965

The Rat Patrol #2, April 1967

Kona #20, December 1966

The Night of the Grizzly (NN), October 1966

Superheroes #1, January 1967

Werewolf #1, December 1966

Dracula #4, March 1967

Weird Tales of the Macabre # 4

Weird Tales of the Macabre #4

Morgan's Ghost
Hector Castellon
Possibly from an issue of Witches Tales, Eerie Publishing

The Rack

Voodoo Terror
Appears to be from Weird Vol. 5 #1, February 1971, Eerie Publishing

I, The Coffin
Appears to be from Weird Vol. 4 #5, October 1970, Eerie Publishing

Dead Man's Train

Dimension-Horror!

Night of Terror

Bad Blood!

The Bloody Stream!
Appears to be from Weird Vol. 5 #2, April 1971, Eerie Publishing

Dearest Deadest Dummy
Haunted Thrills #6, 1953
Appears to be from Weird Vol. 2 #6, 1967 and/or Horror Tales, March 1970. Eerie Publishing

The Skeleton


As I’ve noted above, many of the reprints in this issue appear to have been sourced from magazines published by Eerie Publishing. I assume that’s where the grey shading comes from too. I also understand there may have been other modifications to the reprints in the Eerie Publishing mags and others of a similar ilk - I've heard it said that pre-Code material was made bloodier to satisfy the appetites of 1970's readers! TBC.

There’s some great horror yarns in this issue. (Well, they’re ‘great’ if you’re into this stuff – cheap thrills, excessive gory violence, dismemberment, blood spurts and split heads… silly guilty pleasures! Pre-Code Gold! What’s not to like…?!)

For example...

"Voodoo Terror" has a fair lashing of zombies and an axe-wielding madman cutting off the limbs of a voodoo doll, which naturally results in “...an unrecognizable heap of mutilated flesh and crushed bones lying in a massive pool of blood…”. Poetry.

"Dearest Deadest Dummy" is a weird story about an ugly fella and his love for a mannequin which comes to life, satisfies his dreams, and ends up with him turning into a dummy himself to escape prosecution for murder. Seriously.

"The Skeleton" has a gruesome trick ending – a recluse confesses his sins: the murder of his siamese twin who is, of course, still attached after all these years! Sweet! This story includes a couple of very detailed scenes of dismemberment - not for the faint-hearted, but cheap fun for the rest of us hairy-chested types.

And "I, The Coffin" is worth mentioning, not for the contrived gimmick in which a coffin speaks to the reader in the first person, but for the splash panel which shows an open coffin with a body, with the face whited out, and the message Is This You? written on it. Creepy!

I note that all the issues I’ve seen for this series have similar covers, that is, a photorealistic image of some deformed face/head. It suggests a theme of sorts for the series. A small observation such as reveals itself the more I look into these magazines.

And now I just need to wash my hands...

Weird Mystery Tales # 12

Weird Mystery Tales #12, c.1973
Cover artist: Nick Cardy

An Incident of Violence
Murray Boltinoff/Lee Elias
(The Unexpected #136, June 1972)

Ghost Ship
Jack Oleck/Jack Sparling
(House of Mystery #197, December 1971)

Laugh? I Thought I'd Die!
Carl Wessler/Ruben Yandoc
(The Unexpected #144, February 1973)

The Phantom on Wheels!
John Prentice
(House of Mystery #202, May 1972)

How To Get Rid Of A Corpse!
Carl Wessler/Jerry Grandenetti
(The Unexpected #139, September 1972)

For Money... For Love!
Steve Skeates/Alfredo Alcala

(House of Mystery #209, December 1972)

Weird Mystery Tales # 5

Weird Mystery Tales #5, c. 1973
Cover artist: Nick Cardy

The Deadly Widow's Web!
George Tuska
(The Unexpected #129, November 1971)

I Wish I May, I Wish I Might
Len Wein/Dick Dillin/Frank Giacoia
(House of Mystery #197, December 1971)

Seek Your Own Grave!
George Kashdan/Jerry Grandenetti
(The Unexpected #126, August 1971)

Two Lives to Live!
Jack Oleck/Mike Sekowsky/Nick Cardy
(House of Mystery #198, January 1972)

