After a season of overindulgence, today may seem ironic as it is Prohibition Remembrance Day.

Iron Man 128 (1968)

January 16, 1919, saw the ratification of the 18th Amendment prohibiting the production, transportation and sale of alcohol in the United States. Prohibition was lifted Dec. 5, 1933, with the 21st Amendment, but during its time allowed the rise of organized crime to take hold.

Iron Man issue 128 was chosen to commemorate the day as the lauded Demon in a Bottle saga concludes.

Playboy Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, was long known for his daliances with both ladies and liquor. Writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton, with art by John Romita, Jr., Layton and Carmine Infantino, brought his reliance on alcohol to the forefront with Iron Man issues 120-28 in 1979.

So influential was the story arc, Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau chose to include a druken Iron Man battling his own bottle in an abbreviated version of issues 120-28.

Help for those with substance abuse is available by dialing 988.

In the meantime, hunt down the originals or trade to this compeling story.

If planning a little after Christmas travel, here’s a thought:  Benin, Africa – for January 10. That puts you right in the heart of the Fete du Vodoun Festival.

Literally translated, that’s Vodoun Festival, also known as Traditional Religions Day.

Strange Tales 169

Vodoun was officially declared a religion in Benin in 1996. It begins with the slaughter of a goat in honor of the spirits. The remainder of the celebration is filled with singing, dancing and the imbibing of liquor, especially gin.

If that sounds a little intimidating or your passport is just expired, maybe something a little closer to home. Like a comfy chair and a copy of Strange Tales 169. The book features Dr. Jericho Drumm, created by Marvel publisher Stan Lee, writer Len Wein and artist John Romita Sr.

Included in the village that spawned and raised him was Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas who suggested the name Doctor Voodoo. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and he was christened Brother Voodoo. Gene Colan handled the art chores.

Brother Voodoo began his journey through the Marvel U in Strange Tales 169 through 173 and culminated the initial adventure as a backup story in Marvel’s horror magazine Tales of the Zombie issue six.

Brother Voodoo continues to this day, though Marvel did receive some negative letters from religious groups in the beginning. The Sci-Fi Channel announced in 2003 an ongoing series, but it never materialized.

Remember that scene in the first Superman movie? The one where he flies counterclockwise around the world to turn back time to save Lois? Yeah, that one. You can even hear John Williams’ theme.

Well, there are many who say that can’t happen.

Are they the modern-day sceptics preaching the world is flat? We’ll leave that up to you while we celebrate, of all things, World Rotation Day.

If you are on the side of the non-believer’s fence, you believe Earth’s rotation is independent of time; there isn’t an arrow linked to time and motion. You are entrenched in the belief time flows in one direction: forward. Meaning, Superman could not reverse time by reversing the Earth’s spin.

But, wait.

Superman: The Movie

What if we hypothesize Superman didn’t reverse the rotation of the Earth? What if it was merely an illusion – like the wagon wheel effect – and only appeared to spin backward? That it is only Superman flying in reverse, traveling back in time?

That seems to be a popular general consensus around the world wide web.

Of course, the whole scene could have been handled in a much easier and less confusing manner if Supes had just popped over to his buddy, the Flash’s, and jumped on the Cosmic Treadmill.  The Cosmic Treadmill, first introduced in The Flash (1959) 125. Not only did the treadmill allow Flash the ability to travel through time, but to parallel Earths. Which led, eventually, to the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The treadmill is powered by cosmic rays that use radioactive pulses to either send the user into the past or the future depending on what was input into the programmable interface – and also allow easier travel to alternate Earths by matching the vibrational frequency of the Earth in question. Once arrived, Flash was required to maintain an internal vibrational frequency of his current Earth. To return, he simply relaxed, allowing the vibrations to stop.

World Rotation Day is celebrated on January 8 to commemorate the day in 1851 when French physicist Leon Foucault proved that the Earth rotates on its axis. The day also serves as an opportunity to learn more about the Earth’s rotation and its effects on time, weather, gravity and astronomy.

If you haven’t done it yet, finish reading this THEN go take down your Christmas tree. Today is National Take Down Your Christmas Tree Day.

Batman 33 (1940)

It’s also the Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings.

Western Christianity celebrates this as the day the Magi, or three Kings, first saw the Christ child. Some traditions designate today as Little Christmas. The traditional date of the feast is January 6. Yet, it has been celebrated in some countries on the Sunday after January 1.

While Robin does his best Chevy Chase impression on the cover, the issue brings only one holiday story to the table. In the Search for Santa Claus, the Dynamic Duo spend Christmas Eve keeping a Santa clone from misadventure. Three faux Santas visit three locations, a children’s hospital, an orphanage and a theater; to spread yuletide cheer. One is a missing relative of three would be killers hoping to eliminate a branch of the family tree from a fortune in inheritance.

The opening story stars the Penguin in Crime on the Wing.

If you don’t have a Batman Golden Age omnibus, maybe find this story in digital form as a reward for taking the tree down for another year.

