Welcome to October.

The 10th month is the first of the big Trifecta leading to Thanksgiving and Christmas. To celebrate, we’re going down another rabbit hole like we did last December and February.

First, we’re gonna look at the costumes that defined our hobby. The costumes we begged mom and dad for each Halloween so we could represent the good and bad of the four-color universe we lived in.

Check out this Uber cool Doctor Doom costume from Ben Cooper. Yes, the mask may seem a bit flimsy, but that was part of the charm. Ben Cooper costumes were mass manufactured and marketed, filling Woolworth, Ben Franklin and other now defunct department store chain aisles.

The price tag was a mere $1.98. American. Not Latverian. Makes you wonder if Doom allowed Latveria to adopt the Euro.

Probably not.

Anyway, Ben Cooper was the answer to cheaply dressing children in masks that restricted breathing and costumes guaranteed to rip after the second wearing.

Ben Cooper costumes were more about anticipation. There was no subtlety with crude characterizations of who you were imitating drawn on the front along with the name of that choice.

With Doom’s ego, this isn’t a problem.

For those, if any, not familiar with Fantastic Four founder Reed Richard’s former college roomie, Doom was born Victor Von. A misadventure caused an explosion scaring his face. Doom would adopt his trademark mask to cover his shame. His armor would house his many defenses.

Over the past 60 years and into the next 60, Doom and the Fantastic Four have clashed. Theirs is the first big rivalry of the Marvel Universe.

My favorite throw down will always be the epic showdown that climaxed in issue 200. Len Wein and Marv Wolfman planned and penned for over a year to deliver the over-sized anniversary payoff.

Doom has had a huge impact on the Marvel U appearing in pretty much every title offered since his creation.

Welcome to Father’s Day.

Raising children isn’t easy. Just imagine if they had super powers.

That’s what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did when they decided to bless Reed and Sue Richards with a child. The first couple married in their own title, the Richards also appear to be the first couple to also have a child. Which they did in their sixth anniversary issue.

Lee and Kirby couldn’t just have Marvel’s first family get stuck in a traffic jam for suspense. No, they decided on something much more dramatic. Reed must travel to the Negative Zone for Element X, the only element that can save Sue and their unborn childs’ lives from the Cosmic Rays that gave her her powers.

He does not go alone.

Undertaking the dangerous task are Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm, the Human Torch and Thing, respectively.

Negative Zone despot Annihilus does not willingly give up his Cosmic Rod, the source of the Element X. Though the trio are able to secure the rod, they are then chased about the Negative Zone. They are allowed to escape after Reed secretly secures some of the needed element and returns  the rod to Annihilus.

With the Element X, Sue gives birth to a healthy baby boy. It would take another two years before he was officially named Franklin Benjamin Storm in Fantastic Four (1961) 94. As a two-fer for Father’s Day, Franklin was named for his maternal grandfather.

Franklin would guest in his parent’s book over the following 15 years until finally earning a spot in Power Pack issue (1984) 17. The title ran 62 issues.

He would float in and out of the FF in various incarnations and ages, but maybe the only real stories to worry about are the Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius out-of-continuity books. Teamed with the ever faithful H.E.R.B.I.E. the two are almost Calvin and Hobbes clones at times.

Their adventures began as back up strips in various Marvel comic books before progressing to periodic oneshots. Fourteen have been printed to date.

As for the day itself, we’ve covered that in Lobo: Infanticide way back in 2019. Rather than rehash, click back for the history of Father’s Day. Go ahead and read the page while there.

And, don’t forget to thank the man in your life for, well, life. Life and lessons taught, no matter how hard they’ve been. Though he’ll never read this, I’ll wish my dad a big ol’ Happy Father’s Day from Four Color.

Don’t worry, I told him in person, too.

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.

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 a quick reminder: today is April 1^st. April Fool’s Day.

This is not joke.

April Fools has been celebrated for centuries, but its origins are guessed work. One of the more fascinating involves France changing from the Gregorian Calendar to the Julian. The change meant New Year’s Day moved from April 1 to January 1. Many failed to recognize the switch and celebrated through the last week of March. Those who did were labeled as victims of a hoax or joke.

Whatever its origin, the day became recognized in Britain in the 18^th century. The commemoration spread to Scotland soon after.

Today April Fools Day is widely recognized worldwide.

To celebrate our prankster is Reed and Sue Richards’ little boy, Franklin, in his 2016 April Fools special.

In Sick Day, Franklin fails to study for his math test. To avoid taking the quiz, he raids his father’s infectious disease lab. Finding a jar marked “flu,” Franklin decides a sick day is in order to avoid taking the test. What he fails to realize is this flu is no ordinary virus, but the Pandorian strain capable of rendering him purple, growing sentient acne and finally dissolving to a green puddle of vocal ooze.

