Limited Collectors Edition C-43 'Christmas With the Super-Heroes' Facsimile Edition

The fan favorite tabloid treasury returns in this facsimile edition! 5 holiday classics presented in oversized fashion with remastered art and color.

• A pair of Scrooges seek to force Santa to privatize or face a total cease of magical operations. Meanwhile Lois and Clark are leading a toy drive sponsored by the Daily Planet and those two haters of Christmas have decided to put the newspaper out of the toy  business as well. Enter the Man of Steel to save Christmas not just for Metropolis, but all the children of the world!
• On Christmas Eve, Batman gets summoned by the Bat-Signal to sing Christmas carols with Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD.
• Set during World War II, Wonder Woman is assisted by a Douglas Fir of all things, in uncovering a Nazi spy ring near the Canadian border on a snowy Christmas Eve.
• The House of Mystery's Cain spins a tale about a holiday intruder in true DC horror fashion in 'Night Prowler!'.
• Set during his spandex wearing days, the Sandman and his sidekick Sandy stumble across a mob scheme involving a department store Santa.

All 5 stories were reprints. Amazingly enough, I had only previously read the Batman story. Written by Denny O'Neil with art by Neal Adams, I've read this story previously in several retrospectives on the amazing work these two did in the 70s for DC. I've probably also read the House of Mystery story and just don't recall as I have several HOM omnibuses. But as for the other 3 stories, they were brand new to me!

The Superman story is from a comic book titled Superman's Christmas Adventure. It is something that I wasn't aware of until I got this. The story is pretty long which has me wondering if I got all the material from that book or if there's more that I am going to want to add to my ever-growing Christmas comic collection. (Turns out, I don't!)

I'm also wondering about the Wonder Woman story. This month, DC is re-releasing a facsimile edition of a classic 1940s Christmas issue of Sensation Comics. I know that my favorite LCS has a copy on order for me. I'm just wondering if the story from this 1975 reprint is from that issue or not. It doesn't make sense to me that DC would release the same story in the same month in 2 different facsimiles. But if so, unless there is a lot more holiday material in it, I don't want to spend money on the same thing in 2 different formats.

Speaking of money, this recreation saved me some mega bucks. It unfortunately doesn't come with a mid-70s cover price of $1.00. However, $12.99 new was a much better price to pay than asking prices of anywhere between $60 and $100 that I have seen online and in the wild. Besides, this WAS a reprint of Christmas reprints. I didn't have to have the original. I just wanted a copy to call my own. But did somebody trim the cover to this book wrong? The filler material is a good 1/10 of an inch larger than the cover on both the top and the bottom. That doesn't seem up to specs to me...

Featuring Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Len Wein, William Moulton Marston and many other comic book legends, this brought back so many memories of when my parents would give me with a Christmas themed comic book or two to read on Christmas Eve in anticipation of St. Nick.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

All-New Collectors' Edition #C-58: Superman Vs. Shazam! (Facsimile Edition)

I'm in no way criticizing the art skills of Dick Giordano or Rich Buckler. If you are a regular reader of my blog, then you know that I am a huge fan of Giordano; having gotten to meet him at his very last con. As for Buckler, I loved his work on the earliest stories of the Marvel cyborg, Deathlok. So I believe that I have established respect for both artists. That being said, who drew the artwork for both the back half of this wraparound cover as well as many of the full sized and splash pages? They look like they were masterfully drawn by Neal Adams!

This facsimile edition is absolutely beautiful. The foil enhanced wraparound. The remastered colors of Adrienne Roy. The throwaway panel of what a brunette Supergirl would look like. This was a visual masterpiece from 1978!

An ancient wizard from a Martian civilization millennia before those of J'onn J'onzz' people, is seeking to end his singular mistake. In an attempt to become immortal, the mage got his wish. But not before first turning the rest of his kind into silent, tormenting phantoms. His hope is to place devices on two different Earths where they will vibrate in sync with the other and cause a cataclysmic explosion to should restore his people to their corporeal forms.

The two Earth's chosen are Superman's Earth-1 and Captain Marvel's home, Earth-S. To prevent the two heroes from discovering the devices, the wizard forces Black Adam and the 'Quarmmer', a duplicate of Superman made of living sand, to cloud the minds of the heroes so that they see each other as mortal enemies. Thus, fans finally get their wish: an epic battle that will definitively prove who is mightier? The Man of Steel or the Big Red Cheese?

