DC SHOWCASE PRESENTS Silver Age Comics Collections (Fellow Silver Age Geeks: Start Drooling!)

Comic.Con PULSE ^ | 6/04/2005 | Jennifer M. Contino

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Ping!

[KeyWest]

Brings back memories, but mostly of my Dad throwing out two boxes of my collected comics when I went to college since "you obviously have outgrown them". Included were all the original Mads, plus Superman, Batman, Blackhawk, Green Lantern, etc (mostly DC) from WWII through the 50s. I even had some Captain Marvels, but thought him second place to Superman. Probably had about 350-450 comic books.

Made me an avid reader, but ruined my eyes reading them with a flashlight at night after being told to get to sleep.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

I can't wait! Silver Age Supermans are some of the wackiest comics around - great fun. Plus they feature sublime art from Curt Swan and great geeky art from Wayne Boring. (How come Boring's Supes always looked like he was running through the air whn he flew?) And Metamorpho! I loved the art from Ramona Fradon on that book. Kudos to DC. Now how about a Jimmy Olson collection?

[LS]

Personally, I think the new artwork, esp. in Marvel, is horrible. Contrasted with the clear and simple lines of Jack Kirby or the strage, almost grotesque curves of Steve Ditko, these new people simply do not know how to show action.

As for DC, I used to love Dr. Midnight, Dr. Fate, Hourman, and Green Lantern (the orig.)

[sgtbono2002]

Somewhere up in the attic I have about 4 big boxes of my comics I read in the 50's. One day maybe I will get them out.

[Puddleglum]

I love the silver age Superman. I must have every Krypto and Superman robot story I can find.

[RayChuang88]

You might want to dig them out and see if they're still in reasonable condition. That collection--if in fair to good condition--could be worth many thousands of dollars!

[RayChuang88]

Speaking of DC Comics, I'm sure some of your comics fans have noted DC is changing their logo. This is what the new logo looks like:

I really don't like this design, mostly because the famous DC bullet design is officially gone.

[SSR1]

I agree. I was a big Mavel fan in the late 70's early 80's. That was a golden era for Marvel. With John Byrne on pencils and Austin inking it was an almost unbeatable combo.From Avengers to Byrne's masterwork on X-Men. Of course, NO ONE touches King Kirby! He really made just awesome images. And his MACHINES: genius. You don't get that sense of Awe from modern comics the way you did from Kirby's stuff.
Today they have gone too far into teen angst. It was starting to turn that way when I stopped reading comics with the intro of Kitty Pride into the X-men and that *Horrid* Teen X-men series.
hmmmm may have to go dig out my comic from the back of the closet. :^)
What I would love to see is reprints of the Neil Addam's Batman. God, Addams could draw! In my opinion, it was Addams that saved the Dark Night Detective from the 60's and the Batman TV show.
I was never a big fan of Ditka. His work was just soo strange. It worked for Spider-man but I never really cared for his work otherwise. I was very happy when McFarland took over spidy. I loved his version of the web spidy shot
I feel sorry for kids today. Comic books are just soo expensive. I don't know if I would have been a big fan if they had been as expensive as they are today. I remember when the price jumped to 35 cents! I was mad then! hehehe. But today with the going price around 2 dollars. I don't think you get the value for your money. They should go back to cheaper paper and printing. The slick stuff is OK, but it just makes the cost too high and drives away the kids who might be interested at a cheaper price point.

Aaaah for the day

[who knows what evil?]

Plus they feature sublime art from Curt Swan and great geeky art from Wayne Boring.

I used to serve as an advisor to DC Comics, and I bugged them for YEARS to reprint some of those great Wayne Boring runs of Action Comics, instead of reprinting trades of recent mini-series or story arcs. FINALLY, someone has taken the hint!!! Thanks, DC!

[Main Street]

Here are a few of some of my favorite comic cover art that I scanned from my Golden and Silver Age Comic book collection that you might enjoy. Heavy on Sci-Fi. The first one is a DC "Showcase"...

[LS]

Good comments on Ditka. I agree---what worked for Spidey sucked for other characters. Don Heck was the same for Iron Man---but he didn't work anywhere else. And did I hate Gene Colan.

The only thing better would be an X-men series drawn by Frank Frazetta!!!!

[Main Street]

Here are a few from my pulp collection. Not comics, but these early examples of cover art had a great influence in the comic cover art that was to come later in the 1950's....

ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION 'Hell Ship' Aug., 1938 Vol. XXI # 6 162 pgs. Pulp NOTE: This Pulp contains the first publication of the story, "WHO GOES THERE?', by Don A. Stuart, which was later made into the classic Sci-Fi movie, 'THE THING (From Another World)'

ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION 'Slan!' Oct., 1940 Vol. XXVI # 2 162 pgs. Pulp NOTE: This Pulp contains the first publication of the story, "FAREWELL TO THE MASTER', by Harry Bates, which was later made into the classic Sci-Fi movie, 'THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL'.

AMAZING STORIES 'Yellow Men of Mars' Aug., 1941 Vol. 15 # 8 146 pgs.

AMAZING STORIES 'Kidnaped into the Future' Feb., 1942 Vol. 16 # 2 242 pgs.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Ditto X 100. I had a foot locker full of comics from the early and late 1950s growing up as an Army brat in Yokohama. A Japanese bookstore had stacks of these old comics but we never knew where they came from. We called the business the "Ten Yen Store," because they charged ten Yen (about $.03) for $.10 comics.

[KeyWest]

Navy Junior so must be something they were fed back then.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

I used to serve as an advisor to DC Comics, and I bugged them for YEARS to reprint some of those great Wayne Boring runs of Action Comics, instead of reprinting trades of recent mini-series or story arcs. FINALLY, someone has taken the hint!!! Thanks, DC!

Dude! DREAM job! Why'd you ever stop...?!? :)

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Now how about a Jimmy Olson collection?

... and a SUGAR & SPIKE collection. And a BATMAN/DETECTIVE COMICS collection. And a FLASH collection. And a DEADMAN collection. And a TEEN TITANS collection. And... and... and -- ! :)

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

Love the Wally Wood!!! :)

[coydog]

Ditto on that!

Wood was the king of comics artists in the EC era. His rendering skills were second to none. It was kind of sad to see the smut he was churning out towards the end of his life. He was past his peak, his vision was deteriorating and you could tell he was just doing this to keep body and soul together.