Welcome to another edition of Comic Book Retro 50, the monthly blog post that answers the question all of America wants to know: What comic books did Dave-El buy in June 1976?
More loose change in my pocket meant a wider mix of comics.
Still solely a loyal DC guy. It's gonna take a couple of years before I loop in some Marvels into my comic book buying habit.
First up this month is Karate Kid#4 with Mike Grell's inks redeeming the otherwise atrocious pencils of DC's go to cover artist Ernie Chan.
Ernie Chan was not a bad artist, per se. It's just DC kept shoehorning him into super hero comic book covers where his style was ill suited. 
In a development straight out of a Marvel comic, heroes battle heroes over a misunderstanding.
A rampaging man-monster called King Samson runs amuck and causes problems for everyone.
I picked up Secret Society of Super-Villains #3.
Some of the villains were not villians. For example, there's Manhunter who takes center stage in the above image. Turns out he's the clone of Paul Kirk who starred in the series created by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson for Detective Comics back in 1973.
The Top is dead but not not forgotten as the Flash and his enemies have a common goal to stop his last nefarious scheme.
Believe it or not, The Top will stay dead. But his death will resonate in future issues of the Flash and the creation of a new super threat.
Over in Dectective Comics#463, Gerry Conway, Ernie Chan & Frank McLaughlin pit Batman against a new super villain, the Black Spider.
Of perhaps slightly more significant note is the back up featuring the Atom by Bob Rozakis, Mike Grell & Terry Austin.
This slim 6 pager introduces the Calculator. His schtick was that once a super hero caught him, he could never be defeated by that super hero again.
We've seen a lot of this fluidity of Earh 2 villains getting all muckity on Earth 1. The Wizard from Earth 2 in the Secret Society, Solomon Grundy toddling over from Earth 2 to cause trouble for Superman a few months back.
After a couple of issues away, Curt Swan is back as penciller.
After being sidelined for two issues by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, I think Curt Swan upped his game for his return to Superman with some renewed dynamism.
WHABOOM! indeed!
Because it was the Bicentennial, of course Superman is present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The Fatal Five are on a bit of a crime wave for unknown and presumably nefarious purposes.
Except that's not a weapon, it's a baby rattle.
Gerry Conway pairs up with artists Dick Dillin and Frank McLaughlin to pit the JLA against the alien threat of Despero.
Love that we got some great use of Supergirl in this storyline.
This would be Gerry Conway's last turn as JLA writer until issue #151. What I didn't know at the time was that Conway had already ventured back to Marvel to take over writing Avengers and serve as Editor In Chief. For one month.
Look at the Kirby like gear and energy crackle from Keith Giffen and Wally Wood. Young Dave-El was really digging the art on this book.
The menace to all of humankind on Earth 2: This guy!
ZANADU!
Paul Levitz scripts over Gerry Conway's plot and will become synomynous with the Justice Society going forward.
The issue leads off with the first comic book appearance of Isis
From here, Isis would get her own comic book series.
Oh yeah, that blurb at the end of the last page?
Click here for my previous post on the Karate Kid series.
What "The Rage of Yesterdays Lost" was about, I cannot recall in the slightest.
I will say Google's AI Overview is a complete lie: "Karate Kid #4: The Rage of Yesterday's Lost" is a classic DC comic book published in October 1976. Written by Steve Skeates with art by Mike Grell".
This issue was by the regular creative team of Barry Jameson, Ric Estrada and Joe Staton and was published in June 1976.
How the hell did AI even begin to think Steve Skeates wrote this book?
Freedom Fighters #4 was my first issue I bought of this series.
"The Left Hand of Oblivion" was by Martin Pasko, Ramona Fradon & Vince Colletta. Wonder Woman is tasked with bringing in the Freedom Fighters who are perceived as enemies due to the machinations of the sinister Silver Ghost.
A rampaging man-monster called King Samson runs amuck and causes problems for everyone.
Wonder Woman is... dead? To be continued in issue #5.
Click here for my previous post about Freedom Fighters.
I had started reading comics after Jack Kirby's Fourth World titles (New Gods, Mister Miracle, etc) had ended so "War for Earthdeath" was my first exposure to Darkseid.
David Anthony Kraft, Pablo Marcos & Vince Colletta brings us this installment of how assembled super villians have been brought together to further the schemes of the God of Apolokips.
But those villains don't like being fucked around by Darkseid.
Some of the villains were not villians. For example, there's Manhunter who takes center stage in the above image. Turns out he's the clone of Paul Kirk who starred in the series created by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson for Detective Comics back in 1973.
There was a lot going on in this comic that appealed to young Dave-El at the time. Sadly, shifting creative teams would undermine whatever potential I saw in this series
Flash#244 by Cary Bates, Irv Novick & Frank McLaughlin gives us a full length denouement of the death of The Top storyline.
"The Last Day of June Is the Last Day of Central City" finds the Flash's rogues gallery in the unusual position of fighting against the Scarlet Speedster for a good cause.
Read the splash page below and let them explain it.
The Top is dead but not not forgotten as the Flash and his enemies have a common goal to stop his last nefarious scheme.
Believe it or not, The Top will stay dead. But his death will resonate in future issues of the Flash and the creation of a new super threat.
