The Hulk doesn’t normally inspire fancies of Cupid, but ol’ Jade Jaws has had his share of romances. More so than his alter ego Bruce Banner.

His first, and truest, will always be Betty Ross.

Betty has been around since Hulk (1962) one. In true Marvel manner, she is the daughter of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, Banner/Hulk’s oldest nemesis.

The two were romantically involved off and on throughout every incarnation of the Hulk’s books. They eventually married in Incredible Hulk (1968) 310 in 1986.

Next in Hulk’s black book would be a toss up. Caiera Oldstrong is his baby mama, but Jarella was pure puppy love from the dawn of the Bronze Age.

Jarella became the Hulk’s love interest, not Banner’s. When Hulk was miniaturized, he found himself ruler and betrothed with the princess of Ka’i. Their love couldn’t last as Hulk found himself yanked from the micro verse.

Caiera would play a lead role in Planet Hulk – Incredible Hulk (1968) 92-105 – becoming his wife and bearing their child, Skaar. Her death would result in the World War Hulk story arc that spanned most titles in the four color Marvel Universe.

As another famous green celebrity once said, “It’s not easy being green.”

So far this countdown we’ve had the boys showing their feelings, so lets soften the mood with one of the ladies.

While the moniker Ms. Marvel encompasses others, we’re talking about the OG Carol Danvers. She first graced the four color world in Marvel Super Heroes issue 13 in 1968. At the time she was a non-powered United States Air Force officer. The following year she was caught in an explosion with Captain Marvel, courtesy of the Kree. The explosion caused hers and Marvel’s DNA to merge giving her super powers. In 1977 she was given her own self-titled book and became a mainstay on the periphery of the Avengers.

X-Men scribe Chris Claremont would have her memories and powers stolen by the mutant Rogue in Avengers annual 10. Her misadventure would lead her to the X-Men where she would become Binary and, later, Warbird.

Carol officially became Captain Marvel in 2012.

Others assuming the title of Ms. Marvel include Sharon Ventuera, Karla Sofen and Kamala Khan.

Continuing to show some love this February is a Hallmark classic with the ever lovin’, blue eyed Thing.

For anyone who’s ever felt self conscious about their appearance, here’s Yancy Street’s most famous alum, Aunt Petunia’s own Bashful Benjamin J. Grimm.

Ben would spend most of his comic book career dating blind sculptress Alicia Masters. Their romance would be interrupted by teammate Johnny (Human Torch) Storm’s advances. She and Storm would marry only to learn later his Alicia was really a Skrull imposter.

The real Alicia, it was learned, had been in suspended animation during that time.

Ben would propose to schoolteacher Debbie Green only to leave her for fear of retribution by enemies.

Ben and Alicia would finally marry in Fantastic Four issue 650.

So, don’t give up hope, there’s someone for everyone.

January days seem so long though they grow dark too early.
Still suffering from the big holidays hangover, it’s almost like work trying to find anything mildly interesting to survive the month.

Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man 98 (1976)

This non-holiday caught my attention and triggered a memory of a Spidey villain from years past. Who better than The Spot to host National Polka Dot Day?

Why someone established a day for polka dots is beyond me. It just exists. The word first appeared in the 1857 Philly publication Godey’s Lady’s Book.

Since their introduction as a form of ladies wear fashion, polka dots have transferred to everything from napkins to fingernails. They are a fashion statement and fashion stigma depending which way the whims of haute couture are blowing.

For our purposes polka dots are a means of transportation.

Dr. Johnathon Ohnn made his debut in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man 97 as a Kingpin minion. The MIT grad was under orders to recreate Cloak’s – of Cloak and Dagger fame – means of teleportation.

A laboratory mishap caused Ohnn to become the means of transference himself, peppered in black polka dots that are pathways to wherever his desire may lie.

Al Milgrom, writer, and Herb Trimpe, artist, are his creators.

Spot would also come to life as part of Marvel’s animated universe. He starred in his self-titled episode in 1994 on Fox Kids animated Spider-Man series and in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018 and Spider-Man: Across the Universe in 2023.

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.

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.

Normally today has been reserved for National Dog Day on this page.

We’re gonna shake things up a bit this year and go with another day that shares this date: National Toilet Paper Day.

