Windy and Willy #4 (1969)

Windy and Willy #4 (November-December, 1969)
"Historical High Jinks!"
Writers - Larry Nadle & Bob Oksner
Art - Bob Oksner
Cover Price: $0.15

You ever boggle your brain thinking about all the useless knowledge and memories you've got kickin' around?  Well, if you're reading this, you're very likely a comic book fan... which means, of course you do!

One of the things I recall quite vividly, though... really, I shouldn't... is the first night my family had cable tv.  Come to think of it, it was early-December, 1988... so, almost exactly thirty freaking years ago.  Yikes!  Anyhoo... that first night, I did what I'd assume a lot of goofy eight-year olds did... watched Nickelodeon until it went off the air!

This surprised me... I wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  Nickelodeon signed off, and was replaced by Nick-at-Nite... which I probably wound up enjoying even more than the kids' shows.  What are the odds, right?  Me liking entertainment from before my time...

I remember the initial line-up... Mr. Ed, Patty Duke, My Three Sons, Donna Reed, Saturday Night Live (back when it was watchable), SCTV, and Laugh-In.  The stupid things that occupy my brain-space, I'm tellin' ya.  I also remember one day Mr. Ed was replaced by something called Dobie Gillis...

... or, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.  I don't remember much about it, but I don't recall it ever being one of my favorites.  I know it would usually open with the preppy-looking dude posing in front of the statue of Rodin's The Thinker, while he contemplated life and (his apparently, many) loves.  His best friend was a Beatnik Gilligan named Maynard.  I think my occasionally calling people "Maynard" might be the most lastingest impression this show had on me... and honestly, I didn't even realize that until now!

So, why in all hells am I talking about Dobie Gillis?  If you're familiar with some of the weirdo stuff DC Comics put out during the 1950's and 60's, it probably won't come as too much of a surprise that ol' Dobie actually had himself an ongoing series...

... which for some reason, they decided to repurpose into a short-lived late 60's title called... Windy and Willy!  And, when I say "repurpose", I mean they took Dobie wholesale, and had Bob Oksner draw these new (DC owned?) characters over the cast of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis!  Here, have a look at the opening splash for The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis #17 (January-February, 1963) and this very issue of Windy and Willy!


Pretty neat, right?  The real question... er, the only question... is "why?".  I mean, this is such a weird series to draw from... and it's not like anyone was putting all that much thought into scripting romance/comedy books back then... it almost seems like an unnecessary amount of extra work to muck about with the old art!

Oh well, I guess we ought to get into it... and see if this story stands out as something DC should've gone out of their way to "preserve"?  Also, if I do ever come into possession of Dobie Gillis #17, I will do a full and proper "juxtapoz", just like we did with our "Hardcover/Softcover" look at New Teen Titans and the Outsiders!  Those were a lot of fun to put together (and play with!), check 'em out if you haven't already!

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After that opening splash page (posted above), the story proper begins inside Newton's Grocery store (owned by Willy's parents).  Mrs. Newton runs into a Mrs. Van Buren who can't stop talking about how great her daughter, Dolly Madison Van Buren is doing in History class.  Mrs. Newton laments that her boy, Willy, ain't doin' all that hot.  Mrs. VB suggests Dolly Madison tutor him... and is very excited by the prospect.  Ya see, Willy, for whatever reason, is viewed as kind of a "catch".  It's been decades, but I'm guessing Dobie might've been viewed the same way.

Speaking of Willy, he and his burnout friend Windy enter the shop and Ma and Pa break the news that he's gotten himself a brand-spankin' new history tutor!  Oh, happy day!

Mr. Newton talks about what a great student of history he had been during his yoot, to which, Willy suggests that there just wasn't all that much history way back then!  Hmm... ya sorta walked right into that one, pops.  This, for some reason, leads to Willy's dad practicing Native American "war whoops"... oooookay.  Wouldn'tcha know it, this (and a threat of "scalping")... somehow... convinces Willy to visit his new tutor.

As Willy and Windy go to leave, the burnout decides to help himself to a jar of... something (baby food?)... from the shop shelves.  Mr. Newton responds by... "whooping" again.  I'm not sure the joke landed the first time... much less the second.  Hell, I'm not sure there's even a joke to be found!

