Hey thanks for checking out my blog, every Friday I will be going into a bit more depth about a few of my 'Birthday Books' which are comic books cover dated September 1969, these babies were born at the same time as me. Most of them are graded higher than I am though 😆
The Brave and the Bold #85
Story - Bob Haney
Art - Neal Adams/Dick Giordano
Cover - Neal Adams
Grade - VG
The Senator's Been Shot!
Green Arrow is completely redesigned in this issue, featuring a new costume and his trademark goatee for the first time.
When Bruce Wayne's friend senator Paul Cathcart is shot the Governor asks Bruce to replace him in the role so he can cast the deciding vote in an important Anti-crime Bill. The bill targets crime organisations like that of Mr Minotaur, the #1 suspect for organising the assassination attempt. Meanwhile Green Arrow as Oliver Queen is working on plans for the 'New Island' building project, his main rival for the deal is Argonaut Unlimited, the construction company ran by Minotaur. If Minotaur wins he'd be able to control crime in the state and have influence over state finances & the Government. Bruce & Oliver are both considering that their real identities should perhaps take precedence over their alter-egos, maybe as a senator and financier they can do more than Batman & Green Arrow can. Both heroes reveal their identities to Senator Cathcart's son psychiatrist Edmund, wanting his opinion if they should abandon their hero lives to do good in their real identities.
Our hero's team-up and get trapped in Minotaur's labyrinth but manage to escape in time for Ollie to tender his plans for the development and arrest Minotaur and Bruce arrives at the senate just in time to pass the important bill. Bruce and Oliver both conclude to Edmund that their aliases are too important to give up on and Edmund self-hypnotises to forget their secret identities!!
The Senator's Been Shot!
Green Arrow is completely redesigned in this issue, featuring a new costume and his trademark goatee for the first time.
When Bruce Wayne's friend senator Paul Cathcart is shot the Governor asks Bruce to replace him in the role so he can cast the deciding vote in an important Anti-crime Bill. The bill targets crime organisations like that of Mr Minotaur, the #1 suspect for organising the assassination attempt. Meanwhile Green Arrow as Oliver Queen is working on plans for the 'New Island' building project, his main rival for the deal is Argonaut Unlimited, the construction company ran by Minotaur. If Minotaur wins he'd be able to control crime in the state and have influence over state finances & the Government. Bruce & Oliver are both considering that their real identities should perhaps take precedence over their alter-egos, maybe as a senator and financier they can do more than Batman & Green Arrow can. Both heroes reveal their identities to Senator Cathcart's son psychiatrist Edmund, wanting his opinion if they should abandon their hero lives to do good in their real identities.
Our hero's team-up and get trapped in Minotaur's labyrinth but manage to escape in time for Ollie to tender his plans for the development and arrest Minotaur and Bruce arrives at the senate just in time to pass the important bill. Bruce and Oliver both conclude to Edmund that their aliases are too important to give up on and Edmund self-hypnotises to forget their secret identities!!
World's Finest Comics #187
Grade - 4.5
Cover - Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson, Gaspar Saladino
Two stories in this book -
The Demon Superman!
Story - Robert Kanigher
Cover - Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson, Gaspar Saladino
Two stories in this book -
The Demon Superman!
Story - Robert Kanigher
Art - Ross Andru/Mike Esposito
This is a bit of Silver Age madness which made my head ache 😂. We start off straight in the action, in colonial era Salem Superman has convinced the populace to have Batman burnt at the stake as a demon, as pictured in the cover he uses his heat ray eyes to start the fire. Flashing back to the beginning of the adventure in modern day we see Batman & Superman intrigued by an old bust's likeness to Bruce, so the pair travel back in time by means of Superman's time barrier busting flight. The 1st thing they do in the past is rescue Sylvia a woman being ducked into the river accused of being a witch. Back to our story, Batman accuses Superman of being a demon and challenges the townsfolk to cut a lock of his hair which they can not as it's as strong as steel. Superman flies away and joins the British forces, Batman is released and he and Sylvia meet up with Bruce's revolutionary ancestor 'Mad' Anthony Wayne just in time to be captured alongside him by Superman. Anthony's bugler, young Robby Douglas follows them to the British camp where 'Mad' Anthony has refused to talk and he and Wayne were to be executed and Superman orders them to fight each other to the death. Robby charges in and Batman gives him a small rock of Kryptonite to catapault at Superman, this hits him and brings him back to his senses. After the British are sent fleeing the real story of events emerge. Superman had noticed that Batman is casting no shadow and realised he was possessed by an Afreet, an evil spirit, so he had him put on the stake to 'scare' the spirit out but then it possesses him until the kryptonite bonk on the head makes it flee. We also discover that the bust they saw that prompted the adventure was made by Sylvia of Batman adding a time paradox to the already brain hurting tale.