An Old Chinese Custom
Bill Dennehy/Fred Carrillo
(The Unexpected #138, August 1972)

Phony Face!
E. Nelson Bridwell/Gerry Talaoc
(House of Mystery #205, August 1972)

These Walls Shall Be Your Grave
Jack Phillips/Jerry Grandenetti
(The Unexpected 124, April-May 1971)

All Star Adventure Comic # 76

All Star Adventure Comic #76, August 1972
Cover artist: Joe Kubert

Hollywood in Space
John Broome/Mort Drucker/Sy Barry
(Mystery In Space #14, June-July 1953)

Vigilante: The Cop Killer!
Marv Wolfman/Steve Skeates/Gray Morrow
(Adventure Comics #417, March 1972)

Superman: Uncle Sam's Prize Prisoner!
Bob Haney/Curt Swan/George Roussos
(Superman #226, May 1970)

Super-Athlete from Earth!
Gardner Fox/Gil Kane/Bernard Sachs
(Strange Adventures #125, February 1961)

Elongated Man: A Tasteless Trick!
Steve Skeates/Dick Giordano
(The Flash #210, November 1971)

Century Comic # 8

Century The 100 Page Comic Monthly #8, February 1957
Cover artist: Hart Amos

The Green Arrow: The Three Impossible Targets!
George Papp
(Adventure Comics #212, May 1955)

Impossible - But True; Roy Raymond: The Human Super Weapon!
Dan Barry
(Detective Comics #161, July 1950)

Detective Chimp: The Case of the Runaway Ostrich!
John Broome/Carmine Infantino/Sy Barry
(The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #13, January-February 1954)

Buzzy: (untitled) - (begins "Hi, Binks! Why, Man! You look low!")
(Original unidentified, 6 pages)

Superman: Captain Kent the Terrible!
Wayne Boring/Stan Kaye
(Superman #89, May 1954)

The Man Who Laughed at Locks
Ruben Moreira
(Tales of the Unexpected #5, September 1956)

Congo Bill: The Man Who Wanted to Die a Hero!
Ed Smalle
(Action Comics #190, March 1954)

Peter Porkchops: Defective Detective!
(Original unidentified, 6 pages)

Hopalong Cassidy: The Amazing Safe-Cracker of Twin Rivers!
France Herron/Gene Colan/Ray Burnley
(Action Comics #105 February 1947)

Rex The Wonder Dog: Rex - - Airline Detective!
John Broome/Gil Kane/Bernard Sachs
(The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #28, July-August 1956)

Superboy The Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy: Clark Kent's Coach
Otto Binder/John Sikela
(Superboy #43, September 1955)

Manhunters Around The World: Under Cover Police!
John Prentice
(World's Finest Comics #60, September-October 1952)

Johnny Quick: Johnny Quick's New Assistant!
Jack Miller/Ralph Mayo
(Adventure Comics #169, October 1951)

Plus the following fillers: Little Pete, Peg, Skooter, Giants of the Animal Kingdom!, Satellite Statistics!, Shorty and Professor Eureka

Colossal Comic Annual # 4

Colossal Comic Annual #4, 1958
Cover artist: Hart Amos

Superman: The Richest Man in the World!
William Woolfolk/Wayne Boring/Stan Kaye
(Superman #55, November-December 1948)

Superboy: Superboy's Man of Steel!
John Sikela
(Superboy #9, July-August 1950)

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: The Nine Worlds of Batman!
France Herron/Dick Sprang/Charles Paris
(Detective Comics #208, June 1954)

Hopalong Cassidy: The Silver Badge of Courage!
Gene Colan/Ray Burnley
(Hopalong Cassidy #93, September 1954)

Superman: The Modern Nostradamus!
Al Plastino
(Action Comics #125, October 1948)

Superboy: Superboy Hunts for a Job
Alvin Schwartz/John Sikela
(Adventure Comics #152, May 1950)

Batman and Robin: Batman Falls in Love!
Bill Finger/Sheldon Moldoff/Stan Kaye
(Batman #87, October 1954)

