Checkered Past

Batman faces a dappily-dressed menace from his past - apparently not dapper enough to be on Gotham's Ten Best-Dressed List, but that's another story! (Literally. It's another story right in this very same issue.) PLUS learning to shave, the return of Irene Vartanoff, and so much more!

Animal-Man moves his super-hero career into high gear and gets the jump (pun intended) on a gang of nogoodniks! PLUS a little bit of WWII espionge plays out on Dinosaur Island! It's Strange Adventures and Star-Spangled War Stories all rolled into one!

A short and sweet episode today, Dr. Husband has me on a VERY tight schedule. But not so tight that I can't wax eloquently about what an awful misogynistic pig Doc Magnius is! It's Metal Men #23! (continuing a story from Metal Men 22, covered on this podcast [checks notes] OVER A YEAR AGO: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/checkered-past/id1350233450?i=1000601970551)

Jimmy's got trouble AND HOW, betrothed to a lady gorilla and even his signal watch is no help! Luckily his inability to calculate time zones has saved the earth from an explosive destruction. Catch up with all the fun in Jimmy Olsen #98!

Hawkman goes opinion to pinion with The Raven, a nogoodnik from the back alleys of Midway City! Plus the Hawks reveal their dirty secret, that they're just out here destroying ancient relics and replacing them with high0-tech forgeries. PLUS Quoth Irene Vartanoff - nevermore!

Green Lantern faces the Dazzler! (not that Dazzler). Carol Ferris marries the man of her dreams! (not that man). And Hal Jordan makes a fateful decision! All right here in Green Lantern #49!

Jeb and the Haunted Tank Crew (minus General Stuart, who I guess couldn't be bothered) travel through a time warp to World War I, where they meet none other than Sgt. Rock! (no, not THAT Sgt. Rock, but close!) PLUS the Green Glob spreads his gassy joy over the world once again! It's GI Combat #121 and Tales of the Unexpected #98, right here and right now!

Sacre Bleu! The Blackhawks are up against it, not only fighting a mad scientist but also a form of matter that can (checks notes) DESTROY THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. Don't worry, they've got a 'copter and flashy red jerkins, and also Chop-Chop who is apparently a Warlock! It's all here in Blackhawk #227!

Superboy - or Super-Brat?!? Superboy launches a career as a super menace in a story that MIGHT have happened but DIDN'T unless it DID. PLUS Krypto's doomed love! Time Machine Mail Bag! And a new word of the day!

Robby Reed's beside himself - literally AND figuratively! PLUS - the psychology of insect-themed villains! Mars vs. Mercury! And everything you ever wanted to know about heteropaternal superfecundation! Join us for House of Mystery #163!

It's an 80-Page Giant! All about Batman! It's got a newspaper strip! An amusement park! AND a Batman from the future (spoiler alert: he's an idiot!) It's all here so dive right in, Batman #187 (did I mention it's an 80-Page Giant?!?)

Sgt. Rock is crackin' up, man, he's headed straight for Section 8! But not before wiping out a squad of Ratzis! PLUS the sensational character find of 1966, Super-Glove! It's all here with Our Army at War 174 and Strange Adventures 194!

The Challs face the sensational character finds of 1966, D-Man and the Iron Dictator who are (checks notes) never to be seen again! But that won't stop our stalwart writer from dumping every idea he's ever had into this slim volume. Join us for Challengers of the Unknown #53!

Chronos returns, and that CAN'T be good news for tenured professor of physics Ray Palmer, can it? Not when his fiancée, lovely lady lawyer Jean Loring, has become his own personal Barbie doll, along with the entire population of Ivy Town! Join us for The Atom #28!

It's finally happened - Bob discoveres that Tadwallader and Super-Hip are one and the same! Too bad Tad has taken off with his teenage hooligan pals to wreak havoc across small-town America! Join us for all the "fun" in The Adventures of Bob Hope #102!

Our favorite Christmas albums! Chucking mannequins through windows! Jimmy Olsen is an idiot! Plus Superman fights a creation of the Niphilim. All part of the fun here on Checkered Past, come on in!

Red and yellow, kill a fellow, but don't tell that to the golden-clad Elongated Man! PLUS - Batman and Robin, being impersonated by a couple of college pranksters? Say it ain't so! PLUS PLUS - The sensational character finds of 2023, Beefy and Boo-Boo! It's all here in Detective Comics #357!

Capt. Hunter and Lu Lin help out fallen flying ace Jimmy Denver who in turn helps them infiltrate a VC prison camp in search of Hunter's psychic twin, but the real story is that Lu Lin finally gets long pants and sensible shoes! It's Our Fighting Forces #104!

