Forty Years ago this Month

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Although I've gotten many back issues from this month over the years since, the only ones I remember buying at the time were Superman 252, Justice League of America 99, and World's Finest Comics 212. But those were 50c, 25c, and 25c respectively. A total of one dollar which would have been a huge expense for me, so I probably didn't have any money to spare for other comics. Even though I mourned the loss of the 25c issues with 48 pages, the fact is my purchases went up in the next month when the price dropped to 20c.

[berk]

Looking at Mike's Amazing World for April 1972, the only comics I know for sure I bought at the time are Dark Shadows #14 and Tomb of Dracula #3. I might also have bought Kull the Conqueror #3, as I was trying to follow that series as best I could at the time, but the distribution of those early Kull and Conan issues was very bad, at least in our area. I don't have a definite recollection of the first time I read this specific issue, so it could be one of those I only found as a back-issue years later. I definitely did not see a copy of Conan the Barbarian #16 at the time. In fact, after CtB #2 I bought very few issues of the series until getting back into comics around CtB #51 or so. And Kirby's Fourth World books I never got into until a few years later, when DC reprinted some of them. back-issues.

So my pick for this month will be Tomb of Dracula #3. Colan's artwork made the book back then, but the stories were pretty decent as well, even before Wolfman took over the writing. Archie Goodwin did one or two issues, and even Gerry Conway was bearable.

[MWGallaher]

In April 1972, my comics buying was getting serious (and as soon as I can get back to updating my blog, I'll have more to say about all of these!). I got:

Action #413 (The Voodoo Doom of Superman!)

Adventure #420 (with its legendary barely-subliminal cover imagery)

Amazing Adventures #13 (my first exposure to The Beast)

Creatures on the Loose #18 (Gullivar Jones)

Flash #216 (boy, did I get a kick out of villain Mr. Element!)

Forever People #9 (Kirby does the Frankenstein bit!)

Marvel Feature #4 (made me an Ant-Man fan for life)

Marvel Premiere #3 (Dr. Strange returns, Stan Lee pretty much exits)

Superboy #187

Superman #252 (loved every Super-Spec I could find)

World's Finest #212 (first exposure to Martian Manhunter)

My stepson gave me a copy of Marvel Team-Up #3 for Christmas a few months back, so it's actually the most recently-obtained classic comic in my collection.

Which means the most to me? Probably Marvel Feature #4, with its debut of the Ant-Man feature. I thought Herb Trimpe was perfect for this title. I'd love to see this run collected. This was the kind of book (along with other fresh series like the Beast in Amazing Adventures) that was slowly making me branch out from DC to including Marvel purchases.

I've picked up a few other comics from this month over the years, but if I could go back in time and buy just one comic off the rack in April, 1972, I'd grab Detective #424. I loved the 48 page 25 cent format DC had then.

[zilch]

And the Great Marvel Migration continues...

Amazing Adventures 13
Amazing Spider-Man 110 (love the Gibbon!!!)
Avengers 101
Captain America 151
Fantastic Four 124
Flash 216
Hulk 153
Iron Man 48
Justice League of America 99
Marvel Feature 4 (Ant-Man!!!!! Love this series!!!)
Marvel Premiere 3 (Dr. Strange!)
Marvel Team-Up 3 (Does Spidey team up with anybody besides the Human Torch???)
Marvel's Greatest Comics 36
Sub-Mariner 51 (Artwork rocks!!!!)
Superman 252 (100 page Super-Spec!! Neal Adams is GOD!!)
World's Finest 212

My slow switch to Marvel is pretty evident with this month's books. Love the "Border Covers" for Marvel... this is a great time for cover art btw.

[Slam_Bradley]

Still three years before I started buying comics. And I don't see any that I own as non-reprints. I've read most of the books that have been reprinted.

[MWGallaher]

I offer my apologies for the formatting of my post above. Something's preventing me from editing the post--and that's aside from whatever is eliminating all carriage returns, that messed things up in the first place.

[Rob Allen]

I offer my apologies for the formatting of my post above. Something's preventing me from editing the post--and that's aside from whatever is eliminating all carriage returns, that messed things up in the first place.

??? Your post looks fine to me.

[benday-dot]

We are in the right year, but it's yet two or three months shy of my first foray into the non-funny animal world of comics.

Still, over the years I've picked up a bunch of those books shown upon on Mike's Time Machine for the month.

