Speak Your Brain! Part 114.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Image by Tumisu
from Pixabay

Listen. Listen to the footsteps of mystery, as they approach, like some dread phantom on your staircase, as you lie in bed, telling yourself, again and again and again, "It's just my imagination. There can't be a dread phantom on the staircase. There can't be. There can't be!"

And that mystery is, "Just what, exactly, is to be the topic for debate on this night in mid December?"

It's a mystery I cannot resolve. Only you can do that by suggesting a topic for debate, in the comments section below.

Therefore, suggest that topic and let all uncertainty be banished from our staircases.

Before it's too late.

The Marvel Lucky Bag - December 1985.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Good grief! There were more memorable movies released in December 1985 than you can shake a clapperboard at!

Was this an attempt to cash in on the lucrative pre-Christmas market? Or was it just a sign of the film industry's unbridled creativity?

Either way, the month saw the unleashing of Young Sherlock Holmes, Spies Like Us, The Jewel of the Nile, Clue, Legend, Brazil, The Color Purple, Out of Africa, A Chorus Line, Enemy Mine, Ran and Revolution.

I've seen surprisingly few of those films and suspect that the ones I have seen - The Jewel of the Nile and Legend - are not the best of the bunch.

Therefore, as so often in the past, I shall leave it the reader of discernment to decide just which is Film of the Month.

It's the news we've all been waiting for, as The Bozz Chronicles hits a spinner rack near us and intends to fully embed itself there until we determine to buy it!

To be honest, I don't have a clue what it is or what it involves but I do know it's the handiwork of David Michelinie and Bret Blevins and will run for six issues of, what its covers imply to be, retro but high adventure.

And that's not the only new publication tempting us to part with our hard-earned dollars, pounds, francs, guilders and whatever other currency we may possess, because Six From Sirius 2 also makes its debut.

This magazine is likewise mysterious to me but I do know it comes from the minds of Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy and is destined to run for four instalments.

This issue also includes a six-page yarn titled Parody which is the sole work of John Zack.

We all love the X-Men. We all love Alpha Flight. Clearly, if they meet, we're going to love it twice as much!

And so it is that we spy in on an adventure in which they find themselves in a mysterious big palace thing and come up against the schemes of Loki himself.

All I recall of this one is that, at some point, Rogue tries to absorb the powers of Loki but can't, what with him being a god.

Also, I think Loki gives the members of the cast what they most want in life but they end up rejecting his gifts. A fact that he gets very miffed about.

Marvel makes its stab at relieving famine in Africa, with Heroes For Hope.

It seems to be made up of a whole heap of stories of not more than three pages each, utilising such talents as Harlan Ellison, George R R Martin and Stephen King, as well as a whole slew of our favourite comics creators. I do notice that Jim Starlin seems to have an input into much of the material. 

The Hulk gets his fourteenth annual and does so with the 40-pager The Weakness of the Flesh!

Again, I know little of this but can sensationally reveal it's brought to us by writer and artist team John Byrne and Sal Buscema.

And, barely to be outdone by the Hulk, Thor lands his thirteenth annual.

But will it be unlucky for some?

Especially the thunder god when Mephisto kidnaps Ulik's brother and uses that to force the troll into fighting Thor?

Although, knowing Ulik, it's a bit of a surprise that he has to be forced into it.

What's this? Has Marvel taken the radical and bold step of reprinting issues of the legendary British girls horror comic Misty?

No, it hasn't. 

Does that mean Iron Fist's Misty Knight has finally been granted the comic of her own that she's always warranted?

No, it doesn't.

Instead, we're treated to a string of short dramas starring the woman of that name, and produced by Trina Robbins.

I get the feeling the tone of this comic may be quite light.

I also get the feeling it will run for six issues.

December 13th, 1975 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Change was noticeable by its absence, atop the UK music charts, this week in 1975, with Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody and Perry Como's 40 Greatest Hits retaining their Number One statuses on the single and album listings, respectively.