Hopalong Cassidy: The Sky-Riding Outlaws
Gene Colan/Joe Giella
(Hopalong Cassidy #92, August 1954)

Superman: The Man of Steel's Super Manhunt!
William Woolfolk/Al Plastino
(Superman #59, July-August 1949)

Superboy: The Man Who Knew Superboy's Secret Identity!
William Woolfolk/John Sikela/Ed Dobrotka
(Superboy #7, March-April 1950)

Batman and Robin: Batman's Greatest Thrills!
William Woolfolk/Sheldon Moldoff/Stan Kaye
(Batman #87, October 1954)

Aquaman: The Boy Who Went to Sea!
Joe Samachson/John Daly
(Adventure Comics #150, March 1950)

Superman: The Hunter's Club!
Win Mortimer
(Superman #50, January-February 1948)

Superboy: The Treasure of Tondimo!
William Woolfolk/George Roussos
(Adventure Comics #137, February 1949)

Plus a Casey the Cop filler

Giant Batman Album # 12

Giant Batman Album #12, July 1967

Batman, Junior
Edmond Hamilton/Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
(Detective Comics #231, May 1956)

Robin Falls in Love
Bill Finger/Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
(Batman #107, April 1957)

Robin's New Boss
Bill Finger/Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
(Batman #137, February 1961)

Robin, the Super Boy Wonder!
Bill Finger/Jim Mooney
(Batman #150, September 1962)

The Boy Wonder Confesses!
David Vern Reed/Sheldon Moldoff/Stan Kaye
(Batman #81, February-March 1954)

Batman's Bewitched Nightmare
Gardner Fox/Sheldon Moldoff/Joe Giella
(Detective Comics #336, February 1965)

Robin Dies at Dawn
Bill Finger/Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
(Batman #156, June 1963)


The cover and contents are reprinted from Batman #185 aka Batman Giant #12 aka 80 Page Giant #G27, October 1966, except for “Batman's Bewitched Nightmare” which appears to be reprinted from Detective Comics #336 February 1965, and is included in lieu of “The Secret of the Ant-Man” from Batman #185.

Doomsday Album # 12

Doomsday Album #12, c.1978

Haunts Upon A Time...
E. Nelson Bridwell/Jess M. Jodloman
(House of Mystery #257, March-April 1978)

Which Witch is Which?
David A. Kaler/Reg Pitt/Stanley Pitt
(The Witching Hour #14, April-May 1971)

Baker's Dozen!
Robert Kanigher/Fred Carrillo
(Weird Mystery Tales #20, July 1975)

The Accursed Clay!
Jack Miller/Jack Sparling/Frank Giacoia
(The Witching Hour #13, March 1971)

Double Cross!
Gil Kane
(The Witching Hour #12, December 1970 - January 1971)

To Wed The Devil
Joe Orlando/Len Wein/Tony DeZuniga
(Sinister House of Secret Love #2, December-January 1972)

Track of the Invisible Beast
Alex Toth
(House of Mystery #109, April 1961)

A Change of Bodies!
John Albano/Bill Draut
(Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #12, August-September 1973)

Duel of the Dead
Robert Kanigher/ Tony DeZuniga
(Weird War Tales #8, November 1972)

Must admit I was surprised to find a Stanley Pitt reprint in this DC-centric issue. I now expect to find Pitt’s “Cynthia's Tale... The Ever Constant Drum” from The Witching Hour #38 is also reprinted in a Doomsday Album, I’ll keep an eye out for it.

My Greatest Adventure # 33

My Greatest Adventure #33, December 1957
Cover artist: Mort Meskin

The Girl in the Iron Mask
Mort Meskin/George Roussos
(House of Mystery #66, May-June 1964)

I Had the Midas Touch of Gold
Leonard Starr
(My Greatest Adventure #14, March-April 1957)

The Legend of the Golden Lion
George Roussos
(House of Mystery #67, October 1957)


The junkyard’s still under general quarantine until this cold/flu thing passes, so access is limited to the slush pile. Hence this ditty in lieu of The Continuing Adventures of the K.G. Murray Batman Epics (sic).

Note that the three features in this issue are reprinted in Colossal Comic #35, and that it contains a full-page advertisement for Mammoth Annual NN/#1.

