Two More Fortresses Found!

Mark Engblom did a terrific series back in 2008 on Superman's Fortress of Solitude, concluding with a look at 12 different Fortresses he'd had (in comics and in film), including two that didn't belong to Superman. One belonged to Bizarro, and the other to Krypto. I found a few months later that Supergirl briefly had her own Fortress, but she destroyed it after it was accidentally discovered by an unscrupulous archaeologist.

Here are two more that I've come across recently. Superboy's "Secret Cache 3" is somewhat similar to the Outer Space Fortress over there, but note that that's described as being disguised as a meteor, while this is inside a crater on a barren world:


In World's Finest #156, Bizarro visits Earth and creates the Fortress of Crowds as an answer to Superman:


Update: I should have given Blog Into Mystery a hat-tip on the Secret Cache 3 part of the post; while reading his blog, I noticed a post about the cover to Superboy #109 which encouraged me to read the issue.

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The "Don't Worry, There Are No Enemies Here" Covers

These covers became a cliché of the war comics genre, starting in the late 1960s and extending well into the 1970s. Here's a classic example, from Our Army At War #195 (July 1968):

Here we see the classic elements of the DWTANEH cover:

1. Hidden enemies in the foreground.
2. Central "hole" in the cover through which we can see the approaching Americans.
3. Clear statement or belief that the enemies are not there.

Here are a few more examples:



As you can see, the covers pack some dramatic punch. The reader can see something that the approaching GIs can't, that there is about to be a sudden reversal of fortune. A number of these covers feature children, as in the GI Combat issue above, or this one:

The children may give an added sense to the soldiers that everything is okay, that they are not about to be ambushed. You can see the same thing with these covers:


These covers also often feature blinded American soldiers:



This adds a bit to the dramatic tension, as we know that even if the soldiers become aware of the enemy's presence, they will be hard-pressed to do battle.
Similar themes crop up in these covers:



I was unable to find a significant number of these covers prior to about 1968. The Our Army At War #159 cover with the nurse helping Sgt. Rock is from October of 1965, but even that one is arguably atypical, in that Rock is clearly alert and on guard. Similarly, I don't think this February 1960 cover counts:

Here's the exit question. Was the popularity of these covers inversely related to the popularity of the US military among comic-buying kids and teens? As the Vietnam War dragged on, there is little doubt that the image of our armed forces declined, especially after an event like My Lai. Did this give the readers of the time an added perverse enjoyment of covers featuring American soldiers heading into an ambush? Or am I reading too much into this?

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How Many Ways Is This Wrong?

Let me get this straight; you feel more secure about your gold having it in a place that only Superman can reach? And while you're transporting it across the country, you've got it in trucks marked "GOLD"?

As it turns out, this has almost nothing to do with the plot; it's a way of explaining why Superman and Batman are away from Earth for a few days.

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Trivia Quiz #39 Answers and Prize Awarded!

Wow, once again my readers amazed me with the depth of their knowledge, and three correspondents got all the answers correct, which meant that I had to go with my predetermined tie-breakers.

#1. What color was the Joker's suit?
I had decided prior to the contest to accept purple as the color, since I believe I have mentioned that color a few times myself. However, this was the tie-breaker, as while researching the Joker's history I discovered that it was a very distinct shade of purple:


#2. Who was the son of the Joker?
Although he was never named specifically, in the story The Son of the Joker, he was described as the Joker's protégé.

#3. What crime boss willed his fortune to the Joker?
William "King" Barlowe willed his fortune to the Joker in The Joker's Millions (Detective #180). However, it turned out to be a trick, as Barlowe had placed a large amount of phony money and jewels with only a small amount of the real stuff as a gag on the Clown Prince of Crime.

#4. It is well-known that the Joker appeared in a story in the Golden Age which also featured the Catwoman, and another story where he teamed up with the Penguin. Who was the next super-villain to team-up with the Joker?
Lex Luthor teamed up with the Joker in the appropriately-named "Superman and Batman's Greatest Foes" in World's Finest #88.

5. Who was Gotham City's police commissioner in the 21st century?
Gotham City's police commissioner in the 21st century was Commissioner Rekoj, a descendant of the Joker who was as good as his ancestor was evil.

6. How did the Joker get his distinctive appearance?
In Detective #168, it was revealed that the Joker had gotten his bizarre look when he jumped into a vat of chemicals at the Monarch Playing Card Company to escape the Batman.

