Random thoughts on Day One.  Because it's a thing I do.  Well...I do it until I get busy.  Then who knows.  

I had recently read about the Phantom Lady and The Spider Widow team-up in Kurt's tome.  I've obviously not read it, but that could change. 

I actually bought DC Comics Presents #26 in spite of Superman being in it.  I bought it, however, for the Teen Titans preview and the Whatever Happened To feature.  I know I read the lead story, but I can't for the life of me remember it.  

The P.I.’s #1-3 completely slipped my mind and I'm chagrined by that.  It likely wouldn't have made my list because it has easily been 25 years since I've read it.  But I should have thought of it. 


Models Inc. #1-4.  This is a book I had no idea existed.  I Googled it and I've never heard of any of the creators.  This is why this event is never less than interesting. 

Daredevil #16 & #17.  I know I've read this story because I read at least the first two volumes of Essential Daredevil.  But I have only the most vague memories of it.  

RoboCop Versus Terminator #1-4.  This is not the kind of thing I'd ever be likely to read.  But that creator line-up.  Simonson is always gold.  And '92 was before Miller when completely round the bend.  I may have to see if I can find this.  

Kid Colt Outlaw #121.  I'm a big western fan.  But Marvel's westerns never did anything for me.  They were far too much like superhero comics and I wanted my west more gritty.  That said, the two characters in this book will show up on my list later.  

Christmas with the Super-Heroes #2.  I love Alan Brennert's comic book work.  And I love this story.  And it will almost certainly show up again.  Luckily I won't have to worry much about a write-up because I'm not going to top this one. 

Marvel Premiere #56.  This is another one that I should have thought about, but didn't.  Maybe because I didn't really think of it as a team-up.  Maybe because I didn't think of Dum-Dum Dugan as meeting the criteria.  Maybe because I'm old and forgetful.  Maybe because I'm a dumbass.  Whatever the reason I should have because I love this book, Dom Fortune and this kind of story in general.  

Sub-Mariner #57.  I've read a lot of Silver and Bronze Age Marvel.  But Sub-mariner is one of my blind spots, probably because reprints have been generally less available.  I should change that at some point.  

Captain America #253 & 254.  I didn't think of this one either.  And it likely wouldn't have made my list.  But I really love this run of Cap and it's a fun story.  

Uncle Scrooge #287.  I would never have come up with this as a team-up.  But I love me some Don Rosa and Uncle Scrooge in general.  Well played.  

Transformers #3.  I've never read an issue of Transformers.  That seems really unlikely to ever change.  

Marvel Two-In-One #21.  This is one that could have made my list as a general representation of "team-up" books.  I went with MTIO 13, but this could have been there.  

Spider-Man and Nova.  Nice choice.  I love that era of Amazing Spider-man though it may be pure nostalgia.  

Batman/The Spirit #1.  I considered this because I love Darwyn Cooke so damn much.  I ended up with Cooke on my list in a different way, but this was a semi-strong contender. 

Batgirl Year One, #6.  2002, give or take a couple of years is a pretty dead era for me at least for superhero comics.  I graduated law school in '99 and moved to where I live now...a place that is 150 miles from a comic shop.  While I've caught up on a lot of books from that time period superhero books not so much.  I may have to look for this one. 

Silver Surfer #4.  Have I mentioned that I hate the Silver Surfer.  I mean, not as much as Superman.  But almost.  I have read this book.  I almost remember it.  I'm sure that SS whined a lot because that's kind of his thing.  The art is nice though.  

Right, I'm leading off with my "no-brainer" choices. As we get deeper into the festival, my selections will become more idiosyncratic. 

