Billing itself as “the World’s Greatest Blogazine,” DIAL B FOR BLOG ran for several years, each week offering a new “issue” of generally meticulously researched comics history, reviews, photoshop covers and trivia. Although the pseudonymous Robby Reed closed it down some months back now, the archives remain thankfully online and are well-worth digging through to liven up any dull or rainy day. Here are a few I’d start with.

One of the best and most important pieces ever run at DIAL B was this one on “The Haunting of Bob Kane,” an expose as to just how little BATMAN’s credited creator Kane had to do with BATMAN. Ghosts, swipes and photo evidence abound.

http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/391/

A nice companion piece to that one is “The Secret Origins of the Batman,” a multi-part series that blows the lid off the legends and presents for the first time the real story (or as real as we’ll probably ever know it) of where the Darkknight Detective came from.

http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/389/?

This entry presented some little seen Jack Kirby rarities including late-in-life- versions of ACG’ sixties superheroes MAGICMAN and NEMESIS.

http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/95/

SWING WITH SCOOTER was a DC humor title of the sixties. That should be about all there is to that story but Robby found an amzing back story and it starts here:

http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/328/

Perennial pulp and comics hero the SHADOW is given Robby’s heavily illustrated “Secret Origins” treatment here:

http://www.dialbforblog.com/archives/112/

A while back (Tuesday, November 27, 2025 to be exact) I shared with all you Itchies a few songs which probably weren’t about Little Lulu, and another one which was. Today I give you the exact opposite – A song that’s definitely NOT about Little Lulu yet seems to be referenced in the comics!

The song “Bang Bang Lulu” has been around for decades. It’s a popular number in the double entendre genre. Just when you think they’re going to say something dirty, they say “bang bang” instead. Several iterations of the song have been recorded in different styles with a wide variety of verses. There’s even a reggae version! One of my favorites is by Doug Clark and The Hot Nuts.

The other day I was enjoying the latest volume of the excellent series of Little Lulu reprints from Dark Horse when I stumbled upon this panel…

Coincidence? Or did John Stanley know the song “Bang Bang Lulu” and decide to include this double entendre panel as an inside joke? We may never know…

To hear this lulu of a song, click the link below:

Doug Clark & the Hot Nuts - Bang Bang Lulu

See You Next Tuesday for more comical music (or musical comics).

The first cool thing I found this morning was THE MAGIC WHISTLE’s excerpted reprint from BOBMAN AND TEDDY, the 1966 “adult comic book” that followed the better-known GREAT SOCIETY comic in parodying Johnson-era US politics. A triumph for the much-maligned illustrator, Tony Tallarico, whose caricatures are spot-on throughout. Script is from DJ Arneson who went on to write children’s books.

http://themagicwhistle.blogspot.com/2009/09/bobman-and-teddy.html

THE SUPERMAN SUPERSITE is a flashy lomgtime Internet presence that strives to be your one stop for all things devoted to the Man of Steel. Comics, radio, TV and movies are represented here along with such attractions as the annual Metropolis, Illinois Superman Celebration.

http://www.supermansupersite.com/

CLASSIC COMIC ART is a site selling off original Leonard Starr newspaper strips from the folks who do the ON STAGE reprints. For those who like to study original art up close and personal, though, this is a treat. Lots of lovely ANNIE and MARY PERKINS ON STAGE strips that can be viewed at a very large size. Enjoy!

http://classiccomicart.com/

Speaking of large-size newspaper strips, how about some color Sunday LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND strips from 104 years ago!? That’s what TEN CENT DREAMS-more and more one of my favorite sites-offers us today.

http://tencentdreams.blogspot.com/2009/09/sunday-funnies-little-nemo-oct-dec-05.html

In the New York Times Book Review today! Steven Heller says, among other nice things, ”I’m ecstatic to learn from Craig Yoe’s Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman’s Co-Creator Joe Shuster that after trying unsuccessfully to regain the Superman copyright, Shuster went on to produce erotic cartoons. The drawing is impeccable, it’s kinky and funny at the same time.”