Outside the store... and a safe distance away from Mr. Newton, Windy decides to start "whooping" himself.  Why are we still doing this?!

Oh well, let's move on... Windy and Willy head off to the Van Buren house, and... hide in the bushes for some reason.  I feel like I'm typing "for some reason" and "somehow" a lot today.  Anyhoo, while they're hiding, the witness the arrival of Dolly Madison Van Buren... a rather frumpy-looking co-ed.  Windy, for some reason, decides to pretend to be a turkey.  This gets DM's attention, and she introduces herself to the fellas.

Willy tells her that she likes to "act out" history in order to better remember it... so, he and his waste-case friend were in the bushes pretending to be Lewis & Clark.  So, that's what we're calling it?  Anyhoo, Willy tries to pass on the tutoring... after all, who'd wanna be stuck inside with such a "scholarly-looking type" as Dolly Madison?  He winds up accepting anyway.

Here's where that other shoe drops.  Once inside, Dolly Madison decides to get more comfortable.  She removes her over-sized sweater, takes off her glasses... and lets down her hair.  Boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom... turns out, she's a knockout!  Whodathunkit?!

Suddenly... Willy's all about the studying.  Dolly Madison is impressed that he even came inside with her.  Well, the other her, anyway.  Ya see, she dresses like a frump to avoid wolf-whistles and cat-calls, which she finds very disquieting.

Finally, it's time to study.  Willy suggests they maybe "act out" a bit of history between Cleopatra and Marc Antony... hopefully not the final scene though.  Dolly Madison makes it clear that their relationship is strictly that of Teacher-Student.  Willy seems okay with this... so long as he can "yearn" while he "learns".  Whatever the hell that means.  All's I know, is only one of his hands is visible in this panel.

Dolly Madison mentions that her heart has been filled by the American Heroes of history.  Willy suggests that he too is a hero, just nobody has written about him yet.  Remember to use that line next time you're out fellas!  She ain't buyin' it... nor should she.  Willy leaves, but not before suggesting he'd be getting more out of this lesson if the other-her was teaching it.  He meets back up with Windy... who is still loitering on the lawn... because, really... where else would he be?

While chatting up his burnout buddy, Willy has a tremendous idea... in order to woo Dolly Madison, he's going to have to become... a Hero!  Willy hasn't the foggiest idea what his pal's going on about... after all, why go to all the effort for such a frumpy-looking gal?  Willy introduces Windy to Dolly Madison... who stands seductively in her doorway.

Willy (w)racks his brain about ways to impress the new object of his desires... and figures that maybe he can have ol' Maynard pretend to be a bandit... who he can foil.  Windy ain't keen on the idea... and goes full Shaggy from Scooby-Doo to express that emotion.

Willy then has another thought... he'll save Windy from being hit by a car!  Windy finally wises up... or maybe the buzz wears off, and he goes to walk away.  Willy grabs him as he steps off the curb... and they fall on top of one another.  An old woman witnesses the entire thing, and mistaking it for a fight, calls a police officer over.

Willy starts talkin' some spoo about saving his buddy from an oncoming vehicle... and via the power of suggestion, the old lady cops to the story as well... hell, she even says she saw the whole thing go down!

Windy and Willy head off to "tell it to the press".  I could picture the evening news broadcast that night.  "Boy saves burnout from invisible car... and, in other news, NOTHING!"  After they leave, the officer realizes that this whole thing was a sham... the street was closed down the entire time!  Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

We wrap up with Willy delivering the news to Dolly Madison, who... is actually impressed!  So much so, that she insists he share the story with her Uncle Quincy... who, just so happens to be the police officer he'd pulled a fast one on!  Wonk, wonk wonkkkkkk.

--

Well, that was somethin', wasn't it?

I had more fun with this than I was expecting.  Sure, it's a goofy sitcom story... but it's more or less inoffensive.  I did leave out some of the panels of "war whooping" due to some insensitive language used... but, it was a different time, whattayagonnado?

The "frumpy girl is really a hot girl" plot is well-worn, and hell... probably was even way back in ye old 1963 when this story first appeared in Dobie #17.  Again, more or less inoffensive... silly teen-age comedy shtick... something that wouldn't feel out of place on Saved by the Bell or the like.