First of all, some of my favorite team-ups are in the last ten years. Doctor Who/Star Trek. Ms. Marvel/Lockjaw. Squirrel Girl/Iron Man. I tried to avoid repeated characters among the team-ups as well, so only one Swamp Thing. And I rarely read the team-up books like MTU and B&B, mainly team books like X-Men and Legion of Super-Heroes. I was going to sit this event out, but at the last minute I thought of some team-ups about which I had something to say. Here’s what I came up with:

#12: Sub-Mariner, Invisible Woman and Alpha Flight (Alpha Flight #4, 1983, John Byrne):

John Byrne famously did not want there to be an Alpha Flight comic book at all; he felt the characters he had developed as X-Men foils were too flimsy to carry a series. The first thing he did with the team was introduce two new members, sideline one (Puck) in intensive care, and send the other (Marrina) off to Atlantis. That required Sub-Mariner’s involvement, and as long as Byrne was writing/drawing Fantastic Four at the same time, he finagled for Sue Richards to join the fun too, despite the story being set in far northern Canada. The villain, “The Master,” seems inspired by the 1970s Doctor Who villain “The Master,” a Moriarty-type character portrayed by Roger Delgado.



Byrne wasn’t above using the more successful FF series to tout his stepchild series. He opened the following month’s FF in a shocking liplock that enticed readers what in the world had transpired over in Alpha Flight to make Namor “search for Reed Richards” in Sue’s tonsils.

12. Batman and Black Canary
Brave and the Bold # 91
DC Comics, 1970



I don't want to say absolutely this is the best looking comic of all time, but... I'm not saying it's not, either.

This comics does so many things so well. Pulse pounding, visceral action sequences where horses, cars, motorcycles, and boats are the weapon of choice - and keepinmind vehicular chase sequences are generally considered the hardest thing to depict in comics?

Pshaw. Yeah. Got 'em in spades.

Fog shrouded noir full of single lamplights, illegal gambling dens, moonshrouded exchanges of secret contraband, and a "Four Legged Romeo with a Velvet Nose?"

Page after page.

Courtroom and murder scenes where the World's Greatest Detective does *gasp* actual detecting?

Surprisingly, yes.

Some of the prettiest girls to ever show up in the whole of the ninth art?

Well....



This is capped with some of the moodiest and most effective inking (by Cardy himself) and coloring (by, sadly, unknown ) in mainstream comics, and you have one of the coolest lookin' comics I've ever seen, merging not just two characters (Bats and Canary) but the genres they represent as well - detective noir/romance peppered with karate and motorcycle chases.

Just an amazing, amazing comic that probably should be higher than # 12 but I am winging it.

Great run from Stern and Byrne. There are so many team-ups that no one should be stumped for entries. 

Sorry for the late entries -
I wanna do a theme, so here's my 12 days of Deadman teamups

Deadman has been a favorite of mine ever since I first was exposed to him via the Best Of DC digest #5 (reprinting Adventure Comics #466) and while not every comic he's in is a keeper, he is one of the characters I still buy every appearance of. 
I mean, he's dead! How neat!

Brave and The Bold (Vol 3) #14 & 15 (Aug 08)

W - Mark Waid
A - Scott Kolins
C - Scott Kolins

So Rama Kushna is trapped by an evil guy at Nanda Parbat and Deadman needs help…..
At this point of DC continuity Nanda Parbat was destroyed (back in the 1st Deadman miniseries in the 1980’s) but now Nanda Parbat is back and worrying about comic continuity just gives me a headache, so to continue...
So this demon priest captured Rama Kushna and has warped her powers so he is able to send out demons from Nanda Parbat that are similar to Deadman, except the bodies they possess get burned out and the poor folks get killed. Deadman enlists Green Arrows aid and GA gets all aggro, almost getting himself killed. Deadman takes control of him and borrowing a plane from Bruce Wayne flies Green Arrow to Nanda Parbat in the Himalayas.
By the end of the comic and solid at the gates of Nanda Parbat GA shoots DM with an arrow and Deadman gets thrown off a cliff! Holy Crap!
 Then in #15 - 
Green Arrow had a brilliant idea after all - by sticking Deadman with an arrow and throwing him off a cliff in the last issue this allowed Deadman to return to his ghost state, and go find help. Heading to the batcave, he enlists Nightwings aid since Bats was out and about. Just for the hell of it they grab Hawkman too and the 3 heroes head back to Nanda Parbat, free both the captured Green Arrow and Rama Kushna and save the day - yippie!
This two parter (2 party-er dude!) is an enjoyable read.