Pre-crisis Earth-C provides our Easter comic book for 2020 with Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew.

This one has it all. Roy Thomas penned everything from seig heiling, anthropopmorphized-talking animal Nazis to an Indiana Jones knock off.

With a title like The Secret of Easter Bunny Island, this is an easy choice for pastel-colored holiday. But, these alien artifacts aren’t the pleasant surprise finds scattered about the yard. These Easter eggs are more akin to Starro and universal domination.

Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew! (1982) 5

A harmless oversight brings about rampage on a city-wide scale.

The book closes just in time for a continuation – tune in April 4, 2021 for the finale – as President Mallard Fillmore signals the beginning of the annual Easter Egg hunt on the White House lawn.

The good Captain and crew made their debut in a 16-page tryout in The New Teen Titans (1980) 16. A short-lived series was delivered from ’82 to 1983 featuring 20 issues.

Six-issues were on deck when the original series was cancelled. These became three double-sized issues, Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! The Oz-Wonderland War #1-3.

Captain Carrot and others would return after the crisis in Teen Titans (2003) 30 and 31 in ‘Whatever Happened to Captain Carrot?’ They were reunited once again for Countdown to Final Crisis in a cross-over titled Captain Carrot and the Final Ark mini-series.

Zoo Crew faithful were further rewarded with an appearance on the Robot Chicken: DC Comics Special with a funeral for Captain Carrot.

A fast and easy way to catch up on the Captain’s exploits would be the 2014 Showcase Presents edition collecting all 20-original issues.

Happy Easter from Four Color Holidays.

April Fools from Jeff and I at Four Color Holidays with the help of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. This disturbing salutation above is from the duo’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth published in 1989. This marks Morrison’s first work on any Batman title. He would later take over writing chores on a regular basis. The book is the best-selling, original graphic novel with sales topping 600,000.

Secrets of Haunted House (1975) 26

Guest host Abel frames a Christmas sequence around three tales of (1970’s) terror.

Readers were treated to ‘Elevator to Oblivion’ first. Twins battle for organs when one learns his are failing.

‘Last Train to Eternity’ is the second story followed by the cover-touted ‘Mikey’s Friend.’

Mikey is an orphan with a pet demon. Their final-family stop is a perfect match.

Cain was one of the trinity of storytellers including Cain and Eve through the first 10 issues. Destiny of the Endless fame, became the soul host, though he would be spelled by guests.

Secrets of Haunted House ran 14 issues, 1975-78, before becoming a casualty of the DC Implosion. The title was reinstated in 1979 running till 1982.

Blue Devil (1984) 25

I have no idea what is going on with this issue. It has something to do with Leprechauns and a treasure. Sure, that’s traditional St. Paddy’s Day fare, but as far as what it had to do with the character and story, I don’t know.

What is important is today is St. Patrick’s Day. Hats off to the Irish.

St. Patrick’s Day is held March 17, the death date of Saint Patrick patron saint of Ireland. Celebrations associated with the day include the wearing of green, parades, shamrocks and festivals.

Blue Devil, aka Dan Cassidy, was created by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn and Paris Cullins in 1984. Cassidy was a stuntman filming a movie called Blue Devil. A demon known as Nebiros mistakenly believed Cassidy was real and fused the demon suit to the stuntman. He became a full-fledged denizen from the deep later.

If anything will drive up the price of his first appearance in Firestorm 24, it’s his brief appearance on the short-lived DC streaming service version of Swamp Thing.

National Flower Day won’t make most people’s radar. It’s doubtful any of you reading this even know there is such a thing. But, for the one who would embrace the day as her own, we’ll look at Poison Ivy’s debut.

Bob Kanigher, the man behind the Silver Age Flash’s origin and three decade’s worth of Sgt. Rock tales, spins Beware Of—Poison Ivy! Sheldon Moldoff handles the pencils. Of the two, Shelly can at least hold his head a little higher.

Batman (1940) 181

Not wishing to speak ill of the dead, it’s still hard not to bash the accomplished writer for the horrid tale introducing such an acclaimed character. Much like a young actress breaking into movies, Ivy has to be embarrassed by the dialog she is forced to mouth.

Batman and Robin are even worse. There’s no evidence of the Dark Knight to come as he pines for the leggy flower child. Robin can chalk part of his verbiage to age. It’s not much worse than Bob Haney’s hip mid-60s rap for the teens in the original Titans book.

The less said about the book, the better.

National Plant a Flower Day is celebrated March 12 each year. It is a time to begin thinking about what flowers are to be planted in the spring garden. If Batman 181 didn’t cost so much, it would make good compost.

Not an endorsement for orthodontists, Action Comics (1938) 434 is still our choice to recognize National Dentist’s Day.

Action Comics (1938) 434

Cary Bates and Curt Swan authored “The Krypton Connection” for April 1974. Together they conjure a pair of Kryptonian villains from Superman’s past, Dr. Xadu and his wife, Zeda. Both originally appeared in Superboy 100.