To cite then a couple of my first ever back issue buys, many years ago now, and a brace of books most near and dear to me I'll draw from lot:

Conan the Barbarian #16: The Frost Giants Daughter. This was my second ever Smith Conan book (the first being the legendary #24) and though a reprint from Savage Tales, this iteration in colour captured beautifully all that is evocative and splendid about the world of REH through Smith's inimitably romantic imagination.

Marvel Premiere #3: Another Smith drawn book. I can't say, no matter how nice this issue looks, that Barry Smith is the Doctor Strange artist of choice (I do love those star patterns he does). However, there is a sweet element of whimsy in MP#3 that recommends it to my imagination, already susceptible to the adventures of the good doctor as one of my favourite characters.

[shaxper]

Lots of good stuff this month that would have caught my eye:

Brave and the Bold #102 -- featuring the Teen Titans!

Dark Shadows # 14 -- sweet Barnabus cover!

Eerie #40 -- Love this title!

and more than a few sweet covers that would have enticed me to buy comics I otherwise had no interest in.

[zilch]

http://www.dcindexes.com/timemachine...alpha&site=all

May is very surprising for me...

Amazing Spider-Man #111 (Love the Gibbon!!)
Astonishing Tales #13 (Man-Thing!!)
Avengers #102 (love the cover!!)
Captain America and The Falcon #152 (was such a nerd that the miscolored Mister Hyde on the cover bothered me!)
Daredevil #90
Fantastic Four #125 (Jack who?)
Hero For Hire #2
Marvel Spotlight #5 (Ghost Rider!!!! Remember reading this in the back seat of the car in the dark the night we went shopping)
Thor #202
Warlock #1 (Gil Kane cover!)
X-Men #77 (one of my fave X-Men stories!!)

... and no DC this month!!! Wow! My transformation to Marvel Zombie is complete!!

[dan bailey]

For some reason, I didn't buy it -- I'd picked up #s 43 & 44, & I started buying every issue with #47 -- but I remember reading a friend's copy of Creepy #46 at his house.

Might've bought Hero for Hire #2; I know I brought #1 home, as well as #5.

[Scott Harris]

Great month with some amazing comics. First issue of Defenders, first appearance of Ghost Rider and a lot more. I have a lot of comics form this month I think, so let's check it out.

Comics I own from this month:

Adventure Comics #421
Avengers #102 (which I just had signed by Joe Sinnott)
Captain America #152
Combat Kelly #2
Ghosts #6
House of Mystery #204
Korak #47
Marvel Spotlight #5
Our Army at War #247
Our Fighting Forces #138
Phantom Stranger #20
Sgt. Fury #101
Superman #254
Lois Lane #124
Thor #202
Unexpected #137
Weird Mystery #1
Wonder Woman #201

Comics I used to own from this month: Defenders #1, Warlock #1, Iron Man #49

Comic from this month that I would most like to own which I do not already have: Defenders #1

My pick of the comic that means the most to me from this month is, despite some great competition, a no-brainer:





A bonus cover from this month: Wonder Woman #201, featuring the I-Ching era Diana battling Catwoman with samurai swords. Honestly!

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

Not counting the back issues I bought later, the ones I bought off the stands were:

Action Comics 414
Detective Comics 425
Superboy 188
Superman 254
Lois Lane 124
Jimmy Olsen 151
and the 1st issue of Wanted

Wanted was all reprints--and the concept had already been tried out in DC Special. The first issue featured Signalman, Clock King, and Puppet Master. The other stand outs were Action 414--which introduced Gregory Reed, the tragic Superman actor--Detective 425--featuring a Shakespearean whodunnit--and Superboy 188, which included a Legion back-up illoed by Dave Cockrum and Murph Anderson.

I didn't get Wonder Woman 201 at the time--although I got 202 a couple months later--but it's a great story, with beautiful art by Dick Giordano. I didn't care for the Frank Robbins designed Catwoman costume, but the Feline Felon was used well in the story--and there are more sparks when Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser show up in the next issue.

[Slam_Bradley]

Still well before I started buying comics.

The only one I'm sure I own is Ghosts #6. Must have picked it up at a yard sale at some point.

I've read pretty much any of the books that have been reprinted in Essentials or Showcases.

[berk]

The only one I remember buying when it came out is Thor #202. Looking ahead, this and next month's #203 must have been two of the last superhero comics I read for a long time, as I felt more interested in horror titles like ToD and WbN, or sword & sorcery books like Kull.

But with hindsight, the best comic this month had to be Mister Miracle #9, "Himon".