Bo Rhap is, of course, a long recognised standard but other tracks I approved of on that week's singles chart were:

You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate

The Trail of the Lonesome Pine Ft Chill Wills - Laurel and Hardy with the Avalon Boys Featuring Chill Wills

I Believe in Father Christmas - Greg Lake

In for a Penny - Slade

Right Back Where We Started From - Maxine Nightingale

Space Oddity {1975} - David Bowie

Love is the Drug - Roxy Music

Mamma Mia - ABBA

and

Itchycoo Park {1975} - the Small Faces.

Should the enquiring reader wish to further pursue the issues raised by this post, that week's singles chart resides here.

While its accompanying album rankings dwell within.

After months of giving us the likes of Giant-Man and the Cat, Marvel UK finally wheels out one of its big-hitters, with the Scarecrow!

Now, no one can doubt the comic is destined for the greatness that has, so far, been denied it!

Meanwhile, Giant-Man and the Wasp head to Santo Rico to try and bring down its newly elected Communist president El Toro.

In another seat of political power, Count Nefaria's captured the X-Men and trapped the whole of Washington DC in a giant dome!

And, as already mentioned we're introduced to the Scarecrow who lives in a painting and likes to burst out of it, laughing at people!

I do believe Conan's still adapting The Hand of Nergal.

While, in the present day, his lookalike Arkon's trying it on with Wanda.

But it looks like he has more pressing matters to deal with, as the Avengers are invading his planet, and Thor's concocted a plan to resolve everything, more or less peacefully.

And I think Dr Strange is still fighting Shuma-Gorath who's finally revealed his true, octopus-like, form!

The Inhumans travel to San Francisco where an amnesiac Black Bolt's got himself involved in civil rights protests.

Only for them to bump into Thor who thinks they're up to no good!

Elsewhere, Subby goes to investigate the earth tremors that have been rocking Atlantis.

Only to discover they were caused by a drilling machine controlled by Hank Pym!

It would be nice to think this can all be resolved sensibly but I think we all know it'll be resolved by a punch-up.

Elsewhere, Nick Fury's been abducted by Hydra who intend to set off a huge bomb!

In England, it's World War Two and Captain America and Bucky are trying to rid Greymoor Castle of Nazis.

And what of Captain Marvel?

Returning to Earth, with his new powers, he quickly finds himself having to battle a communist robot!

Fortunately, for him, at the same time that's going on, the Black Widow's invading the base of the people who built it - and she's out to put a stop to their activities.

It's issue #60 and Dracula suddenly finds himself having to share top-billing with the Legion of Monsters!

Not that there's any sign of the Legion of Monsters actually inside the comic. It's just the same strips we always get.

In Drac's tale, he's still in pursuit of that statuette he's been in pursuit of for weeks.

In the Living Mummy's strip, Dr Skarab utilises the Scarlet Scarab's power, in a bid to defeat the Elementals.

And I think the Werewolf by Night's still battling the affable scientist who's accidentally turned himself into a brutish thug by drinking his own experimental potion.

But did I say it's just the same strips we always get?

In fact, I was wrong because we finish this issue with a three-page tale in which a researcher proves correct, to his own cost, his theory that maggot eggs are always present in living tissue. And that's reprinted from 1953's Adventures into Terror #19.

Despite that cover, I can confirm that Zira and Cornelius do not get to watch Ka-Zar and the Black Panther fighting dinosaurs on TV.

Instead, they have to put up with the human race turning against them. 

The Black Panther, meanwhile, has to worry about his own kingdom turning against him, as he sets about recovering from his bruising and water-logged first encounter with Erik Killmonger.

As for Ka-Zar, stuck down a hole in the ground, he helps AIM capture the Man-Thing.

Not that it stays in captivity for long.

I've no idea what's going on with that cover which seems to have nothing at all to do with anything that happens inside this week's issue.

Instead, we get the Hulk defeating Aquon, before a shocking denouement sees Captain Omen's crew explode like tomatoes in a microwave.

That's followed by Daredevil having problems with Starr Saxon who's discovered he's secretly Matt Murdock.

I do, of course, mean Daredevil is secretly Matt Murdock. Not that Starr Saxon is. The latter revelation would be madness, even by the standards of a man who once pretended to be his own non-existent twin brother.

Despite the cover blurb's claims, I believe the Stiltman plays no part in this tale.

And the Fantastic Four are still in the Microverse and in search of the Silver Surfer.