As the boy of steel, Superman was able to exile the Phantom Zone escapees to a red-sun planet. Over time they found a way to return to Earth and exact their revenge.

Issue 434 is the set up. The antagonists fashion a way to give Clark Kent a toothache. His visit to the dentist’s office allows Xadu and Zeda to reveal their identities and plans.

Clark awakes to embark on the secret orders embedded in his subconscious: destroy the Earth.

Of course he doesn’t, but you have to buy the next issue to find out why.

Dentist’s Day is celebrated March 6 each year as a way to bring awareness to dentistry.

For more information on how to celebrate, honor or on tooth care, visit the official National Dentist’s Day site.

Joker (1975) 2

Doesn’t everyone wanna be happy?

Well, today is your day. Today is National I Want to be Happy Day. To commemorate we turn to Joker’s solo-series, specifically issue two, with Willie the Weeper. Or, ‘The Sad Saga of Willie the Weeper’ as it is titled.

Willie has aided the Harlequin of Hate in his latest departure from Arkham. To repay the favor, Joker wishes to help Willie in his criminal endeavors. One thing; the mewling criminal mastermind bungles his burglaries with tears.

The compulsive crier cannot escape without being racked with guilt; hence the tears.

Willie finally finds the misery of others is the antidote to his abnormal behavior.

The Joker ran from May 1975 to September 1976, a total of nine issues. A 10^th and final issue was completed, but didn’t see print until 2019 in The Joker: The Bronze Age Omnibus and a stand-alone issue later.

First, thanks to Jeff for not only bringing this issue to my attention, but adding it to my stocking stuffers from him for Christmas 2018.

Batgirl 18 is a serviceable issue. Other than it makes me feel old. Barb and two friends attend a Christmas party and Harley Quinn crashes.

Batgirl (2017) 18

The story makes me feel old in the fact I can’t see me at a mixer like that anymore. I wouldn’t begin to know how to dress, mingle or stay awake as late as it probably would have gone without interference.

This is not the Batgirl I grew up with. That incarnation was created by Julius Schwartz, Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino; concept by William Dozer. She appeared in Detective Comics (1939) issue 359.

I also enjoyed Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown as Batgirl.

When DC unveiled the New 52 and Barbara Gordon was back complete with working limbs, I was thrilled. Gail Simone took the returned Batgirl through her paces for 34 issues and did an excellent job.

Barbara then received new writers and relocated to Burnside, a ward of Gotham City. More importantly she took on a new persona. Batgirl was now posting selfies and working personal media like a Kardashian.

Having never negotiated a Facebook page and only tweeted a year for an organization I belong to, I felt old.

On the precipice of 54 – as of this writing – social media is the tool of the devil to me. Too much drama. Too many egos asking to be stroked. I’m sure it has its merits, but not to me.

Oh, and Batgirl 18? A good read if you can’t remember when telephones hung on the wall and cartoons came only on Saturday mornings.

Flash goes 1,000 years into the future to avenge the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln for this President’s Day.

Washington and Lincoln’s days were combined for create President’s Day. Not that we at Four Color Holidays have no love for the founder of our country, we’re just celebrating the 16^th president of these United States. To honor the Great Emancipator, we recount Flash 210 An Earth Divided.

Flash (1959) 210

Flash speeds wife, Iris, to the future to visit her real parents. Upon arriving, they discover the Lincoln of the 21st century has been disintegrated by none other than John Wilkes Booth.

An incredulous Flash sets off to find the assassin while Iris provides news coverage.

Cary Bates and Irv Novick reveal their master plan that the new Lincoln is a robot programmed with the skills and intellect of the 19th-century counterpart.

And, DC wondered why Marvel was outselling them at the time.

Lincoln’s birthday has never officially been granted Federal Holiday status. However, nearly half the state governments have renamed Washington’s Birthday as President’s Day or Washington and Lincoln Day. The day is observed the third Monday of February.

It’s Valentine’s Day. I’ve gotta get this one right. Not only is it supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, but it is also my anniversary.

Our anniversary.

Sandy’s and mine.

She has nothing to do with the Web site, but she might see it at some point.

So, happy Valentine’s Day from the Looney Tune’s gang.  Issue 171 promised “Heart-Pounding Giggles Ahead!”

Really.

Looney Tunes 171

It does.

Just read the kicker over the title.

While the cover reads ‘There’s Something About Taz,’ the story title is ‘The Debonair Devil.’ Pepe Le Pew steals more than just the spotlight in this torrid tale of love lost and won.

Daffy Duck and Foghorn Leghorn yuck it up for a two-page side tickler.

Bugs gets the girl in ‘Roll Out the Bunny’ for the second and final Valentine’s Day tale in the book.

Elmer Fudd gives up hunting – for this issue – after tackling technology in ‘Reach Out and Bugs Someone.’

If you’re still looking for that perfect last-minute gift, this may do the trick…but, probably not.  Comic books aren’t as cool when girls are looking at them.  If they are, you’ve found a keeper.

Hope your day of romance is a good one.

Cutting this short to spend some time with my Valentine.