October 1976 was a month of transition at DC Comics.
I'm not sure if a young Dave-El perusing the drugstore and convenience store spinner racks was fully cognizant of what was going on.
The covers should have been a clue.
Fewer covers by Ernie Chan. In fact, unless I'm overlooking something, October 1976 was the last month for Ernie at DC for cover and interior art.
Justice League of America #138 sported a cover by Neal Adams.
After sharing space with the Justice Society and the heroes of Earth S (Shazam), the JLA has another guest star in "Adam Strange -- Puppet of Time" by Cary Bates, Dick Dillin & Frank McLaughlin.
The Zeta Beam that transports Adam from Earth to Rann has gone wonky and sent him travelling through time to the 73rd century. And there's some other Cary Bates style shenanigans to make Adam Strange <insert dramatic pause> the Enemy of Earth!!!
From the Justice League to Justice Society, a young Dave-El picked up All Star Comics #64 from the spinner rack.
After providing inks and finishes to Ric Estrada & Keith Giffen, Wally Wood flies solo on the cover and the interior.
Written by Paul Levitz, "Yesterday Begins Today" follows up on the Shining Knight subplot seeded a few issues back and reintroduces perhaps the JSA's greatest nemesis, Vandal Savage.
These days, Vandal Savage will fight anybody and is currently the police commissioner of Gotham City.
It's more Neal Adams cover art on Flash#246.
The issue leads off with "Kill Me, Flash -- Faster... Faster" by Cary Bates, Irv Novick & Frank McLaughlin.
Chafing under the restrictions of being "reformed" from criminal activity by future science, Abra Kadabra uses a scheme to make it look like the Flash murdered him to escape his hellish existence of being "good".
I mentioned DC being in a time of transition and Flash#246 was a milestone of change for the title. After this issue, the Flash would no longer be reduced to just 10 pages of his own comic book.
Back in June 1972, Green Lantern moved from his own book to back up player with Flash#217. Now with "Fury of the Floronic Man" by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin & Terry Austin, GL's time as a back up in this title was coming to an end.
This story mark's the evolution of the plant controlling mad scientist Jason Woodrue to an actual "Plant Man". It was a change that stuck. Alan Moore would make excellent use of the Floronic Man in Swamp Thing.
It's a shame that Terry Austin didn't have more chances to ink Dick Dillin's pencils. They made a great team.
Next up is Karate Kid#6 with a cover by Ernie Chan (DC's not done with him yet) & Mike Grell.
"Showdown with Commander Blud" by Barry Jameson (a pseudonym for writer David Michelinie), Ric Estrada & Joe Staton features a guest turn by the Legion of Super Heroes.
The Legion is looking to convince Karate Kid to come back home to the 30th century but the Kid is insistent on continuing his self imposed exile in the 20th century for reasons known only to him.
Speaking of the Legion, we come now to Superboy#223 with a cover by Mike Grell. Yeah, I can see Karate Kid is on the cover after I just told you he wasn't coming back from the 20th century. Whatcha gonna do? It's comics, y'all!
"We Can't Escape the Trap in Time" is by Jim Shooter, Mike Grell & Bob Wiacek and I already wrote about this issue 13 years ago (OMG!). Here's an excerpt from that post.
"We Can't Escape the Trap In Time" was my first exposure to the long time Legion foe, The Time Trapper. And he kind of weirded me out. Under that hood was just darkness as the Trapper plied his machinations to doom his enemies in the Legion. Superboy and the Legion manage to escape the time trap that weren't suppose to escape. Meanwhile, their efforts have been observed....
Even as the Time Trapper is (barely) defeated by the Legion, other forces are preparing to unleash themselves against our heroes, forces that may dwarf even the considerable power of the Time Trapper.
The Legion's ultimate threat is coming....When Stargrave Strikes!
Young Dave-El was really impressed by Superboy#223 but little suspecting that Superboy & the Legion was heading for a time of significant change. And I was heading for some major disappointment. More on that 1 month from now and 13 years ago. (Wobbly wobbly timey wimey!)
After missing several issues, I picked up Batman#283 with a cover by Ernie Chan & Vince Colletta.
"Omega Bomb Target:Gotham City" by David V. Reed & Ernie Chan marked the conclusion of a multi issue arc that took Batman on an international spy mission.
Ernie was not a bad artist but I thought him ill suited to drawing Batman.
Batman Family#9 features Ernie Chan's final cover for the title.
The all-new lead off story is a Robin and Batgirl team up to solve the "Startling Secret of the Devilish Daughters" by Bob Rozakis, Irv Novick & Vince Colletta.
This issue brings to an end the ongoing mystery running through Robin's solo feature of the Joker's Daughter who had also pretended to be the daughter of other Batman villains.
NO, the timeline of Duela Dent being the daughter makes no sense.
Duela says she did all this as an audition to convince Robin to let her join the Teen Titans.
NO, dressing up as the alleged daughters of Batman villains to commit petty misdemeanors is NOT a good argument for joining a super hero team.
Just... no.
But damn it, Rozakis who was also writing Teen Titans does indeed have Robin introduce her to the Titans.