Bumper Batcomic # 3

Bumper Batcomic #3, January 1977
Cover artist: Jim Aparo

Batman and Kamandi The Last Boy on Earth!: This Earth Is Mine
Bob Haney/Jim Aparo
(The Brave and the Bold #120, July 1975)

Street Fighter
Joe Simon/Jerry Grandenetti/Creig Flessel
(Champion Sports #2, December 1973-January 1974)

Roy Raymond TV Detective: The Return of Ben Franklin!
Jack Miller/Ruben Moreira
(Detective Comics #213, November 1954)

Batman and Robin: The Dynamic Trio
Edmond Hamilton/Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
(Detective Comics #245, July 1957)

And a couple of gag fillers

Bumper Batcomic # 2

Bumper Batcomic #2, November 1976
Cover artist: Jim Aparo

Batman and The Spectre: Grasp of the Killer Cult
Bob Haney/Jim Aparo
(The Brave and the Bold #116, December 1974-January 1975)

The Spectre: The Many Lives of The Spectre
Bob Rozakis/Bernard Baily/Murphy Anderson/Nick Cardy
(The Brave and the Bold #116, December 1974-January 1975)

Jack The Giants Killer
Joe Simon/Joe Samachson/Joe Simon
(Champion Sports #3, February-March 1974)

The Adventures of Alfred: The Great Handcuff King!
Jerry Robinson
(Batman #28, April-May 1945)

Batman Presents The Villain of the Issue--The Cluemaster: The Clue-Master's Topsy-Turvy Crimes!
Gardner Fox/Carmine Infantino/Sid Greene
(Detective Comics #351, May 1966)

(image above courtesy ausreprints.com)

Bumper Batcomic # 1

I’ve recently discussed the changes in the Giant Batman Album series circa 1975/76, and listed the 7 issues which followed Tip Top Comic Monthly #127 as Batman #’s 128-134. There is more I’d like to say about the K.G. Murray Batman comics of this period, but before I go further it’s necessary to also throw another Batman series from this period into the mix. So, as part of the review I’ll present a few of the Bumper Batcomic issues over the next few days, which will allow me to cover this period with reference to specific issues (and also give me a bit of time to get over this flu/cold thing which is still clinging after a few days... bet you really needed that information...)

Bumper Batcomic #1, September 1976
Cover artist: Jim Aparo

Batman and Man-Bat: Bring Back Killer KragBob Haney/Jim Aparo
(The Brave and the Bold #119, June 1975)

The First HurdleJoe Simon/Joe Samachson/Creig Flessel
(Champion Sports #1, October-November 1973)

Batman and Green Lantern: The Tick-Tock Traps of the Time CommanderBob Haney/Ramona Fradon
The Brave and the Bold #59, April-May 1965

Batman # 128

Batman #128, January 1976
Cover artist: Ernie Chua

Batman: The Scarecrow's Trail of Fear!
Denny O'Neil/Ernie Chua
(Batman #262, April 1975)

The Human Target
Nick Cardy
(Gang Busters #61, December 1957-January 1958)

Teen Titans: The Dimensional Caper!
Bob Haney/Nick Cardy
(Teen Titans #16, July-August 1968)

Note the series numbering continues from Tip Top Comic Monthly #127, November 1975

Batman # 129

Batman #129, February 1976
Cover artist: Ernie Chua

Batman: Midnight Rustler of Gotham City!
Elliott S! Maggin/Ernie Chua/Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
Detective Comics #449, July 1975

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: The Great Batman Contest
Bill Finger/Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
Batman #100, June 1956

Blackhawks: The Menace from Inner Space
Dave Wood/Dick Dillin/Chuck Cuidera
Blackhawk #194, March 1964

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: 7 Wonder Crimes of Gotham City!
Gardner Fox/Sheldon Moldoff/Joe Giella
Detective Comics #368, October 1967

Plus the following fillers: (untitled - Bat Gadgets) 1 page; (untitled - Dr. Jones Plastic Surgeon) 0.33 pages; (untitled - Golfer and Monster) 0.33 pages