But will Psycho-Man find them before they can complete their mission?

My razor-sharp senses tell me Professor Smythe and his Spider-Slayer are back!

And Tony Stark's also in trouble. He gets kidnapped by people from the future, to stand trial for a crime he's not even committed yet!

It seems he's going to invent a super-computer that's going to take over the world!

And Thor takes a leaf out of The Blob by transporting the unbeatable Thermal Man to the Arctic where he'll be too cold to cause any more mischief.

Forty years ago today - December 1985.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

A wise man once said, "We can be heroes."

Clearly, he'd never met me.

But here are some people who can be heroes.

And often are!

From what I can remember, the Avengers hang around on an island, for reasons I don't recall, and Hercules decides to get into a scrap with the Sub-Mariner, in an attempt to cheer up the crown prince of Atlantis.

Speaking of people who need cheering up, the Vulture's depressed because he keeps losing fights with every good guy he encounters.

And that leads to him picking a fight with the man without fear - who he also loses to.

Meanwhile, the Nelson and Murdock law firm has gone bust.

It's an odd story in which the Human Torch decides to quit super-heroing after learning that a boy who idolises him has set himself on fire in an attempt to be like him.

Well, that's not depressing.

I do believe Iron Man spends this issue cleaning up the mess left behind by his fight with Iron Monger.

But what's this? Madame Masque is acting all strange and showing concern for Tony Stark's welfare?

While Bethany Cabe is acting all strange and is plotting his downfall?

Why, if I was a suspicious man, I might think some kind of body-swapping shenanigans are going on.

Sadly, Stark, despite all his experience of super-science villainy, fails to share my suspicions.

Thor and his army manage to spend an entire issue trying to leave Hel.

An attempt that sees a machine-gun-toting Executioner sacrifice himself, in order to save them all.

The world's most socially responsible mutants hit their 200th issue with a double-length tale in which Magneto's put on trial for his various crimes against humanity and he gets to argue his case.

A cover that brings back memories of Spidey's first meeting with Man Mountain Marko tells us we're about to encounter a ruthless fight manager called Manslaughter who loves to mistreat his employees.

Especially Crusher Hogan, the wrestler our hero fought, way back when he first gained his super-powers

Can the wall-crawler come to his assistance and can he convince everyone at the gym that he and Crusher are old pals?

Aunt May's boyfriend, meanwhile, gets hospitalised by assailants who are a mystery to us but are, clearly, well known to him.

Something or other happens involving a sorcerer.

I think a magic pit may also be involved.

And women.

And magic.

The Hulk's back on Earth - and Doc Samson's determined to administer some psychiatric care.

With his fists.

Obviously, this should be a one-sided fight but it seems Bruce Banner's subconscious is actively distracting the Hulk with hallucinations of his myriad foes.

And that gives the slugging psycho-therapist the chance he needs to deliver some knuckle-therapy to his patient's jaw.

Spider-Man's hot on the trail of Sin-Eater - not to be confused with 1980s pop star Sinitta - and it seems he gets his victory over the fiend.

Victory over Sinitta is, of course, impossible.

But, then, Daredevil shows up to tell him he's nabbed an impostor and the real deal's still on the loose.

And now he's about to kill Betty Leeds!

There's a man on the rampage who hates nationalism and has no time for flags.

Obviously, the man who wouldn't have a wardrobe if they hadn't invented flags, and is named after a nation, can't put up with that kind of un-American madness!

The Marvel Lucky Bag - December 1975.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

I'm not sure anyone would label December 1975 a vintage year for movies but it did see the release of such never-to-be-forgotten offerings as The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother, Emmanuelle 2, The Man Who Would Be King, Carry On Behind, Breakheart Pass, The Hindenburg and Hustle.

I do believe I've not seen any of them. Not even Carry On Behind. Therefore, I shall leave it to others to pass judgement upon the status of any of those films in relation to the firmament of cinema history.

Covers that feature their star standing atop a pile of his foes tend to be reserved for barbarians, especially those of the Conan variety but, not to be outdone by the likes of them, Adam Warlock goes for that epic trope!

Exactly what happens inside, I'm not too sure but I do believe it to be the penultimate episode of his war with his future self.

