Adventure Comics #486 [Direct]
(October 1981)

DC, 1938 Series
< Previous Issue |
| Next Issue >
Volume
47
Price
0.60 USD; 0.20 GBP
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
monthly
On-sale Date
1981-06-30
Publisher's Age Guidelines
Approved by the Comics Code Authority
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
DC Comics Inc.
Brand
DC [bullet]
Editing
Len Wein (credited) (editor); Mike W. Barr (credited) (associate editor); E. Nelson Bridwell (credited) (consulting editor)

Issue Notes

Indicia title is "ADVENTURE COMICS PRESENTS DIAL H FOR HERO."

On-sale date from copyright registration.
This issue has variants:

Hell on Earth! (Table of Contents)

Dial H for Hero / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
George Pérez (signed as George Perez)
Inks
George Pérez (signed as George Perez)
Colors
Tatjana Wood (sourced)
Letters
Gaspar Saladino

Job Number
C-693
Genre
superhero
Characters
Vicki Grant (as Sulphur); Chris King (as Brimstone); Grockk; Firegirl
Synopsis
Grockk and Firegirl battle Sulphur and Brimestone.

We Are Looking for a Few Good Boys and Girls (Table of Contents: 1)

Grit Newspaper / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?

Indexer Notes

Ad for sales people for Grit newspapers.
On top half of inside front cover.

Can't Find DC Comics on the West Coast? (Table of Contents: 2)

advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?

Characters
Superman

Indexer Notes

Ad for independently owned comics shops in California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Brought to you by The Funny Pages, Berkeley, California.
On bottom half of inside front cover.

Hell on Earth (Table of Contents: 3)

Dial H for Hero / comic story / 17 pages (report information)

Script
Marv Wolfman (credited)
Pencils
Don Heck (credited, signed)
Inks
Don Heck (credited, signed)
Colors
?
Letters
John Costanza (sourced)

Job Number
J-7498
Genre
superhero
Characters
Grockk; Firegirl; Thaddeus Oxford; Vicki Grant [Puma; Sulphur]; Brad; Christopher King [Enlarger Man; Brimstone]; Greg King; Roger Dunbar
Synopsis
Grockk, son of the Devil, creates Firegirl out of an experiment of Professor Oxford's, and intends to use her to rule the world. However, the Dial H heroes defeat him when Firegirl decides the humans deserve her help. Meanwhile, Vicki and Brad get back together and she refuses to talk to Chris when they are not superheroes.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Credits from letter page.

In two chapters. Chapter 1 is not numbered, has no separate title, and is the first 8 pages. Chapter 2 is numbered, is titled "Fear Over Fairfax!" and is the final 9 pages.

Character ideas from: Paula Hunter (Firegirl), Glenn Lemonds (Puma), Douglas Kalish (Enlarger Man), Rock Bakletea (Grockk), Douglas Holben (Brimstone and Sulphur). Brimstone is not the same character who later battles Firestorm in the Legends story arc.

Bubble Yum's Got the Number Yum Taste. (Table of Contents: 4)

Bubble Yum / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?

Indexer Notes

Ad for bubble gum.
Between pages 4-5 of "Hell on Earth" story.

Lights... Camera... Crime! (Table of Contents: 5)

Batman; Hostess Cup Cakes / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Curt Swan
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
?
Editing
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
Batman; Crime Director
Synopsis
Batman foils the robbery of a bank, made to look like a movie shoot, by distracting the Crime Director's gang with Hostess Cup Cakes.

Indexer Notes

Ad in comic format for Hostess Cup Cakes from Continental Baking Company.
Between pages 9-10 of "Hell on Earth" story.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

Dial "L" for Letters / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script
Bob Rozakis (credited as Ted P. Skimmer)
Letters
typeset

Job Number
L-840

Indexer Notes

Letters from: Joshua Adam Bilmes, Tim Wahowske, and Robert Buethe.

