Forty Years ago this Month

[SUPERECWFAN1]

My list of Issues...cover dated June 1972.

DC

Superman 253
Adventure Comics 420
Batman 242
Brave and the Bold 102
Worlds Finest 212

I had no Marvel titles from that date weirdly.

(I used Mikes Amazing World of Comics site too)

[Judomaster]

My final order for my "new" comics fresh of the August 1972 newsstand is in.

Despite my wishes to spread the purchases across genres and publishers, I went a little heavy on the superheroes and the DC for this first month of the endeavor. I presume I will be receiving my books later this week, or early next.

i limited my order to 5 books this month. This was partly in the interest of starting slow, and partly the result of availability/pricing issues on some of the books I would have really wanted.

I plan to present my choices and some brief reviews on these hot new books come the beginning of August!

[berk]

My final order for my "new" comics fresh of the August 1972 newsstand is in.

Despite my wishes to spread the purchases across genres and publishers, I went a little heavy on the superheroes and the DC for this first month of the endeavor. I presume I will be receiving my books later this week, or early next.

i limited my order to 5 books this month. This was partly in the interest of starting slow, and partly the result of availability/pricing issues on some of the books I would have really wanted.

I plan to present my choices and some brief reviews on these hot new books come the beginning of August!

Great idea, look forward to the reviews. Maybe it'll stir some memories in people like me who haven't read some of these comics since they first came out.

[Judomaster]

A little early, but this is for August.

This will constitute what I hope will be the first of many installments of my musings on my new collecting project. As I have mentioned earlier in this thread, I plan to use Mike’s Amazing World of Comics newsstand of 40 years ago as my local current newsstand. I will buy, read and briefly review 5-10 comics per month. I won’t restrict my purchases to any one genre or publisher. I will, however, be constrained by availability, and on occasion, by price. For the first few months, I plan to try to avoid comics that are part of explicit story arcs that have already begun. And, of course, I won’t be buying anything I already own.

If all goes well, I hope to see how my interests now differ from my interests then. I hope to uncover some comics that I otherwise probably never otherwise would have acquired.

August 1972 Newsstand:

Already in my collection:

Billy the Kid 45
Cat 1
Chilling Adventures in Sorcery 2
Creatures on the Loose 20
Dagar the Invincible 1
Kamandi 1
Kull the Conqueror 5
Superman 257

While there were several books that I had difficulty tracking down at a reasonable price, and therefore could not purchase – Bobby Sherman, Friday Foster, Night Nurse, some of the Romance titles – I did manage to get 5 books that piqued my interest. I didn’t intend to go DC heavy, but that is what happened.

Action Comics 417 http://www.dcindexes.com/database/co...dc&comicid=400

As a young collector, I stayed away from Superman like the plague. I always felt the stories were too campy for my tastes and really preferred Marvel, by and large, from the time I started collecting in the mid-seventies to the time I stopped buying new books in the early to mid eighties. As I have aged, I have developed a greater appreciation for the DC heroes and the lighter stories they inhabit in this period. Superman has become a particular favorite over the past few years.

The cover to 417 is a great lure (if a little misleading). First off, you have Luthor, Brainiac, The Marauder and Grax all seemingly working together. Moreover, Batman, Lois and Jimmy are all apparently being held captive by the “crime-lords” with the blessing of Supes! This is all a rather disconnected sidebar to the real story that concerns the “necessary” partnership that develops between our hero and his enemies. What is particularly interesting about this story is the way the villains are able to turn public opinion against Superman by offering a truce with the hero that he does not want to accept. The villains, of course, have a very sinister reason for making their offer, and despite Superman’s implicit recognition of this, he nevertheless is “forced” to agree to make peace with the baddies. The story is continued next month, and I think it means that the first of my September newsstand choices has already been made!

The back-up feature in 417 stars Metamorpho, a hero I know little about. The highlight here is the rather interesting art of John Calnan. I enjoy mind-control as much as the next guy, but would argue that for the purposes of the tale told here, 9 pages are not quite enough, and hence the story seems a little rushed.