Weird Wonder Tales brings us an Ed Hannigan cover we'll never forget, when The Totem strikes!

Which does raise the obvious question of who'd win a fight between The Totem and Tomazooma the living totem.

Personally, judging by that cover, I'd go for The Totem.

But, until we get the answer to that fateful question, I can tell you that, in this issue's lead story, the titular tower of timber terrifies two convicts into a state of shock - and then goes on a rampage through a reservation and its nearby town!

After that, we encounter Taboo! The Thing from the Murky Swamp!

And then we must survive a story called The Great Disappointment which I am sure will not live down to its title.

Especially as it involves a Soviet expedition to the moon, which ends with the cosmonauts being eaten by it!

And it seems American scientists knew all along that the moon is alive. And that's why they allowed the Soviets to get there first.

What a bunch of so-and-so's.

Needless to say, all these melodramas are reprints from Marvel's pre-Fantastic Four era.

Marvel Spotlight brought us the adventures of the Son of Satan.

And, now, Marvel Premiere brings us the adventures of his sister!

And it would appear this issue's main adventure involves our anti-heroine preventing someone called Dansker from destroying the world, in his attempts to escape from Satan.

Meanwhile, the backup strip is a reprint of her first-ever appearance, as sourced from 1973's Vampire Tales #2.

It's the only issue of the Inhumans' mag I ever owned.

But what an issue, as our idols must do battle with a bunch of ancient giant robots from space, which emerge from the ground and insist on swallowing members of their race.

Marvel has already given us its senses-shattering adaptation of The Golden Voyage of Sinbad.

And, now, it brings us its take on his earlier 7th Voyage.

As we all know, this involves a Cyclops, a Roc, a dragon and a living skeleton.

Not to mention an evil sorcerer, a beautiful princess and a sad genie.

I have to say, John Warner and Sonny Trinidad are going to do well to cram all of that into 20 pages.

Satana may have landed a starring role in Marvel Premiere but her brother only goes and bags himself an entire comic of his very own.

And in what style he launches it, as he pays yet another visit to Hell.

Only to discover it's not the happy and contented place it normally is.

And I close with a rare visit to Spidey Super Stories, as the web-headed wonder encounters Shanna the She-Devil who's dressed slightly more modestly than usual.

Beyond that, I can say little, other than that the pair encounter a villain called the Trapper.

From that name - and the presence of Shanna - I'm going to assume he's been poured from the same mould as Kraven the Hunter.

December 6th, 1975 - Marvel UK, 50 years ago this week.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

It's like a living nightmare. Of this week's comics, I only had Planet of the Apes.

Will I let that put me off talking about what was in the rest of them?

Of course I won't.

When it comes to the Inhumans, Black Bolt still has amnesia and is now in San Francisco, getting caught up in a civil rights protest.

Prince Namor defeats Warlord Krang, saves Lady Dorma and reclaims the throne of Atlantis.

Only for it to be hit by an earthquake.

Nick Fury has plenty on his hands when Hydra decides to set off a massive bomb!

It's World War Two and Captain America and Bucky must spend a night in Greymoor Castle. A place in which I believe German spies to be operating.

And tragedy strikes Captain Marvel, when his beloved Una dies.

But he barely has time to mourn her before a being called Zo decides to give him a whole new bunch of super-powers!

The Avengers are up against Arkon who still has the Scarlet Witch captive.

And, if that cover blurb's to believed, Conan's up against the Devil-Bats of Nergal!

From that, I can only assume, he's having to survive an adaptation of Robert E Howard's The Hand of Nergal.

Sadly, I am having trouble recalling just what that tale actually involves.

And Dr Strange is, at last, battling Shuma-Gorath who I think has just burst out of the Ancient One's brain!

Dracula, looking like he's about to hit the world's biggest chord on his piano - just before discovering he's forgotten to bring his piano.

But, inside, he has better things on his mind, as he must escape a room that's rapidly filling with water - and then try to find the statuette that everyone's been going on about for the past few issues.

And the Werewolf by Night?

It seems his search for a cure is about to lead him into conflict with a mild-mannered scientist who accidentally drinks a formula that turns him into a Mr Hyde knock-off called DePrayve.

