Forty Years ago this Month

[Dr.J.]

Action Comics #426 - You can't tell by the cover, but this issue features one of my favorite goofball villains, Terra-Man.
Avengers #114 - Probably my favorite title at the time, and I still consider Englehart's run one of the best ever.
Limited Collectors' Edition C-21 - The '70s Captain Marvel stories were kind of hit-and-miss, but these golden age reprints are solid gold.
Mister Miracle #15 - Though he wasn't around for long, I always liked Shilo Norman.
Strange Adventures #243 - This run of Strange Adventures had some seriously great covers.

Ah yes, shazam 4.no wonder the series lasted a mere 35 issues.Mr. miracle 15, well, after 11,it flounderd until the last issue,18.Kamandi 8.Just an enjoyable series if Kirby stayed at dc, it would have seen 100 issues.conan 29.Busema and shan. warlock 7. Some of bob Browns best work at marvel.Spidy 123, his first meeting with Luke cage by Gil kane.What really made may of 73 extra good for me, was as a birthday gift, I was given Journey into mystery 83, from my late aunt.She got it at a flea market sale for about 10 cents.

[MRP]

The only books I currently have from this month are:

Grimm's Ghost Stories #11
Hair Bear Bunch #7
Phantom Stranger #26
Vampire Tales (mag) #1
Wonder Woman #207

at one point I also had:
Avengers #114
Captain America #164
and Iron Man 61

but I sold those in my great comics purge before moving to Ohio 10 years ago.

Most coveted issue from the month is Conan the Barbarian #29, one of 6 issues I need to complete my run of #26-115, the end of Roy Thomas' first stint on the book (34 110, 111, 113 and 115 being the other 5).

-M

[dan bailey]

I bought Creepy #54 & FM #99 & also Haunt of Horror #2. Not sure how the first issue of Marvel's short-lived foray into the fiction digest format eluded me, but I grabbed that one as soon as it showed up used a few months later.

Also, that Treasury-sized Shazam showcase rings one helluva bell; I suspect I purchased it as well.

[Drusilla lives!]

I see a handful of Marvel titles that I've still got in my collection... but besides FF #137, I think I got them all many years later. And even that one I'm not sure about.

Quite a few familiar covers here though... but none ring a strong bell with me. I might have seen these on the stands as a child, but I don't think I was buying comics just yet. About this time next year is another story though.

What surprises me is all the romance titles. Who was buying these?

I don't recall seeing any girls buying or reading romance comics (or any comics for that matter) back then, but then I wasn't the most social kid either so I really wouldn't know.

[Cei-U!]

May 1973: I was nearing the end of my sophomore year at Wilson High, hopelessly in love (I thought) with an unattainable girl and thrilled that all my guy friends were getting their drivers' licenses. As for life on the comic book front:

Books I Bought Off The Stands But No Longer Have: Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Captain America, Hero For Hire, Marvel Team-Up, SHIELD, Thor, Tomb of Dracula and X-Men

Books I Acquired Later But No Longer Have: Conan The Barbarian, Daredevil, Defenders, Fantastic Four, Fear, Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, Kamandi, Limited Collectors Edition, Marvel Spotlight, Phantom Stranger, Sub-Mariner, Supernatural Thrillers and Werewolf By Night

Books Currently In My Collection: 100-Page Super-Spectacular, Astonishing Tales, Brave and the Bold, Combat Kelly, Demon, Detective, Doc Savage, Mister Miracle, Tarzan, Wanted and Warlock.

Cei-U!
I summon the triple checklist!

[MDG]

What surprises me is all the romance titles. Who was buying these?

May 1973: I was nearing the end of my sophomore year at Wilson High, hopelessly in love (I thought) with an unattainable girl ...

For a second I thought Kurt was going to answer Dru's question.

Looking back, it's sometimes surprising how long some genre books lasted into the Bronze Age. Even when Atlas launched, they felt obligated to include war, horror, western, and even teen humor (though no romance).

[Drusilla lives!]

Honestly MDG, I can't recall ever seeing a girl reading a comic book back then. But as I said, I didn't know that many... outside of family that is.

Back in the 70s I would visit two of my cousins occasionally... this particular pair were brother and sister (and about six and seven years my elder)... the closest thing to a comic book that I can recall seeing over at their place was MAD magazine. I'm assuming both of them read it, but other than that... nothing as far as I know. They were both average, middle class kids. In other words, if they wanted comics, I'm sure they could have afforded them (btw, that wasn't always the case with me)... and it wasn't a cultural issue (after all, they read MAD).

That's why when I see all these romance titles I'm somewhat perplexed. I mean, I can probably picture her picking up those Partridge Family and David Cassidy comics. Perhaps they can sorta be considered romance titles... you think?

I thought it was just me... a socioeconomic demographic thing, peculiar to my own experience... but I suppose you've noticed it too.

I think the romance titles probably had seen their best days in the late 40s, early 50s... the age of blissful naivete with regard to such matters (at least amongst adolescents, as far as I know)... the 70s were everything BUT that IMHO.

But that too could just be that socioeconomic demographic thing creeping in again.

[Shellhead]

That Mike's Amazing World site doesn't seem to allow a search by month anymore. My Comic Shop site does allow that kind of search, but it seems to be working off of cover date instead of newstand date. Going by recent posts in this thread, I assume that the August '73 cover date matches up with the May '73 newstand date.

This was an important month for me:

Amazing Spider-man #123: an all-time favorite of mine, the comic that introduced me to Luke Cage.

Avengers #114: My first issue of Avengers, not counting the Marvel Triple Action reprint series.

I eventually bought quite a few other Marvel comics that came out that month, but now I own none of these comics. All sold off in '91.

[dan bailey]

That Mike's Amazing World site doesn't seem to allow a search by month anymore.

Actually, it does. Just go to the "Newsstand" page; you've got a choice of searching for month by "Cover Dated" or "On Sale In."

[The Darknight Detective]

What surprises me is all the romance titles. Who was buying these?

I don't recall seeing any girls buying or reading romance comics (or any comics for that matter) back then, but then I wasn't the most social kid either so I really wouldn't know.

I recall a few girls who read comics back then, but they were buying Archie, Disney or Harvey titles. I don't believe I ever saw anyone with a romance comic in my life.

[dan bailey]

Actually, it does. Just go to the "Newsstand" page; you've got a choice of searching for month by "Cover Dated" or "On Sale In."

Which feature, BTW, can prove hazardous not only to one's work productivity but also to one's grasp on reality. For instance, I lived for decades under the impression that the first two issues (#s 5 & &) of Charlton's Hercules that I bought as a kid came out when we were living in the duplex we were in for most or all of my 3rd-grade year, & that my first issues of Flash (#173) & World's Finest (#169) -- not to mention two of my all-time favorite comics, Teen Titans #14 & Superman #202 (the "Tales of the Bizarro World" 80-Page Giant) -- were acquired in the house we lived in after that ...

Turns out, of course, it was the other way around.

It's enough to make me wonder just how long, & about what, I've been lying to myself.

(Note to self: Make appointment with dr chimp.)