Everything’s Archie 22 http://www.dcindexes.com/database/co...&comicid=91084

While I can’t say I ever really collected Archie, I’ve always enjoyed Archie comics. I bought this issue almost entirely for the cover. When I first saw it online, I thought the words spoken by Betty, were really being spoken by Archie, which caused me to think this might be more of a “blue” issue in the Archie corpus. The double entendre evoked by the use of “swinging” still works when uttered by Betty, I suppose, but the dirtier parts of my mind would have preferred the shirtless Archie to have made the remark!

Beyond the Spire Comics-esque story that ends the issue, there really isn’t anything out of the ordinary here. As usual, the Reggie centered story is the best of the lot.

Flash 218 http://www.dcindexes.com/database/co...&comicid=10276

One of my favorite tropes in comics is “hero forgets his non-costumed identity.” This is what lured me in on the cover of 218. This is only the third Flash comic I have ever bought. I never had much interest in a “dude who runs fast” and always figured the stories would be dull and uninspired. I had no idea that Flash’s physical speed is matched by the speed at which he is able to think when he is exercising his power. The villain in this one – The Pied Piper – figures out a way to slow Flash’s thinking to such a point that he is unable to remember who he is when not the Flash. All in all a great little tale by Cary Bates, Irv Novick and Frank McLaughlin ( FM is a personal favorite as my avatar would suggest).

The contrast between the Flash story and the Green Lantern/Green Arrow tale that follows is stark. The second story is grittier, the art darker and the story unfinished. I really enjoyed this story, and will likely buy the next issue of the Flash just to see how things work out. GL and Black Canary search for GA who is missing and whom we learn - through flashbacks - has decided to run away and give up the hero business after having accidentally killed a criminal he was fighting. The 10 pages of the back-up tale means that we get a lot quickly, and the actual action between GL/BC and a bunch of local xenophobes is a little forced and forgettable. Nevertheless, the search for GA is a real attention grabber, and makes Flash 219 tantalizing indeed!

Justice League America 102 http://www.dcindexes.com/database/co...&comicid=17843

One month in, and I have already broken the rule whereby I avoid mid arc issues of a title. 102 completes the well known centennial anniversary involving the JLA, JSA and the Seven Soldiers of Victory. I couldn’t resist the chance to find out which hero dies to save the earth, the big lure on the cover.

While an entertaining issue, I should have followed my own rules, as it is rather disappointing to jump into a story as it is coming to a close. I suppose I am interested to see how the hero who “dies” is returned to the DC universe after this issue, but I think I would have enjoyed it much more had I read 100 and 101 as well. I really wish the Shining Knight had more lines. I loved him in the later All-Star Squadron.

Our Army At War 250 http://www.dcindexes.com/database/co...&comicid=21395

This was a real clunker. If it were not for the absolutely lovely and moody Russ Heath art, I’d have very little that is positive to say about this book. The Sgt. Rock story is one of those very repetitive tales one finds in his mags from time to time. The real problem with this one is just how telegraphed it is. You know exactly how the story will play out to the last detail from about the 3rd page on. This makes for a dull tale in which a rather obvious flaw in the idea of chain-of-command is “explored.” Blah.

The second story is even worse, and I sure hope Bob Haney wasn’t paid for writing it. It involves an escaped POW, a saber-tooth tiger and a ghostly serpent in a story in which the Sun would appear to be a member of the allies, and Winter on the side of the axis. I have a lot of time for war comics of all types, including the ones that blend in science fiction, but Holy Hannah this one is terrible!

I think my favorite of the month is Flash 218, but Action Comics is the only title that may make it into my regular pull list. I’m hoping I can diversify a little more for September.

[Scott Harris]

Great idea, Judomaster.

That Flash #218 is an interesting comic. The back-up story was originally supposed to be in Green Lantern / Green Arrow #90. However, the series was cancelled, so they took the story for that issue and split it into three parts, which ran in Flash #217-219. After that, I believe Green Lantern became an ongoing backup in Flash until his series was finally revived a few years later, with Green Arrow getting his own backup feature in Action.

