It may be hard for new readers to fathom, but when I was a kid, the best value in comics was to be had in the form of dollar comics. Whether they were 100-Page Giants, Annuals or Anthology Series, spending 100 pennies on a single comic meant that I was going to get a real bang for my buck. A single issue could provide a whole afternoon worth of entertainment.
I so enjoy the anniversary 100-Page Super Spectaculars. Congrats on another milestone!
ReplyDeleteI remember buying the issue of All-Star that the JSA comes from off the newsstand as a kid.
And is that Superman by Perez? Looks like it.
That's a Jose Luis Garcia Lopez Superman
ReplyDeleteNice to finally see Dex-Starr! Your animal covers are always among my favorites!
ReplyDeleteOh, how I remember those days. I have a long time friend of 34 years who is into the comics like I am. Like you, we created some of our own characters. If we could have published them like DC, Marvel, Americomics, etc, we would have likely had something like the dollar comics. Good stuff. And I enjoy your comic covers. You have had some of the coolest ideas for team-ups. Some of them were similar to some that I had in my youth, but there were others that never crossed my mind, namely yesterday's with Batman and the Outsiders facing Galactus. Thank you for what you do!
ReplyDeleteLinneman: I like the animal covers as well - there's a cover featuring a famous duck coming up in a week or so that is one of my all time favorites...
ReplyDeleteMickey: Thanks, I hope you enjoy the future pairings that I present!
Congratulations on another milestone, Ross. Keep up the good work. I also enjoyed the over-sized $1 comics in the 70s and 80s, but also have fond memories of the digest sized comic collections they would sell at our local supermarket. I mostly remember World's Finest and Legion of Super-heroes reprinted this way, about 10 or 12 issues collected for only 2 or 3 dollars so my mom would often let me get one knowing it would shut me up for several hours.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I will try!
ReplyDeleteI love these old school covers. Congrats on another milestone and keep on truckin'.
ReplyDeleteThe very first 100-page Giant I bought was for WORLD'S FINEST COMICS. And included among the reprints was "Riddle of the Four Planets." Featuring that long-lost relative of Starro the Conqueror...the Zelaphod!
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that DC chose to end their then-longest running magazine in the world's lousiest way (Superman flying off in an uncharacteristically snarky huff).
I always forget to keep track of when we're coming up to the 100-page centennial issues, lol. Great one today Ross. First, anything with the JSA is always a treat. The old Earth-2 was simply a wonderful place to tell stories; its novelty factor, being a parallel universe so similar to Earth-1, was enough to keep me interested alone.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, oh, do I remember buying comics as a kid, in the days before comic book stores became big. Back then, convenience and general stores actually did a pretty decent job of keeping new issues stocked, but the real place to go was the hobby shops. We were fortunate to have 3 outstanding ones where I grew up, and fortunate to have parents (both mine and my friends) who would put up with bringing us to one once a month or so. Good times; thanks for the memories Ross!
Forgot how much I loved that Starman costume. Yes, it's basically just a yellow star on a blue background, but the simplicity of it, and maybe because it seemed to me like an odd shade of blue for superhero comics at the time...oh, plus the gauntlets.
ReplyDeleteAnother great cover. How about ROCKET RACOON and The ROCKETEER?
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Ross. These covers are fire; stories that could have been told. I would've been stoke to see Rocket duke it out with Dex-Starr
ReplyDeleteOOPS!!! My bad. I forgot to wish you Happy 1400th anniversary. :-)
ReplyDelete$1.00? Why you're just a youngster. I remember when Marvel annuals were just 25 cents. Speaking of Rocket how about a Rocket Raccoon - Bucky O'Hare team up?
ReplyDeleteThe 100 page giants were the best, I missed them in publishing, but found many back issues before they began to be collectors' items. I liked the inclusion of Golden Age reprints as well as the new stories and features on secret origins or diagrams of Batman's utility belt or other things. The dollar comics and all the other giants, digests, and some tabeloid comics really were treats for those of us who wanted to read some of the older stories no longer available, and the details behind the heroes.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 1400 issues of unique and quality team ups! Always love the unusual/oddball teams and the animals are lots of fun.
I remember the 100-page Giants fondly, too. They were being published when I was just getting started on superhero comics, so the old stories were "new" to me. ^_^
ReplyDeleteMy first Legion comic was SUPERBOY #202, which included a reprint of "The Legionnaire Who Killed!", the trial of Star Boy. With only one comic, I already knew an important piece of Legion history.
Good times...
My college roommate hated these dollar comics, because so many of the stories were so old. That's what you find, people who won't watch a black and white movie because it's old.
ReplyDeleteThe first 100 Page Super Spectacular I ever bought was a celebration of Superman's 35th anniversary. It contained a reprint of "The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue" which in my opinion is the greatest silver age Superman story of them all. And it only cost fifty cents!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on getting to 1400!
ReplyDeleteI have a fond place in my heart for those dollar reprint books, as those were how I got introduced to the Golden Age heroes and titles. By the time I found Jules Feiffer's book, I had a pretty good background going into the subject...
I loved the old reprints. But when a 100 Page Spectacular reprinted a story that I already owned in the original, I would often skip it. I missed out on some other good stuff by doing that.
ReplyDeleteI loved the old reprints. But when a 100 Page Spectacular reprinted a story that I already owned in the original, I would often skip it. I missed out on some other good stuff by doing that.
ReplyDeleteRoss where did you get the cover with Robin and the fallen JSA? I think I've seen it before, but I can't place it.
ReplyDeleteAll-Star Comics 58
ReplyDeleteNever mind. All StarcComics #58 featuring the Super Squad.
ReplyDeleteJinx! You owe me a coca cola.
ReplyDelete