Superman jumps on the acronymned criminal organization bandwagon when he pledges to protect a mysterious space jewel from the machinations of D.E.M.O.N. And when I tell you that you aren't prepared for what D.E.M.O.N. throws at the Man of Steel you must believe me! Billy D is here to break it all down with us, join the fun!

What's to be done when you discover a hidden valley filled with ancient machinery? Toddle off with your idiot daughter, caveman secretary, and underling super-hero, of course! Metamorpho tangles with a deposed dictator, Java makes whoopee with the gentlewoman from Georgia and Sapphire goes for a midnight swim, all in Metamorpho #9!

Catwoman emerges after 12 years in retirement to (checks notes) announce her retirement...she just has a few odds and ends to take care of first, like killing the Penguin, hypnotizing Lois, and turning Lois into a cat! Join the fun, won't you, as we dive into Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane (oh that sounded dirty, didn't it?)

Sir Prize and Miss Terious are finally unmasked and that's like the LEAST exciting thing that happens in this issue. It's Part 2 of our 2-part look at Adventure Comics 350-351 and as my grandmother would say, "it ain't fopr sissies!"

Supergirl and Superboy...BANISHED from the Legion?!?! Say it ain't so! WHO can ever replace them? Sir Prize and Miss Terious, THAT'S who...but what is their startling secret? Sorry, you won't find out here cause it's part 1 of a 2-part episode! But tune in anyway!

The Sea Devils are not known for making good decisions, but this issue takes the cake - if cake as we know it even exists in the far-off future of (checks notes) TWO HUNDRED YEARS from now! Find out what makes even Dr. Bobb angry enough to toss a comic to the floor!

Beast Boy faces the existential dread of (checks notes) being a teenager. No one understands him! Where does he belong? Well, at the circus - at least until he's hypnotized into a life of crime. Can the Titans help him? Find out here! It's Teen Titans v1 #6, guest starring Beast Boy!

A report from Baltimore Comic Con! A spirited albeit one-sided discussion of Wacky Packages! And speaking of wacky packages, have you heard about Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' shower scene? All this and more with The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #97!

At last! The DC Universe debut (almost) of the ORIGINAL (but not really) Plastic Man! Also the DC debut of Professor X (not that Professor X). But Professor Dr. Husband does give a RIVETING lecture on the history of napping! It's all right here, don't delay!

I think we can all agree on three things that we all hate: Misogyny, Racial Stereotypes, and Steve Trevor. Find out why in this double-barrelled look at Wonder Woman 166!

Blackhawk Island has a big secret - and no, it's not the fact that 7 grown men are sleeping in the same room! Witness the terrifying plans of The Planner! PLUS! Time Machine Mailbag! It's Blackhawk #226!

The Justice League has double trouble when Felix Faust starts multiplying just like a renegade Carggite! Luckily it's the sixties when everyone knows that powerful magical creatures can be defeated by a mouse running loose. PLUS - think Flash Facts are neat? Wait til you hear all the FAUST FACTS we have for you! Let's go-go, it's Justice League of America #49!

A gorilla, 100 years before they were discovered by western science? Sure! Viking fortresses dotting the New England landscape? Absolutely! An electric-powered villain a century before electricity was fully understood? Bring it on! PLUS! Lots and lots of chest hair! It's Tomahawk #107!

The Admiral's daughter has her sights set on Captain Storm and that can only mean GREAT things for his career. PLUS a lot of missed opportunities for "your mom" jokes! It's Capt. Storm #16!

Aquaman - dead?!? Say it ain't so! Never fear, our hydrated hero will soon deduce the mystery of the DIMENSIONAL TIME REFLEX (?) and put an end to Mongo and his ghostly black city. It's Aquaman #30!

King Arthur and his knights! Smoke blowing tigers! Balloons in space! It's not easy tying all those things together BUT WE DID IT. Join us for World's Finest Comics #162!

So much war and sports talk we had to bring in a heterosexual consultant. Join us and Jake and Our Army at War #173!

It's an 80-Page Giant! The JLA fight a foe from the far future who is suprisingly up to speed on WWII-era popular culture! PLUS you'll thrill in awe as our heroes navigate the spaceways in an open rowboat!

The bells are ringing for Flash and his gal! But who will be fastest down the aisle - Flash, or Professor Zoom?!? It's Flash #165!