Yesterday’s “Talk Like a Pirate Day” spawned an inspired reprinting of Joe Kubert’s SON OF SINBAD at TEN CENT DREAMS. With its still modern looking art by this still modern master of the medium, this one-off title has become a bit of a legend in and of itself.

http://tencentdreams.blogspot.com/2009/09/son-of-sinbad-its-sept-19th.html

Lash Lightning and Lightning Girl turn up at PAPPY’s today in a well drawn reprint by one Nina Albright, one of the rare female artists of the Golden Age of Comics. It’s a fun 1945 story from FOUR FAVORITES.

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2009/09/number-596-lash-lightning-lightning.html

COLE’S COMICS uses a 1944 DEATH PATROL story to obsessively analyze the various stock scenes and styles that Jack Cole utilized throughout his career whether it be in humor comics, crime comics and/or superhero comics.

http://colescomics.blogspot.com/2009/09/cole-isms-1-death-patrol-military.html

Most comics fans are still male and most male comics fans still tend to stay away from romance comics. SEQUENTIAL CRUSH is a site that demonstrates that romance comics can be good! In fact, in the sixties and seventies, Marvel and DC featured some of their best fan favorite artists in their romance comics. Scan through this celebration of those years and you might be surprised.

http://www.sequentialcrush.blogspot.com/

Today in comics and cartoon history, writer/producer Jay Ward was born in 1920. Ward was responsible for the creation of, amongst others, CRUSADER RABBIT, BULLWINKLE AND ROCKY, BORIS AND NATASHA, DUDLEY DO-RIGHT, QUISP AND QUAKE, CAP’N CRUNCH, SUPER CHICKEN and GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE. A famously eccentric man, he died in 1989 beloved by millions of baby boomers.

Brian Cronin’s up to his usual tricks this weekend at COMICS SHOULD BE GOOD with the 225th installment of COMIC BOOK LEGENDS REVEALED. The current installment sheds light on some historical points regarding Walt Kelly, Vince Colletta and the classic story of EC’s PANIC being “banned in Boston.”

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/09/17/comic-book-legends-revealed-225/

THE STEVE DITKO COMIC WEBLOG runs a draft of a new attempt at cataloging all of the appearances of that legendarily reclusive creator’s very personal spokescharacter, Mr. A. Look closely if you’re a Ditko fan because they’re asking for our help to round out and finalize the list.

http://ditko.blogspot.com/2009/09/mr-bibliography.html

One of the earliest comic books I gravitated to was DC’s LEGION OF SUPER HEROES.Over the years, the continuity of that series and its various reboots and connections to the larger DCU got so complex that one practically had to have a gudebook to keep up. Here, in a most colorful and impressive form, is that guidebook. It’ll be even more impressive when it’s finished. If you were ever a fan at any period, this site’s for you.

http://www.studiosanning.shawbiz.ca/legion_of_super-heroes/index.htm

Gerry Conway, Ernie Colon and Martin Pasko were among the creative folks involved with the little-seen 1979-1983 STAR TREK newspaper strip. MEMORY ALPHA analyzes the strip in an obsessively detailed, link-heavy manner that I only wish all comic strips could get.

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Star_Trek_Comic_Strip_(US)

Roy G. Krenkel was always on the fringes of comics but not really someone that might be called a comic book artist. That said, the influence of his glorious linework has strongly impacted comic book art as we know it. Krenkel was an acknowledged influence on the fifties EC sci-fi artists including Frazetta and Al Williamson (who often used him to ghost backgrounds) and, in turn, those two influenced everything from Conan to STAR WARS. GOLDEN AGE COMIC BOOK STORIES highlights a huge collection of Krenkel’s pulp and sci-fi digest illos as well as his one and only solo credited EC story.