Batman#279 brings us writer David V. Reed's first foray in pitting Batman against one of his costumed foes and the return of Robin.
For Reed's time on Batman, he had focused on one and done crime mysteries pitting the Caped Crusader against non-costumed threats without the erstwhile Teen Wonder.
Drawn by Ernie Chan & Tex Blaisdell, it's "Riddler On a Rampage".
In an era where Denny O'Neil and Frank Robbins had given us a darker, edgier Batman, Reed's tale in this issue would've felt at home in an episode of the 1960's Batman TV show.
Over in Dectective Comics#463, Gerry Conway, Ernie Chan & Frank McLaughlin pit Batman against a new super villain, the Black Spider.
SPOILER: the Black Spider... is black!
The Black Spider was not a lasting addition to the Caped Crusader's rogues gallery. I think only Conway ever made use of him after this two parter.
Of perhaps slightly more significant note is the back up featuring the Atom by Bob Rozakis, Mike Grell & Terry Austin.
This slim 6 pager introduces the Calculator. His schtick was that once a super hero caught him, he could never be defeated by that super hero again.
In subsequent issues, Calculator would take on Black Canary, Elongated Man, Green Arrow and Hawkman before coming after the big man himself, Batman.
Mike Grell kicks off the storyline but it will be finished by a newcomer who will have a signficant impact on Batman, Marshall Rogers.
Batman Family#7 leads off with a brand new Batgirl/Robin team up by Elliot S! Maggin, Curt Swan & Vince Colletta againt the villainous duo from Earth 2, the Sportsmaster and the Huntress.
We've seen a lot of this fluidity of Earh 2 villains getting all muckity on Earth 1. The Wizard from Earth 2 in the Secret Society, Solomon Grundy toddling over from Earth 2 to cause trouble for Superman a few months back.
The two reprints that round out Batman Family#7 are from the not so well remembered 1950's with cartoonish art and outlandish menaces like "The Amazing Dr. Double X" from Detective Comics #261.
Gerry Conway is once more trying to add his own super villain creations to the DC Universe with Thunder & Lightning in Superman#303. He even brings back another weather based villain he had created for Action Comics, the (I kid you not!) Whirlycane!
After a couple of issues away, Curt Swan is back as penciller.
Conway has some fun with the Clark/Lois dynamic.
After being sidelined for two issues by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, I think Curt Swan upped his game for his return to Superman with some renewed dynamism.
WHABOOM! indeed!
Action Comics#463 finally frees us from the interminable Karb-Brak storyline Cary Bates was inflicting on us.
Because it was the Bicentennial, of course Superman is present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Superboy#219 brings us a full length adventure of the Legion Of Super Heroes, "The Plunder Ploy of the Fatal Five" by Jim Shooter and Mike Grell, now joined by inker Bob Wiacek.
As if the Legion wasn't big enough, this story brings in non-Legion member Duplicate Boy.
Duplicate Boy could duplicate the super powers of other super powered beings.
The Fatal Five are on a bit of a crime wave for unknown and presumably nefarious purposes.
Except that's not a weapon, it's a baby rattle.
Validus for all his power and size is fundementally a child.
Granted a child who once killed Legionaire Invisible Kid.
The culmination of the story reveals the Fatal Five's intent.
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The Fatal Five just wanted a nice place to live and chill out.
It's more super team action with Justice League of America #134.
I gotta say I admire what Ernie Chan is going for with this cover design. I just wish it was drawn better.
In addition to departing the Justice League, Gerry Conway was taking his leave of the Justice Society as well.
Which brings us to All-Star Comics #62
We're dealing with the fallout of Doctor Fate's near death from last issue.
Look at the Kirby like gear and energy crackle from Keith Giffen and Wally Wood. Young Dave-El was really digging the art on this book.
Oh dear sweet Great Krypton! After 50 years, I still get a thrill from this well crafted sequence with Clark Kent and Superman.
The menace to all of humankind on Earth 2: This guy!
Not to be confused with XANADU!
Paul Levitz scripts over Gerry Conway's plot and will become synomynous with the Justice Society going forward.
Looking forward about 10 years, Levitz and Giffen would re-team for an extraordinary run on Legion of Super Heroes and the epic "Great Darkness Saga".
The last book for today's post is Shazam#25 which is a significant issue.
Isis was a TV companion series to the live action Shazam TV show on Saturday morning TV. Denny O'Neil and Dick Giordano present her comic book debut.
From here, Isis would get her own comic book series.
Shazam#25 is also the first issue with new material in over a year. Issues #21-#24 were published quarterly and with all reprints.
Poor sales likely would have led to the book's cancelation but the success of the TV show prompted DC to keep some version of the comc going.
The back up is an all new Captain Marvel story, "The Bicentennial Villain" by E. Nelson Bridwell and Kurt Schaffenberger that sets the stage for a new series of Shazam tales by bringing the comic in line with the TV show.
Like the TV show, Billy Batson will set on a journey across America with his Uncle Dudley in the Mentor role.
Oh yeah, that blurb at the end of the last page?
More on that when we get to Justice League of America #135.
And we'll do that with our next Comic Book Retro 50 when our journey through time brings a young Dave-El to the comic book racks of July 1976.
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Thanks to The Tom Breevort Experience, the Grand Comic Book Database and Mike's Amazing World of Comics.
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