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recovering from the Equalizer Plague with a footnote referencing her return in JLA #119 (Ju'75), a book that would not be published for TWO MONTHS!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!
Replies
DC wrote a new War Wheel story in 1982
Another homage was the BIG WHEEL from Amazing Spider-Man #183 (Au'78)!
Also posted on the BACK ISSUE website:
GIANT-SIZE AVENGERS #1 (Au'74) was out in May 1974 and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #113 (O'74) was out in June 1974 yet both told very similar stories!
The former by Roy Thomas, Rich Buckler (ala Kirby) and Dan Adkins told the tale of NUKLO ("The Invader Time Forgot!"), the irradiated offspring of Golden Age Timely heroes the WHIZZER and MISS AMERICA (now deceased) kept in suspended animation for twenty-five years and breaks free as an atomic giant infant and goes on a rampage, causing the Avengers to split up and battle him three times. Eventually he's subdued and placed back in suspended animation.
And the Whizzer suffers a heart attack, discovers that he's the father of the Scarlet Witch (and Quicksilver who is not even there!) and gets a big case of paternal guilt!
The latter by Len Wein, Dick Dillin and Dick Giordano told the tale of SANDY HAWKINS, the Golden Boy and kid sidekick of THE SANDMAN who after an accident is turned into the SANDY MONSTER and is kept unconscious for decades as "The Creature in the Velvet Cage!". Breaking free, the JLA and JSA split into teams to stop his (seemingly) mindless rampage. Eventually the truth is revealed and Sandy is exonerated.
And the Sandman's conscience is destroyed and he suffers guilt galore! (And he's somehow the father of the Elongated Man! LOL!)
Though both characters would reappear, neither Roy or Len did anything with them. Two monsters connected to the Golden Age, both giants, both yellow and both speechless (at first).
After giving the Whizzer a heart attack, Roy would have the Sandman suffer a stroke a decade later in Infinity Inc #1.
I never noticed the similarity of those two stories before! Of course, I didn't really care for either of them, either.
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