I think my main takeaway from all this can be summed up with one word.  Why?  Why did DC feel the need to rework old Dobie Gillis stories, like six years after the fact?!  Why did Windy and Willy occupy an issue of Showcase (#81-March, 1969), and why-oh-why did DC decide to give 'em an ongoing?!  Was there something about these stories in particular that needed to be preserved?!  I mean, it's not like they were reprinting all of the old Dobie Gillis stories!  This is Windy and Willy #4... and this story is from Dobie #17!  It's just so weird.

Oh well.  I guess it's not mine to wonder why... all's I know, is I kinda dug this.  It was goofy and silly... and kind of a waste of time, but not the worst thing in the world.  Turns out Windy and Willy would only make one more appearance after this... in the pages of a very recent issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up (March, 2018)... whiiiiich, now I'm going to have to track down.

Is this worth tracking down?  Ehh, probably not.  If you happen across it in the "buck and below-bins", well... yeah, grab it... but otherwise, you shouldn't break your back nor your bank tracking this one down.  Shock of shocks, this one is not available digitally.

If you're interested in the "source material" for Windy and Willy, Shout! Factory has uploaded some full-episodes of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis to their YouTube Page.

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A Windy and Willy Text Piece?!  Why???

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Batman and the Outsiders #5 (1983)

Batman and the Outsiders #5 (December, 1983)
"Psimon Says..."
Writer - Mike W. Barr
Co-Plotter - Marv Wolfman
Art - Jim Aparo
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.75

Going to wrap up the crossover we started yesterday.

I'll be adding these issues to both the Life and Times of Tara Markov and Collected Editions pages for easy consumption.

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Picking up right where we left off last issue, the Titans and Outsiders are flailing in the waters where the tiny island off Gotham sunk.  Batman and Robin both blame themselves... as one might assume.  Terra attempts to tap into her Earthy powers to re-rise the island, but proves to have been too weakened in the blast.  Lucky for her, she ain't the only Earth-Mover present... her brother, Brion, reaches down deep and actually manages to raise the island out of the Gotham Bay drink.

Everyone looks to have made it... except Beast Boy!  A worried Halo rushes to his side... and a little voice suggests she try some mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the green fella.  That little voice, of course, belongs to Beast Boy himself.  Nice try, Gar!

At the same time, Batman begins directing traffic, telling both teams where to go and how to be... which kinda sticks in a certain Boy Wonder's craw... which, is understandable.

Meanwhile, on the mainland... Dr. Light makes another power grab, attempting to take leadership over the Mud Pack (not that Mud Pack).  This doesn't quite work... after all, they only do what Psimon Says.  The rest of the Fearsome Five make it quite clear that they now follow Psimon, which makes a ton of sense... any time they'd follow Dr. Light, they wound up in jail!  Ol' Artie gets chased outta dodge.

We shift scenes over to the Outsiders' headquarters atop the Wayne Foundation Building, where both teams get better acquainted... sorta.  Terra acts like a bit of a jerk, but that's kinda her gimmick... so the Outsiders shouldn't take it all that personally.  We do get a few "parallels" here, which is pretty neat.  Both Wonder Girl and Halo don't know about their pasts... Kid Flash and Black Lightning both do-si-do with retirement... it's pretty cool stuff.

After awhile, Batman calls for the heroes to assemble in the meeting room.  He and Dr. Jace have deduced that the Fearsome Five's target will be Manhattan.  Robin chips in with a bit of information from the NYPD police band...

... which Batman heeds, yet doesn't go out of his way to thank Dick for presenting.  It sure feels like Marv and Mike keep trying to paint the other-guy's guy as the whiner, don't it?

It isn't long before the heroes arrive in Manhattan's Central Park where Psimon and Dr. Light are duking it out (so to speak).  The good guys seem to choose Dr. Light as the lesser of two evils, and lash out at Psimon.  Good thing Zatanna mind-wiped Batman back in the long ago, ain't it?  Well, it's a good thing for Arthur Light, anyway.