The fight was epic. The team-up of Supergirl and Mary Marvel was awesome. The villain Karmang was pretty cool looking. But like most DC Comics of the late 1970s, the plot fell flat.

For one thing, I didn't quite understand Karmang's costume didn't really make sense. He's got these wicked looking eyeballs which adore the epaulets on his cape and apparently makes some fashionable earrings.  But he never uses them. They'd be really cool if they helped Karmang see the action occurring on the two Earths. Instead, he's got TV set-up sweeter than any wall of boob tubes at Circuit City. 

Another issue with the plot is the pacing. There are 4 acts in this issue, along with interludes and a prologue and epilogue. If writer Gerry Conway would've cut the unnecessary comic relief provided by Lois Lane and sports reporter Steve Lombard playing the role of cameraman, I think we could have gotten a much smoother ending that really hyped up the tension. Instead, we get Superman racing around the world to counter the pull of the magnetic field while Captain Marvel literally decides which color wire to clip on one of Karmang's devices. 

And as much as I enjoyed Supergirl being in this story, the ending where she and Mary Marvel fawn over each other's super hunky relative was clunky at best. At worst, it's a groaner and brother did I groan over that dumb ending...

At least we got an answer as to whether Supes or Cap are stronger than the two. At least for this clash.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Amazing Spider-Man #129 (2025 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

In the 2000 film Coyote Ugly, the lead character's potential love interest secretly buys a comic book while on a date. Viewers are first led to believe that the character played by Adam Garcia, is purchasing something nefarious as the item in question is concealed in a plain brown paper bag. His paramour becomes suspicious of the whole transaction and refuses to be further seen with Garcia's character if he's secretly buying drugs. Reluctantly, the lad reveals the contents of bag: a prestige copy of Amazing Spider-Man #129. The first appearance of the Punisher and in his own words 'The Holy Grail of Comics.'

While it's debatable that Frank Castle's first appearance in comic books is the most sought after comic of them all, it cannot be disputed that that scene in the movie introduced a new phrase in comic book collecting. Social media is filled these days with collectors sharing their grail finds in the wild. Books such as New Mutants #98, Fantastic Four #52 and The House of Secrets #92 have graced my social media feed as grail finds that fans finally found. From what I see on Facebook, The Incredible Hulk #181 is way more coveted than ASM #129. Heck, I posted a grail find post once when I found a mint copy of the first appearance of Lobo, Omega Men #3, for only a buck at a local thrift shop!

With a publication date of February 1974, the world was introduced to not only the Punisher , a paid assassin with a code of honor, but also to the creepy Green Goblin clone known as the Jackal. Gerry Conway, Ross Andru and John Romita Sr. were the creative team behind the scenes. Conway wrote the issue's script. Frank Goacoia and Dave Hunt assisted Andru on the interior art. Romita and Gil Kane crafted the iconic cover that would be recreated ad nauseam on the cover a plethora of other titles from numerous publishers.

The plot of 'The Punisher Strikes Twice' takes place shortly after the deaths of both Peter Parker's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin. Spider-Man has been falsely accused once again, this time for Norman Osborne's murder. Seeking a chance to fill the criminal power vacuum in the wake of the Green Goblin's demise, the Jackal hires the Punisher to terminate Spider-Man.

Originally convinced that Spidey is a villain worthy of terminal punishment, the Punisher accepts the hit. The Punisher's mission becomes personal when he finds the wall crawler standing over the body of an associate of his. However, some quick thinking on the part Spider-Man, it's revealed that the assignment the Punisher is a trap on the part of the Jackal, framing the mercenary for the death of his colleague.

Eventually it's revealed that the Jackal is Professor Miles Warren. A mentor to Peter Parker at Empire Stste University, the educator had secretly fallen in love with Gwen Stacy. Blaming Spider-Man for her death, the Jackal unleashed holy hell on the Big Apple. He'll initiate a gang war between Hammerhead and Doctor Octopus, enhance his DNA with that of a real jackal, break the Tarantula out of the slammer and attempt to bomb reporter Ned Leeds into oblivion. Bur perhaps the fiend's most unforgivable crime will come as a result of learning Spider-Man's secret identity. Stealing some of Peter Parker's DNA, the Jackal will create a near identical duplicate; ushering in the God-awful Clone Saga!

