A BIRTHDAY SALUTE!
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UPDATED 4/4/23: Bob Rozakis turns 72! Perfect time to re-present this slightly updated favorite from 2020! Dig it.— Dan
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Bronze Age fan-fave Bob Rozakis — born April 4, 1951 — turns 72 years old, so let’s celebrate with one of his most popular contributions to DC lore: his famed Ask the Answer Man! columns.
Ask the Answer Man!, along with Fred Hembeck’s satirical strips, were my favorite features of the old Daily Planet pages that kept readers up to date on the latest DC doings in the ’70s and ’80s. According to the indispensible Mike’s Amazing World of Comics, Rozakis’ column — which addressed a wide array of fan questions, often with a winking tone — ran from Jan. 18, 1977, to Aug. 20, 1981.
So since Bob — who just recently wrote a guest column here at 13th Dimension on WHY ROBIN HAS ENDURED FOR 80 YEARS (click here) — is having his big day, we figured we’d share 13 of his witty and informative Ask the Answer Man! installments. We’re starting with his first and ending with his last. The rest are in no particular order.
Dig it.
House of Secrets #145
Action Comics #479
Steel #1
Batman #290
The Brave and the Bold #135
Secret Society of Super-Villains #9
Green Lantern #95
Justice League of America #172
Sgt. Rock #304
The Brave and the Bold #136
The Unknown Soldier #220
The Brave and the Bold #162
World’s Finest #273 — when the Daily Planet was two pages.
WF #273
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MORE
— Why ROBIN Has Endured for 80 Years, by BOB ROZAKIS. Click here.
— The BOB ROZAKIS Interviews: BATMAN FAMILY — The Coolest Batbook of the Bronze Age. Click here.
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Source: Column scans from Mike’s Amazing World of Comics.
April 4, 2020
So nice to go back to a day when there was light in the DC world. And, Captain Marvel was called Captain Marvel. Some great memories in those scans.
April 4, 2020
Happy birthday to Mr. Rozakis!
April 4, 2020
Thanks for the memories.
April 4, 2020
No, Bob. Thank you for giving us so much fun and joy!
April 5, 2023
I always loved these as a kid. So exciting to see all these. I loved the fun DC universe
April 4, 2020
I used to love the Daily Planet and ESPECIALLY the Ask the Answer Man column! Great memories of a fun time at DC.
April 4, 2020
I LOVED the Daily Planet pages, and Ask the Answer Man was my favorite feature. If it didn’t show up, I was disappointed. I learned so much DC lore from Mr. Rozakis. Thank you!!!
April 5, 2020
I always found it interesting that when Superman built the Supermobile he made sure that it had fists.
April 6, 2020
I sent Bob a personal letter regarding Filmation’s design of Aquaman’s Boots. Bob wrote me back with his theories as to why Aquaman wore black boots in the Filmation series as opposed to the comic book series. I still have the letter. I thought it was so nice that Bob took the time to write me back.
April 5, 2023
Yes, this does bring back a lot of good memories. Fun post !