By the start of the Silver Age, Mort Weisinger had complete control of the Superman family of magazines, and he was stuck with a nigh-invincible hero who could juggle planets, outrace comets, and shrug off atomic blasts. Fortunately, he had also inh
It’s summertime, and a half-century ago, if you were a DC fan, it meant the arrival of the annual team-up between the Justice League and the Justice Society. In the spirit of those fondly remembered sagas, I’ve dedicated this year’s quiz to Earth-Tw
If you lived in the Marvel Universe during the Silver Age and you wanted to join the Avengers, you had to be a super-hero, or a super-villain who promised, cross your heart, to reform---the Assemblers were take-your-word-for-it sort of guys---then pa
In Adventure Comics # 350 (Nov., 1966), a cloud of green-kryptonite particles drifts down from outer space, engulfing the stratosphere of the Earth, A.D. 2966. The varied abilities of the Legion of Super-Heroes prove futile in removing or destroying
Imagine that you’re participating in one of my “Comic Book Jeopardy!” quizzes . . . .
Under ‘Silver-Age Avengers Tenures’ for $50, the answer is . . . . “This hero left the Avengers only five issues after being made a member.”
The clock is ticking, f
Read more…I’m going to do something different this time.
In past Christmas Deck Log entries, I’ve written about wondrous events that took place when people were imbued with the Christmas spirit, that feeling that transcends religion and fills one with the hear
Read more…For many of the millions of Americans celebrating Thanksgiving to-day, one thing rises above all else. Football! Go on, admit it---there's a game going on your television set right now, isn't there?
Much to my late father’s chagrin, I was not, and a
Read more…Time!
I always get a kick out of reading the posts in response to one of my quizzes. I get to see the sharp headwork you fellows apply, and there’s always one or more of you who manage to dodge a snare I’ve laid down. You’re a tough bunch to fool.
Read more…It’s summer again, and time for the annual tradition here. No, I don’t team up with my parallel-world counterpart to tackle a crisis. I mean, it’s time for my annual Silver-Age trivia quiz.
These things are getting tougher to write. I’ve always ha
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How many of these DCU shows do you remember?
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(After the Baron's thread on the Marvel Comics' Champions series wound up last month, I couldn't resist dusting off, polishing up, and re-presenting my piece on the other guys.)
The Champions: Craig Stirling, Sharron Macready, and Richard Barrett.
Read more…The summer-quiz bug bit me again, gang, although I have to admit, the season almost got by me. I got the idea for a couple of really good questions early in the year, but it took me several months to fill out my card. By then, I had to finish my tw
“The Battle of the Baxter Building”
Editor and writer: Stan Lee Art: Jack Kirby (pencils), Vince Colletta (inks)
The first half of this forgotten gem left off with the individual members of the Fantastic Four---now powerless from the effects of th
Read more…“A Blind Man Shall Lead Them”
Editor and writer: Stan Lee Art: Jack Kirby (pencils), Frank Giacoia (inks)
Scholars of the comic Fantastic Four mark 1965 as a watershed year in the series’ history. Up to that year, the adventures of the title’s st
Read more…This is the story of a Christmas present given in faith that it would be delivered fifteen years later.
Yeah, I’ve been rummaging through the dustbin of America’s cultural memory, again. It’s surprising how much of our way of life and the freedoms w
Read more…Before the holiday break, I had been talking about Aunt Harriet, the character introduced in 1964 by newly appointed Batman editor Julius Schwartz. The idea was to deflect accusations, first suggested by psychiatrist Frederic Wertham, that Bruce Way
It’s that time of the year, again.
The season when the cable stations fill their time slots with holiday-themed films. The old black-and-white classics and the modern Technicolor wanna-bes. Usually leading off the seasonal schedule is the appropria
Read more…Raise your hand if you believe that the character of Aunt Harriet was created by the producers of the Batman television series, which ran from 1966 to 1968. The folks who frequent the Captain Comics site are, by and large, a comics-savvy bunch. Yet
Those of you with long memories and an interest in such a thing will remember Jeff of Earth-J’s thread on the television soap opera Dark Shadows. Jeff introduced it in 2010 and it picked up a good head of steam, running strong for years. Even five
Three . . . two . . . one.
Step back. Hands in the air.
Wow! Lots of comments on this one. I love that. Philip Portelli had posted his answers so fast---I mean, he’s usually fast, but this time, it was almost like he had been looking over my sho
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