Before branding meant something outside of cattle drives, Marvel was slapping its label on any product they could license outside of the four-color field.

   One of those companies that came calling was Topps.

   Under the Comic Book Heroes moniker, Topps produced a set of 40 stickers, each featuring a Marvel character. Each reprinted image sported the equivalent of a “dad joke.”

   Turned over and placed together, nine of the cards reprinted the cover of Fantastic Four 100.

   All for a dime.

  Our trip down memory lane today is sponsored by the non-holiday National Sticker Day.

   January 13 is National Sticker Day in observance of R. Stanton Avery, credited with the creation of the adhesive label with removable back. Happy posthumous birthday R.

   Stickers, so called because they, well, stick, are said to have first been utilized by European merchants. They stuck labels to their products, beginning in the 1880’s, so buyers would notice.

    The first National Sticker Day was celebrated in 2015.

Let’s have a little Funko fun for the holidays this year. Presented for your gratification are an advent calendar of holiday themed heroes designed to inspire some Christmas cheer.

Kicking off the season is Captain America bundled up to ward off the deep freeze that has settled across much of the United States east of the Mississippi.

Brrrr.

I may have missed my annual post last year, but not my free Slurpee.

Again, if you’ve been following this site for any length of time, you know what July 11 means. This is one of the few days out of the year you can get something for nothing. Head on over to the local 7-Eleven or one of its subsidiaries: A-Plus, Speedway or Stripes Convenience Stores and have ‘em set ya up with a carbonated slushy.

Omar Knedlik is the father of the frozen beverages. When his soda fountain broke, Knedlik was forced to store his pops in a freezer to keep them cool. Extended exposure to the extra cool temperatures caused the pop to congeal. Customers found the semi frozen drink refreshing and a legend was born.

This year’s link between Slurpees and comic books comes from a long mistaken belief I had.

Scratch ticket

Way back in 1981, 7-Eleven and Marvel ran a contest. The convenience store offered a scratch-and-win game. Buy a Slurpee and get a ticket. Match three-in-a-row and you received a prize.

For the longest time I thought the prize was one of four mini comics. Each were two and five-eighths by three and a half inches, 10 pages in length, with a stick of gum. The first was Spider-Man in The Clutches of Doc Ock!

Next was The Hulk in Trapped in the Lair of The Leader!

Issue three featured Captain America in Satellite of the Red Skull with Spider-Woman in To Defy Doctor Doom! rounding out the line up.

One day I happened across The Secret of the Power Crown, a full-size, original Marvel comic book featuring the above four heroes. A little research and I find that what I’ve believed to be promotional mini comics are in reality Amurol’s Bubble Funnies.

The Bubble Funnies were offered in a box much like trading cards to the public at large. In addition, mini Archie and Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic books were sold along with the Marvel books.

I never saw The Secret of the Power Crown at that time.

I still have my Bubble Funnies, even after all these years. They are no less treasured. They can be found on the secondary market fairly easily and are nice – if odd – additions to any collection.

For me, they will still be my rewards for playing the scratchers and niche pieces in my collection.

My mother was a Philatelist and I’m not ashamed to say so.

While there aren’t as many philatelists as in years past, there’s still a core group who will appreciate today. What is today? Today is National U.S. Postage Stamp Day.

The first postage stamp issued in the United States was on July 1, 1847. Prior to the stamp, a letter could be mailed without and paid for upon arrival. That changed in 1855 when stamps became mandatory.

The first two stamps issued featured likenesses of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Since then, stamps have been adorned with everything from flowers to works of art to, yes, even super heroes.

DC Comics heroes Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Flash, Plastic Man, Supergirl, and Hawkman were featured on a sheet of stamps issued July 20, 2006.

Marvel followed suit a year later, July 25, 2007, with Spider-Man, Hulk, Namor, Thing, Captain America, Silver Surfer, Spider-Woman, Elektra, Iron Man and Wolverine.

While this card is plainly geared for a more platonic relationship, Captain America, or Steve Rogers, has had his share of romantic interests.

Cap’s first love was Betsy Ross. Not the one believed to be the mother of the American flag, but a character introduced in the pre-Marvel era. Ross was also the Golden Age super heroine Golden Girl.

1979 Captain America Valentine Card

When Marvel brought Cap back, his history was retrofitted with another first love named Peggy Carter. Like her predecessor, Peggy was a woman Cap met during the war. All evidence of Betsy was dispatched with and Peggy essentially took her place sans super powers. Instead, Peggy was a member of the French resistance. It is unclear is she even knew Cap’s real identity.

When Cap met his fate in the waning days of World War II, Peggy suffered amnesia.

Cap would later meet Sharon Carter. When he was initially unfrozen, World War II was only two decades old, so Sharon was made a younger sister of Peggy. As time passed, her heritage was changed to grand niece to better fit the real passage of time. While they shared a strong bond for many years, their time together passed and the two became close friends instead.

Bernie Rosenthal entered the picture in the early 1980s during John Byrne’s historic year-long run on the title. At one point the two became engaged, but the nuptials were curtailed when Bernie moved to Ohio to attend law school. The two remained close after and she even represented Bucky for crimes he committed as the Winter Soldier.

Love is never simple. Especially in the Marvel Universe.

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 18th: Seven days and counting…

Its simple and elegant, but speaks volumes.

The red block design features the Marvel Comics logo with super heroes on one side and villains on the other. Heroes include Thor, Captain America, Spider-Man, Black Widow, Hulk and Iron Man. Villains are Loki, Red Skull, Hela, Thanos and Ultron.

