Comic Books From July 1975

Welcome to another edition of my semi-regular feature where I look back at comic books I bought 50 years ago.

What comic books was a young Dave-El reading back in July of 1975?

Let's start with 1st Issue Special#7 featuring The Creeper by Michael Fleisher, Steve Dikto and Mike Royer.

The Creeper was created by Steve Dikton in 1968. By day he was straight laced newsman Jack Ryder. By night he was an uninhibited maniac with super strength and endurance called The Creeper. Maniac he may be but he was a force for good.

Based on his appearance, most people assumed he was a super villain.   

Writer Michael Fleisher (The Spectre, Jonah Hex) pits the Creeper against the Firefly (OK, there are TWO F's on his shirt so the Fire Fly?) whose belt provides various light based powers to do... stuff 'n' junk.

Dikto pencilled the story and was inked by long time Jack Kirby inker Mike Royer.  

First Issue Special was a try out title (like Showcase) where each issue was potentially someone's first Issue.  This issue did not spin out the Creeper into a solo series but he was on a bit of a roll for activity in the DC universe.  

He had appeared the month before in Joker#3 and would get an all new team up tale with Wildcat in Super Team Family#2, both written by Denny O'Neil. The Creeper would get a short back up serial by Martin Pasko starting in Adventures Comics#445 before Creeper creator Steve Dikto would get a shot at writing and drawing an ongoing series starting in World's Finest Comics#249.

He would also make guest starring appearances in Teen Titans and Secret Society of Super Villains.

Detective Comics#452 kicks off a 2 patter by David V. Reed, Ernie Chan and Mike Royer (him again) as Batman battles the Crime Exhange which applies to principles of Wall Street to crime or something.  

Reed was an interesting choice to be writing Batman in the 1970's. Reed used to write for Batman in the 1950's under editor Jack Schiff during Batman's sci-fi phase. Bringing him back to write for a post Denny O'Neil/Frank Robbins darker, edgier Batman seemed like an odd choice. 

Reed wrote Batman as a Gotham City cop who wore a Batman suit.  

I have fond memories of the Hawkman back up, a mere 6 page adventure written by E.Nelson Bridwell and illustrated by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, "The Curse of the Ancient Weapons".  In a mere half dozen pages, Bridwell introduces a problem (the ancient weapons Hawkman uses do not work like their supposed to) allowing a master illusionist to rob with impunity. Hawkman overcomes obstacles to arrive at a solution to stop the thief. What modern writers take several issues to resolve, Bridwell delivers in a tight, entertaining 6 pages.

The Bridwell/Lopez team would produce a Hawkman 2 part back up for issues #454 and #455.  

Next up is Justice League of America #123 which pairs up the Justice League and the Justice Socity deal with...

Cary Bates, the arch field who's been terrorizing the Earth.

I'm not going into the detail about this issue here as I've written about it already here.   

Also Alan Stewart who has an entire blog dedicated to comic books from 50 years ago wrote about this issue recently. 

Superman#292 leads off with "The Luthor Nobody Knows", written by Elliot S! Maggin with art by Curt Swan and Bob Oksner.  The story introduces the iconic green and purple costume for Lex Luthor and revisits Lex's origins of his campaign of hate against the Man of Steel and Superman's frustration at Lex's adamant refusal to let go of his hate.  

The back up is a Private Life of Clark Kent installment written by Marty Pasko who would go on become the main writer of the Superman title.  

Tom Brevoort posted about this issue here.   

Superboy #212 features 2 stories written by Jim Shooter and drawn by Mike Grell.  "Last Fight for a Legionnaire" spotlights some super powered Legion rejects who think they can change the Legion's collective mind by fighting them. The story also features the exit of Matter Eater Lad who has been drafted to serve in his home planet's Congress.  

And Night Girl is the focus in "A Death Stroke for Dawn".  Night Girl is a member of the Legion of Substitute Heroes (a group of Legion rejects who took their rejection more graciously than the one's in the lead story).  I wrote about Night Girl back in 2016. She has the super powers of Superboy. 

But only in the dark.

Her kryptonite is a light bulb.  

World's Finest Comics #233 features "World Without Men" by Bob Haney, Dick Dillin and John Calnan starring not quite Superman and Batman. 

This was another installment of the Super Sons.   I wrote about the odd concept of the Super Sons back in 2018.   

Rounding out my purchases for July 1975 was Super-Team Family #1.  

What compelled DC to launch this series with an reprint issue, I have no idea.  But the collection is a fairly strong one.

• A Superman/Batman team up drawn by Neal Adams.
• A Teen Titans adventures illustrated by Gil Kane and Wally Wood.
• And a super villain team up as Capt. Cold and Heat Wave double team the Flash in a classic by the iconic 1960's team of Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella.  

And that was what a young Dave-El was shelling out his quarters for in July 1975.