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hulk serves coffee!

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  Originally posted on the Substack version of this site on January 8, 2026. Unless noted, all art in this entry was published in Defenders #62, August 1978. Written by David Anthony Kraft, pencilled by Sal Buscema, inked by Jim Mooney. What does one do when an unexpected mass of superheroes shows up on your doorstep? Serve them coffee, of course! Even if, as an Asgardian valkyrie, you’ve never brewed a pot of it over your centuries of life. And so, we have one of the goofiest sequences published in a 1970s Marvel comic. Because today feels like a day we could use a little goofiness as a breather. Cover art for Defenders #62 by John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton. This cover includes several heroes who weren’t even part of this storyline, like Iron Man and the Human Torch! Clockwise from the centre: Nighthawk, Angel, Hellcat, Iron Man, Human Torch, Dollar Bill, Hulk, Hercules, Nova, Valkyrie, Power Man (Luke Cage), Iron Fist, Jack of Hearts, Captain Marvel, Falcon, Spider-Woman. The Def...
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pizza pie, 1950s style

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  Parade, December 31, 1950. It's always interesting to revisit points in history when food we consider a common, everyday dish was considered new and exotic. Such was the case with pizza during the 1950s, when articles like this one from the American Sunday newspaper magazine insert Parade were not uncommon. Here's a closeup of their recipe for a simple sausage and tomato pizza, which relies on prepackaged hot roll mix, which I imagine would have been like this present-day Pillsbury version . As far as these vintage recipes go, this one sounds edible but will not satisfy cheese lovers. Demonstrating how to make a pizza on CBC television, 1957.   Mad #40, July 1958. One of my favourite early looks at pizza as it became a North American sensation appeared in Mad magazine in 1958. Note that the least Italian-sounding name is the one diners are crowding into, though I'm surprised this pizzeria isn't called "Melvin's," given how frequently that name was used...
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january 6: moving over to substack

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A quick note: I'm going to test moving this revived blog over to Substack - you can find today's official post at this link . If all works well, this site may move into retirement after a two-decade run. 
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january 5: how the wiener won its way

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 Harper's, July 1954. If you believe this fun 1950s ad, the story of the wiener fits the classic tale of the immigrant who made good in America. From the arrival of the first two wieners at Ellis Island, this story demonstrates how combining the right cuts of meat and spices into a pleasing taste combination hooked generations of Americans. It is a lesson that is sadly lost on many people today.  Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the wiener industry stressed the easy digestibility of its products, as it does in section 6 of this ad. One of the funniest examples of this I've encountered is an ad for Kahn's Wieners ("The Wiener the World Awaited") presented on Cruisin' 1964 , one in a series of albums recreating the golden age of AM rock radio. Here's a link to the Kahn's ad whose tagline is...well...a tagline (you'll want to start at the 14:07 mark).  Founded in 1906 as the meat industry's lobby group as the American Meat Packers Association, the...
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january 4: the unknockables of 1966

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  Esquire, June 1966. Given the current climate where knock-down culture runs rampant, it was interesting to  stumble upon  this 1966 Esquire cover featuring famous people who few publicly hated on.  As for the "unknockables" on this cover, clockwise from the top are Kate Smith (singer whose rendition of "God Bless America" spurred on the Philadelphia Flyers during the 1970s), John Cameron Swayze (early 1950s NBC nightly news anchor and Timex watch spokesperson), Helen Hayes (legendary actress), Norman Thomas (Socialist presidential candidate), Marianne Moore (see below), Jimmy Durante ("good night Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are..."), and Eddie Bracken (comedic actor, best known to my generation as Roy Walley in National Lampoon's Vacation ), with Joe Louis (legendary boxer) in the middle. Let's explore who else was considered universally beloved... The portraits were illustrated by Jack Davis , who career was in high gear during the 1960s as he ...
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january 3: the ad council for public service, 1957

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  Look, January 8, 1957 . Since 1942, the Ad Council has presented Americans with public service announcements ranging from Smokey the Bear's suggestion that only you can prevent forest fires to McGruff the Crime Dog's vow to take a bite out of crime .  This two-page spread highlights some of the Ad Council's late 1950s campaigns, which reflect a mixture of optimism, community building, and Cold War initiatives. It is refreshing to note that the Ad Council's website does apologize for some of its too-jingoistic campaigns during the Second World War directed against certain "foreigners."  Perhaps a new campaign resurrecting the hand gesture depicted in question #3 could be modernized and used extensively for the upcoming U.S. midterms. 
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january 2: happy thought range is ok

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  Windsor Record, October 5, 1899. Yes, it is ok to have happy thoughts. Especially when you have a functioning late 19th century beast of a stove that might not be the best on the market but will do you what you need it to do.  The model that was just ok may have been manufactured by Brantford-based William Buck Stove Company, who appear to have published several pamphlets about their "Happy Thought" line. This note to housewives appeared in an 1899 guide that is currently available on the Internet Archive .  This pamphlet provided some historical context, with its writer (credited as "the 'Happy Thought' Range Man") declared that "no better stove man ever lived" than William Buck, whose experience "taught him that there was a class of people in this country - a class by the way largely increased since his day - that wanted something better than the ordinary cooking apparatus, no matter how well made, that was at that time in vogue." In ...
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