The Green Arrow's First Case
Story - Jack Kirby/Ed Herron
Art - Jack Kirby/Roz Kirby
In this tale we follow Green Arrow (in his original costume) and Speedy as they travel to Starfish Island to stop an expedition there from discovering his secret identity. In flashback we learn of Oliver getting marooned there and honing his archery skills and creating his 1st trick arrows. He created a diary of sorts, chiselling his progress on the wall of a cave which if found will give away his secret identity. He takes advantage of nuclear bomb testing in the area to use a fake uranium arrow that sets off their geiger counter and forces them to leave the island and Arrow's secret behind them.This is a bit of Silver Age madness which made my head ache 😂. We start off straight in the action, in colonial era Salem Superman has convinced the populace to have Batman burnt at the stake as a demon, as pictured in the cover he uses his heat ray eyes to start the fire. Flashing back to the beginning of the adventure in modern day we see Batman & Superman intrigued by an old bust's likeness to Bruce, so the pair travel back in time by means of Superman's time barrier busting flight. The 1st thing they do in the past is rescue Sylvia a woman being ducked into the river accused of being a witch. Back to our story, Batman accuses Superman of being a demon and challenges the townsfolk to cut a lock of his hair which they can not as it's as strong as steel. Superman flies away and joins the British forces, Batman is released and he and Sylvia meet up with Bruce's revolutionary ancestor 'Mad' Anthony Wayne just in time to be captured alongside him by Superman. Anthony's bugler, young Robby Douglas follows them to the British camp where 'Mad' Anthony has refused to talk and he and Wayne were to be executed and Superman orders them to fight each other to the death. Robby charges in and Batman gives him a small rock of Kryptonite to catapault at Superman, this hits him and brings him back to his senses. After the British are sent fleeing the real story of events emerge. Superman had noticed that Batman is casting no shadow and realised he was possessed by an Afreet, an evil spirit, so he had him put on the stake to 'scare' the spirit out but then it possesses him until the kryptonite bonk on the head makes it flee. We also discover that the bust they saw that prompted the adventure was made by Sylvia of Batman adding a time paradox to the already brain hurting tale.
The Green Arrow's First Case
Story - Jack Kirby/Ed Herron
Art - Jack Kirby/Roz Kirby
The House of Secrets #81
Grade - VG
Cover - Neal Adams
This features another character who shares a birthday with me!! I am kind of happy about this but wary too!! Why is that you may ask? Well the character is Abel, this book shows his 1st appearance and later he becomes the book's host. If you know Abel you know he is the 1st murder victim, cursed to be killed over & over again by his brother Cain! So it's cool to share a birthday with another cool DC character but that one is quite.... hmmm! 💀
Don't Move It!
Story - Mike Friedrich
Cover - Neal Adams
This features another character who shares a birthday with me!! I am kind of happy about this but wary too!! Why is that you may ask? Well the character is Abel, this book shows his 1st appearance and later he becomes the book's host. If you know Abel you know he is the 1st murder victim, cursed to be killed over & over again by his brother Cain! So it's cool to share a birthday with another cool DC character but that one is quite.... hmmm! 💀
Don't Move It!
