” A boy is born in hard time Mississippi
Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty”
Surrounded by four walls that ain't so pretty”
-“Living for the City”, Stevie Wonder
Happy New Year! It’s time to unwrap the first capsule of the year, as we look back on the month of January 1974… the mysterious gap in the Watergate tapes… “Smokin’ in the Boy’s Room”… John Wayne plays a cop… Ali-Frazier part 2… the Dolphins repeat… and in the four color world, a new jungle girl and a new Simon/Kirby creation, while more and more glorious 100 page giants hit the stands!
News of the Month:
2nd - 55 MPH speed limit imposed by President Richard Nixon, a limit that would remain in effect for the next 13 years, in order to conserve gasoline during the OPEC embargo.
4th - Citing executive privilege, U.S. President Richard Nixon refuses to surrender over 500 tape recordings that had been subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
6th - In response to the oil crisis, at 2 a.m. the United States begins a trial period of year-round daylight saving time for the first time since World War II.
14th - World Football League founded
15th - Expert panel reports 18½ minute gap in Watergate tape, 5 separate erasures
15th - TV sitcom "Happy Days" created by Garry Marshall and starring Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Marion Ross, and Tom Bosley, begins an 11 year run on ABC
15th - Comet Kohoutek, predicted to be even brighter than Halley's Comet, makes its closest approach to Earth, , and is barely visible to the naked eye
16th - Jaws" by Peter Benchley is published by Doubleday
28th - The rematch of former heavyweight boxing champions Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Ali wins by unanimous decision after the fighters completed 12 rounds, in what was described by one reporter as "the most ballyhooed non-title fight in history”
Newsreel of the Month: The gap in the Watergate tapes, fuel shortages, and John Wayne visiting Yale dominate the CBS evening news with Walter Cronkite (January 15, 1974)
Magazine Cover of the Month: Bob Hope (TV Guide, January 19-25, 1974)
Music of the Month: The Steve Miller Band had their biggest hit to date, while a one-hit wonder band from Michigan known as Brownsville Station had their 15 minutes of fame…
US Top Singles:
1. The Joker - Steve Miller Band
2. Show And Tell - Al Wilson
3. Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce
4. Smokin' In The Boy's Room - Brownsville Station
5. I've Got To Use My Imagination - Gladys Knight & The Pips
UK Top Singles:
1. You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me - New Seekers
2. The Show Must Go On - Leo Sayer
3. Merry Christmas Everybody - Slade
4. My Coo-Ca-Choo - Alvin Stardust
5. Dance With The Devil - Cosy Powell
Further Down the Charts:
“Living for the City”, a Stevie Wonder masterwork, topped out at #8 this month
Paul McCartney & Wings sent “Helen Wheels” up to #10
Movie of the Month: “McQ” starring John Wayne, Eddie Albert, and Diana Muldaur (premiered January 4, 1974)
TV Clip of the Month: Muhammad Ali & Joe Frazier appear with Howard Cosell on Wide World of Sports days ahead of their heavyweight rematch but things spiral out of control when they begin trading insults (first aired January 26, 1974)
Sports Moment of the Month: Larry Csonka leads the Miami Dolphins to a 24-7 mauling of the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium in Houston (January 13, 1974)
Top 10 DC Comics of the Month (as selected by Osgood Peabody, listed in order of their publication):
Our Army at War #267: Rock is wounded and finds refuge with a French family in “A Baker’s Dozen”, then a peaceful night is interrupted by war in “Moonglow”, an episode from Sam Glanzman’s U.S.S. Stevens! (cover by Joe Kubert)
Sandman #1: Simon & Kirby reunite to revamp the Sandman in “General Electric”! (Cover by Jack Kirby & Frank Giacoia)
House of Mystery #224: 100 pages of spooky thrillers highlighted by a couple of new tales - Frank Robbins’ “Night Stalker in Slim City” and “The Deadman’s Lucky Scarf” by Alfredo Alcala and a choice selection of reprints from Berni Wrightson, Neal Adams, Mort Meskin, and others! (Cover by Gerry Talaoc, Alfredo Alcala, and Bill Draut)
Kamandi #16: The origins of the Great Disaster are hinted at as Kamandi finds himself in “The Hospital”! (Cover by Jack Kirby & D. Bruce Berry)
Rima #1: Rima the Jungle Girl makes her debut in “Spirit of the Woods”! (Cover by Joe Kubert)
Black Magic #3: Another selection of vintage Simon & Kirby tales of the macabre, including “Nasty Little Man”, “The Angel of Death”, and “The Courts of Sleep”! (Cover by Jerry Grandenetti & Creig Flessel)
The Shadow #4: The Shadow confronts Homer Bliss, a man who gives criminals a new lease on life in “Death is Bliss”! (Cover by Mike Kaluta)
Brave & The Bold #112: The Darknight Detective meets fellow escape artist Mister Miracle in “The Impossible Escape” plus other vintage B&B treats! (Cover by Jim Aparo and others)
Detective Comics #440: The Batman tracks a gang of kidnappers to a remote village in “Ghost Mountain Midnight”, then Manhunter finished recounting his origin tale in “Rebellion”, plus other tales from the DC files from Simon & Kirby, Murphy Anderson, and Alex Toth! (Cover by Jim Aparo)
Tarzan #230: Tarzan battles a pair of hungry lions, then Korak continues his quest for his beloved Meriem in “Leap Into Death”, plus other tales from Russ Manning, Carmine Infantino, and Mike Kaluta! (Cover by Joe Kubert and others)
You can find all DC comics published this month right here courtesy of Mike Voiles’ Time Machine!
You can also find a lot of other publishers’ output this month courtesy of Mike’s site right here.
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statistics: Posted by Osgood Peabody — 8:18 AM - Today — Replies 6 — Views 109