SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN!
By KERRY CALLEN
My birthday was a week ago. Let’s play a game—!
Below are vintage DC superhero birthday cards (printed by a company named Mark 1 in 1978). I’ve included the cover, inside, and two fake insides on each one. Can you guess which ones are real? Remember, this was the ’70s!
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Anyone who can identify the correct answer on each card will receive a warm feeling inside!
I’ll give the correct answers, in the comments, on Monday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
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Want more SUNDAY FUNNIES WITH KERRY CALLEN? Come back next week!
Want a commission? Send an email to KerryCallenArt@gmail.com. You can also find other work at linktr.ee/kerrycallen.
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MORE
— Why SUPERGIRL Never Dates. Click here.
— MAD #600: Dig This EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW of Kerry Callen’s MAD PUZZLE PAGES. Click here.
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KERRY CALLEN spent much of his career as an artist and art director, developing product for Hallmark, but has also dabbled in comics for many years. As a freelancer, he creates work for a range of needs, spanning from Mad Magazine to children illustrations. He has two graphic novels available on Amazon worldwide, Halo and Sprocket: The Definitive Collection, as well as Dirtnap: Mystic Spit.
June 28, 2026
My pal, cartoonist Jim Engel (look him up and you’ll be impressed) wrote, laid out, and lettered all of those cards before handing them over to Dick Giordano.
June 28, 2026
Wow. I had assumed Giordano did the art, but wouldn’t have guessed Jim did the lettering!
June 28, 2026
I’ll go with A,C, and C. Fun idea!
June 28, 2026
This is great! I have a bunch of these in a box somewhere, which doesn’t help me now. So, I’m going with B, A & C, but honestly, I could see any of your options working.
June 28, 2026
1 B 2 A 3 C. I’d love to have 1 A as a real card to give to my straight friends!
June 28, 2026
No one’s gotten all three correct yet–
June 28, 2026
B, B, and A.
Neat factoid about Jim Engel’s involvement in creating these cards…
June 29, 2026
Just a wild guess, but:
1: B
2: A
3: C
June 29, 2026
I worked at Mark 1. When I was asked who should draw these, I recommended Dick Giordano.
June 29, 2026
Interesting! Is that where you and Jim met? I used to love Fandom Confidential in the Comics Reader!
June 29, 2026
No, we met through Gary Ricker who was Marvelmaniac of the Month in Marvelmania Magazine #1. They both lived in Berwyn. I lived a few suburbs south in Burbank Il.
June 29, 2026
Time to reveal all! The correct answers are…
Card 1 – B
“If I haven’t got what you need to have a happy birthday…”
“…you don’t need it anyway!”
Card 2 – B
“Happy birthday! You’re not old until your favorite phrase is…”
“…I used to, but I don’t anymore.”
Card 3 – A
“On your birthday, remember: Nobody’s perfect!”
“…but YOURS is the best I’ve ever seen!”
Yeah, that last one’s pretty crazy. But notice how it’s cleverly constructed it so than it could be given to a man or a woman!
June 30, 2026
I’m gonna go with B, A, B
June 30, 2026
Changed my mind. B, C, B
June 30, 2026
And now I see I was late to the party anyway and the answers were already up. Oy. Mea culpa.
June 30, 2026
I guessed B, C, B because they were the most innocent and wholesome. I was wrong.
July 4, 2026
A, A, A