Adventure Comics # 451, June, 1977

A good issue all around with a tight Aquaman chapter featuring the return of the JLA's original enemy.

More impressive as all heck art from Netzer and Austin but this series leaves here with this installment to finish up in WORLD'S FINEST.

Ditko's last great mainstream creation according to many, the title got little respect at the time but has aged well. The character was revived and revised beyond all recognition as a Vertigo title in recent years.

Steve Bissette, an early Kubert School grad, did many of these ads. Looks like his work here to me. 

Note the hint of a big announcement next issue regarding AQUAMAN. 

 

Adventure Comics # 450, April, 1977

Skeates is quickly replaced by David Michelinie as regular writer on AQUAMAN.

Still more new formats from DC.

 The DC Hot Line was fun. I used to call regularly and even kept a log of which creator was on that week's recording.

Along with all the self-promotion and new formats comes a new publisher--Meet Jenette Kahn. ADVENTURE COMICS had been around for more than a decade by the time Jenette was born.

Facebook friend Tony Isabella's signature character makes his debut!

Supergirl makes her return to her old ADVENTURE home, still wearing the hot pants outfit, in an especially stylish MANHUNTER FROM MARS appearance.

Adventure Comics # 449, February, 1977

Writer Steve Skeates reunites with artist Jim Aparo on AQUAMAN as Editor Joe Orlando moves up a rung to Managing Editor and former AQUAMAN writer now becomes Story Editor. Might add also that the comics had been thirty cents a copy for a year now. Just snuck it in without even the usual apologies/explanations.

By virtue of being bi-monthly, this issue, on sale in October of '76, has both Halloween and Christmas ads!

The first new Martian Manhunter solo story in a decade offers up the quite wonderful art combination of Mike Nasser and Terry Austin. Nasser before this, tended toward being one of the dozen or so Neal Adams clones who had come into the industry in the wake of that artist's game-changing success. He was very good but not unique. Here. he develops a most enjoyable style and inker Austin clearly contributes quite a bit as well. Nasser would eventually become better known as Michael Netzer and forge a unique place for himself both in comics and the blogosphere. He was also an early and very heavy supporter of the Booksteve blogs!

Adventure Comics # 448, December, 1976

These Aquaman stories were getting intense, building toward a climax that fans didn't even suspect that's coming soon.

But the rest of this issue was once again self-promotion.

                                       And another nifty Neal Adams PSA.

Adventure Comics # 447, October, 1976

As with most recent issues, a large amount of space here is taken up with DC self-promotion. Perhaps the most interesting point is the mention of an upcoming DEMON series by Pasko and Simonson. I haven't looked ahead lately but I don't believe that ever appeared in ADVENTURE. Did it appear anywhere?