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glaurungOnce upon a time, DC comics understood that comics don't have to be always serious grimdark heavy drama involving lots of gratuitous violence and rape. That was a good thing, but the less serious comics that DC put out weren't always worthwhile. Today it seemed appropriate to post 8/23 pages from issue 117 of the mercifully forgotten "The Adventures of Jerry Lewis" comic, an issue worthy of note today only because it guest starred Wonder Woman in her "mod" phase.
( gratuitous sexism and unfunny jokes ahoy )
The past was a different country, one in which it was possible for there to be over 100 issues of a Jerry Lewis comic.
ETA: the last page includes a statement of management and circulation. in 1970, "The Adventures of Jerry Lewis" was selling 175,000 copies every month. Do you think maybe, just maybe, going after ever more grimdark crossover events might have been a mistake on DC's part?
Giving this the crack tag, I guess? And the misogyny tag, because Jerry Lewis.
( gratuitous sexism and unfunny jokes ahoy )
The past was a different country, one in which it was possible for there to be over 100 issues of a Jerry Lewis comic.
ETA: the last page includes a statement of management and circulation. in 1970, "The Adventures of Jerry Lewis" was selling 175,000 copies every month. Do you think maybe, just maybe, going after ever more grimdark crossover events might have been a mistake on DC's part?
Giving this the crack tag, I guess? And the misogyny tag, because Jerry Lewis.
glaurungIn the beginning, Kara wore a blue frock:
If it looked a bit like a high school cheerleader's outfit (back in the day when cheerleader outfits didn't show much skin and weren't all that tight fitting), that was probably intentional. And this suited her just fine all through high school and most of the way though college. And then, 12 years later, her editors belatedly realized the 60's had brought a sea change in fashion, and things started to get weird. ( Sartorial madness ensued )
And that is the long and sad story of Kara's closet of super outfits. Maybe someone sensible came along and rescued her from further sartorial shame by stealing all but the hotpants ensemble?
In some cases sadly, in other cases thankfully, we never got to see her wearing some of the other outfits in that closet, but evidence of their existence was preserved:( Read more... )
If it looked a bit like a high school cheerleader's outfit (back in the day when cheerleader outfits didn't show much skin and weren't all that tight fitting), that was probably intentional. And this suited her just fine all through high school and most of the way though college. And then, 12 years later, her editors belatedly realized the 60's had brought a sea change in fashion, and things started to get weird. ( Sartorial madness ensued )
And that is the long and sad story of Kara's closet of super outfits. Maybe someone sensible came along and rescued her from further sartorial shame by stealing all but the hotpants ensemble?
In some cases sadly, in other cases thankfully, we never got to see her wearing some of the other outfits in that closet, but evidence of their existence was preserved:( Read more... )
mastermahan
A request from bradygirl_12, and my first post. Frankly, it's a fun comic. 7 pages out of 22 below the cut.
( Read more... )
Tags:
- char: batman/bruce wayne,
- char: black canary/dinah lance,
- char: green arrow/oliver queen,
- char: green lantern/john stewart,
- char: phantom stranger,
- char: red tornado/ulthoon/john smith,
- char: the key,
- creator: dick dillin,
- creator: dick giordano,
- creator: len wein,
- era: bronze age,
- publisher: dc comics,
- title: justice league of america
Steve Ditko's Killjoy
Feb. 3rd, 2016 05:48 pmalicemacher
As dedicated an objectivist as Ditko has been, bringing the world such sombre and verbose ideologue heroes as Mr. A and the Question, he's also recognized that comic books should still be, well, comic at least some of the time. So it was that during his time at Charlton, he created the satirical strip Killjoy, which ran as a backup feature in E-Man nos. 2 (Sept. 1973) and 4 (May 1974).
The premise was simple: silent superhero Killjoy captures a criminal, then disappears and (it's implied) reappears in one civilian guise or another. The criminal and his or her minions weep and wail over Killjoy's violation of their inalienable right to commit crimes, as do the liberal activists Mr. Hart and Mr. Sole. Lather, rinse, repeat with other criminals.