As for the Punisher, he'll go on to become one of the most popular characters in Marvel Comics history. His origin will be revealed that his one-man mission on crime was the result of his wife and children being slaughtered by mobsters during a seemingly innocent sunny day in Central Park. PTSD from a tour in Vietnam didn't help matters much. Several series would chronicle the character's war against evil to the extent of death, resurrection and becoming a cosmic hellfire powered caretaker of a baby Thanos. Actors Dolph Lundgren, Thomas Jane and the late Ray Stevenson would portray the Punisher in several live action films. The Walking Dead's Jon Bernthal currently carries the mantle in the Marvel cinematic universe.

A facsimile edition of Amazing Spider-Man #129 was released in April, 2025.

Completing this review completes Task #37 (A Facsimile Edition) of the 2025 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Police Comics #1 Facsimile Edition

Take a good look at this 1941 premiere issue of Police Comics, published by non-defunct Quality Comics. Off to the side, there's Plastic Man, a one day member of the Justice League and future star of his own animated TV series and numerous solo titles. Underneath is the Human Bomb, a long-time member of the Freedom Fighters of Earth-X and occasional reservist of the All-Star Squadron. Coming in 3rd is the Phantom Lady, another member of the Freedom Fighters and star of her own solo title (twice) in the 1950s. Let's not worry about the clean-up hitter, the Mouthpiece. The world will never see him again after issue #13. Instead, I want you to focus on whom the editors choose to be the star of this anthology: The Firebrand!

Wearing a red bandana and mask, red pants and a see-through shirt, the Firebrand didn't have any super powers. He was just a bored socialite who decided to become a vigilante for kicks. After issue #13 of Police Comics, the Firebrand would also be shelved. Though, he would make a few appearances with the Freedom Fighters under DC's banner. However, his new home wasn't all that welcoming to him, unceremoniously being killed off by a super powered foe in the never published Cancelled Comics Cavalcade before just being retconned onto the sidelines and replaced by his sister in the All-Star Squadron reboot in 1981. 

Yes, Firebrand made his debut in the pages of this book. But so did Plastic Man, the Human Bomb, Phantom Lady and the Mouthpiece (remember, I told you to forget about him.) With all of these first appearances, I have to ask: why did Quality Comics choose the Firebrand to be the lead off character of this book?

Reed Crandall was the co-creator on Firebrand. He was a wunderkind writer for Quality before scaring the pants off of me in various E.C. horror titles. Maybe they were trying to build up his participation on this book. But why not give Crandall credit on the cover and not just the splash page on the Firebrand's opening story?

Based on his lack of powers, maybe Quality was trying to compete against National's (now DC) Batman. But in 1941, Batman wasn't even in the top 10 best selling superheroes. About to enter into the second World War, it was patriotic heroes like Captain America and mega-strong heroes like Captain Marvel and Superman that were dominating newsstands. Yet, for several issues, Quality kept banking on the Firebrand to be the hero to lead the title. Finally with issue #5, the publisher realized that they had a hit with Plastic Man and he became the cover star for a majority of the title's 127 issue run. 

I wish I was able to have owned an original copy of this book. However, it's a facsimile edition from 2024. Though I've read the origin of Plastic Man several times before, I still wanted to own this book. I've never read any of the other stories inside previously and I love going back in time exploring the ads and editorial material. It was a good read. The main superhero takes were the best. The other stories involving vigilantes or average Joe's taking on various criminal elements were the weaker stories. Mostly because of how over-the-top the dialogue was. Lots of cheesy one-liners and over use of 'criminal slang' that I've never encountered in my frequent watching of crime noir or as a teen devourer of Philip Marlowe. 

Oddly enough, there's very little presence of policemen in a comic book titled Police Comics. There's not even a single story starring any of the boys in blue. I find that strange. Rather strange.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Our Army at War #81 (Facsimile Edition)

Whether or not you consider this facsimile edition of Our Army at War to contain the first appearance of the tough as nails Sgt. Rock, this issue was a fascinating piece of pop culture history.

A prototype of Sgt. Frank Rock had appeared in the war anthology series a couple of years prior. Because the character is referred to as 'Sgt. Rocky', some historians and fans consider issues #82-83 to be the soldier's official first appearances in comics, when he receives his official moniker. It feels a bit like the debate over what is the first appearance of Wolverine. Is it #180 with the Canuck's entrance on the book's very last panel or is it Incredible Hulk #181 where not only does the mutant appear throughout the whole book but makes the cover as well? What cannot be denied is that Our Army at War #81 marks the first appearance of the World War II Army unit called Easy Company, whose troops are the focus of 2 separate adventures. 