His saving grace is the fact it only lasts 24 minutes.

Restored to health, Franklin realizes he still has to attend school and take his test.

Brain Game is a one-page gag allowing Franklin’s father, Reed Richards, to co-star.

School nemesis Kristoff attempts to foil Franklin’s hard work in Diorama Dilemma! with a gimmicked Gummy Bear. The plot backfires, literally, giving Marvel’s first family’s first offspring a night off without homework.

Lockjaw joins H.E.R.B.I.E. and Franklin in Roswell Rescue!  The trio team up for a little alien investigation in 1947 and some retcon history.

H.E.R.B.I.E.’s thrown under the bus in Whodunnit?!

The finale is the holiday tale, April Fools Fiasco!

Franklin gets carried away with his father and Uncle Johnny during some April first Tom foolery. He’s relieved and miffed to find he’s not the only one who can play the game.

Spring is on the horizon, but there’s still some gloom in the air, so shake it off with a joke or two, but keep them clean and fun.

“To write is human; to edit is divine,” Stephen King.

Again, for the Four Color Holidays veteran, you’ll remember really is a National Proofreading Day. Last year we celebrated with The Marvel No-Prize Book.

If case you’re a newbie, National Proofreading Day was created by Judy Beaver in 2011 in memory of her mother, Flo. Much like Sheldon Cooper (Big Bang Theory) she was a person who relished correcting others mistakes. To commemorate, daughter Judy chose March 8 to mark the day with her mother’s birthday.

Proofreading may take a backseat in today’s world of texting where punctuation and abbreviating words is common practice.

It shouldn’t.

There is still a place for proofreading. To those of you who have read more than one of these missives. To those of you who still like to crack open a book or read the news or a magazine. Mistakes can be ugly. They can be confusing.

In 1962, NASA lost contact and control with Mariner 1. It blew up 293 seconds after launch. It is believed a missed hyphen in the guidance code was the cause. A mistake that could have been caught by proofreading.

Anyway, enough with the boring stuff.

Today’s representation of the non-holiday is Fantastic Four (1961) issue 176 showcasing the then editor-in-chief of Marvel himself Stan the Man Lee.

While Stan is no stranger to typos, again, see The Marvel No-Prize Book, he was head honcho, even starting out as a proofreader at Marvel originally.

Plus, he was co-creator of the book’s guest star, the Impossible Man. In addition, half the Marvel Bullpen make cameos. Included with Stan are Jack King Kirby, George Perez, Roy Thomas, Joe Sinnott, John Verpoorten, Marv Wolfman, Archie Goodwin, Gerry Conway and Marie Severin.

Thomas, Wolfman and Goodwin were all former editors themselves.

The Impossible Man takes a tour of the Marvel offices after returning to Earth in the aptly named Improbable as it May Seem – The Impossible Man is Back in Town!

His unauthorized visit turns into a siege of sorts as Impossible Man decides he wants to be immortalized in the four-color Marvel Universe. Using his morphing ability and the illustrations of heroes and their tools of the trade, Impossible Man terrorizes the bullpen until Stan promises him his own comic book.

It may not have been published until 1991 with the Impossible Man Summer Vacation Spectacular 1.

Hopefully this reads well and there are no misspellings or miscues with the punctuation. But, if there’s a post where it would be appropriate, this would be the one.

Amidst the crush of humanity in Times Square the Fantastic Four relate their tussled lives in soliloquy to themselves as they wait for the ball to drop. It’s New Year’s Eve in New York City and the fabled trio are trying to celebrate the event.

 

Trying to ‘cuz the team is minus a founding member. More importantly the family is missing two members.

Susan Richards, the Invisible Girl, has left both team and family due to differences between she and husband Reed. Included in her departure is their son, Franklin.

Johnny Storm, aka the Human Torch, is forlorn over the loss of love Crystal as played out over previous issues.

Finally, Ben Grimm, the Thing, is torturing himself about his ability to be the man his girlfriend, Alicia Masters deserves.

Time is stopped as new Frightful Four member Thundra appears literally holding back the hands of time on the clock and interrupting their musings. As the crowd stares, she issues a challenge to Ben, demanding he meet her in battle in three days. To ensure he comes, she kidnaps Alicia.

The battle is anti-climatic as Reed cheats Thundra of her believed victory by turning Ben human. Faced with the having defeated a mere man, the seven-foot siren takes her leave. Alicia is released and the team moves on to their next adventure in issue 134, A Dragon Stalks the Skies!

Not the most satisfying of stories, but still a Bronze Age treat courtesy of Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Ramona Fradon and Joe Sinnott.

