Russkie-Smashers DATE WITH DANGER "Spies Walk Alone!"

Not All Russkie-Smashers Wear Costumes...

...because sometimes...to battle spies, you need a spy...like this guy!

Remember, this was the era before we had elegant secret agents in dinner jackets, carrying various kool gimmicks!
(But he still got to make out with the "bad girl"! Some things never change!)
It was a time of down n' dirty action and survival meant using your wits and whatever was at hand!
Illustrated by Ross Andru and inked by Mike Esposito, this never-reprinted story from Standard's Date with Danger #5 (1952) featured a character the publisher might have wanted to do an ongoing strip about, but since the book ended with the next issue, he never returned!

Holiday Heroes MARVEL TEAM-UP "Spider-Man and The Watcher in 'Small Miracles' " Conclusion

We Have Already Seen... 

...attending Aunt May's Christmas party, Peter Parker discovers one of her friends, Arthur Chekov, in despair because his granddaughter, Bette didn't show up, and he's worried about her since he's her only surviving relative.

Peter attempts to console him when the webslinger's Spider-Sense goes off!

Excusing himself from the party, Peter goes to the darkened backyard to find...The Watcher...who says nothing, but hands him a glowing gem showing an image...of Chekov's grandaughter, Bette!

Taking this as a portent, Peter, now in costume, attempts to track down Bette, but can't!

Ol' Web-Head doen;t know how to proceed, when none other than the Star-Spangled Avenger himself, returing home via the rooftoops, finds him and offers to help...

Written by JM DeMatteis, penciled by Kerry Gamill, and inked by Mike Esposito, this never-reprinted Yuletide tale from Marvel Team-Up #127 (1983) offers a bit of insight into why the enigmatic Watcher doesn't just observe, but violates his race's version of the non-interference Prime Directive time and again, sometimes during Earth-shaking events, sometimes in matters affecting those who others might consider "unimportant".

Holiday Heroes MARVEL TEAM-UP "Spider-Man and The Watcher in 'Small Miracles' " Part 1

It's Christmas Eve in the MCU...

and a never-reprinted Yuletide tale from four decades ago is about to unfold!

Pay attention, True Believer...

Will Spider-Man rescue Bette in time?

Will the Star-Spangled Avenger pop up again?

Will The Watcher just stand around and watch?

The answers to these and other annoying questions will be found

TOMORROW!

(Because unless you read this story when it came out, or picked it up as a back issue, you don't know what happens!)

Countdown to Halloween 2023 PROLOGUE: "Alliance Most Foul!" & "To the Death!"

When Last We Left the Norse God of Deception and Trickery...

Wow!

This scene from Marvel's Avengers #115 (1973) gives new meaning to "cliffhanger", doesn't it?

Amazing how cosmic-level villains have a moral code!

This short story lead into one of the earliest "Big Events" in comics history, crossing-over between The Avengers and The Defenders comics through the summer of 1973 (My Lord, that was a half-century ago, and I read it when it was brand-new!) as the two teams were manipulated into battling each other for possession of the parts of The Evil Eye!

In the conclusion, the baddies were revealed as they assembled the parts, and the groups joined forces against them...

...but even their combined might proved insufficient as they fell against the power of the deadly duo who began reshaping the multiverse with the reassembled Evil Eye...involving everyone from Spider-Man to Dracula to Nick Fury to Thanos as reality collapsed!

At the battle itself, only one remained standing, and in a classic final, desperate, gambit...

As the two teams pick up the pieces, The Watcher, who was standing around watching (and, surprisingly for once, not interfering), explains...

And that leads into this month's Rutland Parade entry involving Marvel characters, which you'll see...

TOMORROW!
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CoronaVirus Comics ACTION COMICS "Substitute Superman!"

We Have Already Seen...

...the Man of Steel, now cured of the Kryptonian disease Virus X, returns to Earth to find, instead of a world in mourning for it's greatest hero, a planet where he's alive and well...but that Caped Kryptonian isn't him!

(BTW, the Neal Adams-illustrated cover is a cheat!

The other Superman isn't Kryptonian/Kandorian!)

The conclusion of this never-reprinted, multi-issue saga from DC's Action Comics #366 (1968) leaves several questions...

1) Do Kandorians (and Kryptonians) vote on everything...even emergencies?

This would explain why Krypton blew up!

They were busy taking a vote when it occurred!

(Good thing Jor-El and Lara probably used mail-in voting, eh?)

2) Why are the JLA members with masks still wearing them under their Superman masks?

(Especialy Batman and Flash, with those pointy earpieces!)

And why didn't J'Onn J'Onzz just metamorph into Superman's form?

3) Whatever happened to evil ventriloquist Ventor, whose plan to gain revenge on Superman started this whole storyline?

He's never arrested or punished!

The pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths multiverse ended in 1984 with him free as a bird!

And, yes, this story is in pre-Crisis continuity!

4) Was Luthor tried for murder (or at least, attempted murder, since everybody thought Superman was still alive)?

Writer Leo Dorfman, penciler Ross Andru and inker Mike Esposito made a valiant try, but it never really holds together...

Next Week:

Though this story arc is loosely-based on an earlier, much-reprinted Silver Age tale...

...which we're not re-presenting (though you can buy it below), that story was based on a never-reprinted Golden Age tale which, in pre-Crisis continuity, happened to the Earth-Two Superman!

You'll see that story

Next Monday!

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Volume 1

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