I'm starting this thread for the little things that I've discovered while re-reading my old books. This will probably be trivia of the most trivial nature but it is what it is!
Today I picked out TWO things from Detective Comics #446 (Ap'75):
1) In the lead BATMAN story which is the third part of the "Bat-Murderer" arc, the Dark Knight sneaks into the police morgue disguised as an elderly janitor, a trick that he learned from THE SHADOW who did the same thing. Sadly I don't have an image of that page but there is a small headshot of the Shadow included. Now in 1975, DC was publishing The Shadow comic book and Batman met his predecessor in two issues of his own title, Batman #253 (N'73) and #259 (D'74) so the reference makes sense.
But when the story was reprinted in the digest Best of DC #9 (F'81), the panel and reference were left intact despite DC no longer having the rights to the Shadow (at that time). I found that a bit surprising. However the much later Tales of the Batman: Len Wein and Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Vol. 3 also have the panel intact! The oddest thing is that the two Batman/Shadow team-ups were NEVER reprinted!
While this issue was by no means a third Batman/Shadow pairing, it did make me regret that we never saw the two in Brave & Bold! So we're bereft of a Jim Aparo Shadow rendering and whatever weird story Bob Haney could have come up with!
Small observation: this chapter in the "Bat-Murderer" story could have been dropped as it did not move the plot along much as it focused on the debut of the rather pedestrian Sterling Silversmith and his bizarre motivation. He was hoarding silver in case the world switched from the gold standard to a silver one!
2) There was also a HAWKMAN back-up feature. The Winged Wonder just returned to Earth after a lengthy absence in Justice League of America #117 (Ap'75). According to the GCD, that issue came out at the beginning of January while Detective #446 came out at the end of January, which one must admit a quick transition. It's not so amazing though since Julius Schwartz was the editor of both books and E. Nelson Bridwell was the writer of the Hawkman story and the associate editor of both books!
The strange thing is that the story showed us Shayera Hol/Shiera Hall/Hawkgirl back on Earth still recovering from the Equalizer Plague with a footnote referencing her return in JLA #119 (Ju'75), a book that would not be published for TWO MONTHS! Thus readers of Detective were given a spoiler for JLA!
More to follow!
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I still have no clue how V.T. Hamlin came up with the name Queen Umpateedle.
It kind of sounds like "Tweedledum" in Pig Latin or something, but other than that I have no idea. A play on Cleopatra's Needle, somehow?
I do remember reading somewhere that Oola's full name is "Oola La," as in "Ooh la la!"
My Dad always pronounced Ooola as "Oo-ola", like "you cola" without the "y" or the "c". I've no idea where he got that from, I just accepted it because it was the sort of thing that he would know.
On a similar note, his father pronounced "Joe Btfsplk" from Li'l Abner as "Joe Beefsteak". I've no idea where Grandpa got that from, either. I've always pronounced it something like "Bət-fəs-pəlk", with the "schwa" sounds very clipped.
Perhaps the Queen's name is a play on Cleopatra's Needle?
I was today years old when I learned that Henry Peter Gyrich was originally intened to be the grown-up version of Peter the Little Pest.
NOTE: "Peter the Little Pest" is actually "Melvin the Monster" with his hair recolored.
And I was today years old when I learned that, in order to have your name mentioned at the end of Romper Room, someone had to write in to the local TV affiliate and request to be put on the list!
I never heard my name mentioned once. (Tracy says I need to "Let it go.")
I never knew that. I always figured that she just read out random names, assuming that there must be a "Johnny" or a "Susie" out there watching.
Me, too. But every once in a while she'd throw out something unusual like Alphonse or Belvedere and I'd think, "What? That and no Jeff?"
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