This story in Flash #217-219 is very important in the Green Arrow mythos because it was revisited over 20 years later and used as the background for the origin of Connor, Green Arrow's son. It's a key story for Ollie fans.

[Judomaster]

Thanks Scott.

I had a feeling that the GL/GA back-up was an adapted "novel length epic." I suppose I'll need to track down #217.

I've always liked GA and have considered him as a Batman-esque figure with a more focused set of crime fighting instruments. I have never had too much time for Green Lantern though. Was there ever any reason for the pairing of the characters beyond the colour of their uniforms? The two characters just don't seem to mesh together naturally.

[prince hal]

The story I've always read is that GL's comic, which was long a mainstay of Dc, was foundering. Its old formula, which included super-villains and space opera, just wasn't clocking anymore, so Julius Schwartz figured he'd have nothing to lose letting Dennis O'Neil do whatever he wanted with it. (O'Neil had done a couple os scripts for GL previously.)

Anyway, with Neal Adams in tow (toe?), O'Neil brought in GA, his new favorite from JLA, whom he and Adams had redesigned as a modern-day Robin Hood. O'Neil cast GL as the conservative, world-saver who'd never noticed the plight of everyday folks and GA as their champion. Toss in an issue-of-the-month approach, a soupçon of Easy Rider, and -- Voila! -- the recipe for a meteoric rise and fall of a series that brought relevance to comics.

GL 76 went on sale in early 1970 in the immediate wake of Woodstock, the Manson killings (Should've banned the Beatles after that episode, eh, BDiogenes?), and the moon landing, and just before the Cambodia invasion and Kent State. The series, as ham-handed as it may seem upon rereading, was so different from anything ever done in mainstream comics that it rattled cages everywhere.

Comics being comics, relevance hit every title imaginable. The New York Times Sunday Magazine even featured OAAW 233 on the cover, highlighting one of the best Sgt. Rock stories ever, "Head Count, which featured the unsettling soldier, Johnny Doe; the story pertained to the massacre at My Lai. As the trend continued, Aquaman took on ocean pollution; the JLA took on all kinds of pollution on what seemed a monthly basis; Lois Lane explored race relations in "I Am Curious (Black);"
and of course WW and Lois both took on women's lib.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I always figured Hal and Ollie bonded over a bowl of chili. Barry never liked chili--too much gas--so Hal was happy to find someone with whom he could share his gastronomic passion. True story.

[berk]

From Mike's News stand for August 1972, the only comic I can say for sure I bought and read at the time was Tomb of Dracula #5, which I remember being very impressed by. This was the last issue I bought in the series until I got back into comics again a few years later. In hindsight, I'm surprised I didn't continue with ToD at elast, as I remember really liking issues 4 and 5. I still think this was some of Gen Colan's best artwork on the series, even though he hadn't yet settled into the style he'd end up using in the classic issues. But it might have been that distribution made me miss the next one of more, and I was already drifting away from my old favourites like the FF and Thor and the Avengers.

Also, I think we forget how little we used to have at that age in the way of spending money. You really had to choose carefully, and I was starting to get into paperback books and records, which meant saving up your allowance, so something had to go, and comics it was.

I kind of wish now I'd found a way to keep reading them, as I missed most of the Barry Windsor-Smith Conan, all the Kirby DC stuff, most of Englehart's Avengers and lots of other things that became all-time favourites later on.

[dan bailey]

Except for the occasional 45 (Alice Cooper's "School's Out," for instance), I must've been earmarking all of my discretionary funds for Warren; Creepy #49 & I think FM #93 were it for me this month back in '72, at which time the start of 8th grade was staring me in the face.