Ultimax, terrorizing the city! Mento, crashing the global economy! Elasti-Girl, under arrest for subatomic espionage! Beast Boy, suffering the cruel misfortune of drinking milk RIGHT FROM THE CARTON. I'm exhausted just reading about it! Join us for Doom Patrol #107!

Childhood local television! John Byrne's creepy children! Political commentary on the Supreme Court! 500 teenagers that all look the same (except for the fat one). OH YES, and The Joker gets a kicky new sidekick! It's Batman #186 and Swing with Scooter #3!

What's more fun - a trip to the circus or an hour of talk therapy? Only Stanley and his Monster know for sure! PLUS a mad scientist finally does something useful for humanity - collects shirtless men in cages! It's Strange Adventures #193 and The Fox and the Crow #100!

Superman, a living bomb! Supergirl, a mighty Amazon! Dr. Bobb and Dr. Husband, delirious from pet-interrupted sleep! Never fear, that just makes us EXTRA chatty! It's Action Comics #342!

Napoleon! Kublai Khan! kd lang! That's only a FEW of the significant historical figures you'll meet this episode! Join us for Adventure Comics #349!

British television! Invaders from other dimensions! Eastern European royalty! Our pal Martin Gray joins us to discuss Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, and we didn't even have to use our signal watches!

If I'm being honest, I didn't think we'd make it to 2 episode, much less TWO HUNDRED, but here we are! A new theme song! A new(er) comic to read! And lots of heavy emotions as Dr. Husbands reads, for the first time, "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow"! Come on in, the water's fine!

Know who's got a birthday? Johann Sebastian Bach, that's who! Also Dr. Husband, but let's get right to business - how's Green Lantern going to fight a foe made entirely of the color yellow? WITH HIS FISTS, THAT'S HOW! Tune in now for Green Lantern #48!

Billy from The Brave and the Bob Pod joins us to discuss the curious case of the Bat-Hulk! PLUS other nonsense, as usual. It's Batman, Metamorpho, and The Brave and the Bold #68!

This episode brought to you by the letter C, and the words Caveman, Colonoscopy, Car Lighter, Classical Music, and Crabs! It's World's Finest #161, an 80-Page Giant!

WHO is the Sizzler? WHY did G.I. Joe defect to the VietCong? WHAT is the secret of Dr. Bobb's meatball soup? ALL WILL BE REVEALED ON THIS EPISODE! It's Metal Men #22!

Alfred is dead, and I don't feel so good myself. But don't worry, turns out Alfred's not REALLY dead, he's just an all-powerful super-villain! Author Jim Beard joins us to explore the craftiest television-dictated character revival since Steve Trevor! PLUS the Elongated Man waxes poetic!

An untold tale of Superbaby's arrival on Earth, and his first ADORABLE but-up of a crime syndicate! PLUS Robin mucks around and creates a new timeline! It's Superboy #133!

Gramps gets his moment to shine, but what benefit is civic pride when one is transformed into a monster? PLUS Marco Xavier gets his chance to meet Mr. V, AND the saga of Dr. Husband's missing wedding ring! It's House of Mystery #162!

Roger Boyd has one month to live – unless the Green Glob can set things right! PLUS Auto-Man runs afoul of a super-advanced mutant genius who somehow skipped English class! It's the Green Glob and Auto-man in Tales of the Unexpected #97!

You can lead a Haunted Tank to the Patisserie but you cannot make him eat! Jeb Stuart's gotta capture a Nazi tank crew and he's gotta do it fast, good thing his pals Sgt. Rock and Johnny Cloud are around to offer some handy tips!  PLUS the eprils of Sunday afternoon grocery shopping in the suburbs!

You know it's a ghreat story when flying gorillas don't even make the top five list of - pardon my French - ape-sh*t things! Hidden civilizations! Evil priest-kings! Mosaic analogues! Lady scheintists! PLUS the exciting saga of our new neighbor and her full septic tank! We're back, baby!

It wouldn't be Christmas without an 80-Page Giant! Robin flies solo (when he can shake himself out of his teenage pity party) PLUS Dr. Husband discovers that there's a such thing as Bat-Hound!

Not one, not two, but THREE Insect Queens for the price of one! PLUS a roomful of Lois Lane mannequins, kitten problems, and my mother's irrational fear of gypsies!

Tommy Miller has no wings but wait til you see him fly and hear his mournful SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEE! PLUS Captain Hunter and Lu Lin in another mildly entertaining adventure!  AND - Kitten flirts with death at the jaws of Capt. Butler!

Red Ryan - DEAD! Ace Morgan - DEAD! And I don't feel so great myself! PLUS is meanness really a villainous raison d'être? Join us for Challengers of the Unknown #52 and find out!