Time’s Square has been the focal point for a good portion of the United States as they ring in the New Year. The event has been held since 1907.The ball drop is reminiscent of the time balls used to help ship navigators verify the setting of their marine chronometers.

Bandleader Guy Lombardo and his band The Royal Canadians served as the original entertainment beginning in 1929. In 1956 they moved from radio to television, performing Auld Lang Syne at midnight.

Following Lombardo’s death Dick Clark became the new Father Time serving as New Year’s host for 32 years. A stroke sidelined Clark and morning talk show host Regis Philbin stepped in for 2005. Since then, Ryan Seacrest has emceed the television spectacle.

However, you celebrate, do it safely and responsibly so you and others will see the New Year through.

Have a happy one from Jeff and Barry.

Halloween is meant to be fun.

A little scary, but fun.

And, fun is what Marvel Super Hero Squad issue 10 is all about.

Marvel Super Hero Squad began as a toy line for the younger Marvelite. It branched into an animated series and various comic book lines over the years, all designed to sell the licensed likenesses.

But, enough about the commercial side.

Marvel Super Hero Squad issue 10 celebrates Halloween with a majority of the Marvel U population. In the first part of the book, Whomsoever Knows Fear…!      Dr. Doom sends M.O.D.O.K, Crimson Dynamo, the Toad, Whirlwind and the Abomination after a meteor fractal – whatever that is – on Halloween eve.

To combat the evil doers, Iron Man, Silver Surfer, Thor, Hulk, Reptil and Falcon, all representing Marvel’s 1970s horror serials, Tomb of Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Living Mummy (Supernatural Thrillers), Werewolf by Night and Brother Voodoo (Strange Tales), respectively; set off the thwart the evil doers.

The Man-Thing rounds out the creepy comics representatives of years gone past by helping the heroes. His aid does not go unrewarded as a bag of candy is currency enough for the exchange of the fallen fractal – whatever that is.

Next up is Halloween Party at the Baxter Building!

Host Reed Richards discovers a party crasher amidst the invited guests, but doesn’t know which costumed reveler it could be. The quartet make their rounds talking to the party goers trying to discover the imposter.

Attendees include Thor as Little Red Riding Hood, a carryover from the previous story; Tigra and She-Hulk celebrating some of the Alice in Wonderland cast; Ant-Man and Wasp as salt and pepper shakers, Captain America as Uncle Sam, various X-Men as members of the Wizard of Oz, etc.

Finally, the FF discover M.O.D.O.K to be the floating jack-O-lantern who is literally booted from the party.

Back at Castle Doom, the deed holder is having his fun scaring the kids knocking on his door seeking candy. Until, he finds a mini-version of himself. Delighted with the adoration, he gives the trick-or-treater the rest of his candy and invites him to return next year.

Mini-Doom is reveled to be the Mole Man.

Yeah, Marvel Super Hero Squad is designed for ages seven to 14, but this seasonal story is too cute not to recognize. The plot is simplistic, but there are a few cookies tossed to the Marvel faithful of all ages.

For a third year, let’s pause and remember our four-legged friends.

Yes, today is National Dog Appreciation Day. We’ve remembered with two DC greats, Krypto and Ace. This year let’s look at the crosstown competition and celebrate with Lockjaw.

The Inhumans mascot first appeared in the pages of Fantastic Four 45 way back in December of 1965. That’s even before me. His creators were the immortal Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

Lockjaw serves as loyal protector to the Royal Family. His ability to teleport makes him a handy addition to the Inhumans.

He would later co-star with fellow pet sidekicks Redwing, Ms. Lion, Zabu, Niels the Cat/Hairball and Throg as a member of the Pet Avengers. The group shared top billing in the four-issue mini series from 2009 of the same name. It proved popular enough, two more minis followed, Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers: Unleashed in 2010 and Avengers vs. the Pet Avengers that same year and overlapping into 2011.

Lockjaw has appeared outside the four-color world, first on the 1978 Fantastic Four animated series in Blastaar, the Living Bomb Burst. He next guested in the 1994 version of the FF in Hopelessly Impossible. He has had recurring appearances on Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. in Inhuman in Nature and Planet Monster part 2.

Spider-Man hosted the hound in Agent Web of the Ultimate Spider-Man (2012) cartoon. He also guest starred on the Guardians of the Galaxy animated series, Crystal Blue Persuasion.

But, enough about our host and more about the day itself.

National Dog Appreciation Day was founded in 2004 by Colleen Paige. To celebrate, adopt a dog, give yours a special treat or simply donate time or money a local animal shelter.

Quick, name the vice president.

Don’t worry if you can’t. Nearly a third of all Americans have no idea who is one misstep away from the Oval Office.

