Showcase #71
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeShowcase #71 is the final chapter of DC's 1967 Maniaks trilogy — a short-lived Silver Age experiment in youth-culture humor — and it stands apart from its predecessors by featuring Woody Allen as himself, making him one of the very few real-life public figures to appear as an undisguised character in a mainstream DC comic of that era. While the rest of the Maniaks' run populated its stories with thinly veiled celebrity stand-ins, Allen was depicted directly under his own name, a notable editorial choice that reflects the creative ambition (if not the commercial success) writer E. Nelson Bridwell brought to what became the group's swan song. The issue also marks the last in-universe appearance of the Maniaks as a complete band, closing DC's brief, Monkees-inspired bid for the teen comedy market. Its cultural curiosity — a rising stand-up comedian and playwright guest-starring in a DC tryout comic the same year his Broadway play 'Don't Drink the Water' opened — gives it a footnote in both comics history and pop-culture biography.
In "What Swings, Fiddle Strings?", Woody Allen teams up with the Maniaks for a delightfully absurd Broadway musical titled Confederate Yankees, complete with songs by the elusive George M. Coldham—last seen in Inferior Five #2. With "Twiggly" and a cast of zany character parodies adding their flair, the stage is set for a surreal, song-filled adventure. Written by E. Nelson Bridwell and brought to life by Mike Sekowsky’s art with inks by Mike Esposito, this 1967 Showcase issue offers a quirky, offbeat gem from DC’s early ’60s era, all wrapped in a cover by Sekowsky and Esposito.
In "What Swings, Fiddle Strings?", Woody Allen pitches his zany Broadway musical *Confederate Yankees* to the Maniaks, with songs by the mysteriously elusive George M. Coldham—last seen in *Inferior Five* #2. With "Twiggly" and a parade of absurd celebrity parodies joining the fun, the stage is set for a wildly offbeat theatrical adventure.
In this delightfully absurd musical twist from *Showcase* #71, a parade of spies, sudden betrayals, and unexpected romances unfolds in a series of song parodies that never quite land quite right. As the Maniaks hype their latest showcase, and Woody Allen nervously waits for the critics, the whole chaotic act teeters toward a finale that’s as unpredictable as it is catchy.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The Maniaks were conceived by writer E. Nelson Bridwell and artist Mike Sekowsky in direct response to the mid-1960s Monkees phenomenon, launching in Showcase #68 (May/June 1967) as DC's entry into the 'wacky rock-band adventure' genre. Bridwell, who had broken into the business selling gags to Mad Magazine and was serving at DC primarily as a continuity editor, wrote original song lyrics for each issue — an unusual creative investment for a tryout anthology book. Editor Jack Miller oversaw all three Maniaks issues, and the art duties for Showcase #71 were handled by Mike Esposito, who inked over Sekowsky's layouts. The Woody Allen guest appearance in the final issue is understood by commentators to have been an attempt to inject cultural cachet into the flagging series, positioning the Maniaks alongside a genuine rising star of stage comedy — though the book was cancelled after this issue regardless.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published November–December 1967 by DC Comics as part of the long-running Showcase tryout anthology series (vol. 1, #71).
- Marks the last appearance of the Maniaks — DC's fictional rock band consisting of Silver Shannon, Jangle (Gilbert Jeffries), Flip (Philip Folger), and Pack Rat (Byron Williams) — as a complete group.
- Woody Allen appears as himself (not a fictionalized stand-in), making him a rare undisguised real-life celebrity in a Silver Age DC comic; all other celebrity references in the Maniaks run used thinly veiled fictional names.
- The story, titled 'What Swings, Fiddle Strings?', centers on Woody Allen hiring the Maniaks to star in his Broadway musical 'Confederate Yankees'; the plot also features a character called 'Twiggly' — a barely disguised version of British model Twiggy.
- Written by E. Nelson Bridwell, penciled by Mike Sekowsky, inked by Mike Esposito, and edited by Jack Miller.
- The Maniaks were deliberately modeled on The Monkees — a fictional rock band caught up in comic adventures — and debuted just months after The Monkees' television premiere in September 1966.
- Bridwell wrote original song lyrics for each Maniaks issue, an unusually labor-intensive creative choice for a tryout-format comic.
- Silver Shannon, the Maniaks' lead singer, is the only member to receive later DC appearances — she resurfaced as a supporting character in Kurt Busiek's Power Company series in the early 2000s.
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Reprints
Reprinted in The Inferior Five #5 (1967), Bobby #3/1968 (1968), Superman Presents Tip Top Comic Monthly #35
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