Anyway, just writing to thank you for making me add yet MORE back issues to my back issue search. lol I really need to stop listening before you guys put me in the poor house. The issues in question, strangely enough, are not the ones you covered, but are ones you mentioned. I’m referring to the DCP issues where Superman teamed up with He-man. I’m on a bit of a MoTU kick right now. Loving the DCU vs MoTU mini that’s out right now. Roll on the Moss-man vs Swamp Thing battle! At least, DC better not screw it up and NOT have them fight. The other issue is the one where Superman goes back in time and teams up with Sgt. Rock. These are two issues that, to this day, stand out in my memory as particularly fond comic book experiences, kind of like Rob’s ‘mountain comics’.

So seriously, thanks for bringing them up on the show. I will definitely be tracking those down for my next online purchase, and probably a few other of the DCP stories as well.

PS I feel bad for Michael. What’s he gonna do now that Superman has met his demise at the hands of He-man over in DCU vs MoTU #2? RIP Superman. :]

Besides, the point I’m arguing against was Rob’s ‘most of the time team-up books were always done as inventory stories you could drop into a book at a moment’s notice in case somebody blew a deadline’. So DCCP was a run of 97 fill-ins? Brave and Bold 150? Nope, they were their own books with dedicated editors ‘programming’ for them. Yes, Superman, Action and DCCP were all Julius Schwartz titles, but they weren’t interchangeable.

We wouldn’t know if that happened, as the story would’ve appeared in a Superman/Action or Batman/Detective book instead. There are a lot of one-off artists/writer stories that appeared in Action and Superman during this era. Rich Buckler for example provided the art for DC Presents #33 & 34 (cover dates May & June 1981) and Superman #363 & 364 (Sept & Oct 81 cover dates). It’s conceivable that they had Buckler just crank out 4 or 5 Superman stories and dropped them in whenever needed, whether that was for their originally intentioned DC Presents or in the pages of Superman, that’s something really only the creators involved could shed light on. This was the age of the one-shot story, especially in the B&B and DC Presents books, making them the perfect drop in story in a pinch. With a revolving door of creators they could drop in a fill in issue whenever. Especially when DC Presents had team-up issues featuring very regular Superman family cast members like Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, or the Legion, which all could’ve happened in any issue of Action or Superman without us readers being any of the wiser that they were originally planned for DC Presents.

At this time DC Presents as well as Action and Superman were at times running multiple stories in each issue, any of these back-up or shorter stories could’ve been interchangeable between the 3 titles, as each usually featured Superman pairing up with another member of the DCU.

I disagree with Rob that one of the points of team-up titles was to have inventory to drop into Batman or Superman titles if the Dreaded Deadline Doom hit – does anyone have a single example of that happening over the couple of decades B&B and DCCP existed? They were their own thing.

I have a couple of comments on the intro and instock trade ad before I even get to the subject matter. Like Michael, I am sort of sick to death of Maggin’s ‘Must there be a Superman’. It is one of the first issues that tries to make Superman feel guilty for helping people. Nothing like having Superman yell at mistreated and devastated croppers that they should help themselves! And Superman #233 is the famous ‘Kryptonite Nevermore’ storyline which briefly de-powered Superman and introduced the Sand Superman (my avatar)!

The Phantom Zone mini-series is a wild trip of a comic, veering on the psychedelic. I cover it briefly here where I talk about Gene Colan: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2011/06/rip-gene-colan.html Expect some Night Force love in the next Who’s Who!

And DCCP #97 with the Phantom Zone villains is absolutely bizarre. A possessed Mxyzptlk drops the dead Argo City onto Metropolis, levelling part of the city, flooding the place with Kryptonite and littering it with green-tinged Kryptonians corpses. Want a peek? http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/03/argo-city-silver-age-part-2.html

While I never read the Aquaman issue, the Firestorm issue was my introduction to the character! From that issue, I actually tried to find the original series at yard sales, bought the ‘join the JLA’ storyline and beyond in Justice League, and then Fury of Firestorm. The villain in the JLA-join story is a succubus who enslaves suitors at discos and Studio 54 nightclubs! It was simpler times!

As for DCCP #17, I also never knew just how a brain freeze enslaved Superman. Don’t let the Man of Steel drink a slurpee too fast!! But as you guys say, this is just a wonderful issue and exactly what a team-up comic should be. The art by JLGL (Praise be his name) is just perfect.

I found these team-up books to be a sort of primer for the extended DCU. It was here that I learned about so many of the lesser known heroes and villains. I miss this sort of comic.

And just one more link. Frank and I did cover the DCCP three parter. He neglected to include the link to our ‘team-up’ reviewing DCCP #29 Superman/Spectre story over on the DC Bloodlines blog: http://dcbloodlines.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-dc-comics-presents-29.html

And speaking of DC Presents and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, I have those first 4 issues all signed by Jose.

I enjoy the Murphy Anderson art in this issue, but I agree it is a drop off in the art dynamic from Jose’s work in the previous 4 issues, but then again you could say that about pretty much everyone who had to try to follow up Jose’s art on a book. Jose is one of the 10 greatest Superhero comic book artists of all time in my opinion, that’s a tough act to follow by anyone.

I’m glad you guys decided to do the DC Presents issues, and really like that you brought in Mr. Bailey for a special Podcast 2 part crossover, I can’t wait for part 2 tomorrow. Great episode guys, I’m glad to see you finally giving my all time favorite character, Superman, some much deserved love and audio time 😛

Fan the Flame & Ride the wave!

PS. Sorry for your loss Russell.