There is, as we know, no rhyme or reason governing what articles I write, and when. I like to do them on relevant anniversaries, but that's far from a hard-and-fast rule, or I would have done something on Disney today, the anniversary of massive layoffs there in 1941. But I do sometimes think of articles as belonging to categories, and occasionally make some effort to complete them.

For instance, there's the category of western heroes with secret identities. In the past year, I've written up Super-Chief (who also belongs to, and completes, the category of DC superheroes who had series in the '60s). The Presto Kid, The Masked Raider, Redmask, The Hooded Horseman and The Apache Kid. I once had visions of someday completing that one, but then counted up and realized I still have to do The Lemonade Kid, The Calico Kid, another guy named The Masked Raider, whom I've never even seen a picture of, The Whip (no relation to El Castigo) and a couple more, to say nothing of ones I don't even know about yet. So that one, I now know, isn't currently worth the effort of trying to complete.

When I did Sea Devils, several years ago, I figured that completed the category of comics that were successfully tried out in Showcase. (Sometimes the categories get kind of esoteric.) Except, of course, Lois Lane, who, having been around since 1938, wasn't precisely "tried out" in Showcase. But today, I figured it's about time I did some supporting characters who had long runs in their own titles, so I decided to complete it for real.

And wouldn't ya know! Just as the realization that Pat Patriot had debuted in August, 1941, meant I hadn't completed that category, I discovered a completely unexpected series that got its own comic after appearing in Showcase — Windy & Willy.

Now, if ever there was a no-account, Windy & Willy is it. Squeeks the Monkey, who had his own title for less than a year after being Crimebuster's pet, was more prominent. Comet, no relation, who was Supergirl's pet super-powered horse, and never did have his own series, was more prominent. Windy & Willy were scarcely even characters.

What they were, was a pair of kids from a TV show DC had licensed in the '50s. A dozen or so years later, they whited out the names, lettered in new ones, and filled an issue of Showcase with reprints of them. That much, I remembered. What I didn't remember until this morning was that they'd gone on to their own title after that issue of Showcase. It lasted all of four issues, which I believe is as short a series as anybody who came out of Showcase ever had.

So if I'm going to claim I've written up all the "successful" Showcase graduates, I have one more to do. Fortunately, having written up The Blue Lady, Frankie Doodle and The Mighty Atom in recent weeks, I'm not embarrassed about adding an article on a no-account.

— DDM