Batman # 130

Batman #130, March 1976
Cover artist: Dick Giordano

Batman: Riddler On the Move!
Denny O'Neil/Ernie Chua/Dick Giordano
Batman #263, May 1975

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: The Perfect Crime--Slightly Imperfect!
Gardner Fox/Sid Greene/Sheldon Moldoff
(Batman #181, June 1966)

Robin the Teen Wonder: The Parking Lot Bandit!
Bob Rozakis/Al Milgrom/Terry Austin
(Detective Comics #450, August 1975)

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: Two Batmen Too Many!
Bill Finger/Sheldon Moldoff/Joe Giella
(Batman #177, December 1965)

Plus a Casey the Cop 0.33 page filler

(image above courtesy ausreprints.com)

The Yellow Claw Reprint Forensics Report

I was loitering in the forensics unit of the junkyard checking out some Yellow Claw reprints from All Star Adventure Comic #3 and Climax Adventure Comic #12 (in order to send a scan to Blake Bell) when I noticed something quite peculiar. I reasonably expected to confirm the reprint in question from Climax Adventure Comic #12 was sourced from Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu #3, until I noticed the dates –Master of Kung Fu #3 was published in 1975, almost two years after Climax #12!

On closer inspection it is evident that even if by some strange twist of the space-time continuum (or more mundanely, a slip by some agent or editor) the Master of Kung-Fu version was indeed the source for Climax #12, the freshly-inserted ‘retconned’ “S.H.I.E.L.D” at the end of the caption has been erased (refer to scan here), and “agent” rewritten by an Australian staffer.

So what’s going on? Is it just a wild coincidence? How did Climax manage to anticipate a forthcoming reprint from Marvel and beat them to the punch? Maybe the Marvel reprint was scheduled two years earlier, supplied to K.G. Murray as part of the standard arrangement, and in the interim experienced an unexpected delay? This is at least a plausible scenario, unlikely as it sounds.

Given I was already in forensics mode I decided to compare the Climax reprint to the earlier one in All Star Adventure Comic #3, and what I found surprised me even more - the Climax version appears to be sourced directly from the All Star print!

Allowing for minor imperfections in the older print from 1959, such as the break in the line of the speech balloon and subtle signs of ink bleed, the two sets of panels are, for all intents, identical.

Naturally there’s a difference in the pagination, and this provides the evidence that the latter print is based on the earlier print. The page number on the All Star #3 reprint ("31") is in a wavy flag shape which also makes a wave on the bottom of the panel. The same wavy line is evident on the panel border beneath the Climax page number circle (“41”). This suggests the page number circle has been superimposed over the previous flag shape box.

And yes, this also means that the Climax art has been tampered with to finish off the linework on the jacket sleeve around the page number circle.

Well, that’s how it all appears to me on the information I have to hand. I don’t have an original Yellow Claw issue nor the Master of Kung Fu issue to compare with the Australian reprints, so it’s quite possible either would shed a different light on the above. Could the odd wavy flag-shaped page number box be on the original page? For all I know there is another reprint circa 1973 of the same material which could be relevant. Maybe many other possibilities.

And I’m conscious of the fact that even if the All Star #3 source answers the How question, it still doesn’t answer the Why question, apart from Wild Coincidence.

PS Please excuse the crude layout. So I still haven't worked out to how organise multiple images on this thing. It gums up the works, so I avoid it if possible. Patience, grasshopper, patience.

Batman # 131

Batman #131, April 1976
Cover artists: Ernie Chua/Dick Giordano


Batman: Death of a Daredevil
Denny O'Neil/Ernie Chua/Dick Giordano
(Batman #264, June 1975)

Robin the Teen Wonder: The Parking Lot Bandit Strikes Again!
Bob Rozakis/Al Milgrom/Terry Austin
(Detective Comics #451, September 1975)

Batman Presents... Commissioner Gordon: Commissioner Gordon's Death-Threat!
Gardner Fox/Sheldon Moldoff/Joe Giella
(Batman #186, November 1966)

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: The Block-Buster Invasion of Gotham City!
Gardner Fox/Carmine Infantino/Joe Giella
(Detective Comics #345, November 1965)