Large-scale puppetry! Shakespearean romance! And a booze-loving kitten! All this PLUS Jerry Lewis battles a mad scientist, a giant monster, and overbearing parents! It's The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #96!

Nubile young things in bathing suits! Politically incorrect stereotypes! Universal monster dopplegangers! PLUS Creepy old Hollywood stars! Who says the Beach movie is dead, not us!! Join us for all this PLUS Super-Hip in The Adventures of Bob Hope #101!

Sugar and Spike doing their first Trick or Treating unlocks a torrent of childhood Halloween memories, PLUS, what will we name our new kitten?

Today we learn that Dr. Husband was doing drag queen makeup before he even knew what a drag queen was! Plus a thorough discussion of Eartha Kitt, COVID Boosters, and fun facts about Lady Blackhawk!

The Atom takes on the ferocious Panther Gang, while condoning some HIGHLY unethical photographic behavior. Then he travels through time to meet the heroic sheep, Montauciel, AND American founding father Ben Franklin! Plus hear ALL about Dr. Bobb's first grown-up job!

Wonder Woman has her own pet paper doll, too bad he's such an annoying creep! PLUS all about worm composting, childhood paper routes, and suburban speakeasies! It's Wonder Woman #165!

Barking dogs! A swing and a miss from young Master Shooter! Unnecessarily hyphenated words! And the drag-iest super-villain outfit you'll ever see! (both acceptable uses of a hyphen) It's Superman #190!

Hogan's Heroes trivia! Channeling my dead father! Fun with napping! PLUS Sgt Rock in a duel to the death with his Nazi opposite number! It's Our Army at War #172!

Now THIS is my kind of comic - Batman getting Robin out of the way so that he can spend his nights grappling with a beefy shirtless man! PLUS The Elongated Man bumps into fellow fishnet-admirer Zatanna! It's Detective #355!

Dr. Regulus is comin' in HOT and the Legion ain't ready! PLUS true life nature adventures! Sleeping sickness! And and EXTRA-CAFFEINATED Dr. Husband! Join us for Adventure Comics #348!

Superman seeing double - double Clark Kents, that is! PLUS a revealing look at our dreams, Sueprgirl's Sweet 16, and the Infantino debate put to rest at last!

The moon may be in the seventh house but the World's Finest Friends are in a heap of trouble when Dr. Zodiac and his gun moll breeze into town! PLUS find out the TRUE astro-signs of our terrific trio!

The Mandela Effect! The great InfantEENo controversy! Tales from the Ohio State Fair! PLUS Metamorpho undercover! Join us for Metamorpho #8!

It's a day of firsts for Dr. Husband - his first encounter with super-villain and future gay icon The Pied Piper, PLUS his first knowledge Wally West's hair dye! It's Flash #164, come on in, the water's fine!

Dr. Husband applies his mad physics skillz to the problem of Batman's impossible "super" feats! Dr. Bobb takes his lumps for not remembering what Parkour is! Robin flies solo, and is revealed to be an idiot! PLUS Time Machine Mailbag!

Over the river and through the woods go the Titans to face the scourge of TEENAGE DELINQUENCY. But first you'll have to suffer through Dr. Bobb's VERY STRONG OPINIONS about Old Bay seasoning and cast iron cookware! Join us for Teen Titans #5!

You'll never believe all the crazy things the Sea Devils get up to this issue - unless, much like the writer must have, you drop a tab of acid and wait a half hour. We've got giant monsters, coral reef-destroying cannons, whales on Main Street, and THAT'S just the first 5 pages!

Jim Corrigan tries to help a fella out, and what does he get for his trouble? A new soul, for starters! Plus hear all about the naturally cold gas from Alaska! My father's bicycle horn and pet robot cat! A letter from a future Spectre scribe! All that and a Black Mass to boot!

Blackhawk and the fellas are facing a mountain of gloomy headlines - and speaking of gloomy headlines, did you know that 57% of Blackhawks come from countries where women have more bodily autonomy that in the USA? HAWKAAAAAAAAA!!!!

It's an 80-Page Giant! Giving Lois Lane plenty of room to spread her wings and find new ways of tricking Superman into marrying her! In the immortal words of Dr. Husband, "I've never been so angry at a comic character in all my life."

Jimmy Olsen is the dumbest man in two universes - not necessarily a bad thing, but it may explain why he remains a cub reporter despite traversing interstellar space! Join us for a fun-filled romp through Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsenb #96!

