Wonder Woman! Superboy! Hawkman! Hawkgirl! Where could you read about all 4 of these Spectacular Heroes in 1976? In Four Star Spectacular #4, that’s where! Join Paul and special guest Todd Serenbetz as they go on a rampage in Maine, build a giant umbrella in Smallville, and become completely invisible in Midway City! But wait, there’s more! We also have the September edition of The Monthly Planet, with Paul and Shawn M. Myers!
This month’s instocktrades.com selections:
https://www.instocktrades.com/products/feb2670256/superman-brainiac-reborn-omnibus-hc
Visit the Daily Planet:
https://www.mikesamazingworld.com/F231EB71A50CE9/features/gallery.php?page=planet
Learn more about Four Star Spectacular:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four-Star_Spectacular
https://www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/series.php?seriesid=843
And who is Frank Godwin?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Godwin
https://www.mikesamazingworld.com/main/features/creator.php?creatorid=353
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1862475417283165/
https://tombrevoort.com/2017/06/17/i-have-no-great-memories-of-four-star-spectacular/
Have a question or comment? Have a specific issue you love and want to talk to us about it? Have a favorite issue and want to be a guest?
- E-mail us at dcspecialcast@gmail.com
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- Follow the Monthly Planet on Bluesky at https://bsky.app/profile/themonthlyplanet.bsky.social
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“Cloud Dancer ” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
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Wow, I totally had this issue (in fact, I had several 4-Star Spectaculars). However, I recall the images/art far better than the stories. Those scenes of the Hawk-spouses all disassembled and Wonder Woman at the logging camp are just etched into my brain. On the latter story, I totally agree about Godwin’s art: I have the first two volumes of the Wonder Woman: The Golden Age tpbs, in which there is a story drawn by Godwin and I have to admit that I prefer it to the others drawn by H.G. Peter.
As usual, I also quite enjoyed the Monthly Planet feature, and you reminded me how much I would love some kind of collection of the ’70s Metal Men revival, with art by Walt Simonson and then Joe Staton. I used to have the whole set of single issues back in the day (long gone now) and absolutely loved them.
Great show, Paul, Todd & Shawn.
Loved the WW and Hawkman stories. Having the focus on these titles has encouraged me to get copies and read them. Love the commentary of Paul, Todd and Shawn. How you guys became so knowledgeable about DC characters, creators and history, I don’t know. Misspent youths?
This episode was a lot of fun. The Wonder Woman story is delightfully bonkers. That panel where WW is literally standing on her head and strangling Mavis is one of the most bizarre that I have ever seen. And you have to love WW exclaiming “I’ll brown his hash!” The best thing is that there is an Amazon named Mavis, which sounds more like a name from “Mama’s Family” than one from Greek myth.
IQ is one of those characters that was introduced to me by a Who’s Who entry.
And last month, I spoke too soon about the trivia questions in the Daily Planet. These were noticeably more difficult. The characters who lived in the future? In the past? And Iris West’s dad? All I could think of was Jesse L. Martin as Det. Joe West on the CW and I knew that wasn’t right.
Great show, Paul, Todd, and Shawn!
Paul, you are so lucky to have in Todd a brother-in-law who enjoys comics. Thanks to you both for a terrific look at one of those random reprint collections I loved as a kid. Still do, I bought this issue when it came out and enjoyed all three stories.
Excellent logo, and well done to ENB for not having a hyphen between ‘four’ and ‘star’. As regards the little character heads, I think you’re right about the artists, well mostly – that has to be Kurt Schaffenberger and not Dick Giordano drawing Wonder Woman.
It really is interesting to see someone other than the great Harry G Peter drawing a Golden Age Wonder Woman story, and Frank Godwin’s art is a fine change of page. Thanks for the info on him. One thing I noticed is the he draws women shorter than the guys, which is unusual when it’s not a plot point; I like the realism.
Mavis is a proper minx – she’s probably the Earth 2 Mavis Trent, sadly missing from this issue’s Hawkman story.
Loved the Monthly Planet, as ever.
The last time I remember post-Crisis Ira Quimby (any relation to Fred?) he was on Oolong Island as part of the (mad) Science Squad in the excellent Keith Giffen/Matthews Clark/Ron Randall Doom Patrolbook.
i like that Catwoman outfit too, it was so much better than the previous one (green with scales).
The curator of the Flash Museum was Dexter Miles.
Re: Adam Strange, ‘who looks good with a fin?’ asks Shawn. EVERYBODY looks good with a fin.
I know I claim things a lot, but if nobody has still claimed that DC Super-Stars #12 issue with the long Superboy story, well, goodness me, I’ve things to say about THAT issue.
Great discussion Paul and Todd! Isn’t it ironic that Marston was considered an early feminist, but his signature character went wild when the articles representing enslavement were removed from her? Just another layer of subversive weirdness in the Wonder Woman strip! I saw some of Godwin’s art from this story in Les Daniels’ Wonder Woman history book, and it was startlilng to see early Diana NOT by Peter.
The Superboy story sounds like prime Silver Age lunacy. I’m mixed on Kubert or Anderson on Hawkman, but I defintely prefer Anderson’s Hawkgirl. I.Q. always gets points for me from Mike W. Barr and Jim Aparo’s Batman/Superboy tale from Brave and the Bold #192, one of my favorite issues of that series.
The Monthly Planet never fails to entertain and spark some deep-rooted memories. And I agree with Shawn, the digest version of the Strange Sports Stories cover is far superior!
Thanks for another fun episode to listen to while driving!
Not sure why, but I never read the Four-Star Spectaculars. I don’t think it was because that they were reprints. Most likely I just had only so much money and there were other things to buy.
Part of me wants to build that radio to see what kind of range it would get these days.
As for the Planet pages, maybe it’s just me but that buccaneer Catwoman outfit makes me think of the Eartha Kitt Catwoman from the 1960s Batman series.
That Hawkman panel on the cover looks like Colorforms!
Re: Adam Strange–I loved that, during the classic JLA issues, Flash kept suggesting him for membership, even though he could never reliably attend a meeting or mission. Gardner Fox didn’t really do character stuff, but I can imagine the other JLAers rolling their eyes at Barry every time he brought it up.
Fun issue. Interesting to see that WW art!
Just a couple of comments.
First off, I like that Catwoman outfit! (Of course, I like Zatanna in her Sindella outfit!)
But most importantly, if you do end up doing a Super-Team Family, I am claiming the Supergirl/Flash/Atom issue! Alan Weiss art!!!
I meant to add I’m fond of Catwoman’s “pirate costume” because that’s what Mego made into their 8″ action figure line, and they Bend n’ Flex bendie line as well!
Great collection of stories I think the hawkman story is my favorite.
I’ve got ask here’s my secret question:
I’m watching some wwf pro wrestling.
Could hawk man win a buried alive match against
Against stone cold Steve Austin as his former
Self night hawk ???
How strong is Hawkman even SUPOSED to be
Those are a unique stories of characters to use for the comic.
Did you here there is a facsimile of dc special
Coming its issue 5 the Joe Cubert special.
May have spelled his name wrong sorry .
You might want to let everyone know because if it sells well, there’s a good chance they might do more DC specials right now they might just focus on the creator ones if there are more of them, I’m not sure but maybe it would be an idea to do an episode of like a wish list of ones you’d like to see them do facsimiles of.
if dc comics doing this one there could be others