So, why celebrate the office?

Vice presidents do have a purpose. They are second in command. It is their duty to step up if the sitting president dies or resigns while in office.

That’s what National VEEP Day is celebrating. The day commemorates Aug. 9, 1974, when President Richard Milhous Nixon stepped down from the Oval Office and Vice President Gerald Ford was sworn in as the 38^th president of the United States of America.

No one is exactly sure when the day began to be commemorated, but its origins stem from Nixon’s resignation.

Nixon was a vice president, serving under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961. He lost his initial White House bid to President John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential campaign. He sought, and received, the Republican Presidential nomination in 1968, winning with his slogan “Nixon’s the One.”

June 17, 1972, was the beginning of the end of Nixon’s presidency when five men were caught breaking into the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate building in Washington, D.C. The public eventually learned of Nixon’s involvement in the cover up and the president resigned rather than face impeachment.

Due to the time frame in which these events occurred and the relevancy of comic books as a mainstream medium, we can serve up the man who made this non-holiday happen: Richard Nixon.

The comic book we’re holding up as a beacon is Fantastic Four 123. The heroes are caught in their second struggle against Galactus. Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic, has hijacked the world eater’s ship threatening to destroy it unless Galactus leaves.

Earth is saved by the Silver Surfer who agrees to become Galactus’ herald again. The two are then dispatched to the Negative Zone.

During the confrontation, Richard Nixon is depicted as the president reminding Reed 1972 is an election year and to settle the matter so life could go on for the voting public.

Nixon had made an appearance one year prior in the Marvel U, this time in Captain America 144.

He and Vice President Spiro Agnew guested in Incredible Hulk 147 in 1972 in addition to the FF’s 123.

Nixon would make one more appearance that year, this time in DC’s From Beyond the Unknown issue 17. As with FF 123, the president would be featured on the cover and interior of the book.

Other authors and artists would dredge up the disgraced president after his departure from the White House.

To observe National VEEP Day, you can dig up some information of the vice presidency or just find the Fantastic Four-story arc 123 belongs to and enjoy yourself more.

Much of the time we take a candid approach to the non-holidays observed on this site. Today is not one of those. National Barrier Awareness Day challenges those of us without physical limitations to become aware of those who do.

These barriers can be something as simple as being unable to access an entrance because of a wheelchair or complicated with inability to comprehend an everyday situation due to a mental disorder.

Today is the day to strip those handicaps away. To allow everyone an equal playing field whether it be building a ramp or taking time and patience to explain how to perform a task.

There are currently over 36-million Americans who are plagued with some form of disability. It is estimated 80 percent of Americans will experience a barrier of their own at some point in their life.

Now, to help visualize a what a barrier is, we’ve chosen Norrin Radd, more commonly known in the comic book world as the Silver Surfer.

Radd was an astronomer on his home planet of Zenn-La. He sacrificed himself to the world devouring Galactus to save his home planet; in return for allowing the continued survival of Zenn-La, Radd became Galactus’ herald.

Radd was infused with the power cosmic by his new master. As the Silver Surfer, he would now search out other worlds for Galactus to devour.

Earth was introduced to the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four issue 48. The herald had discovered a new world for his master to sustain himself with. After interacting with the inhabitants of planet Earth, the Surfer found himself sympathetic to their continued existence and turned on Galactus.

With the help of another celestial being, the Fantastic Four were able to deter Galactus, but to punish the Surfer for his betrayal, a barrier was established around Earth designed to keep the former herald from venturing beyond the shield.

The Surfer proved a fan – and Stan Lee – favorite returning for FF issues 55-61, 74-77 and earned a solo story in the back of annual five.

The following year, he was starring in his own book. The title lasted 18 issues, all penned by Lee, John Buscema penciling the first 17 and Jack Kirby the final book.

The Surfer would knock around the Marvel Universe through the 1970s with a Lee/Kirby graphic novel in 1978.

He received a second solo series in 1987 running 146 issues.

The Surfer would continue to star in limited series for the remainder of the old millennium and into the new, though often playing a pivotal role in various company crossovers.

He would further appear in other media with his own animated series in 1998 for Fox. In 2007 he would play a titular role in the second Fantastic Four movie.

Software Creations, Ltd., offered the Silver Surfer video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1990.

So, while our spokesperson is fictional, he does offer a lesson that even those who face barriers are still important to society and success may often come in the face of those barriers.

National Barrier Awareness Day was inaugurated by Congress on May 7, 1986, by a House Joint Resolution (544). It authorized President Ronald Reagan to call for Americans to recognize the day with events and programs that would contribute to removing the obstacles facing those with disabilities.