Story - Mike Friedrich
Art - Jerry Grandenetti/George Roussos
The new owner of the House of Secrets, Mr Barkus, is in the process of relocating it from Kentucky but the house doesn't want to leave, it was build by hand with all Kentuckian resources, and a wailing noise is heard the closer it reaches the state line. Going to investigate the source of the noise, we learn the original owner's wife went mad in the house and all owners after the original never stayed for longer than 3 months, we also hear about the locked room. Barkus gets spooked and flees from the house, just then the trailer breaks and the house rolls down hill with Barkus running before it. He runs off a cliff's edge but the house stops short mysteriously of plunging over the precipice.
House of Secrets
The new owner of the House of Secrets, Mr Barkus, is in the process of relocating it from Kentucky but the house doesn't want to leave, it was build by hand with all Kentuckian resources, and a wailing noise is heard the closer it reaches the state line. Going to investigate the source of the noise, we learn the original owner's wife went mad in the house and all owners after the original never stayed for longer than 3 months, we also hear about the locked room. Barkus gets spooked and flees from the house, just then the trailer breaks and the house rolls down hill with Barkus running before it. He runs off a cliff's edge but the house stops short mysteriously of plunging over the precipice.
House of Secrets
Art - Bill Draut
Following on from the last story we see Abel being shown around the house by a realtor, he is to be the new caretaker saying it 'runs in the family' (His murderous brother Cain caretakes/presents the House of Mystery comic). He gets a fright from his brother Cain who asks Abel who he's talking to, he cannot see the realtor who becomes a spirit and merges with the house. Cain accuses him of cowardice and seeking to prove he isn't Abel proceeds to tell a story....
Aaron Philips' Photo Finish
There is a one-page text only story called "Burn This House" just before this one where a paranormal investigator stops townsfolk from burning down the house by proving the house has no ghosts, then when they leave he's revealed to be a ghost faking the results.
In this story presented by Abel we hear about Aaron Philips a sleezy photographer who takes damaging pictures of people and extorts them for money and if they can't pay he publishes and ruins them. He even has leverage on the newspaper editor he sells to. This editor sends him to get dirt on Senator Sandsfield, Philips plans to break into his house whilst he is out. He is spooked when an exterior polaroid shot doesn't show the house when he takes a photo of it but he still ventures in becoming more spooked as he goes. He goes into a room (is it the locked room?) and there is a click and we see Philips sheilding his face. The story cuts back to Abel standing by the fireplace who tells Cain that Philips was never seen again. Cain leaves inviting Abel to come visit him sometime on his house on the other side of the cemetary and Abel retires to bed, we see a photo of Philips captured in fear poking out from under a door. (Again I think it's the locked room)
Following on from the last story we see Abel being shown around the house by a realtor, he is to be the new caretaker saying it 'runs in the family' (His murderous brother Cain caretakes/presents the House of Mystery comic). He gets a fright from his brother Cain who asks Abel who he's talking to, he cannot see the realtor who becomes a spirit and merges with the house. Cain accuses him of cowardice and seeking to prove he isn't Abel proceeds to tell a story....
Aaron Philips' Photo Finish
Story - Gerry Conway
Art - Jack SparlingThere is a one-page text only story called "Burn This House" just before this one where a paranormal investigator stops townsfolk from burning down the house by proving the house has no ghosts, then when they leave he's revealed to be a ghost faking the results.
In this story presented by Abel we hear about Aaron Philips a sleezy photographer who takes damaging pictures of people and extorts them for money and if they can't pay he publishes and ruins them. He even has leverage on the newspaper editor he sells to. This editor sends him to get dirt on Senator Sandsfield, Philips plans to break into his house whilst he is out. He is spooked when an exterior polaroid shot doesn't show the house when he takes a photo of it but he still ventures in becoming more spooked as he goes. He goes into a room (is it the locked room?) and there is a click and we see Philips sheilding his face. The story cuts back to Abel standing by the fireplace who tells Cain that Philips was never seen again. Cain leaves inviting Abel to come visit him sometime on his house on the other side of the cemetary and Abel retires to bed, we see a photo of Philips captured in fear poking out from under a door. (Again I think it's the locked room)
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