Forty Years ago this Month

[dan bailey]

Just posted there, MWG (albeit under an alter ego that I employ on a couple of other sites I frequent). Looking forward to your reminiscences, especially since we're about the same age. (I was 11 in 8/71, too, though I turned 12 in September.)

[MWGallaher]

And now I've started into the main course of my blog, now that it's August, the 40th anniversary of the beginning of my immersion into comics. Jimmy Olsen #142 was the gateway.
I won't be intruding on this thread any more to push the blog, but I'll be posting there on a regular basis as I update with looks back at what I bought each month.
Now we can all carry on here looking back at everyone's favorites from 40 years ago.

[TAG]

On sale August, 1971…

http://www.dcindexes.com/newsstand/r...r=1971&month=8

Avengers #93 and Green Lantern #86 would be the obvious choices, but I'm going with...



Actively pursued this book back in the day. I used to like seeing Spider-Man and Daredevil team up.


Although Teen Confessions #70 gets a second look.

[Phil Maurice]

On sale August, 1971…

http://www.dcindexes.com/newsstand/r...r=1971&month=8

Avengers #93 and Green Lantern #86 would be the obvious choices, but I'm going with...



Actively pursued this book back in the day. I used to like seeing Spider-Man and Daredevil team up.

Crikey, this book gets a lot of exposure on this site! It must have cut a sweet deal with the mods.

[T GUy]

Crikey, this book gets a lot of exposure on this site! It must have cut a sweet deal with the mods.

More or less what I was thinking!

[Scott Harris]

I have to go with Avengers #93.



There are a lot of excellent comics this month. Neal Adams was especially busy with some of his most memorable issues of all time. But Avengers gets the nod thanks to the Kree-Skrull War and Ant-Man's epic trip through the Vision's body, as shown by the famous (and here, greatly reduced in size) two page spread.




Comics I own from this month:

Amazing Adventures #9
Avengers #93
Avengers Special #5
Captain America #143
Captain America Special #2
Sgt. Fury #93
Sinister House of Secret Love #1
Star Spangled War Stories #159
Thor #193


And GL/GA #86 in reprint form.

[edhopper]

And now I've started into the main course of my blog, now that it's August, the 40th anniversary of the beginning of my immersion into comics. Jimmy Olsen #142 was the gateway.
I won't be intruding on this thread any more to push the blog, but I'll be posting there on a regular basis as I update with looks back at what I bought each month.
Now we can all carry on here looking back at everyone's favorites from 40 years ago.

This was the month for me too. I had been reading Conan since #1 and picking up a few book here and there, but starting this month I was buying almost all Marvel books of the stands and a few DCs.
Avengers, Captain America, Conan, Daredevil, FF, Hulk, Iron Man, Submariner, Thor and a few Annuals. I fell in love with the medium.

As discussed in another thread here, could any 15 year old today buy those books and understand anything that is happening, let alone actually enjoy reading them?

[The Darknight Detective]

This was the month for me too. I had been reading Conan since #1 and picking up a few book here and there, but starting this month I was buying almost all Marvel books of the stands and a few DCs.
Avengers, Captain America, Conan, Daredevil, FF, Hulk, Iron Man, Submariner, Thor and a few Annuals. I fell in love with the medium.

It's about 40 years for me, too, though I don't recall the exact month. It was a Pink Panther issue from Gold Key - I didn't get my first superhero comic until early 1973 and that was all she wrote.

As discussed in another thread here, could any 15 year old today buy those books and understand anything that is happening, let alone actually enjoy reading them?

Most wouldn't, but I bet there are some that could and do so as we speak.

[Slam_Bradley]

Again, well before my time. I've read a passel of the Marvel and a number of the DC issues from the month though.

I know at some point I picked up a copy of World's Finest #206. I have a surprising number of World's Finest comics considering I hate Superman.

[zilch]

Don't remember too many books from this month... the jump to 25 cents may have cut into my buying (my allowance was 50 cents a week)...

Avengers #93 (this is the book that cemented my love for the Assemblers... i read the cover off two copies of this book)

Amazing Adventures #9 (Inhumans get the whole book)

Avengers Annual #5

Captain America Annual #2 (reprinting the Sleeper storyline... one of the highpoints of the early Cap stuff... loved it!)

Green Lantern #86 (liked the GAGL reprint better than the lead story)

Hulk Annual #4

Iron Man #43 (again, liked the backup reprint better than the original story)

JLA #93 (a subscription comic... and 35 cents?)

Sub-Mariner Annual #2

Superboy #178 (sub copy loved the Forte Legion!)

Superman #243 (sub copy)

... why did i get all those Annuals?

[dan bailey]

I know at some point I picked up a copy of World's Finest #206. I have a surprising number of World's Finest comics considering I hate Superman.

Which of course was the second-to-last of the G-series giants that most famously included the immortal 80-Page Giants (the last of which, Our Army at War #203, came out in 12/68; after that, the page-count went down to 64 pages). The last one I know for sure that I bought off the spinner-racks was Adventure #403, G-81, from 1/71, reprinting the epic "Death of Lightning Lad" saga; I credit that comic with (or perhaps blame it for) laying the foundation for my LoSH obsession.

The final G-series issue also came out in 8/71 --

'

Pardon me while I shed a tear.

[Drusilla lives!]

I happen to have just finished reading this ish... one of the best in the series.

[benday-dot]

I count at least 24 comics from this month having found their way into my dusty and dusky chambers.

It's hard to pick favourites...

New Gods #5 came out, along with Forever People #5 and Jimmy Olsen #142. There was Avengers #93 and all those Annuals and Giant-Size books people have mentioned. There was Superman #243 with its classic Neal Adams cover. A couple Joe Orlando "House" books, including the famed "Bat Out of Hell" story.

There were awesome Gold Key entries from Boris Karloff, Turok and Tarzan. Marvel issued its infamous My Love #14, featuring "It Happened at Woodstock". Daredevil #81 sported that great Gil Kane cover. Hulk #145 had wonderful Trimpe/Severin art.

Those are just some of the comics I've picked up from cover date August '71.

But pressed to name, say, a brace of desert island books, I'd go with:

1. The magnificent Conan the Barbarian #11, the extra length "Rogues in the House", in which Barry Smith first began to really show just what he was capable of.

2. Our Army at War #273, featuring top drawer artistic excellence by both Russ Heath and Joe Kubert.

A fine couple comics from 40 years past. They don't make 'em like that any more!

[CaptCleghorn]

Did anyone notice the new Marvel cover style? The shift due to a certain anniversary? THIS was the book of August 1971! Man, back then a Fantastic Four anniversary meant something. Now I'm lucky if the team's even in their own book.

[Scott Harris]

Good point on the cover design. This was the first month they did the frame covers, which were, as you indicate here, implemented company-wide at Marvel to mark the 10th anniversary of FF #1. All the issues for this month (as far as I know) were also double-sized, 25 cent giants. The following month they went to 20 cents. This was 2 months after DC jumped from 15 cents to 25 cents and going to the 52 page format; I've heard it said that Marvel planned to have their books at 25 cents beginning with this month as well but changed their minds and dropped down to the 20 cent price point in order to undercut DC, something they apparently did with great success. I'm not sure if this is true or not, though; the double-sized issues seem more like they were intended for one month only to celebrate the anniversary. Can anyone clarify?

Either way, I love the frame cover design and the 20 cent font Marvel started using the following month, while the 25 cent era at DC is also one of my favorite designs of all time. So this batch of months, starting with August, 1971, is about the pinnacle for me in terms of cool cover design.