( Subtlety? What's that? )
aekaI honestly had trouble with this one. Because in truth? There is more than one character I'd like to see come back from the dead.
The characters I speak of all populated a world that was originally five decades old. They lived on a world where the first superheroes appeared and united during World War II and formed the first superhero team in the history of superhero teams. These were the characters that aged in real time, married, and had families of their own. Their own children eventually took over their jobs as superheroes once they were old and retired or had passed on after a long, fruitful life. Their own legacy even led the arrival of a new generation of superheroes that were more diverse than their predecessors.
( I am of course, talking about the pre-Crisis Earth-2 in all its Golden Age glory! )
The characters I speak of all populated a world that was originally five decades old. They lived on a world where the first superheroes appeared and united during World War II and formed the first superhero team in the history of superhero teams. These were the characters that aged in real time, married, and had families of their own. Their own children eventually took over their jobs as superheroes once they were old and retired or had passed on after a long, fruitful life. Their own legacy even led the arrival of a new generation of superheroes that were more diverse than their predecessors.
( I am of course, talking about the pre-Crisis Earth-2 in all its Golden Age glory! )
Tags:
- admin: mod post,
- char: dr. midnight/beth chapel,
- char: flash/jay garrick,
- char: fury/lyta trevor-hall,
- char: green lantern/sentinel/alan scott,
- char: huntress/robin/helena wayne,
- char: jade/jennifer-lynn hayden,
- char: obsidian/todd rice,
- era: bronze age,
- era: golden age,
- group: justice society of america,
- series: 31 days of scans
Creepy Things: A Spell of Misery!
Oct. 18th, 2014 01:37 pmalicemacher
In my previous post,
sindra pointed out that the victim's retribution on the protagonist was disproportionate, in that he claimed he merely wanted to teach him a lesson, via a "Hollywood Voodoo" (i.e., not real-life Voudon) spell, but in fact ended up killing him via reverse ageing. Instead, sindra argued, the protagonist should've been punished in a way that would spare his life and allow him to mend his ways.My initial response was "Then it wouldn't be a horror story!" But then I remembered "A Spell of Misery!" from the obscure Charlton comic, Creepy Things (#2, Oct 1975), in which a villainous protagonist also finds himself on the receiving end of a "Hollywood Voodoo" spell, but gets a second chance to make amends. (Script: Joe Gill, art: Rich Larson.) The story even has a socially-relevant topic: the deplorable living conditions in inner-city slums. Unfortunately, like many a well-meaning "social relevance" story from the Bronze Age of comics, it contains flagrant racial stereotypes. Consider this a trigger warning.
( Don't mess with Mama Carafino )
The other other Captain America
Jul. 16th, 2014 01:41 pmskjamHi folks!
Captain America has fought many enemies over the years, and a surprising number of them have also been "Captain America." These twisted reflections of our hero represent America's fear that we aren't who we want to be, the best of the America spirit. Instead, they are distorted by hatred and greed, the America we do not want to be.
This is the story of one such man, Fifties Cap. This story is from Captain America #155 in 1972; six pages of twenty.
( The man who would be Steve Rogers )
Your thoughts and comments?
SKJAM!
http://www.skjam.com
Captain America has fought many enemies over the years, and a surprising number of them have also been "Captain America." These twisted reflections of our hero represent America's fear that we aren't who we want to be, the best of the America spirit. Instead, they are distorted by hatred and greed, the America we do not want to be.
This is the story of one such man, Fifties Cap. This story is from Captain America #155 in 1972; six pages of twenty.
( The man who would be Steve Rogers )
Your thoughts and comments?
SKJAM!
http://www.skjam.com
skjamHi folks!
Back in the day, Marvel Comics had a "no late shipping" rule. If it looked like a writer or artist wasn't going to get their work in by deadline, the editor would slip in a filler story prepared in advance. Some of them were good, others not so much.