Featured reprints include an Alfred short from 1944 and a Batman vs. Blockbuster tale from 1966.
I also picked up Detective Comics #467 with a cover by Rich Buckler and Vince Colletta.
Written by Bob Rozakis (boy, he was busy in 1976), "Pick-Up on Gotham 2-4-6" was drawn by John Calnan & Vince Colletta.
John Calnan had been a long time inker over various pencillers of the Superman/Batman team ups in World's Finest Comics. I think this was his first outing as a Batman penciller. He will become the regular artist on Batman later in 1977.
The story is a minor inconsequential crime mystery with the quirk of having 2 men dressed as Batman.
As Dire Straits once sang, "When two men say they're Jesus, one of them must be wrong."
Bruce Wayne is narrating this crime drama to a mysterious visitor who at the end reveals himself and is ready to tell his tale.
Which brings us to the back up, "The Man Who Skyjacked Hawkman".
That's a story for next issue.
This issue also marked the end of the super hero back ups in Detective Comics until June 1978 when Hawkman would return.
Next up, young Dave-El forked over 30 cents for Secret Society of Super-Villains #5 with a cover by Ernie (I'm still here for now!) Chan & Vince Colletta.
After I sampled this series with issue #3 (June 1976), I skipped issue #4 for reasons I've long forgotten,
With issue #5 I wandered into a mess. David Anthony Kraft was no longer the writer leaving Bob Rozakis to bat clean up on the SSOSV's ongoing Darkseid storyline.
"Endgame" is drawn by Rich Buckler & Vince Colletta.
Manhunter goes boom and presumably takes Darkseid with him.
SPOILER: no, he doesn't.
Meanwhile, the blinders are off and Captain Comet is done with being deceived by the Secret Society.
Next up is Shazam#27 under a cover by Ernie Chan & Kurt Shaffenberger.
"Fear in Philadelphia" by E. Nelson Bridwell, Kurt Schaffenberger & Vince Colletta continues the cross country tour by Billy Batson & Uncle Dudley, emulating the format of the Shazam TV show.
Guest starring in this issue is an old Quality Comics character called Kid Eternity who last appeared in a new story in August 1949. By shouting "Eternity!", Kid Eternity had the power to summon anyone from history (or sometimes even mythology) to aid him in his adventures.
SIDE BAR: By the way, you may have noticed Vince Colletta is inking a lot of stories this month. Somehow Colletta had conned his way into the job of DC's art director where he would assign a lot of inking assignments to himself. With his notorious propensity for erasing background, Colletta could deliver completed ink jobs very fast.
Here comes Action Comics#467 with a cover by Bob Oksner.
"Stop It, Superman -- You're Wrecking the World" is by Gerry Conway, Curt Swan & Tex Blaisdell.
I am hard pressed to remember the deets of this story but the Grand Comics Database offers this summary: "Superman defeats a scientist who used a gadget to absorb and weaponize the energy Superman suppresses to prevent sonic booms when he flies at super-speed."
Let's have fun with this: "a gadget to absorb and weaponize the energy Superman suppresses to prevent farts". 😜
OK, some of the story is coming back to me now.
It's more Bob Rozakis writing "A Superman's Best Friend Is His Superdog" drawn by Swan & Blaisdell with Krypto the Superdog vs. Mr. Mxyzptlk.
What breed of dog is Krypto? He's 100% good boy!
Which brings us to Superman#307 and another cover by Neal Adams and "Krypton No More", part 1 of a 3 issue arc.
After drawing issue #s 301 and #302, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez is back to pencil the interiors for 3 issues, joined by inker Frank Springer. (Another of the changes at DC, issue #306 was Bob Oksner's last issue inking the interior art on Superman.)
writer Gerry Conway crafts a story wherein Clark Kent is clued in to a environmental disaster in the making.
Superman looks into the situation and does not like what he's hearing.
Man, I wish I could say things are better 50 years later.
Superman ponders the parallels between Krypton and Earth's descent into self destruction. Superman decides he will not let what happened to Krypton happen to Earth.
Until Supergirl intervenes with some troubling news.
Supergirl tells Superman their powers came from radiation absorbed by their scientist fathers on Earth, Jonathan Kent and Fred Danvers. And Krypton is merely a delusion?
What the when how why now?
Young Dave-El will find out when he plunks down his 30 cents for Superman#308 in November 1976.
Books I Did Not Buy
Superman Family#181 with this weird ass cover by Ernie Chan
Thus was the LAST new/reprint issue with the rotating lead feature. Issue #182 would over double in size and feature all new material of all the Superman Family stars at one time.
Weird Western Tales #38 with a cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
The last issue starring Jonah Hex. He would move on to this own title with a new character taking over the Weird Western Tales title.
Four Star Spectacular #6 with a cover by Ernie Chan
Four Star was the odd ball reprint title that ostensibly featured 4 super heroes per issue. These kinds of all reprint titles were being phased out under the leadership of new DC publisher Jeanette Kahn.
Another change was coming. October 1976 was the last month for this logo:
The future awaits 50 years ago and one month from now for the next edition of Comic Book Retro 50.
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