Groove's Faves: 100-Page Super Spectacular DC-14 and a Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, Groove-ophiles! It doesn't seem that long ago that we were here welcoming in 2010, but sure 'nuff it's been a whole year. 2011. Wow. When I was but a Li'l Groove we thought we'd have flying cars by now. Or at least cars as cool as the Batmobile. That reminds me of a fave comic bought, believe it or not, on New Years Day 1973...

When I was but a Young Groove, the family usually spent New Years Day just hanging out at the house, enjoying each other, our Christmas gifts, and some quality time in front of the TV. On New Years Day 1973, though, Dear Ol' Dad decided to get out of the house for a few minutes and asked me if I'd like to tag along. Of course I would! I knew that a trip anywhere with DoD would mean I had a chance at a spinner-rack and a new comic. Sure 'nuff, he turned me loose at that magical merry-go-round of four color ecstasy, knowing full well I'd find something. And I did. Not just any old comic, mind ya, but DC's 100-Page Super Spectacular (DC-14) featuring Batman! DoD forked over a pair of quarters for that squarebound pile of nostalgic newsprint without batting an eyelash. Wotta guy!

It was an extra-special purchase for another reason, too--DC's 100-Page Super Specs had returned, baby! Back in the summer of 72 DC had quit making the Super Specs and replaced them with reprint mags like Secret Origins, Wanted, Johnny Thunder, Legion of Super-Heroes, Doom Patrol, and more. Those were great, and Young Groove snapped 'em up, but nothing could beat those 100-Page Super Spectaculars. They were missed. DC, bless 'em, heard fandom's cry and released this baby the day after Christmas, 1972. For more info on the return of the Super-Specs, as well as how editor-par-excellence E. Nelson Bridwell handled filling 100 pages with Gold and Silver Age classics, here are the letters pages for this ish. (And as an added bonus dig master letterhack Ricard H. Morrissey's "review" of Batman: From the 30s to the 70s--another classic Ol' Groove's gotta tackle one'a these days...)

I was glad the Specs were back, and let me tell ya, Groove-ophiles, I was in comicbook heaven. I had never seen an actual Bob Kane Batman tale before, so when I glommed his art on the two part Monk storyline (written by the great Gardner Fox making his Batman debut!), well, I flipped. Though I had really dug the art of Irv Novick, Bob Brown, and especially Neal Adams, this version of The Batman, with those long ears and the cape looking like batwings at every turn, was the ultimate version for me. (I think that's why I cottoned to Marshall Rogers' version so much.)

The Atom tale rocked me, too. Another classic written by Fox, this time the art was by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson. Not only did I get to read the first adventure of the Atom in costume, but it was his classic battle with the other "tiny titan" Kulan Dar!

T'was the Atom's first time traveling via telephone, as well, complete with "scientific explanation". Can he pull that trick with a cell phone, I wonder?

The Blackhawk story was cool, too. "The Treasure of Ghanpat!" had slick art by Reed Crandall and Charles Cuidera, plenty of action, and really far-out airplanes. I always dug airplanes.

Speaking of airplanes, the Wonder Woman tale put her invisible plane to good use, and the H.G. Peters art was nifty in a weird kinda way, but WW creator William Marston's stories always left me cold. This one involving riding around on saddled kangaroos was the only disappointment in an otherwise perfect ish.

I always thought Doll Man had a dumb name and a dumb costume (sorry, but it's true), but danged if he didn't have fun adventures and great art (Reed Crandall? Bill Quackenbush?). Just take this1950 tale, f'rinstance. It was a hoot. And any superhero that has a dog--especially one named Elmo!-- for a sidekick was always cool with Young Groove.

After Batman, for some reason Wildcat was always my fave Golden Age DC hero. Was it the all-black costume? The wildcat mask? The motorcycle? The fact that he was a boxer? His sidekick/manager Stretch Skinner (introduced in this Bill Finger/Irwin Hasen classic)? Maybe it was all of the above.

Finally, "The Batmobile of 1950!" was the kind of story that really fired up Young Groove's imagination. All the stuff Batman could cram into that super-car just blew my mind! And as a fan of Speed Racer, watching the Batmobile leap across a crumbling bridge made me cheer. Joe Samachson, Dick Sprang, and Charles Paris could do no wrong in my eyes!

Yeah, it was a great New Years Day. I still have that tattered, coverless mag and great memories to go with it. Thanks again, Dear Ol' Dad! (Special thanks to The Old Warrior for the excellent scans on his truly far-out blog, DC 100-Page Super Spectacular Comic Book Downloads.)