Before the skirmish ends, a mind-controlled Halo strikes at the heroes... this gives Light the opportunity to slip away, or it would, if Black Lightning weren't there to zap him good.  Raven slips in to sooth Halo's soul.

We shift scenes over to the Empire State Building, where the Fearsome Five are making their way toward the antenna, hopeful that it will give Psimon better range for use with his newly souped-up powers.  They flip a switch (for some reason... ceremony, perhaps?) and before we know it, the people of New York City are under his control.

Well, not everybody.  Ya see, the heroes have headed over to Titans Tower, where Dr. Jace has created a ray to shield whoever is hit by it from Psimon's mental powers.  Pretty convenient, innit?  Anyhoo... the heroes all bathe in the light.  Meanwhile, Dr. Light spills the beans on the Five's plans.

The heroes head toward the Empire State Building, which does give Gar the opportunity to pretend to be King Kong and invite Halo to be his Fay Wray.  Smooth.

Batman's on the ground directing traffic, he insists that none of the controlled civilians are injured... which, really ought to go without saying, right?  He then breaks the crew into teams... and it's here that Robin has finally had enough.  He pulls rank and rejiggers Batman's teams... while telling him off!

The heroes make their way into the Empire State Building... and make extremely short work of the Fearsome Five Four.  Like, extremely short work.  I'm not the biggest fan of these geeks... and even I think they were jobbed out here.

Once Psimon is stuck in stasis, all of the New Yorkers come to.  We then wrap up back at Titans Tower.  We learn that Dr. Light escaped... but didn't take his costume with him!  Looks like he quits (for now)!

Terra and Geo-Force celebrate their unexpected reunion with a hug... during which, Tara laments the fact that she has to betray the Titans... who now consider themselves friends with the Outsiders.

Finally, Batman and Robin make nice... and officially end their hero/sidekick relationship.  For now, they are both bonafide heroes and team-leaders in their own right.

--

Okay, a quick... but satisfying enough ending to our two-part crossover.  We have a few things to unpack...

Same as yesterday, let's start with a look at some Bat-Family Drama.  It's with this chapter that we see Robin start with the passive (and not-so passive) aggression... and in light of how things went down in New Teen Titans #37, it's kinda funny that Mike W. Barr writes him this way.

I remember during my early days in the fandom, we'd hear about creators being protective of their characters.  Like, the ones in their creative "fiefdom".  They wanted to have a certain amount of "say" over the characters they write when they appear in other peoples' books... which, I mean, I don't hold that against 'em!  It only makes sense, from a characterization standpoint that you wouldn't want guest-appearances to contradict character-beats in the home book.  I wish more writers were as protective these days!

They don't always get it right (I'm thinking of that Punisher/Wolverine "crossover" from the early days of Jemas/Quesada Marvel... woof), but I like it when characters are kept "in-character" regardless of which book they appear in.

But what I'm getting at here, is... yesterday, Marv paints Batman as a whiny, passive-aggressive sort... and today Mike kinda flips the script, and adds some whinge to Robin.  I mean, all's well that ended well, but I still found this kinda interesting.  I wonder if either writer took issue with the way "their guy" was treated?

Let's look at the Markov's for a moment.  Terra looks to be having second thoughts about the ramifications of her betrayal.  I wanna make it clear, she never wavers from the plan... but, does seem concerned with how it might ultimately affect her brother, Brion.  This is a point in the "Terra's not evil/insane" column... from here, the "Judas Contract" betrayal looks to be... just a job.  Since this was scripted by Barr... I'm not sure how "official" this depiction is.

The Fearsome Five... I said it yesterday (and earlier today), they're not my favorites... but, c'mon... the poor goofs got jobbed out here, didn't they?  Very seldom am I an advocate for stretching out a story, but this probably could've done with a Part Three.

Overall... there's a lot to like here!  Batman and Robin bury the hatchet... with the latter seemingly being "graduated" from his sidekick role and being seen more as an equal by his mentor.  I'd say it's definitely worth a look.  This arc has been collected a whole bunch, and this issue is available digitally.

