Dynamite magazine

[Shellhead]

Does anybody here remember Dynamite magazine, from the early/mid-70's? They had a monthly feature... a two-page version of the origin of a Marvel or DC hero. These two page comics tended to do an excellent job of summarizing these various origin stories.

http://members.tripod.com/jsikes/dynamite/images/chewy.jpg

[Kaiju]

I remember the mag. Didn't they have their own brother and sister superhero team for a while?

[Shellhead]

I remember the mag. Didn't they have their own brother and sister superhero team for a while?

That sounds familiar, but I dropped it in the late 70's when they stopped running those origins.

[telerites]

Boy that brings back memories. I remember it for sure. I was in jr. high around that time. I remember one piece where it asked who would win between Hulk and the Thing. I think they picked Hulk.

Did they have stamps or posters attached in the mags?

[Paradox]

I remember it very vaguely.

Was this one of those Jeanette Kahn published kids books? She did several of those, and it was the success therein that landed her the top spot at DC for many years.

[Albert]

Oh yes, I remember Dynamite, though such memories have faded with time& tide. I remember there was a great Linda Rondstadt cover (art, not photo) with Cap and Doc Strange as back-up musicians.

[gentlesatirist]

...was on Pizzazz, Marvel's lame attempt to compete with Dynamite. Pizzazz only lasted something like 6 issues. Another great example of Stan Lee's almost complete failure to move Marvel into other mediums in spite of the popularity of the characters.

Dynamite was a classic, featuring covers of the big pop cult stars of the day : Dukes of Hazzard, Buck Rogers, Kristie McNichol, Three's Company, Shaun Cassidy, etc. Great late 70s vibe. Don't recall that much actual comics content, but did have art by Sam Viviano, who's been drawing this type of humor stuff for what seems like 40 years.

Not sure about Kahn's involvement, although she did come from children's publishing. I think Scholastic may have published Dynamite (in the days before it had Harry Potter and Bone). There was also a mag for older kids called Bananas and one for younger kids named Hot Dog, all from the same publisher.


- FE
Wickliffe OH

[Sean Dulaney]

I think Jeanette Kahn launched DYNAMITE and another similar magazine before taking the DC job. R.L. (Goosebumps) Stein (as Jovial Bob Stein) was editor for it and BANANAS in the 80's.

[Kan-Man]

I went to a public school in Queens in the early 70s and I remember getting to fill out an order form for magazines and paperback books and Dynamite was one of the choices.

I'm pretty sure if I looked hard enough in my parents' house, I could find back issues that either my brother or I purchased.

For some reason, I think I remember the first issue featuring Jimmie "JJ" Walker from from "Good Times" on the cover. I always assumed that's where the title of the magazine came from.

[Paradox]

Sean Dulaney remembers better than I:

I think Jeanette Kahn launched DYNAMITE and another similar magazine before taking the DC job.

I have another vague recollection that the other one may have been simply Kids.

Couldn't find much of anything on either mag on the web.

[The Wayner]

I have an issue of one of these with Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk on the cover. I'd dig the sucker out to verify which title it is, but I'm sure some of you know how aggravating it can get to dig in the "archives," lol.

Anyone know which mag featured the TV Hulk on the cover?

And I have that Jimmie Walker issue. I always thought the title came from him, too.

[Kan-Man]

I have an issue of one of these with Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk on the cover. I'd dig the sucker out to verify which title it is, but I'm sure some of you know how aggravating it can get to dig in the "archives," lol.

Anyone know which mag featured the TV Hulk on the cover?

And I have that Jimmie Walker issue. I always thought the title came from him, too.

You mean this one?

http://i13.ebayimg.com/01/i/03/6d/ec/ae_1_b.JPG

[The Wayner]

Ah ha! That's it. Thanks for the help and linkage. :)

[Sean Dulaney]

DYNAMITE and GOOD TIMES both launched in 1974, so it's possible Jimmy Walker inspired the title. (GOOD TIMES premired in Feb '74 and I'd assume, since it was available through the Scholastic Book Club, DYNAMITE didn't show up until September or October.)

I was stuck with the Weekly Reader Book Club for most of my elementary school years so instead of DYNAMITE I had SUPER-MAG. I want to say at some point there was another one called POPCORN. Didn't get the Scholastic Book Club until 7th or 8th grade and that's when I started getting BANANAS.

[gentlesatirist]

...from my childhood home this weekend. My wife had heard that they were fetching big bucks on ebay, but a quick look last night showed that they were only going for $2-$5 each. Even the Star Wars issue!

Are these more common that I think, even though they're 25-30 years old? I know there had to be a ton of them printed, since they were put out by Scholastic and sold via Weekly Reader, but did so many people save them?

They really are a treasure trove of trashy 70s pop culture.


- FE
Wickliffe OH

[scratchie]

I remember this well, part of the Scholastic Book Club. Whoever had the idea to put superhero origins into each magazine was a friggen' genius, as this was almost solely responsible for getting me into comic books (and probably a lot of other kids, too).