Another homage! In February, columnist Jim Beard had a field day paying tribute to the classic 1966 Batman and Robin rooftop pin-up, showing off 13 COVERS that homaged the image, as well as Carmine Infantino and Murphy Anderson’s original art. So it was pretty cool to happen upon this sketch card by Fred Hembeck, which sold on eBay on Monday for $115.50: Now, Fred, if you’re listening, I’d love to know if you did this for the heck of it or because you were digging all the coverage. (We’re self-centered like that.) Drop us a line and let us know! Either way, it’s a groovy little card. Meanwhile, check out Fred’s other auctions. You’ll be glad you did! Click here. — MORE — BEST BAT-WISHES: 13 Tributes to the Classic BATMAN AND ROBIN Rooftop Pin-Up. Click here. — Bask in the Glory of the Original BATMAN AND ROBIN Rooftop Pin-Up Art. Click...
THE OLD ORIGIN CHANGETH… especially in the ’80s… — Our pal and columnist Jim Beard has a grand new book out — The Old Origin Changeth, a series of historical essays on how some of your favorite characters’ not-so-secret origins have evolved over the decades. It’s a great idea for a book and well executed to boot — natch! — featuring a coterie of comics historians. You can get your copy now from Amazon, in multiple formats. Click here to order. You’ll be glad you did. — Dan — By JIM BEARD There are so many comic-book series that have been forgotten or lost in the mists of time and truly deserve our attention. One of my favorites of that ilk is the 1980s 50-issue Secret Origins title from DC. This book came at such an interesting time in DC’s history, when Crisis on Infinite Earths was sending shock waves through not only the company’s long history, but through the comics industry itself. There’d been nothing like Crisis before, and such a monumental event needed support material to show where DC had been, and where it was going. That’s what Secret Origins was all about. It had one foot in the past and the other in the future, and could claim some of the very best caretakers in the business at that time, writers, editors, and artists. Part of the charm of the series was the character selection, and the covers really hammered that home with some of the very greatest of any series at that time. Here’s my take on THE TOP 13 SECRET ORIGINS COVERS — RANKED… a little glimpse into the past when such a title was possible, and something to celebrate. — 13. Secret Origins #29 (Aug. 1988). This one’s a personal favorite of mine, not necessarily because of the cool Keith Wilson art, but because my girl Ma Hunkel wound up on the cover of a modern comic (and with a Shelly Mayer story inside!). — 12. Secret Origins #20 (Nov. 1987). Another personal favorite. Batgirl’s my favorite heroine and Dr. Mid-Nite’s my favorite JSAer — and it doesn’t hurt that Kevin Maguire and Bob Wiacek made them look so super. — 11. Secret Origins #25 (Apr. 1988). This was at a moment in time when any new art from Curt Swan and Murphy...
THE OLD ORIGIN CHANGETH… especially in the ’80s…
Scott and Dan hit up the comics racks from 48 years ago…
Scott and Dan pick the comics they’re most looking forward to…
TOYHEM! By the power of Chris Franklin!