I’ve been waiting a while to dust this one off, but now I can finally count Dazzler as part of the Four Color Holiday stable.

Today is Pop Music Chart Day.

Pop Music Chart Day is celebrated January 4 to honor the original Billboard Magazine’s Hit Parade publication. That was over 85 years ago, but worth remembering.

Dazzler’s, aka Alison Blaire, rise to comic book fandom was a long and complicated one.

Depending on who you listen to, either Casablanca Records or Marvel first approached the other with the concept of a disco singer and a mulitmedia event. Marvel Comics was already familiar with Casablanca due to their collaboration through the rock group KISS. The company and band had partnered to create a comic book in magazine format showcasing KISS as super heroes in 1977.

By 1979 disco music was at its apex and about to spiral out of public favor. That didn’t stop Neil Bogart, Casablanca head honcho, and Marvel Editor Jim Shooter from working to create a singer who would not only star in her own comic book, but be part of the record label and even a film.

Names bandied about for the movie included actress Bo Derek, while John Romita, Jr., Marvel penciler, envisioned the character more along the lines of singer Grace Jones. Her original name was to be the Disco Dazzler, but writer Roger Stern saved her from typecasting by shortening her moniker to simply Dazzler.

During production, Casablanca began to experience financial troubles and their end of the agreement become a moot point. Marvel continued and debuted the new character, now a mutant able to transmute sound into light, in Uncanny X-Men 130 in 1980. The book also serves as one of the opening salvos of the Dark Pheonix Saga.

Dazzler next appeared in Amazing Spider-Man issue 203 and Fantastic Four 217, both in April 1980.

Though the multimedia event orignally planned was cancelled, Dazzler was given the distinction of being the first Marvel ongoing series exclusively offered through the direct market. The premiere issue was cover dated May 1981 with a print run of 400,000 copies.

The original series ran 42 issues, 1981-85 with a seperate graphic novel.

She continues to be part of the Marvel Universe with a large following, but her early days will always be her best.

Today is New Year’s Day. We know today is New Year’s Day, so let’s focus on something else.

Hedrek Night of the Mummers

January 1st is also known for its Mummers Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA.

This tradition began in 1778 when the British wished General William Howe well with a sendoff parade, much like the modern-day Mummers Parade. While a Philly resident, George Washington encouraged a continuation of the event. It morphed into something more closely resembling our current Halloween, but with a decidedly more adult bent to the festivities: revelers would wander from house to house reciting poetry and telling jokes for alcohol and cake.

By the mid 1800s the ribald revelry was scaled back, and – in 1901 – Philadelphia officially adopted the Mummers Parade, a tradition that continues to this day.

DCI Hedrek Stern stars in a book using the annual event as a backdrop for a string of murders that may or may not be supernatural in nature.

Night of the Mummers is illustrated by David Hitchcock and written by Professor of Forensic Psychology Laurence Alison.

I wasn’t gonna do anything for New Year’s Eve. After 24 days of trying to make ornaments sound interesting- or, as interesting as they have been to me – there was some burnout.

However, watching the countdown myself, there was a sense that there should be more. So, I tossed in the Day After and Lucky 13. Maybe it was an attempt to slow down 2024’s demise. Not that it was an exceptional year, nor was it a bad year. It’s just the swan song before another begins and we start that journey through the unknown after being able to look back at what has already transpired.

Then, I read the Marvel Holiday Tales to Astonish. It was a Christmas special, so a must have. I just wasn’t prepared to enjoy it as much as I did. Three holiday stories that entertained more than anticipated.

Marvel Holiday Tales to Astonish and variants

First, the variant cover was a nod to the Marvel Treasury Edition Giant Super Hero Grab-Bag from 1974. Then story one, ‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas, featuring the Fantastic Four, made for a good opening salvo.

Reed, Sue, Ben and Johnny host an annual Christmas party for all heroes who have been included in the ranks of the FF over the years (see below for the list). A distress call takes the core members away to do battle with a first gen Doombot.

Festival of Fights, starring the Uncanny X-Men, was even better. Told through the eyes of new member Kitty Pryde, she counts down Hanukkah with their adventures including the classic Christmas tale from X-Men 143 and her solo battle in Demon.

Finally, Spectacular Spider-Man and Resolutions. This New Year’s Eve tale gave me the excuse and reason to chime in one last time this year.

Yes, this site has been silent for far too long. For that, I apologize. Next year will be different. Guess you could say this is my New Year’s Resolution; to make the coming year worth returning for. I’ve already gone down another rabbit hole for February. Please plan to be there.

Trying to keep the site fresh isn’t always easy. Hopefully 2025 will be a return to something good. We’ve already pulled down some new ideas while retaining the source material. We’ll try to make it worth your while. Whatever your decision, thanks for being with us this far.

As promised, here’s the list of Fantastic Four members from throughout the years and the issue they joined. Recruits include Crystal (FF 81), Medusa (FF 132), Luke Cage (FF 168), Nova (FF 238), She-Hulk (FF 265), Ms. Marvel/She-Thing (FF 306), Ant Man (FF 348), Storm (FF 543), Black Panther (FF 543) and Spider-Man (FF 657).

