Not that 56-year-old Mike has that much more money.
In late 1980, I spotted this comic on the rack during an out-of-town car trip and boy was I intrigued by the premise. Dr. 13, the DC Universe’s most prominent skeptic, face-to-face with the Spectre, DC’s most famous ghost? Somehow even at 11 years old I knew this was a confrontation of some significance. However, also because of being an 11-year-old, I had a limited budget for comics purchases and opted to pick up one of DC’s digests, which I had been in a habit of collecting, and hoping to grab that Ghosts issue another time.
As it turns out, that later time didn’t arrive, either due to a lack of availability in my area, or it sold out before I could make my bicycle rounds amongst the various convenience stores, grocery stores, and newsstands looking for my reads. And in the decades since I never did find copies, or copies of all three parts (as the Dr. 13/Spectre story ran through issues #97, #98, and #99) were never found in back issue bins all at the same time.
Why I didn’t just buy the individual issues as I found them, like I have with other back issues I was collecting, I have no idea. Could be that what 11-year-old Mike wanted for his comic collection didn’t have the same priority as other items I was seeking as, say, 20-or-30-or-40-or-God-help-us-50-something year old Mike. But I still occasionally thought about these comics and wanted to read them.
They did get reprinted, in one of the black and white Showcase volumes, and again in a Spectre Omnibus, but I didn’t get either of these. However, recently, thanks to a certain little stuffed friend, I finally have my hands on these issues, and now at last I can peruse this story.
Ghosts in general is a fun anthology title that, given time and access, I’d love to collect together a full run. The covers are great, the interior art is nice, and for some reason these appeal to me more than other DC mystery anthologies aside from that one issue. For some reason I’ve had a number of copies of Ghosts #1 come through the shop of late…maybe I should hang onto one.
In the meantime, I’ll read these Dr 13/Spectre stories and finally satisfy the curiosity of 11-year-old me.
Ghosts #100 is the one to get! INFINITY COVER!!!!
” The covers are great, the interior art is nice, and for some reason these appeal to me more than other DC mystery anthologies”
I find House of Mystery to generally be better. but maybe that’s partially because of having SO MANY cool covers, and it lasting longer than the other Horror titles.
At around the same age some 40+ years ago I found a copy of Combat Kelly and the Deadly Dozen #8 as one of a bunch of comics I chose from a flea market seller. War comics weren’t my thing but I was in a phase of trying to have one comic from each Marvel series that ever existed. That issue had a cliffhanger ending where everyone eas gonna die. I spent several years fruitlessly searching for #9 (also the final issue) so I could read the story but long ago gave up that pursuit (as well as forgetting about the whole “one of every Marvel” quest).
Much to my surprise, a year and a half ago I was browsing through a store that sells mostly CGC slabbed comics when lo and behold, there it was, Combat Kelly #9 encased in carbonite for only $150 or something. Not having enough quarters on me, I chose not to buy, but someone must have because that comic was gone when I visited that shop again a week or two ago.
Yes, I was going to say that the issues were reprinted in Showcase Presents: Spectre, which is where I came across the story. That book is long out of print now anyway.
There was a Showcase Presents: Ghosts volumn also, which I bought. House of Mystery and House of Secrets often got better writers and artists to work on those stories, but the aspect of Ghosts which stood out was that some of the stories in the earlier issues of the series were adaptations of supposedly true-life encounters with the supernatural (hence that cover tagline). Plus, Ghosts did still feature a number of great artists (and excellent cover art).
Those issues should also be in the forthcoming DC Finest: Wrath of the Spectre book.
The early issues of Ghosts definitely have some great Nick Cardy covers.
And those Jim Aparo covers on Ghosts no. 97 and 98 are also very good, although I have never read that Spectre/Dr. Thirteen three-parter. It looks as though it takes place after the Spectre’s appearance in the great Showcase no. 100 and before his appearance with Batman in Brave & the Bold no. 180–unless there are some other 1978 through 1981 Spectre appearances I am unaware of.
I looked up who the creative team was on the Spectre/Dr. Thirteen story in those three issues of Ghosts. Paul Kupperberg is the writer, and Michael Adams as listed as the artist–a name I don’t seem to be familiar with; is he any relation to Neal?
I am also curious as to whether Paul wrote the Spectre in a similar fashion to Michael Fleischer’iteration of the character, or if he took a more toned down approach?
@ Michael Grabowski
Your flea market story reminded me of going to the Goleta swap meet in the very late ’70s when I was a kid, and Ralph (Mike’s former boss) and Dave were selling comics there– a few years before they opened Andromeda Books in Santa Barbara (and soon after that Ralph opened Ralph ‘s Comics Corner in Ventura). I wasn’t trying to buy every Marvel Comic, and I didn’t find a copy of Combat Kelly, but I did see and buy for the first time a copy of The Mighty Crusaders comic from the Silver Age.
I think I was vaguely aware of the Golden Age, as I had flipped through the Steranko History of Comics, but it was amazing to me at that young age to see a superteam that was not comprised of DC or Marvel characters–as those two publishers were basically the only game in town.
So, despite the corny script and clunky art, I bought that Archie Adventure Series Mighty Crusaders comic and ended up a fan of Fly-Man (aka The Fly), Fly-Girl, the Shield, the Black Hood, and the Comet. Then, over the years I have collected most of the Silver and Bronze Age appearances of those Archie/Red Circle/Dark Circle heroes (still hoping that Archie will release some Golden Age facsimile editions of the old MLJ Comics someday). Thanks, Ralph!
MIKE: I AM WRITING THIS ALL CAPS BECAUSE I EMAILED YOU ABOUT THIS ONCE AND SO I DON’T KNOW IF YOU WILL FIND IT. IN ONE THE THE CRAZY JIM APARO ISSUES–possibly the one with the giant scissors on the cover–ONE OF THE PANELS HAS A ROOM WITH A SWAMP THING POSTER ON IT.
Seriously, I wish I could have just typed normal and use a Swamp Thing emoji.But I know you are crazy nuts about needing every book with a Swamp Thing reference. So this is just a second reminder. The poster might be #1 with Wrightson’s art, I’m sure it would have to be #1 or what’s the point.
I have the SHOWCASE book. If you can’t find it, I’ll dig it out and look. But it was very clever.
All the best to you and all your commentators.
Your obsession is fine, of course. Mine is Dan Garrett as Blue Beetle. After doing a bit of ghostwriting, I was recently gifted BLUE BEETLE#4 from the summer of 1939.
I had never given it a thought before, but I now own a comic published before WWII started.
“I am also curious as to whether Paul wrote the Spectre in a similar fashion to Michael Fleischer’s iteration of the character, or if he took a more toned down approach?”
I haven’t read ALL, but of the ones I have read, the only writer who came close to Fleishers full-on vengeance aspect was John Ostrander.
Fleisher ALSO wrote a very vengance-y story in House of Mystery #230. Reminded me A LOT of his Spectre stuff.