Roll Up in Your Very Own Life Savers Roll, and Dream of All Your Favorite Life Savers Flavors! (Table of Contents: 7)

Life Savers / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?

Indexer Notes

Ad for Life Saver logo premiums, including flashlight, sleeping bag, and knapsack.

Here Come the Heroes! (Table of Contents: 8)

Dial H for Hero / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script
Marv Wolfman (credited)
Pencils
Romeo Tanghal (credited)
Inks
Romeo Tanghal (credited)
Colors
?
Letters
Todd Klein (sourced)

Job Number
J-7715
Genre
superhero
Characters
Christopher King; Vicki Grant; Roger Dunbar; Brad
Synopsis
The tale of how Vicki and Chris found their H-E-R-O dials in an old chest in the house Chris' family moved into.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Credits from letters page.

The Plight of the Flight Pirate (Table of Contents: 9)

Dial H for Hero / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Marv Wolfman (credited)
Pencils
Trevor Von Eeden (credited)
Inks
Larry Mahlstedt (credited)
Colors
?
Letters
John Costanza

Job Number
J-7499
Genre
superhero
Characters
Sky Raider; James Grant; Samatha Grant; Greg King; Vicki Grant [Sparrow Hawk]
Synopsis
Vicki runs a solo mission to recover a Rembrandt painting from the Sky Raider, who stole it from her father.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Credits from letters page.

Letterer credit from Steven Tice.

Sparrow Hawk idea from George Longley.

Write Right Now! (Table of Contents: 10)

advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?

Characters
Charles Atlas

Indexer Notes

Ads in classified format for comics, magic trick novelties, body building, martial arts training, baseball card collecting suplies, Vacutex blackhead remover, and more. S. Schwarz & Co. agent.
Between pages 3-4 of Flight Pirate story.

Now You Can Dial "H" for Hero (Table of Contents: 11)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Carmine Infantino
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
?; typeset

Characters
Christopher King; Vicki Grant

Indexer Notes

Form for submitting character and story ideas for this comic to DC Comics. Notes that ideas used will receive a t-shirt.

Earn Famous Name Prizes or Cash (Table of Contents: 12)

Olympic Sales / Olympia Sales Cards / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?

Indexer Notes

Ad for sales people for greeting cards and gifts.
On inside back cover.

Drive the Fastest Cars in the World (Table of Contents: 13)

Tyco Toys / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Editing
?

Indexer Notes

Ad for Magnum 440 toy cars from Tyco.
On back cover.

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. Hell on Earth!
    Dial H for Hero
  2. 1. We Are Looking for a Few Good Boys and Girls
    Grit Newspaper
  3. 2. Can't Find DC Comics on the West Coast?
  4. 3. Hell on Earth
    Dial H for Hero
  5. 4. Bubble Yum's Got the Number Yum Taste.
    Bubble Yum
  6. 5. Lights... Camera... Crime!
    Batman; Hostess Cup Cakes
  7. 6. [no title indexed]
    Dial "L" for Letters
  8. 7. Roll Up in Your Very Own Life Savers Roll, and Dream of All Your Favorite Life Savers Flavors!
    Life Savers
  9. 8. Here Come the Heroes!
    Dial H for Hero
  10. 9. The Plight of the Flight Pirate
    Dial H for Hero
  11. 10. Write Right Now!
  12. 11. Now You Can Dial "H" for Hero
  13. 12. Earn Famous Name Prizes or Cash
    Olympic Sales / Olympia Sales Cards
  14. 13. Drive the Fastest Cars in the World
    Tyco Toys
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Nick Caputo
  • Peter Croome
  • Gregory Fischer
  • Jan Roar Hansen
  • Lou Mazzella
  • Donald Dale Milne
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Antonio Pontes Junior
  • Vik-Thor Rose
  • Ron Sadowski
  • Daniel Thingvold
  • Steven Tice
  • Jim Van Dore