The cover by Jerry Grandenetti is super clean. It features the Rock character taking on a Nazi soldier welding a potato masher, while the American hero carries a fallen comrade on his back. It, along with the vibrant reproduction of those late 1950s ads are what sold me on the book. As for the material inside, it was a bit of a mixed bag that had great art, neat ideas and very limited dialogue to the point of getting annoying.

Aside from a couple of one and two-page shorts and a letters page, the main body of this book is written by Bob Haney. There's the Rocky story, the other Easy Company tale where 2 grunts take on an entire Nazi division, a morality play about a paratrooper jealous of his brother: the fighter pilot and a story of cat and mouse in the African desert. Each story focuses on a single phrase or word which is then used as nauseam in literally every panel. For instance, the paratrooper keeps referring to himself as a 'parachute pilot' because of how he can maneuver like a pro when falling while strapped to the silks. I've never heard this term before. It very well could be a thing soldier's during the second world war said. But the problem was that the jumper keeps beating himself up about not being good enough to be an actual pilot to the point I could pretty much determine what the character was going to whine about on the next scene... Verbatim!

I swear, if those 2 dog faces from Easy Company used the word 'pocket' one more time, I was going to scream. I think my wife appreciates that I kept my frustrations from just writing this review. But what do you know? The freakin' captured Kraut commander at the end of the story just has to say 'pocket!'

I did notice something unique about this DC Comics facsimile edition. At the bottom of the front page, underneath all the copyright jargon, there was a disclaimer. It stated that this issue contained material that was considered racist and stereotypical for the time period; both intentional and unintentional. Rather than remove the offense material, DC decided to leave this issue uncensored for historical purposes and in hopes of opening dialogue about sensitive matters. I'm perfectly okay with that. I just can't figure out what DC is talking about.

There's Nazis galore in this book. I think they get called 'Ratzis' at least once. Other than that, the stories in this book are extremely tame. I'm wondering if the disclaimer was about the ads, which are vintage 1959 comic book advertisements. One ad tells kids how to make money selling Bible Quotes door-to-door. Could that be the offensive material? The Bible doesn't offend me. But I know it can be a source of derision for some. Or is it the one-pager titled ' What's Your B.Q.?', brought to you by the National Social Welfare Assembly?

In this public service announcement, readers are asked to test their Brotherhood Quotient.  To do this, readers are asked to rate on a 4-point scale how well they like things such as 'cabbage, alligators, Catholics, Jews and Negroes'. The idea of this seems very shocking and misguided; which makes me wonder why the school district I work for hasn't tried to implement this test before with our high schoolers. You know what they say about where the road of good intentions leads to and I'm just gobsmacked to think that any public program with the purpose of spreading social unity thought this print commercial was a good idea! Even in 1959!!!

You know, I really can't figure out how to end this review. Holy cow! I'm dumbfounded. I plan on keeping this as I doubt I could ever afford a copy of the original and the Ross Andru and Russ Heath art is amazing. But man, I thought the tests in Cosmo were bad...

Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.

All-American Comics #16 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

The 16th issue of All-American Comics marked the debut of the Alan Scott Green Lantern. Created by Martin Nodell and Bill Finger, Alan Scott was an engineer who was overseeing the inaugural voyage of a new train route he designed. The owner of a rival engineering firm bombs the train, killing all aboard except for Scott. Searching for survivors through the wreckage, Scott stumbles across an unusual green hued lantern. 

Scott learns from the lantern that it was forged centuries ago from a meteorite that fell in China. Over the years, the lantern changed hands, blessing its owners with an array of miracles. The lantern promises Alan Scott unimaginable powers should he make a ring from the lantern. If Scott touches the ring daily, he'll be given protection and ability to master the elements of the universe. Except for wood, which Scott learns is the Ring's only weakness, the only other limitation for the ring is the wearer's imagination. 

As the story progresses, Alan finds the man behind the railroad tragedy. The fiend confesses. But in his panic, has a heart attack which prompts Alan Scott to not use his powers for revenge or selfish gains. Donning a wild costume made of a red tunic, green pants, a yellow cape and a domino mask in order to strike fear in the hearts of villains, Alan Scott becomes the Green Lantern!