Meanwhile, the Living Mummy and friends encounter a bunch of the Elementals' lackeys on the streets of Cairo.

This week's thrilling instalment of Escape from the Planet of the Apes is called When the Calliope Cries Death.

What that title has to do with Escape from the Planet of the Apes, I have no idea.

Then again, perhaps it means this is the week in which the chimps are introduced to Ricardo Montalban's circus.

In his strip, Ka-Zar bumps into both the Man-Thing and agents of AIM.

And I do believe it means we experience that weird gear shift in which the art switches from being by John Buscema to being by Neal Adams and back again, with Adams' artwork suffering from some of the heaviest, scratchiest, awkwardest, obscuringest, inking I've ever seen.

Meanwhile, the Black Panther confronts his would-be usurper Erik Killmonger, at a waterfall, and gets flung off it.

This is the issue in which we get to see Gog beat up a tyrannosaurus but, also, the one in which we get to see him drown in quicksand.

I can't help feeling that's not really a happy ending.

Still, the good news is that it, at least, foils Kraven's plan to do whatever it is he was planning to do.

Next, the Unicorn's out to wreck a science convention, for reasons that escape me. And that can only mean it's a job for Iron Man.

Following that, Thor and the Warriors Three are failing to stop Thermal Man's rampage around New York.

But, fortunately for mankind, the Communist party of China is about to come to the rescue!

With a great big bomb!

Don't look now but it's Aquon!

Half man.

Half fish.

Half witted.

And all hissy

Yes, the Captain Omen drama rolls on, as the Hulk's recruited by Omen's crew, in the hope he can help them overthrow the ageing tyrant.

But, first, there's Aquon to be dealt with.

And a room full of water.

Elsewhere, Daredevil's still trying to prevent Starr Saxon's robot from killing Biggie Benson.

And still making a terrible job of it.

Never mind. There are always other people around to sort that kind of mess out.

And the Fantastic Four shrink themselves down to sub-atomic size, as they search the Microverse for the Silver Surfer.

But we get an extra treat, this week, thanks to a short tale titled Spell of the Sea Witch in which a bank robber's flight from justice leads him to encounter the ghosts of pirates.

Or does it?

It looks like it might be curtains for Giant-Man when the Porcupine discovers where he lives!

But, then, the prickly pilchard does a Stilt-Man and accidentally shrinks himself to sub-atomic size!

Which does make me wonder if he bumps into the Silver Surfer while he's down there.

Elsewhere, the Cat and Spider-Man are battling the Man-Killer whose mind snaps when she discovers she's, unknowingly, been working for a bunch of men!

And the X-Men must overcome a Count Nefaria who's assembled a crack team of villains that includes such heavyweights as the Scarecrow, Plantman, the Eel and Porcupine!

Clearly, if you're a fan of the Porcupine, this is the issue for you.

Fifty years ago today - December 1975.

Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon. 

***

Did you know that, in December 1975, George and Kathleen Lutz moved into a new house in Amityville, New York?

I think you can guess what happened next.

But what happened in the Marvel comics which bore that month as their cover date?

George and Kathleen need to take a leaf out of Conan's book. He'd just hack the house to pieces.

But, right now, he has other matters on his mind, as he begins an adaptation of Robert E Howard's Queen of the Black Coast. The fateful drama in which he first encounters Bêlit!

Hooray! Death-Stalker's always been my favourite Daredevil foe!

Admittedly, that's not much of an achievement, as, until that villain showed up, Hornhead's arch-enemy had been the Stilt-Man.

I must confess to not knowing what's happening on the cover but I do know that, inside, the bounder tries to zap our hero, with a gun made from stolen mirrors!

As for, "The most startling character in the annals of Marveldom!" I'm going to assume he's the Sky-Walker. A man of whom I know nothing.

The Crusader's still causing trouble.

But what dainty little blasts he's firing from his hands there.

I seem to remember the Locust being a less than classic villain.

I also seem to remember not being able to remember much of what happens in this one; other than there being a traffic jam involved and that this is probably the issue in which Sal Buscema replaces Herb Trimpe as regular penciller on the book.

