Let’s start today with the very first issue of DC’s narcissistically self-published fanzine, The Amazing World of DC Comics from 1974, complete with Kirby, Kubert and lots more neat stuff for fanboys.

http://waffyjon.blogspot.com/2011/02/fandom-library-amazing-world-of-dc.html

With his EC-style art, Howard Nostrand was a mainstay of the fifties horror and humor comics. Ever wondered what happened to him? Here he is in the late seventies doing Mad-style work for Cracked!

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2011/02/sunday-funnies-familys-feud-by-howard.html

Over at Pappy’s we find Boody Rogers, Craig’s old buddy, with part one of the great first issue of the odd superhero, Sparky Watts, in which our hero goes after Hitler personally.

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2011/02/number-899-sparky-watts-1-dot-dash.html

Finally today, here’s the classic DC Deadman team of writer Arnold Drake and artist Neal Adams on a late 1967 story from…The Adventures of Bob Hope?

http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/2011/02/would-you-believe.html

Yes, I know I’ve already posted about Radar the International Policeman but this is Radar The World Cop. Clearly at some point in his short run Fawcett began to think that maybe one of the reasons why the character failed to catch fire was the name. Along with having kind of a long title, ‘International Policeman’ was quite a mouthful for kids in the 40′s and ‘World Cop’ might be catchier.

It didn’t work which is a shame since as you can see for yourself in the two stories I’ve posted below it was a handsome feature. And in spite of claims to the contrary it had action at least equal to most of the Fawcett comic features running at the time.

Here’s the Archie/Radio Comics version of The Shadow from the early sixties in the beginnings of his typical superhero phase with art by Paul Reinman and I believe a script from Robert Bernstein.

http://mailittoteamup.blogspot.com/2011/02/shadow-archie-comics-1964.html

Here’s some black and white tales for grown-ups from the Toth-inspired team of Jordi Bernet and Sanchez Abuli as published in the 1991 collection, Dark Tales.

http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/2011/02/love-story-real-dish.html

Here’s Pogo and Albert and the Okefenokee Glee and Perloo Art Players in a 1945 Noah’s Ark parody that originally appeared appropriately enough in an issue of Animal Comics.

http://greatestape.blogspot.com/2011/02/albert-and-noah-count-ark-by-walt-kelly.html

Finally today, here’s Dr. Ben Casey, popular TV physician whose early to mid-sixties newspaper exploits were creatively drawn by the young and relatively unpublished artist, Neal Adams.

http://allthingsger.blogspot.com/2011/02/calling-dr.html

The first time I ever saw the art of Atlas mainstay Joe Maneely was when Marvel reprinted his highly detailed Black Knight stories a decade after their original 1950′s publication. Here’s a couple of them now.

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2011/02/number-897-maneelys-black-knight-in.html

Over at Silver Age Comics, we find this revealing piece on early comics fandom-particularly the relationship between National editor Julie Schwartz and influential fans Jerry Bails and Roy Thomas.

http://sacomics.blogspot.com/2011/02/here-come-fanboys.html

Here’s part one of an opinionated history of Neal Adams’ Continuity Comics of the 1980′s-hardly his best moment but an odd peak of what Gone and Forgotten labels as his “complicated” legacy.

http://gone-and-forgotten.blogspot.com/2011/02/continuity-comics-part-one.html

Finally, both Jack Kirby and Wally Wood worked on DC’s Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter but the story seen here is from Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss.

http://diversionsofthegroovykind.blogspot.com/2011/02/grooves-faves-dragon-fights-alone-by.html

Joanne Siegel, the widow of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel, died last weekend at 93 years of age. She was Joe Shuster’s original model for Lois Lane, and she was a lovely, gracious and charming woman.

An early Joe Shuster drawing of Lois Lane, based on Joanne Siegel

I had the privilege of spending time with her twice, the first time at the 1985 San Diego Comic-Con, when I shared a lunch with her and Jerry, who was a guest of honor. They were both marvelous people-clearly devoted to each other, and funny yet humble. (And if anyone ever had the right to be angry all the time, it was Jerry Siegel.) The second time I saw Joanne was at the opening of an exhibit of Golden Age comic art curated by Jerry Robinson in Atlanta a few years ago. The additional years had not dimmed her loveliness.

