Reading Room: CAPTAIN MARVEL "The Bat"

In the 1960s, including a "bat man" in your comic was a guarantee of high sales...

...even if he was a villain!

You'll note that the cover for the never-reprinted Captain Marvel #3 (1966) has a slightly different color scheme for The Bat's costume that mimicked Batman's design even more closely...

DC Comics' (then National Periodical Publications) lawyers noticed it too, and quickly filed suit for copyright and trademark infringement!
When The Bat reappeared in the very next issue two months later, he was both re-named "The Ray", and recolored!

Note: DC had acquired the rights to Quality Comics' Golden Age characters in the 1950s, including The Ray, but had not utilized most of them either in new stories or reprints as they had with Plastic Man and Blackhawk, so they couldn't go after MF Publications for trademark infringement.
(As it turned out, they also let the copyrights lapse, so almost all the Quality Comics heroes are now  Public Domain!)
Written and inked by Carl Hubbell, penciled by Leon Francho.
Though the story mentions an earlier encounter between The Bat..er, The Ray...and Captain Marvel, it's never been shown either in flashback or as a standalone tale!
We'll be presenting more of the FIRST Silver Age Captain Marvel's never-reprinted adventures, so bookmark us!

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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "Night of the Ripper" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Hero...

Art by Ross Andru and Harry Rosenbaum

Brick Reese, stopping by his secretary's apartment to pick up some paperwork, encounters a beast-man who shreds the woman's neck with his claws.

As Hell-Rider, Brick tries to stop him, but the creature is too strong for the biker super-hero.

The next day, Brick meets with old friend Jack Samuels and his brother, mens' club owner and amateur scientist Selwyn Samuels., who offers condolences for the secretary, who had worked for him before joining Reese's firm.

Selwyn offers Brick a lucrative commission to submit to tests of the experimental drug Reese was injected with in VietNam (and gave him super-strength and regenerative abilities), hoping to enhance it's potency to help mankind.

During the testing period, the Ripper creature strikes again, killing three more women, all of whom work for Selwyn at his club!

Brick wonders if there's a connection between the Ripper and Selwyn Samuels...a connection involving the experimental drug...

Oops!

This never-reprinted tale from Skywald's Hell-Rider #2 (1971) was scripted by Gary Friedrich, penciled by Ross Andru, inked by Mike Esposito, and grey-toned by Bill Everett.
Unlike the first issue, where the characters were linked in one crossover plotline, this issue's tales were standalone stories.
#2 had another Hell-Rider story as well as tales featuring The Wild Ones and The ButterFly.
We already presented the second ButterFly short HERE and HERE, and we'll be running the remaining shorts on this blog over the next month.

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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "Night of the Ripper" Part 1

Let's jump right into the action with the NOW SuperHero of the 1970s...

...and we do mean that literally!

Is Helen doomed?

Will Hell-Rider arrive in time?

And, even if he does, can he stop the Ripper?

Be here tomorrow for the action-packed finale!

This never-reprinted tale from Skywald's Hell-Rider #2 (1971) was scripted by Gary Friedrich, penciled by Ross Andru, inked by Mike Esposito, and grey-toned by Bill Everett.

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Reading Room: HELL-RIDER "Prologue"

Let's return to the 1970s, for more adventures of the Cycling SuperHero...

...with a convenient recap of his adventure in the first issue!

Now that you've caught up, be here tomorrow, and we'll tell you the sensationally-sordid story of the

Night of the Ripper!

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Reading Room: BLUE BEETLE "His First Case" Conclusion

When Last We Left Our Hero...

Despite a rough upbringing in the slums, including the death of his mother during an epidemic, Dan Garret becomes a scholarship student at State University, not only making Honor Roll, but becoming a letterman at several sports as well.

During his senior year, he receives word that his policeman father has been shot and badly-wounded...

This tale from Fox's Blue Beetle #1 (1939) was written and laid-out by Will Eisner (yes, that Will Eisner) and illustrated by Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski, who later used the name "Charles Nicholas" for his comic work until he retired.
You'll note there's no explanation of how or when Dan developed the Blue Beetle identity or costume.
And, following this tale in the first issue of his own book, are reprints of Blue Beetle's first few appearances from Mystery Men Comics, including his premiere, which featured him in a radically-different costume!

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