I'll let you decide which one this is. Six pages of eighteen, plus a treat.
( Lo, the Eternity Man Cometh! )
Your thoughts and comments?
May the Force be with you,
SKJAM!
http://www.skjam.com
Back in the day, Marvel Comics had a "no late shipping" rule. If it looked like a writer or artist wasn't going to get their work in by deadline, the editor would slip in a filler story prepared in advance. Some of them were good, others not so much.
I'll let you decide which one this is. Six pages of eighteen, plus a treat.
( Lo, the Eternity Man Cometh! )
Your thoughts and comments?
May the Force be with you,
SKJAM!
http://www.skjam.com
perletwoWas cleaning up a closet last weekend and came upon my cache of original Teen Titans floppies. Here's a little treat from 1972, "Through These Doors Pass the Bravest Titans of Them All," or as I like to think of it, "That time Donna shaved her head and crossdressed for justice!" I've got six pages of an 18-page story, and therefore am cutting the Mal sequence down to a mere preview image.
That's Mal having a flashback to a childhood beat-down, to explain his heretofore unheard-of fear of wide open spaces, which he must overcome in order to repair a lunar landing guidance module.
( Say what, now? )
So there you go - not bad for an ish where nobody even makes it into costume!
That's Mal having a flashback to a childhood beat-down, to explain his heretofore unheard-of fear of wide open spaces, which he must overcome in order to repair a lunar landing guidance module.
( Say what, now? )
So there you go - not bad for an ish where nobody even makes it into costume!
Tags:
- char: batman/bruce wayne,
- char: herald/vox/mal duncan,
- char: omen/lilith clay,
- char: robin/nightwing/dick grayson,
- char: wonder girl/troia/donna troy,
- creator: bob haney,
- creator: george tuska,
- creator: nick cardy,
- era: bronze age,
- group: teen titans,
- in-joke: crossdressing for justice,
- in-joke: herodickery,
- publisher: dc comics,
- theme: crossdressing,
- theme: drugs,
- title: teen titans
The Return of Firestorm!
Feb. 4th, 2012 10:47 pmskjamFirestorm's first comic book series kind of turned into a limited series when one of the periodic industry downturns hit DC and they had to axe a bunch of titles. But the concept and design of the character were pretty cool, so it was decided to give the character another shot.
To start "pushing" the character, the folks at DC decided to have him guest star with Superman in "DC Comics Presents", the "Superman teams up with people" book.
Five and two-thirds pages from DC Comics Presents #17 "The Ice Slaves of Killer Frost!"
( I need fire, to melt the frozen heart within me )
Your thoughts and comments?
SKJAM!
To start "pushing" the character, the folks at DC decided to have him guest star with Superman in "DC Comics Presents", the "Superman teams up with people" book.
Five and two-thirds pages from DC Comics Presents #17 "The Ice Slaves of Killer Frost!"
( I need fire, to melt the frozen heart within me )
Your thoughts and comments?
SKJAM!
Superman Arrested--Film at Eleven
Jan. 15th, 2012 07:19 pmskjamLet's switch gears for a moment and return to the Bronze Age of comics, specifically Action Comics #556. We'll be looking at 7 2/3rd pages of the 23-page story, "Endings."
Not really a very good cover, but it does come pretty close to the events inside.
A bit of background: Vandal Savage was originally from Earth-Two, where he fought the Golden Age Green Lantern, and later the Justice Society of America. Thanks to the JLA/JSA teamups of yore, Mr. Savage learned of the existence of Earth-One and how to get there. He also learned that he apparently had no counterpart on that parallel world, which gave him an idea.
Vandal Savage comes to Earth-One where he has no criminal record. He somehow gets enough resources to build Abraxas Industries, and become a legitimate businessman. Since he has no criminal record, people are willing to give Mr. Savage the benefit of the doubt, despite Superman's warnings about his past behavior on Earth-Two. But just being free from the threat of prosecution isn't good enough for Vandal Savage, and he begins a plot to discredit and perhaps destroy the Man of Steel.