Pity poor Ultra the Multi-Alien - no sooner has he found a way to change back to Ace Arn at will (all the better to woo sweet Bonnie Blake!) than he single-handedly gets Mystery in Space cancelled! Johnny Cloud doesn't fare much better on his road to Loser-dom, as the bell also tolls for All-American Men of War. Join us for this somber celebration!

Krypto returns to the Space Canine Patrol Agents and the exciting world of charitable donations! PLUS: Attend the tale of Allan Vale, you'll never hear a sadder tale. Join us for Superboy #132!

Robby Reed can't make heads or tails of this new villain who has plenty of heads to go around! PLUS MArtian Manhunter is about to get some action, if you know what I mean (wink wink!) Join us for House of Mystery #161!

Capt. (not actually a Captain) Storm meets his opposite number, a brave Lt. of the Japanese Navy! Will he find a way to save this prideful fool's life or nah? Join us for Capt. Storm #15!

Tomahawk – dead! Say it ain’t so! But Miss Liberty’s here to communicate with his ghost, model several anachronistic fascinators, and beat back the redcoats!

Nearly-shirtless Sgt Rock and fully shirtless Barbarosa mix it up atop Kyffhäuser Castle while Easy Co. and an army of sullen teens await the outcome! From September 1966 it's Our Army at War #171!

The end has come for House of (shhh!) Secrets - for now, at least - but don't worry, Eclipso and Prince Ra-Man have some fight left in them yet! Plus Dr. Husband learns all about backup stories before launching into a fascinating discussion of sales figures and fiscal years!

Aquaman's got a secret, but he has to get through a pod of whales, an iceberg, and me making up a story about his teenage years first! Join us for the first appearance of THE OCEAN MASTER!

Just in time for spring, it's Beach Week! Sugar and Spike head to the sand and sun for some ET disclosure! Scooter et al compose hip love songs for the local monster! And the Switcheroo Witcheroo saves Cape Canaveral! Join in for this and more!

Dr. Bobb's twerking injury! Cap'n Butler's fart attack! Dr. Husband's love of Infantino inking himself! PLIUS a sub-par Batman story and an above-average Elongated Man story equaling one okay issue of Detective Comics!

Hey have you heard there's an uncharted island in the Pacific where dinosaurs still live? Everyone seems to know about it, yet no one has CHARTED IT. PLUS what about the little boy down the lane who consorts with ghosts of dictators and ancient demons and whatnot? I wonder what the HOA would say about THAT!

Poor Lois, she's so consumed with fending off her blackmailer that she misses Clark changing to Superman right in front of her! PLUS - The Queen of Sheba's hairy demon legs AND the craziest hitchhiking story you'll ever hear!

In an exciting twist, Green Beret Capt. Hunter becomaes a Kindergarten teacher! And speaking of Green, have you heard about the Green Glob?

Mayor-for-a-day Super-Hip, elevated to the highest office in the land through the machinations of BIG TADWALLADER! Bob Hope, America's most beloved comedian, helpless to intervene! It might be our most RELEVANT episode TO DATE! (Not really but you'll listen anyway, right?)

It's our gala 150th episode!  (Well, not really GALA per se...mostly just a regular episode with extra crap thrown in). We look at Action Comics 340, plus bits and bobs from Heart Throbs 103, Falling in Love 85 and Falling in Love 143 - PLUS! The triumphant return of The Girls' Young Romance True Love Story iPhone Voice Memo Players!

Wonder Woman faces harrassment in the workplace, but never fear, she's got plenty of non-consensual behavior of her own to dish out! Hop on board for our last episode of 2021!

Can Davey live up to the expectations of his stage father? Can Wonder Girl escape from the clutches of the hobo jungle? CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN WHY SPEEDY IS CALLED SPEEDY WHEN HIS POWERS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH SPEED? Speedy meets up with the other kid heroes to vsit the 1964 summer Olympics, and while they're at it, maybe bust up an international hate group to boot!

Flash is dead and Batman don't feel so great himself! Who would, what with a gang of super-fast troublmakers gallavanting around Gotham City? My recommendation, Bats, is to do as I did and break up your day with a nice, long nap!

Faced with a choice between an idyllic life on a restored Krypton, and the certain destruction of Earth, the noble Superman chooses (checks notes) THE LATTER. Join us, won't you, for a read-through of one of the most bonkers Superman stories of 1966!

Poet Laureate Robert Frost famoulsy wrote, "Some say the world will end in a robot apocalypse, some say in being strangled by plastic garbage", but I say the world ends in baby goats and un-eaten hot dogs. Confused? Well I guess you're going to just have to listen to this episode then!