I'm assuming, from the setting, that that character who looks like the Sub-Mariner isn't really the Sub-Mariner?

Whoever he is, I've not read this one and know nothing of it, beyond Firebrand being involved.

It's the cover you thought you'd never see! Spider-Man threatening a rat!

More importantly, this issue sees the return of the Shocker who plunges an entire New York city block into darkness for reasons I don't recall.

Regardless, it means Peter Parker must abandon a party thrown by J Jonah Jameson - and leave MJ fuming.

And it's not just the Shocker who's about to return to Marvelville - because the arrival of the Servitor can, surely, mean only one thing.

That Zarrko: The Tomorrow Man can't be far behind!

I first read this tale in the 1977 Titans Annual. A review of which you can read by clicking on this very link.

As we can probably guess from the cover, that psinister psychiatrist Dr Faustus is back - and has hijacked a passenger jet, with the aid of his men and a woman called Karla!

It was in this story that I first discovered the American emergency number is 911 and not the 999 we use in our very own land of mists and crumpets.

This looks suspiciously like the issue before the one in which the Avengers must fight Kang in the American Wild West, thanks to a quest to find Hawkeye.

The concluding part of that tale was, of course, reprinted in Marvel UK's 1977 Avengers Annual, with great chunks excised to make it fit the page count.

And I do believe It may have been the first time I ever encountered Moondragon.

This one didn't appear in any 1977 Marvel UK annuals, as far as I'm aware.

That's not to say it didn't deserve to.

It is, of course, a tale which manages the unique feat of owing a debt to both Night of the Demon and the Star Trek episode in which Captain Kirk emerges from an obelisk, starts calling himself Kirok and takes to living with Native Americans from outer space.

Anyway, it all kicks off when Cyclops, upset over the death of Thunderbird, destroys an ancient monument and inadvertently unleashes a demonic - and unkillable - entity from another dimension!

That's Marvel's big hitters dealt with.

But we must never forget the presence of another company. One that rivals Marvel itself in size.

And, therefore, I propose we take a look at what a random selection of titles from that company - and bearing the same cover date - resemble.

Comicdom's latest barbarian is back, and I've included him purely for the strangeness of Ernie Chan's cover.

I know little of the contents of its insides but am aware that, when Claw and someone called Ghilkyn save someone called Cybilyth from someone who's doing sacrificing, the local sorcerer opens a rift to another dimension. One which allows a bunch of hostile giants to show up!

I'm assuming that was his intention.

If not, that was quite careless of him.

The always idiosyncratic 1st Issue Special gives us what would appear to be Dr Fate fighting the Sphinx which has now learnt to fly!

Beyond that, I can say nothing of the events that unfold within the pages of this comic. Other than that they would appear to take place in Boston which is a city I was not aware existed in the DC universe.

What's this?

The Joker?

About to fling Diana Prince off a bridge?

To her doom?

Oh. Apparently, not. It would appear she's Dinah Lance, real-world identity of the Black Canary.

And it would also appear the fiend has kidnapped her!

And that only her boyfriend the Green Arrow can save her!

Jack Kirby's departing for Marvel - and it's the last issue of Justice Inc.

But do both creator and creation go out with style?

Sadly, I cannot say, having never read this issue.

However, I'm sure there'll be plenty of action for the Avenger to fight his way through.

Jack Kirby's departing for Marvel - and it's the last issue of Omac but do both creator and creation go out with style?

I don't have a clue.

But I can say that, according to the GCD, in his headquarters, Skuba's "children" show Buddy his Chamber of Monsters.

I've no idea what any of that means.

To be honest, my knowledge of Dick Tracy comes entirely from having once watched the Warren Beatty/Madonna movie.

And I don't remember anything about it.

Fortunately, DC hands us an entire Limited Collectors' Edition to bring us up to speed.

The core of the book is a 59-page epic, reprinted from the mid-1940s, in which our hero encounters characters with such names as Flattop, Tess Truehart and Vitamin Flintheart.

We're also treated to a two-page Rogue's Galley and many a one-page featurette about the great man himself.

But what's this? Is there no 3D diorama?

In a DC Limited Collectors' Edition?

Who are these publishers? And what have they done with DC?