Along with the first appearance of the Green Lantern, this issue marks the debut of the title's new logo. The first logo that looked more like a highway route marker shield. It's replacement was a banner that used stylized art deco lettering. If the font looks familiar, that's because it's just like the lettering used for National Publication's (later DC Comics) flagship title, Action Comics. There's only one problem with this; All-American Comics was owned by rival publisher All-American Publications. Green Lantern and friends such as the Flash, Wonder Woman and Hawkman would join the ranks of Superman and Batman when National bought out All-American in 1946.

All-American Comics was an anthology series that utilized reprinted newspaper strips with all- features. Ripley's Believe It Or Not and Bud Fisher's Mutt and Jeff were some popular strips that appeared in All-American Comics. 

New material that appears in the pages of All-American Comics included the child cartoonist Scribbly. Created by Sheldon Mayer, Scribbly would later introduce the character of the Red Tornado who wasn't an android but a hefty stay at home mom who wore red Long Johns and a stew pot on her head when she fought the bad guys. Don Shelby's futuristic Gary Concord: The Ultra-Man fought off mad scientists, alien menaces and fawning good girls in distress. The Navy's secret weapons of soldiers Red, White and Blue are tasked with a mission to find spies operating under the cover of international maritime law. 

In the very middle of this issue was a segment sponsored by frozen confectioner Popsicle. The company unveiled a redemption program for it's customers where fun prizes could be redeemed for the paper bags that acted as wrappers for the frozen treats. Stamps from around the world were highlighted in the campaign. An advertising feature starring the character of Popsicle Pete extends into the world of the philatelist. The center story sees Popsicle Pete and his buddies going into the stamp collecting supply business after they buy a rare stamp for a very good price.

The 2023 facsimile edition of All-American Comics #16 was a time capsule of cartoons, swashbuckling heroes, retro advertisements and the cultural norms of the day. Originally published in 1940, the war in Europe looms in some of these adventures that are peppered with spies and European monarchs looking to destroy America from within. This issue's Scribbly feature wears evidence of racism with a black horse trainer looking more like a brown teddy bear than a human being. There are also elements of misogyny with the manly heroes berating and even manhandling their fairer sexed costars.

In spite of these archaic tropes, I applaud DC Comics for not editing a work such as this. Keeping the good with the bad and the ugly shows how far we've come from a pre-war US of A. Hopefully younger generations will still be able to appreciate the quality of these works while identifying what societal missteps are still in need of fixing.

Completing this review completes Task #41 (A Facsimile Edition) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Batman #181 Facsimile Edition

There's a new criminal queen on the Gotham City scene. Her name is Poison Ivy and she uses a mix of botanical knowledge and chemistry to put others under her command. But in order to become the most feared femme fatale of them all, Ivy must eliminate Interpol's top 3 most dangerous female criminals. In order to do that, Poison Ivy plans to use the Caped Crusader whose fallen under the villainess's spell with her bedeviled kiss!

In the second feature, the members of the Gotham City Detective's Club must protect a mystery novelist who has been marked for death when the clock strikes 10pm! While the majority of the club members seek to provide protection for writer, Batman will do the dirty work by doing what he does best: sleuthing and maybe knocking around a few heads!

I was really excited when I heard that DC was releasing this facsimile edition of the first appearance of Poison Ivy. Of most of Batman's most deadly and famed foes, Poison Ivy is perhaps the only one whose first appearance of which I am not familiar with. 

When the character appeared in Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin, I was disappointed on how much of a romantic wedge she was between the dynamic duo. I guess I must forgive Schumacher a little bit as this debut has Poison Ivy toying with Batman's heart strings while Robin struggles to detoxify Batman from Ivy's lipstick.

While I understand that 1960s comics often played the romance angle quite a bit between the heroes and their opposite sex foes, I really thought that Poison Ivy was immune to such outdated tropes. Man- was I wrong!

I really enjoyed the second story. Last year's Batman: The Brave and the Bold/Scooby-Doo movie had a version of the mystery club. It's neat to see one of that awesome film's inspirations for the first time. 

I also loved the 1966 vintage ads. I really loved those. Some were so timeless looking, especially the Bullwinkle ad. It looked more like some I would have seen in a 1980s comics not a reprint from the mid-60s. The advertising art and print quality was that prestine! There's also letters from the editor and a full run-down of other DC titles released during this time period.

DC has plans for more facsimile edition books. As much as I love seeing the vintage extras and secondary adventures, the publisher is going to have to offer books that I don't have in my collection. I've got so many reprint collections of classic DC material, the odds that I have a version of the work in question are often in my favor.  I got lucky this time around! We'll just have to see what else the House that Superman built has in store for this run of reprints!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.