7. Was there a Bizarro Joker?
This was a tricky one and all my correspondents got it right for the wrong reason. There was a Bizarro Joker in the modern age, as revealed in DC Comics Presents #71. However, even before that the Joker was an honorary Bizarro. From World's Finest #156:


8. Who was the Joker's diminutive sidekick in the Silver Age?

Gagsworth A. Gagsworthy, better known as Gaggy, was the Joker's vertically challenged person of hench:


Aaron of Silver Age Gold, and "Jim" got all eight answers correct, as did Commander R. A. Benson, but only Commander Benson got the bonus point for coming up with "lavender" as the color of the Joker's suit, so he wins the tee shirt.

Thanks to Melanie of Nerdy Shirts for offering the prize; if you're looking for a cool, yet nerdy shirt, they're your source!

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Edited Reprints: Supergirl and the Legion

I just noticed this today due to a discussion at Commander Benson's Deck Log about Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes. In Action #267, Supergirl first meets the Legion, although not that Legion:

As I remarked a few years ago, Weisinger obviously recognized the problem with introducing Supergirl to the same Legion that Superboy belonged to; that would mean that Superman would not be surprised when Supergirl landed on Earth, since he'd known of her eventual arrival since his teenage years. So he took care of the problem, except that when the Legion became a continuing series he and his writers obviously wanted to include Kara in their adventures. So, as discussed by Commander Benson:

Weisinger’s explanation became official with the next issue, # 334 (Jul., 1965). “The Unknown Legionnaire” was one of those rare Legion adventures in which Supergirl played a large part, and it didn’t take long after the super-cousins appeared side by side that a footnote was inserted, establishing that Supergirl had implanted a post-hypnotic suggestion in Superboy’s mind so that he would forget her existence when he returned to his own time. Thus, paving the way for his total surprise as an adult when cousin Kara landed on Earth.

And so, when Weisinger reprinted this story in Action #334, the dialog was rewritten:

Note that this also gets rid of a bit of Lysenko-type science. Lightning Lad acquired his powers after a run-in with a lightning beast; there would be no reason to expect his son to inherit that genetically. Of course, there are many examples of this assumption appearing in the comics, but realistically the only parents who could give their powers to their offspring are those that have them from birth.

Some other examples of edited reprints in (or of) the Silver Age:

The second origin of the second Two-Face. The second Two-Face was Paul Sloane. In his original appearance in Batman #68, the hideous side of his face was the result of a jealous husband; when the tale was reprinted in Batman Annual #3, it was caused by an accidental explosion. I suspect that the CCA wanted the love triangle edited out of the story.

The Death of Ma and Pa Kent. When the story was originally published in Superman #161, the Kents were an elderly couple. But in Superboy #145, the Kents were transformed into thirty-somethings by a bottle of youth elixir. Thus, when the story explaining their deaths was reprinted in Superboy #165, their bodies and faces were redrawn to make them look younger.

Anybody aware of other changes? I seem to recall that the cover of JLA #2 was redrawn for the Archive Edition.

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Trivia Quiz #39: The Joker. Tee Shirt Prize!

The kind folks at Nerdy Shirts have offered to give the winner of this trivia quiz a tee shirt featuring the Costumed Crime Clown. Because of the prize, this post will not allow comments; send me your answers via email. The contest will end at 11:59 PM on Tuesday. Note: Some of these questions involve the Golden Age Joker as well as the Silver Age version.

#1. What color was the Joker's suit?

#2. Who was the son of the Joker?

#3. What crime boss willed his fortune to the Joker?

#4. It is well-known that the Joker appeared in a story in the Golden Age which also featured the Catwoman, and another story where he teamed up with the Penguin. Who was the next super-villain to team-up with the Joker?

5. Who was Gotham City's police commissioner in the 21st century?

6. How did the Joker get his distinctive appearance?

7. Was there a Bizarro Joker?

8. Who was the Joker's diminutive sidekick in the Silver Age?

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D16 The Baboon Boy - 18-12-1956 to 26-02-1957 (by John Celardo )

Dear friends,

You know I like sharing several comics in one post. But the daily strips by John Celardo #16 to #36, I'm going to share one by one in very near future.

It's respect to the contributor Emile who had downloaded every strip manually in better resolution as well as provided the contents (which is coming in every strip).  Hoping you will understand & enjoy! Kudo Emile!

Contents for this archive:
Art:    John Celardo
Story:    16
Title:    The Baboon Boy
Start:    1956-12-18 [#5421]
End:    1957-02-26 [#5480]
Strips:    62 daily strips
This story was reprinted on the UFS web site using these dates:
First strip:    2006-01-09 (Matrix #5419)
Last strip:    2006-03-21 (Matrix #5480)

P.S. This is not the last series contributed by Emile, several rare strips are coming also. Please make at least 6 GB space at your hard disk, may be more will be required. :)

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