Halloween Horror THE SPECTRE "You Have Failed, Spectre!"

One of the least-known facts about DC's resident Angel of Vengeance...

...is that, for a while, he was reduced to being a CryptKeeper-style horror-host in his own book!

This status-changing story from DC's The Spectre #9 (1969) by writer Mick Friedrich, penciler Jerry Grandenetti, and inker Bill Draut has never been reprinted in color, so unless you have this over 50 year-old issue, you probably haven't seen it like this!

In the previous issue, God (yes, that guy!) removed the Ghostly Guardian's sight, forcing him to resolve a situation while blind, but restored it by the story's end!

The Spectre's comic lasted only one more issue, and the character's final Silver Age appearance a year later was in an annual Justice League/Justice Society team-up where he sacrificed himself  to keep Earth-One and Earth-Two from colliding!

He returned as the lead feature in Adventure Comics, in 1974, where the character was far more merciless and lethal than ever before!

But that's a story for another time...

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The Spectre

(which reprints this tale...but in black-and-white!)
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CoronaVirus Comics GREEN LANTERN "Disease!!"

During World War II, one of the most pressing homefront problems...

...was shortages of desperately-needed materials, including medical supplies!

Co-creators Bill Finger (writer) and Mart Nodell (illustrator) incorporate enough plot twists in this tale from DC's Green Lantern #1 (1941) to fill several stories by other creatives!

Unlike, say, the Green Hornet (who was considered a criminal by both the cops and the underworld) the Green Lantern was a hero...but one who didn't mind "bending" the law in a good cause!

One can only imagine what today's lawyers would do in response to his actions...

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CoronaVirus Comics SUPERMAN "The Last Days of Superman!"

Our recent blogathon featured a never-reprinted 1968 mini-series based on....

...the-often reprinted 1962 book-length tale shown above, which was based on the following never-reprinted post-Golden Age story from DC's Superman #66 (1950)!

BTW, in pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths canon, stories published before 1956 were considered to be tales of Earth-Two versions of Superman/Batman/Wonder Woman/etc!

You'd think a story this momentous would rate the cover, right?

Nope!

The cover's totally-unrelated to any story in the comic, although it was seasonally-appropriate since the issue came out late summer-early autumn, during baseball season!

Illustrated by Al Plastino and Stan Kaye, and scripted by...someone (we don't know who), this was a reworking of an Adventures of Superman radio show storyline, though we haven't tracked down which specific one it was.

Trivia: All three versions indicate they are "real" (Not a Dream! Not a Hoax! Not an Imaginary Story!) and were all part of "official" continuity for the Earth-One and Earth-Two Supermen!

Why do three variations on the same story?

DC's editors believed the comics audience changed every few years as kids supposedly-outgrew reading them, so a story could be reworked six-seven years after initial publication and appear "fresh and original" to the "new" fans!

Lord knows what they'd think of today's comics fans and collectors, some of whom are senior citizens!

And no, I'm not telling you how old I am...

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(including Superman #156 which was a full-length reworking of this never-reprinted tale!)

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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Superman: Greatest Stories Ever Told

Volume 1

(including Superman #156 which was the full-length predecessor to this never-reprinted tale!)