( We join that plan already in progress. )
Your thoughts and comments?
SKJAM!
Not really a very good cover, but it does come pretty close to the events inside.
A bit of background: Vandal Savage was originally from Earth-Two, where he fought the Golden Age Green Lantern, and later the Justice Society of America. Thanks to the JLA/JSA teamups of yore, Mr. Savage learned of the existence of Earth-One and how to get there. He also learned that he apparently had no counterpart on that parallel world, which gave him an idea.
Vandal Savage comes to Earth-One where he has no criminal record. He somehow gets enough resources to build Abraxas Industries, and become a legitimate businessman. Since he has no criminal record, people are willing to give Mr. Savage the benefit of the doubt, despite Superman's warnings about his past behavior on Earth-Two. But just being free from the threat of prosecution isn't good enough for Vandal Savage, and he begins a plot to discredit and perhaps destroy the Man of Steel.
( We join that plan already in progress. )
Your thoughts and comments?
SKJAM!
Tags:
- char: batman/bruce wayne,
- char: lana lang,
- char: robin/red hood/jason todd,
- char: superman/clark kent,
- char: vandal savage,
- creator: curt swan,
- creator: eduardo barreto,
- creator: klaus janson,
- creator: kurt schaffenberger,
- creator: marv wolfman,
- era: bronze age,
- publisher: dc comics,
- title: action comics
Before there was 52....
Jun. 11th, 2011 10:13 pmskjam...There was "Action Comics Weekly", DC's first attempt at a weekly comic book. It was an anthology comic somewhat on the model of 2000 AD, several continuing stories each week, with seven page chapters (and a two-page Sunday comics spread for Superman.) There were several interesting projects done during this run--I especially liked the new Secret Six they had. Sadly, sales and logistics reasons meant that the experiment lasted less than a year.
Love that Kirby art, though I think this might have been an inventory piece DC had lying around. 2 1/3 pages from each of the seven-page storiesin Action Comics Weekly #638 (2/7/89), one double-page spread, and a special treat!
( Remember relevance? )
Your thoughts, questions and comments?
SKJAM!
(http://skjam.dreamwidth.org/19423.html --see my fiftieth birthday approaching!)
Love that Kirby art, though I think this might have been an inventory piece DC had lying around. 2 1/3 pages from each of the seven-page storiesin Action Comics Weekly #638 (2/7/89), one double-page spread, and a special treat!
( Remember relevance? )
Your thoughts, questions and comments?
SKJAM!
(http://skjam.dreamwidth.org/19423.html --see my fiftieth birthday approaching!)
Tags:
- char: darkseid,
- char: demon/jason blood,
- char: speedy/arsenal/roy harper,
- char: superman/clark kent,
- creator: alan grant,
- creator: bill wray,
- creator: bob rozakis,
- creator: chuck austen,
- creator: curt swan,
- creator: frank mclaughlin,
- creator: gary martin,
- creator: jack kirby,
- creator: john hyberg,
- creator: kurt schaffenberger,
- creator: len strazewski,
- creator: louis williams,
- creator: mark pacella,
- creator: mark verheiden,
- creator: max allan collins,
- creator: murphy anderson,
- creator: philip moy,
- creator: roger stern,
- creator: stephen destefano,
- creator: terry beatty,
- era: bronze age,
- publisher: dc comics,
- theme: drugs,
- theme: lgbtqa+,
- title: action comics,
- trigger warning: racism
One Perfect Moment: Bruce Wayne
Jul. 25th, 2010 01:45 pmjkcarrierFrom Batman Family #7, 1978 -- Bruce/Dick in a nutshell (with bonus props for Babs):
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Batman Likes his Steak Rare.
Dec. 31st, 2009 05:53 pmmystery
suggested tags: creator: denny o'neil, creator: dick giordano, publisher: dc, title: batman, era: bronze age
