Halloween Zero! The Super Heroes of Rutland VT

Hi there! Well, the Halloween Countdown of  Weird Shit has come to an end with nothing left to count down to.

Today is Halloween! Everybody Wang Chung tonight!

But in the spirit of Halloween, today’s post will look a strange intersection of the real world with a world beyond.

But what is this “world beyond”? Is it a spirit realm where the souls of the departed go to dwell? Is it a hellish netherworld dimension inhabited by demons and ghouls?

No! The breach into our real world comes from another world, much like our own but different in that in this other world, super heroes are real.

I’m So Glad My Suffering Amuses You welcomes you to Rutland VT.

The Halloween Parade in Rutland VT has for many years been a spectacle to behold with outrageous floats and hundreds of partiers in all sorts of costumes. Parade organizer Tom Fagan was a big comic book fan so the costumes and displays tended towards super heroes. 

Among the attendees each year were writers and artists in the comic book industry.  It was Comic Con before there was a Comic Con. 

Then in 1970, the Rutland VT Halloween Parade found itself in the pages of a comic book, specifically Avengers #83 by Roy Thomas, John Buscema and Tom Palmer.  And if you don’t believe it, Roy and Jeanie Thomas were there in Rutland to document this event.  

In 1971, the Rutland VT Halloween Parade crossed the dimensional barriers from the Marvel Universe to the DC Universe, appearing in Batman #237 by Neal Adams, Denny O’Neil, Dick Giordano, Bernie Wrightson and Harlan Ellison. And if you don’t believe it really happened, Neal, Denny, Dick, Bernie and Harlan were there and relayed the tale. 

With this breakdown in the dimensional barriers between our world, the world of Marvel Comics and the world of DC, it was perhaps inevitable what would happen next. 

One Halloween, writers Gerry Conway and Len Wein along with his girlfriend (and future wife) Glynis piled into the ramshackled jalopy owned by writer Steve Englehart to go to Rutland VT get down, party and have a good time! Along the way, the gang encounters the blue furred uncanny X-Man known as the Beast.

Steve Englehart transcribe events which was published in Marvel’s Amazing Adventures #16.  Tom Fagan greets our visiting comic book writers. It’s gonna be a good time!

But the party in Rutland takes a bit of a turn when X-Men foe Juggernault attacks. Repelled by the Beast, Juggernault attempts to flee by stealing a car but damn, Englehart’s car is a piece of junk. 

Juggernault is not the only problem to hit Rutland that Halloween night as the mystic menace known as Felix Faust has struck. Glynis dressed as Supergirl gets real super powers.  Thankfully, the mightiest heroes of the DC Universe have arrived to save the day as the Justice League defeats the schemes of Felix Faust. The JLA says “Hi” to Tom Fagan because they’re tight like that.

Facing defeat, Felix seeks to escape by stealing a car. Hey, Englehart’s car actually starts this time.

Look, Len Wein wouldn’t have written all this for Justice League of America#103 if it wasn’t true, right?  But everything isn’t all copacetic; Glynis is missing!

Then Thor shows up because Loki shows up because Loki loves  a party and the Rutland VT Halloween Parade is one hell of a party. As Gerry Conways testifies in Thor#207, Thor stops Loki ruining everyone’s good time in Rutland for which Tom Fagan is very grateful.

Meanwhile, Steve Englehart’s car which Felix Faust stole in Justice League of America#103 zooms by and goes over a cliff because Englehart’s car is a piece of shit and the brakes went out. But the guys find Glynis who has lost the powers she got in JLA#103  and she doesn’t quite remember what happened but hey, she’s having a great time, yeah. 

And thus ends the first DC - Marvel crossover.  

The super heroes of their respective comic book universes would continue to visit Rutland. Notice in the panel above with Roy Thomas's editors note reciting prior appearances of Rutland in the comics and whoops, did he almost mention DC's Justice League?


Tom Fagan dressed as Batman for the Rutland VT parade. For his appearances in Marvel books, he's drawn dressed as Nighthawk who is a sort of Batman expy in the Marvel universe. 

For his DC appearances, Tom Fagan was garbed as the Caped Crusader himself and got to meet Batman!

Tom Fagan is sadly no longer with us, passing away in 2008. But the Rutland VT Halloween Parade remains as a legacy to the man's spirit of joy and fun. A legacy that inspired some really cool comic book stories.