This does not include the time the FF were replaced by Spider-Man, Ghost Rider, Hulk and Wolverine for issues 347-49.

Here’s another Marvel puzzle worth the time, the rear cover of Marvel Treasury Edition number 13 – cover dated 1976.

Well, almost. Gone from the original artwork is the Silver Surfer, and the Wasp – ironically – is shrunk. Added are the Falcon, Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, Iron Man, Spider-Man and Hulk.

This is the third and final holiday tabloid from the House of Ideas. DC tapped out this year only offering two prior editions, though they had more material to pull from.

There are 28 Treasury Editions in all, from 1974 through 1981.

Original back cover

December 26th: 365 days and counting…

We’re not really gonna do this. Not this early.

No, we’re trying to help the Christmas hangover with a little hair of the dog. Here’s some more Yule time merch to get you over the hump.

This Spidey puzzle features our favorite wall crawler in festive spirits spreading some holiday cheer.

And, while we’re not gonna start the big countdown just yet, don’t worry, we’ll be ready with our version of an advent calendar come December 2025.

Hopefully your Christmas was another one to remember.

Camera phones allow us to capture the moment and post it within seconds to any social platform for all to see.

Not so in the 1970s.

When I was growing up, moments were captured on film if they were captured at all. Which is probably why I have so few records of Christmas morning beyond the staged shots meant to ensure limited and sometimes expensive photographs captured just the right feel.

Same with video cameras.

Those magical moments I wish were recorded for posterity are only in memory. My memory. Mom is gone and Dad has dementia.

As I’ve mentioned, Christmas mornings were reserved for opening stockings, eating breakfast and tearing into the colorful mysteries under the tree.

Wish I could remember what Christmas it was. Maybe 1975? It was sometime around the peak of my Mego World’s Greatest Super Heroes mania. I already had a pretty full stable of the eight-inch likenesses as envisioned, manufactured and marketed by the Mego Corporation.

In 1972, Mego licensed characters from both National Periodicals (DC Comics) and Marvel Comics. By 1973 heroes were hitting the shelves.

Not sure which was my first. Probably Batman; the one with the removable mask.

Anyway, others followed. Aquaman. Human Torch. Mr. Fantastic. The Thing. Green Arrow. Joker. Penguin. Riddler. Shazam. Captain America. Falcon. Hulk. Iron Man. Lizard.

I still needed Spidey and Robin. Especially the other half of the Dynamic Duo. It was my mission to make sure those were under the tree that year.

Growing up we lived in northern Virginia, not far from Washington D.C. For Christmas we would drive up and watch the lighting of the National Tree. Then we would visit Tyson’s Corners and shop. For a kid it was the best.

I can still remember picking out Spider-Man and Superman after the festivities. I was allowed to have one or the other. I think I chose Spidey. Superman was to be a gift from my grandparents that Christmas, though my kind hearted Grandmother did offer it to me early. That act of kindness was vetoed by my parents.

That Christmas morning I was surprised (?) with Superman, but more importantly with Batman’s faithful chum, Robin, who I had been seeking for some time. In addition there was a much larger present waiting for me. To my surprise it was the Mego Mobile Bat Lab.

Mobile Batlab

For those unfamiliar with the vehicle I’ve included a photo.

There are no photos of me opening the Bat Lab nor are there any photos of me with the Bat Lab while it was in my possession. Can’t remember how long that was, but I’m sure it was much too short.

During that time, however, it was the only part of the Mego fleet of vehicles I owned. There was a Batmobile, Batcycle, Batcopter, Spidey Mobile, Joker van and more.

That didn’t matter. Slippers served as cars and were promptly chased down by the Bat Lab.

To add a little realism, I would sit down and cut out “money” from green construction paper. Even going so far as to print denominations on the bills. Yes, I was an only child and had way too much time on my hands as well as an obsessive personality.

As with all memories, I’m sure my Mego time was much shorter than I remember.  But, however long it was hours well spent. Good and bad guys clashed in epic battles. Most were made up, but a few were cobbled from comic book storylines.

The Bat Lab? It was gone long before the box. Mom and Dad used the box to house ornaments for the next 15 years.

Star Wars became part of an international phenomenon in 1977. It became my next obsession. Still is to a degree. Super heroes were substituted for space heroes. By 1980 I was too old to continue the toy habit and both were gone.

Comic books did continue and when my son, Dylan, was about the same age as I was when Mego hit the shelves, ToyBiz debuted the Spider-Man Classics line. For the next five or six years his birthdays and Christmases were filled with six-inch heroes and villains.
There current resurrection tickles a fancy for a time when Dylan was younger and we could play on the floor much the same way I played on the floor during my childhood. Only without the construction paper money.

Merry Christmas and keep the memories alive. They only grow sweeter.

Hopefully your Christmas was another one to remember.