This underrated invention is taken for granted – until there is none and always at the most inconvenient of times. People have used many methods to clean themselves. The Romans used a sponge on a stick that they rinsed and left for the next person.

Early American settlers used whatever was handy; leaves, grass, corn cobs, fruit skins, seashells, stone, sand and water were the most common depending on location and social customs.

China first mass produced toilet paper in the 14^th century.

Americans can rejoice and celebrate 1857, the year toilet paper first hit store shelves in the new country. It was sold on the roll in 1871. Leave it to the Germans to improve upon the product by adding perforations to the roll allowing for squares.

It wasn’t until 1883 that Seth Wheeler patented rolled toilet paper and toilet paper dispensers.

To liven the invention colors were added in the 1960s. Those lasted till the turn of the millennium when basic white has become the norm again. The last colored toilet paper was manufactured in 2004 by Scott.

This non-holiday is very important to the United States, as we use more toilet paper than any other country in the world. America is also, surprise, surprise, the leading exporter of the product.

A whopping 75-percent of the world doesn’t use toilet paper. Many other countries have moved onto the bidet.

Rather than having a spokesman for the day, we’re using toilet paper itself. Or, a specific roll.

As Marvel Comics pushed through the end of the 1970s and sluggish sales, merchandising continued to prove an important source of revenue. One of those licenses was snapped up by Oh! Dawn Inc. of New York. Their offering to the comic book collecting world?

The Incredible Hulk and Amazing Spider-Man Toilet Paper with an original story: The Gamma Gambit. The quality tissue provided 40.65-square feet of two-ply; 325-facial quality sheets.

The Gamma Gambit, as written by Jim Salicrup and illustrated by Michael Higgins, is told over eight sheets and repeated until roll’s end.

The jokes tell themselves, so why belabor the point?

If interested, try an online selling site to purchase this on the secondary market. It’s worth picking up for the novelty alone. Just make sure to put it under some mylar with a sign that reads: Do Not Break, Even in an Emergency.

Marvel’s Hulk began as a grey monster, turned green, went grey and settled back into his green motif. He has been simple minded, brilliant, a gangster and many other things, but in 2020 he became a cosplayer.

Hulk’s horror homage was N’Kantu, the Living Mummy for Marvel’s 2020 series of variant Halloween covers.

IMMORTAL HULK (2017) 38 variant cover by Del Mundo

Plumbing the depths of the monster pantheon Marvel had Dracula, a werewolf and the Frankenstein monster filling comic pages in the early 1970s; all that remained to resurrect was a mummy.

Beginning in Supernatural Thrillers (1972) issue five, Steve Gerber and Rich Buckler unleashed the 3,000-year-old living mummy, N’Kantu.

Initially intended as a one-and-done, N’Kantu’s story proved popular enough to return in Supernatural Thrillers seven. From there, it ran till issue 15 when the title was cancelled.

N’Kantu was laid to rest until 1983 when he joined Ben Grimm in the Thing’s team-up title Marvel Two-in-One issue 95.

Since then, N’Kantu has been silent on the comic book front, but has earned appearances on The Super Hero Squad, This Man-Thing, This Monster!

He also guested in two Ultimate Spider-Man episodes, Blade and The Howling Commandos. In Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., the Living Mummy guest starred in Hulking Commandos, Days of Future Smash, Part 3: Dracula and Planet Monster: Part 2.

The Mummy was introduced to mass audiences in 1932 during the Golden Age of monster movies under Universal’s imprint.

Boris Karloff appeared as Ardeth Bey/Imhotep/The Mummy. Others would portray the antagonist in subsequent non-direct sequels.

The Mummy’s Hand was released in 1940 starring Tom Tyler.

Lon Chaney, Jr., became the mummy in 1944’s The Mummy’s Ghost and The Mummy’s Curse.

Abbott and Costello met the Mummy in 1955 with Eddie Parker playing the title monster.

British Hammer Film Productions picked up the torch in 1959 with The Mummy. The Mummy’s Tomb followed in 1964, The Mummy’s Shroud in 1966, and Blood from The Mummy’s Tomb in 1971.

Universal tried to remake the series beginning in 1999 with The Mummy. A sequel, The Mummy Returns was released in 2001 and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor in 2008.