Jerry Robinson and Joanne Siegel at an exhibit of Golden Age comic art in Atlanta.

She never got all she deserved materially in life, but she was adored by everyone who met her and will always be remembered as the woman behind the Man of Steel. I took the following picture of her at the same comic art exhibit…I’m so glad I asked her to pose for it!

Joanne looking at her husband's brainchild.

This week in our ongoing Theatrical Cartoons series, a few examples of ads for plays based on popular comic strip series. Above, a flyer for Bringing Up Father in Gay New York, based on the newspaper strip by George McManus. Below, two more Bringing Up Father ads, this time in the form of ink blotters.

The below flyer for a musical comedy version of The Captain and the Kids (i.e., Katzenjammer Kids) by Rudolph Dirks, is fascinating mainly for its photos of the costumed theatrical company.

Click on the below pictures, to open larger versions.

Doug Wheeler

TheatricalCartoons AdvertisingStrips

Here’s a link to a longish, very perceptive and profusely illustrated essay on iconoclastic comics legend Steve Ditko’s more recent small scale and very personal philosophical works.

http://comicscomicsmag.com/2011/02/the-avenging-page-in-excelsis-ditko.html

Brainless Tales has apparently been going on for more than 1300 installments with Far Side style puns and a nifty little format that you can find here. Check out their “back issues.”

http://www.brainlesstales.com/

Reset your Hairy Green Eyeball 2 bookmarks to Hairy Green Eyeball 3 and while you’re at it, check out the entire first issue of Warren’s Creepy from the early sixties!

http://hairygreeneyeball3.blogspot.com/2011/02/welcome-to-hairy-green-eyeball-3-creepy.html

Rip Jagger takes a look at various printings and reprintings-some retouched and some not retouched-of Jim Steranko’s classic cover for the very first Hulk Annual.

http://ripjaggerdojo.blogspot.com/2011/02/incredible-steranko.html

What’s that you say? “We want more Popeye.!” “We need more Popeye!” “We DEMAND more Popeye!” Okay, okay, keep your shirts on. You don’t have to get so agitated. I’ve got plenty of Popeye for you. How about this punked-up version of the salty sailorman’s theme song, as recorded by face to face?

By the way, you can order the new book of Popeye comics by Bud Sagendorf simply by clicking here (and paying for it, of course).

Click the link below to listen.

I’m Popeye the Sailor Man - face to face

In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we present my absolute favorite Gray Parker comic. Parker was an upper-class NYC dandy, whose cartoons populated the (New York) Daily Graphic and, later, Life magazine. His comics were nearly always set amongst the aristocratic rich, often marching in step with them, but — when he was at his funniest — taking aim at them/himself.

The below comic tale, titled The Reconstructed Female, appeared on the front page of the October 27, 2025 issue of the Daily Graphic. Enjoy!

Enlarge the below picture by clicking on it, so you can read the prose — You won’t know what you’re missing if you don’t!

Doug Wheeler

NYDailyGraphic ValentinesDay

We start today with Waffyjon going “By the Tens” with the original, Golden Age Daredevil which gets us a number of really fun Charles Biro covers featuring the Little Wise Guys.

http://waffyjon.blogspot.com/2011/02/by-10s-daredevil-comics.html

On a similar note, Bully offers Ten of a Kind-in this case ten covers from Dell, Gold Key and Gemstone highlighting Donald Duck’s relationship with water.

http://bullyscomics.blogspot.com/2011/02/ten-of-kind-donald-duck-vs-water.html

As a Valentine’s Day treat,over at Comicrazys they’re presenting a rare Dave Sim color tale of Young Cerebus the Aardvark and his first love that originally appeared in Marvel’s Epic Magazine in 1985.

http://comicrazys.com/2011/02/14/cerebus-the-ardvark-the-girl-next-door-dave-sim/

Finally today, Cloud 109 presents a nice selection of post-war two-color UK comic books including Blackhawk and the Spirit among others.

http://cloud-109.blogspot.com/2011/02/two-color-trash-post-war-thrills-on.html