Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Conclusion

Adventure Comics #443 (Feb 1976)

title: "Confrontation!"

writer: Joe Samachson

art: Dick Dillin & Tex Blaisdell

editor: Joe Orlando

cover: Jim Aparo (signed)

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Chapter 6

Adventure Comics #442 (Dec 1975)

title: "Gnome Man's Land"

writer: Joe Samachson

art: Jose Luis Garcia Lopez & Mike Royer
editor: Joe Orlando

cover: Jim Aparo (signed)

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Chapter 5

Adventure Comics #441 (October 1975)

title: "Dead End Animals!"

writer: Joe Samachson

art: Ernie Chua

editor: Joe Orlando

cover: Jim Aparo (signed)

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Chapter 4

Adventure Comics #440 (August 1975)

title: "Kings Make A Full House!"

writer: Joe Samachson

art: Mike Grell

editor: Joe Orlando

cover: Jim Aparo (signed)

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Chapter 3

Adventure Comics #439 (June 1975)

title: "Father Time's Inn!"

writer: Joe Samachson

art: Lee Elias

editor: Joe Orlando

cover: Jim Aparo (signed)

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Chapter 2

Adventure Comics #438 (April 1975)

title: "Knight After Knight!"

writer: Joe Samachson

art: Howard Chaykin

editor: Joe Orlando

cover: Jim Aparo (signed)

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Chapter 1

Adventure Comics #438 (April 1975)

title: "Land of Magic!"

writer: Joe Samachson

art: Dick Dillin & Tex Blaisdell

editor: Joe Orlando

cover: Jim Aparo (signed)

Seven Soldiers of Victory The Land of Magic Prelude

I picked up three specific issues of Adventure Comics in 1975: the three Spectre lead issues that also featured Aquaman as the back-up series. There is a lot I could write about these three issues, but the reason I bring it up today is that at the end of Adventure #437 is a half-page ad for a series it took me YEARS to complete: a "new" adventure of the Seven Soldiers of Victory!

The Supremes in 1967

1967 is colloquially known as "the summer of love," the name given to the time when thousands of young people congregated in San Francisco's Haight-Asbury neighborhood.

Musically speaking, fifty years ago the Monkees released their best album, Headquarters, and it hit number one on the album chart June 24, 1967. The week after that, the Beatles' Sgt Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band took the top spot and was there for fifteen weeks. Finally, they gave up the top the week of October 28, when the Supremes' Greatest Hits took the top spot and stayed there for 5 weeks. Ironically enough, it was replaced by another Monkees album (Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, Ltd.).

If you are a fan of Motown in general or of the Supremes in particular, you know that Summer 1967 is an important time for the group, and not because of "love." Today we're going to talk about the events of that epic year.

The last show of  the Supremes with their original line-up occurred on July 1, 1967. The first show of the new line-up of the Supremes also occurred on that day.  In-between those matinee and evening shows, original member Florence Ballard left the group, and Cindy Birdsong took her place.

Gilligan's Island and The Brady Bunch

Today marks the anniversary of the debuts of two iconic television series: Gilligan's Island made its debut on CBS-TV on this date in 1964, and then five years later to the day, The Brady Bunch made *its* debut on ABC-TV.

Mission: Impossible at 50

Was 1966 the greatest season in TV history? It may seem that way, as we have already noted that Star Trek and The Monkees both made their debuts in September 1966. This week we look at one last classic from the Class of 1966: the iconic spy thriller, Mission: Impossible! 

Wednesday Comics: The Invaders

I have always read comic-books. I of course love new stuff, but like new TV, movies, or music you sometimes don't enjoy it as much as you would hope. However, with OLD stuff, you can relive the joy over and over again.

This time I want to talk about a little-known but much-loved series called The Invaders. It was published by Marvel during the mid-70s (1975 ~1979 to be precise). It starred Captain America and his young partner Bucky, the Golden Age Human Torch and his young partner Toro, and the Sub-Mariner. Although it was published in the Seventies, it was actually set during the early days of World War 2...early 1942, I believe.

Happy Birthday, Dame Diana Rigg!

To help celebrate the birthday of Mrs. Emma Peel, I thought I would scan cards in the Strictly Ink Avengers Series One collectible card set that feature Diana Rigg. I figured many people hadn't seen these before....

Two Super Birthdays Today!

September 25 is the birthday of two iconic Seventies heroes: Luke Skywalker and Superman himself!

The Man From UNCLE 51st Birthday

On September 22, 1964 an unknown spy organization made its unheralded debut on network television. The Man From UNCLE was green-lighted as a series after NBC executives saw the pilot film and thought that they could ride the coat-tails of the then-uber popular James Bond spy trend.

Little did they know that The Man From UNCLE would not only ride those coat-tails, they would expand on them. The series ended up lasting four years, spawning a spin-off series, and creating a merchandise bonanza with toys, books, and games that lasted for years.

The Debut of WKRP!

On September 18, 1978 the situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati made its debut on CBS-TV. The show was centered around the least-listened to AM radio station in Southern Ohio. It featured Gary Sandy and Gordon Jump, two non "leading men" type character actors, as Andy Travis, the new program director, and Arthur Carlson, the owner and general manager of the station.

->Walt Kelly's 100est & Second Birthday!<-

Walt Kelly was the first artist whose name I actually knew.

The Coming of the Man-Bat!

Man-Bat made his debut in Detective Comics #400 (June 1970). At the time of his debut there was something of a horror and Gothic "boom" going on in pop culture, as the Hammer Films were very popular and also movies such as "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist" were making money in Hollywood. Also, the Comic Code Authority had begun to loosen its rules, including those forbidding vampires, zombies, and "creatures of the night." (As a reference, Marvel Comics dived head-first into the horror genre at this time, as The Tomb of Dracula, Werewolf By Night, and The Ghost Rider all made their debuts within months of each other, in 1972).

Shakespeare in Love (Best Picture 1998)

Full disclosure: Shakespeare In Love is one of my favorite films. Not only am I a huge Shakespeare fan, I am also a big fan of "behind the scenes" type movies (Singing In The Rain, Gods and Monsters, etc). So this film is right up my alley. And it does not hurt that one of the supporting characters is named Richard Burbage. I never took the time and money to verify it, but my family believes we are distantly related to Shakespeare's contemporary, and I am not going to argue it.

The Silence of the Lambs (Best Picture 1991)

The Silence of the Lambs starts innocently enough, with Clarice Starling training at what we soon learn is the FBI Academy. During her work-out she is called-in by an instructor, and has to maneuver through another maze to get to his office.