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2009/09/roy-krenkel-1918-1983-between-1951-1978.html

THE GRAND COMIC BOOK DATABASE (GCD) should be a one-stop for basic comic book info. They have cover reproductions of nearly every comic book ever made no matter how obscure and often add story info and creator credits (even if the original printing didn’t have any!). Pick your favorite titles and you can spend hours just admiring the covers of every issue. If you’re actually doing research, start here.

http://www.comics.org/

The always enjoyable STANLEY STORIES celebrates its 100th post with an interesting but perhaps more in-depth than merited analysis of a reprinted 1943 TOM & JERRY story from OUR GANG COMICS.

http://stanleystories.blogspot.com/2009/09/our-100th-post-sarcastic-mice-one.html

Finally, over at my place, we’re up to part five of THE SWORD OF SHANNARA, Gray Morrow’s little-known late seventies newspaper strip adaptation of Terry Brooks’ popular rewrite of THE LORD OF THE RINGS (that would spawn a gazillion sequels). That’s at BOOKSTEVE’S LIBRARY.

http://booksteveslibrary.blogspot.com/2009/09/sword-of-shannara-by-gray-morrow-part-5.html

More than halfway through this short month already and the weather turns to fall. One still needs a daily dose of comics history, however, so let’s get to a few links.

I had never heard of LITTLE ARCHIE MYSTERY until today when HAIRY GREEN EYEBALL II posted issue 1 (of only 2) from 1963. Bob Bolling, the main writer/artist for the regular LITTLE ARCHIE series writes and draws “The Egyptian Goddess Mystery.”

http://hairygreeneyeball2.blogspot.com/2009/09/little-archie-mystery.html

Often in comics of the 1940′s, ’50′s and ’60′s. comic books would feature non-story pages featuring their characters. Today, Sam Henderson MAGIC WHISTLE serves up a series of judo lesson pages drawn by the great Lee Elias and featuring Harvey’s BLACK CAT.

http://themagicwhistle.blogspot.com/2009/09/judo-lessons-ii.html

Thanks to Lisa Mynx for pointing out the GAY LEAGUE site, a fascinating site where various LGBT writers and bloggers write and blog about comics of all sorts. There’s also a very interesting timeline of gay comics and creators at the link below.

http://www.gayleague.com/wordpress/lgbt-comics-timeline/

GENE RUBIN AUDIO shares an ultra-rare, one-of-a-kind FANTASIA book given as a memento to a departing Disney employee in 1946. Lots of large size original and sometimes surprisingly off-color signed pieces featuring Donald, Mickey,Goofy and more! The book is set to be auctioned off at a future date.

http://www.generubinaudio.com/id21.html

Continuing the numbering from where Craig left off a year and a half ago, YOUR DAILY DOSE OF COMICS HISTORYis now MAKIN’ LINKS, complete with the somewhat controversial (Clizia doesn’t like it) Eugene Zimmerman drawing from 1910.

Back in the early seventies, Mike Barrier was the first person-in his fanzine FUNNYWORLD-I ever knew to take comic art and animation so seriously. He’s still doing it today at his enjoyable and educational site, MICHAELBARRIER.COM. Current posts include lots of Disney minutuae and an investigation into two lost Dr. Seuss cartoons.

http://www.michaelbarrier.com/index.html

Boris Vallejo was a lousy comic book artist in his one outing back in the sixties but he became an amazing fantasy painter. He may have been over-commercialized to the point where some no longer took him seriously as a fantasy artist but that never made sense to me. Just take a look at his lush paintings over at Joe Bloke’s GRANTBRIDGE STREET and you can see that Boris deserves to be up there with the best!

If you’re a fan of comics, Superman needs no introduction. And if you’re a fan of introductions, you probably know Superman’s by heart! “Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive…” It’s as familiar as your own name. (Especially if your name is Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter.)

Personally, I know this intro from constant repetition, watching The Adventures of Superman on TV as a kid. But that famous introduction started on the Superman radio show and appeared in a modified form at the beginning of Max Fleischer’s cartoons for Paramount.

I’m presenting it here for two reasons: the wonderfully cheesy organ version of the theme music (arranged for orchestra by Sammy Timberg on the cartoons), and the subtle but interesting difference in the spoken intro. Way back when, Superman stood for truth and justice. That’s it! Apparently, it wasn’t until the Cold War era that “…and the American way” was added in order to show that Superman wasn’t a Commie! How far we’ve come.

With a little luck the music will play when you click the link below…

Superman Radio Intro

Next Tuesday, tune in for more musical treasures from comics history.