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New Teen Titans #37 (1983)

New Teen Titans #37 (December, 1983)
"Light's Out, Everyone!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Layouts - George Perez
Embellisher - Romeo Tanghal
Colors - Adrienne Roy
Letters - John Costanza
Co-Plotter - Mike W. Barr
Cover Price: $0.75

I can't believe it's been over two-years since our "Life and Times of Tara Markov" series.  Feels like... well, a while ago, sure... but, two years plus?!  Dang.

Click the image to visit the dedicated page

Back in 2016, I'd left this Titans/Outsiders crossover out of that... as it didn't seem to be as Terra-centric as the other issues I'd chosen to cover.  Though, it is important for her, and the revelation that she and Geo-Force are family... I just didn't think it was Terra-as-Judas focused as the others.

We're going to begin rectifying that... right now!

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We open with a shot of Fearsome Five member, Gizmo zipping over to Tri-State Penitentiary, where some of his teammates are currently being held.  Inside, Shimmer is being attended to by a prison guard.  She is being bombarded by a stasis beam which keeps her from using her transmutation powers and escaping... that is, of course, until Gizmo tinkers with security system.  From here, we hop to the men's side of the clink, and find Shimmer's brother, Mammoth punchin' through a wall.  Easy peasy.

As he goes to leave, he runs into the leader (soon to be former leader) of the Fearsome Five... Dr. Light!  Artie begs to be let out, and after being made an offer he couldn't refuse, Mammoth decides to set him free.

Outside, the guards and officers stand by, stiff as statues... how can this be?  Well, enter: Psimon.  Dr. Light tries to pull rank, referring to himself as the leader of the Fearsome Five... and gets put in his place rather quickly.  It's like I always say, if you constantly have to remind people you're the one in charge, you're probably not.

The Five head over to their New Jersey digs, and get cleaned up.  Shimmer flips through the newspaper, and happens across a photo of Dr. Jace, who she recognizes from her (and Mammoth's) childhood in Australia.  Ya see, Jace's studies have to do with infusing super-powers into ordinary folks (like we'd seen with the Markovs).  Psimon suggests that if Jace were to strengthen the Fearsome Five's already present powers, they'd be unstoppable!  Gotta say, probably not the worst plan I'd ever heard.

From here, Marv reminds us that the book we're reading isn't called "The New Fearsome Five", and shifts the story over to Titans Tower.  New member, Terra has been given the "thumbs up", and for the most part, everyone seems to dig having her around.  She begins pressuring the team to give up their secrets, which... isn't the smoothest way to convince people you're trustworthy.  Donna hems and haws, and then... Terra's wrist-communicator thingie starts to go off.  She chooses not to fill the Titans in on what this means.

We gentle readers, however, will soon learn that beeping is her Dr. Jace alarm.  No kidding.  She runs off, fearful that Jace could spill the beans about how she came to have her powers to the Titans... which would somehow make them realize she's a double-agent.  That's quite the leap of logic, but as a paranoid goofball myself, I'll allow it.

And so, Terra heads in the direction of her wrist-alarm... which leads her right into battle with the Outsiders!

Lucky for her, the Titans decided to follow along... which quickly evens up the odds.  I'd have sworn the Titans were a known entity by this point, and the Outsiders might recognize them and perhaps not be all that keen on fighting them... but, whattayagonnado, it's comics.

The skirmish continues for a little while, until the arrival of... Geo-Force.  It's revealed here that Brion and Tara are brother and sister... and that Tara received her Earthy powers a year before Brion did.

With all the confusion now behind us, we find out that the Outsiders and Terra have the same goal... finding Dr. Jace.  They enter a nearby building, which Jace had been working out of... and see that her laboratory door has been transmuted into lead.  Hmm...

Donna suggests they all settle their tea kettles until they meet with their respective team-leaders.  Speaking of whom... we pop over to stately Wayne Manor, where Bruce and Dick are having a rather contentious conversation.  Dick suggests they end their professional relationship, as their concepts of justice have diverged quite far apart at this point.  Bruce... seems hurt by this, and worries that Dick might want to end their friendship as well.  Worth noting, Jason Todd (pre-Crisis, redhead) asks if he can be the next Robin here.

