Comment
My rambling reminiscences of my first summer collecting comic books (1967, fifty years ago!) continue apace! Last time, I veered off into books of satire, parody and silly fun. But, now, back to the “serious” super hero issues of my youth! We’re now up to late July and/or early August…
BATMAN #195 — This was an interestingly designed cover. The caption blurb reads that Batman shrinks from The Spark-Spangled See Through Man and the up angle used made it look like the Caped Crusader was *actually* shrinking! The notable thing about this comic was it helped me win an argument I’d been having with my parents that comics were trash and you couldn’t learn anything from them. This issue featured the scientific principle of “like charges repel, opposite charges attract” and I used it on Mom! VICTORY! A few years later, one of my teachers was addressing the PTA and extolling the virtues of reading and saying that kids went farther in the world if they read regularly… anything, even comic books! He looked straight at my mom when he said this. I never had trouble with my parents about my “throwing away my money on those funny books” again.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #56 — Part two of the 1967 JLA-JSA team-up. This cover has become iconic and much mimicked over the years, but you saw it here first! Lots of super action and plenty of Johnny Thunder and his thunderbolt comic relief inside! I must admit that after reading this issue I was actually physically exhausted! Now, THAT’s some good comics!
HOUSE OF MYSTERY #169 — I cheated on this one. I bought it (along with about five or six others) on my mother’s dime to give out as door prizes at my brother’s fifth birthday surprise party (the surprise was that he invited all the neighborhood kids to a party that my mother knew nothing about!) In her rush to get things ready, she sent me to the store to buy balloons and penny candy and these comics. This was the only one I didn’t already have, so I “arranged” it so I’d get this particular issue as MY door prize! Hee Hee Hee!
TEEN TITANS #11 — Twang! Speedy’s back! So? That’s great. Really. I had no idea who Speedy was at this point or when he’d appeared with the Titans before. Heck! I was lucky I knew who Green Arrow was! I love bow & arrow characters, however, so I was on board! I loved the issue and got quite a kick out of Aqualad beating the metallic sea monster over the head with a wooden boat oar on the cover!
LITTLE SAD SACK #19 — There is nothing particularly memorable about this issue besides the fun of reading a comic in August that had a snowball fight gag on the cover. I told you before, I was a weird kid.
WORLDS FINEST #169 — This issue featured The Supergirl-Batgirl Plot! Fun, fun, fun ’til Daddy takes the T-Bird away! Only Curt Swan could make changing a flat tire look dynamic. The back-up story about a giant die remains one of my favorite “Twilight Zone ending” stories to this day!
We’re nearing the last days of summer! More next time!