[Scott Harris]

Comics I own that came out in August, 1972:

Adventure Comics #424 (last Supergirl)
Avengers #105
Captain America #155
The Cat #1
Chamber of Chills #1
Falling in Love #137
Flash #218
Forever People #11
Ghosts #8 (I think...)
Justice League of America #102
Kamandi #1 (I think I still have this somewhere, maybe not)
Marvel Team-Up #5
My Love #20 (again, I think I still have this somewhere, maybe not)
Night Nurse #1
Sgt. Fury #104
Shanna the She-Devil #1
Star Spangled War Stories #165
Lois Lane #127
Jimmy Olsen #153
Thor #205
Weird Western #14

I also used to own Iron Man #52 and 53 and Spoof #2.

Cover of the month:




Comic from this month that means the most to me:




Comic from this month I wish I owned... hoenstly, this is not a particularly interesting month other than the factthat it was the launch of the short-lived line of female driven comics from Marvel. And since I already have all of those titles, I guess we'll go with this anniversary issue, Young Love #100:

[Slam_Bradley]

Still around three years before I started buying my own comics. And as usual...if it's been reprinted, I've likely read it.

A few books do stand out.

Captain America #153. I was given a copy of this by an older cousin a number of years after it was published. I've had soft spot for this era Captain America.

World's Finest #214. I bought this mail-order probably some time in the early 80s because it had The Vigilante in it.

Archie Giant Series Magazine #200. As far as I'm concerned Archie covers, within an era, pretty much look alike. But for some reason this book jumped out at me. I have no doubt that we had this comic in my home when I was a kid. I also have no doubt that I haven't seen this book in over 35 years.

[Polar Bear]

We're in the same boat, Slam. I was about to have my third birthday!

Therefore, I was shocked at the number of comics I actually own (or once owned) from that period.

9 Marvels: Amazing Spider-Man 114; Avengers 105, Cat 1; Conan 20 (in reprint); Incredible Hulk 157-158; Marvel Premiere 5 (Doctor Strange); Marvel Team-Up 5 (in reprint); Tomb of Dracula 5. It's possible I have the Marvel Triple Action or the Marvel's Greatest Comics; I catalog those in with Avengers and Fantastic Four, respectively.

4 DCs: Kamandi 1 (in reprint); The Demon 2; Tarzan 213; Weird Worlds 2. I note with interest that none of these are core DC Universe titles--two are Kirbyverse that only retroactively were inserted into the DC Universe, and two are Burroughs creations.

EDIT: Having done a bit more research, I've found that although I enjoy Silver Age DC, my interest fades over the 1960s. I'm working on a complete set of The Brave and the Bold with Batman, but besides that and JLA/JSA crossovers, I really have no interest in the DC universe from October of 1969 through February of 1975 (when Batman stopped being a 100-page giant title and The Joker #1 started coming out). I'm fascinated by this five-year gap in interest. END EDIT.

2 other: I suspect that I used to own Hot Stuff 113 and Richie Rich Riches 3, based on the familiarity of the covers. Long gone.

Main surprise: Not having been a comics buyer when I was two years old, I tend to think of "late Silver Age" as including Kirby's Third World and Barry Smith 's work on Conan. So it's kind of jarring to see that those supposed "late Silver Age" comics came out 114 months after Amazing Spider-Man #1! Likewise, I think of The Demon as belonging firmly to the 1970s Bronze Age, so to see it co-existing temporally with the late Third World comics ... it's irreconcilable.

In the same way, I suspect many people in centuries to come will be baffled at the fact that Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa were alive at the same time. (I can even hear it: "Really? Did they actually know each other and stuff?")

[Polar Bear]

Cover of the month:




Comic from this month I wish I owned: Ripley's Believe It or Not #36. I just love that stuff!

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

August in official on-sale dates translates to September or later in my reality at the time (in Vancouver and in my on particular neighbourhood). I note that I bought few comics in this month and even less in the next months that followed--probably because I had a lot of schoolwork and not a lot of money. I also notice that I rarely bought issue number 1s--contrary to the current philosophy. So I missed Kamandi 1 and Swamp Thing 1 among others. This might have been my own bad luck or it might have been that the drugstore was wary of new titles, but I think that I was hesitant to try new things. I waited to see if a comic stuck around and might buy it if it seemed to be doing okay. I was more likely to buy anniversary issues, because those seemed to be really special.