   Amazingly, these are the same heroes and villains featured in recent movies allowing both theater goers to enjoy as well as comic book veterans.

   This is part of the less expensive Hallmark ornaments produced for outlets like Walmart. It doesn’t diminish the enjoyment of adding this one to the tree.

Of all the releases for Halloween season 2020, Captain America (2018) issue 24 seems tailer made for the variant covers.

Using the much-maligned Captain America story arc from issues 402 to 408, cover artist Mirka Andolfo gives readers a stylized commemoration of Cap’s bout with lycanthropy.

Writer Mark Gruenwald and artist Rik Levins sent Cap looking for the missing Colonel John Jameson. For the uninitiated, John Jameson – son of Daily Bugle owner J. Jonah Jameson – suffers from a similar disease becoming the Man-Wolf under the right conditions.

Captain America (2018) 24 Mirka Andolfo variant

During the investigation, Cap finds evidence of recent killings by a werewolf. Thoughts of Jameson’s earlier transformations raises alarm. Cap enlists the aid of fellow Avenger Dr. Druid to look into the latest murder.

Readers learn Dr. Nightshade is developing a wolf serum.

In the meantime, Wolverine has arrived in Starkesboro to fight off the town’s werewolf population. He is captured one of the plotters, Moonhunter, while fighting.

Dredmund, the Demon Druid, appeared, hypnotizing Logan and forcing him to battle Captain America. Cap is taken prisoner and infected with the wolf serum.

The Super Solider Serum that created Captain America keeps part of the wolf serum at bay. While gaining the appearance of a werewolf, Cap is able to retain his human will.

As related for our National Moon Day commemoration this year, Cap Wolf leads a rebellion with the other werewolves, leading into Marvel’s Infinity War story line.

The European legend of werewolves followed settlers to America and into modern culture courtesy of literature and movies.

Werewolf of London, 1935, was the first cinematic venture to feature lycanthropy on the big screen and to a major audience. It wasn’t until 1941 another werewolf would take to the movies, this one portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr. in The Wolf Man.

Unlike Henry Hull, who starred in Werewolf of London, Chaney underwent the arduous make up by Jack Pierce to convey the true feeling of a werewolf. Hull’s was more of a shaggy London scientist with lamb chops.

Since then, werewolves have thrived in all forms of media, including comic books.

It’s been kept watch over the Earth for the past 4.5-billion years, circling 238,855 miles above.

Yes, it’s July 20 and time for our fourth annual celebration of National Moon Day.

Captain America (1969) 402

In the past we’ve showcased John Jameson, Jack Russel and Marc Spector, all of whom have a special relationship with the waxing and waning orb. This year its Steve Rogers’ turn.

Better known as Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty found himself transformed into a werewolf by a wolf serum. Though sporting a coat of fur and mouthful of fangs, Cap was able to retain his ability to reason thanks to the Super-Soldier Serum.

During his time as a werewolf, Cap led a rebellion with other werewolves before the story arc culminated in issue 408 as part of the Infinity War company crossover.

In addition to reading the above storyline, National Moon Day may be observed by learning more on the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. After all, today is a celebration of America putting a man on a neighboring celestial body.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon July 20, 1969. The were the first of 12 in total.

To recognize the accomplishment, President Richard Nixon dedicated July 20 to remember the men and the accomplishment.

We honor those by citing the following facts:

Only one side of the moon is ever facing the Earth

The Moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, but is also 400 times closer to the Earth than the sun

The moon’s gravity not only affects tides on Earth, but is also moves rock in much the same way

The moon was created when a Mars-size rock slammed in the Earth 4.5-billion years ago

Four-hundred trees are growing on Earth that spent their time orbiting the moon when they were just seeds.

Happy National Moon Day – again

Welcome to another October.

For us, this means 31 days of hauntingly good – we hope – horror comic books. To begin our alternative advent of scary goodness we’re looking at the Avengers Halloween Special released four years past.

Featured are heavy hitters Daredevil, Doctor Doom, Deadpool, Captain America, Iron Man, Punisher and Wolverine. Each are the focus in this hit-and-miss collection of creepy chronicles.

Most are misses, but The Thing From Another Time is the showstopper. Tony Stark enlists the talents of Deadpool and Colossus to recover his father’s greatest weapon.

Avengers Halloween Special (2018) 1

This retelling of the 1951 classic – later reimagined by John Carpenter – does the original justice. Right down to the frosty finish pitting Iron Man against the elements and the past as the blizzard begins.

The Eyes Have It steals from Japanese horror cinema’s Gin gwai (The Eye). Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, is given the gift of sight. Not till the end of the short thriller does he learn his benefactor is anything but benevolent.

The Fantastic Four are next up with Victor Von Doom as the voice of reason in this story somewhat reminiscent of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Cameos by Black Widow, Thor, Hulk, Captain America Iron Man and Bullseye.

Frank Castle stars in Punisher of the Opera.

More filler, but admirable for the attempt.

Haunted Mansion is Wolverine’s vehicle, though he appears more in a cameo appearance in his own story. Short and to the point, the ghosts in this story appear friendlier to the reader than the trio of trick-or-treaters who stumble upon the tale.

Marvel gets points for publishing a Halloween special, though better have come before. Pick it up and prove my opinion wrong. Sometimes it’s just nice to have something remembering the month.