We rejoin the Fearsome (don't call 'em Fatal) Five... and, whattaya know, they've got Dr. Jace in their clutches.  Psimon mentally tortures her because he wants to know the "results of her investigations"... I thought he just wanted her to amp up his powers?  Oh well.  She doesn't wanna help... but, eventually comes around.  That just goes to show... you can never trust a Manhunter.

We shift next to Titans Tower, where the Titans and Outsiders plan their strategy.  It's... interesting, Batman keeps trying to needle Robin about his methods... seems the big guy might be a bit distracted (and maybe just a bit butt-hurt) here.

The discussion is interrupted by a video-call from Captain Hall.  Batman immediately waves him off, however, Robin asks him to speak.  It's going to be like this the whole time, innit?  Anyhoo, Hall tells of a break in at Bio-Tron Labs, where all of the steel doors had been transmuted into paper... which is kinda Shimmer's thing.  Also, mud-men... which is kinda Jace's Earthy thing.

The heroes head over to take a closer look at the mud-men.  Raven takes the lead and attempts to empathically "link" to one of them.  She is able to see (and project) the Fearsome Five and Dr. Jace in the mud-man's memories.  Worth noting, Jace does appear to be an unwilling accomplice.  Also worth noting, Terra doesn't seem to recognize her... but plays along like she does.

Raven then leads the heroes downtown to a dilapidated Bar at the Bowery.  Inside they meet an Archie Bunker lookalike who tells them about a strange man who came in... and took all of the patrons when he left.  Batman and Robin do a bit of Tec work, and find a trace of Tetryl... Dick links it to Psimon, who had been a physicist before having a window for a head.

Kory recalls reading that Psimon (as a civvie) had worked in a lab on a tiny island off Gotham City... and so, that's our next stop.  Wouldn'tcha know it, she was right!  The Fearsome Five have collected a new bunch of geeks for Dr. Jace to "enhance".  Just as the normies enter the change-chamber, the Titans and Outsiders burst through a nearby wall!  Man, if I had a dime for every wall the Titans have ever burst through...!

Naturally, a fight breaks out.  Raven heads off to procure Dr. Jace... leaving the heroes to fight the Five, and a new gaggle of mud-men.  When all hope looks to be gone for the baddies, Psimon flips a switch... and sinks the tiny island into Gotham Bay!

--

I know I'm like a broken record sometimes... a lot of the times... all of the times (bound to happen doing this every day), but man... they did not skimp on story back in the 80's!  Had this crossover happened today, it would occupy at least six issues.

Now for me... the strongest part of this issue was that half-page discussion between Bruce and Dick.  You know me though, I'm a big-time sucker for Bat-Family dysfunction.  Thought that scene was very telling... we can see that Bruce and Dick have very different views on their partnership/relationship.

Dick seems like he can view his feelings for Bruce on both a professional and personal level.  Removing one does not necessarily negate the other.  They can still be pals in the "real world", they're just not going to go on patrols anymore.  Bruce doesn't seem to have this ability, and takes this suggested separation personally.  His initial reply has to do with dissolving their friendship!

Just thought that was interesting/telling.  Later scenes depicting Batman trying to undercut/question Robin's authority really illustrates how close to heart he's taking this professional "divorce".  Taking a step back, I thought Jason Todd suggesting he become the next Robin cool to see... I'm not sure I noticed/paid much mind to that during earlier reads.

Terra gets a bit of a spotlight here... but, certainly isn't the focus.  She's still digging for information from the Titans... and is pretty obvious about it at this point.  You'd almost figure the Titans for fools... but, they're just being played up as naive for believing only the best of people.

Terra reuniting with her brother Geo-Force was cool.  I'd like to think this would only cement people's thoughts that she'd eventually "come around" and become a hero.  Though Geo-Force wasn't exactly a tenured character at this point, it still links her to another super-team.

The Fearsome Five... ehh... I've never really been all that big on them, though I will say this was a pretty good showing for them.  Dr. Jace is another character that always bored me... plus, every time I type her name I get the Wheeled Warriors theme playing in my head.

Overall... this was a good time.  Great Bat-Family dysfunction, which, if you ask me... is worth the price of admission all on its own.  Luckily, everything else is quite well done as well.  Perez/Tanghal's take on the Outsiders was super!  This issue/crossover has been collected six ways to Sunday... it is also available digitally.

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