As the world seem to lurch between one disaster to another with climate change, volcanic eruptions, a pandemic, inflation, and now a potential war in Europe it’s good to take time out and look back to a time when life seemed so much easier and stable. No not the 1970’s specifically, that wasn’t that great either and it contained many of the same horrors we are facing today, but rather to a time when we were kids and take a look at some of the comic book covers that got us excited in the early 1970’s. If you weren’t around in 1972/73 then just enjoy looking at some of the great comic books we could pick up in any local newsagent back in the day for the price of a chocolate bar. The above cover to X-,Men issue 79 by Gil Kane was my first ever US X-Men comic book and I wasn’t impressed. I love the cover (and the X-Men) but this was a reprint X-Men issue 31 from 1967. My copy of X-Men 79 is badly ripped so I took this from the Marvel database.
Captain Marvel issue 25:Cover by Jim Starlin. This was my first Captain Marvel comic and it was also only the second time I had ever seen the character, the first time being in a cameo appearance in Avenger issue 106 a few months earlier. I still remember seeing this comic lying on a newsagents counter tucked away under some newspapers with only part of the corner box image of Cap showing. It's strange the silly litle things that stick in your memory.
Teen Titans issue 28: Cover by Nick Cardy. One of my favourite covers.
Batman issue 248: Cover by Michael Kaluta. My abiding memory of this comic was constantly trying to draw the cover. I actually got quite good at copying it and a family member asked me to draw it on his broken arm plaster cast….errr lets just say it didn’t look as good as it should have but luckily for him he only had to walk around with his “stookie” (plaster cast- behave! ) for a few weeks before they cut it off.
Justice League of America issue 98: Cover by Neal Adams.
Detective Comics issue 426: Cover by Michael Kaluta. I still remember my utter disappointment (nee outrage) when I opened the pages of this comic and saw it was drawn by Frank Robbins . The next day I gave it to a friend, a bad move as only a mere 10 years later I “got” Robbins art and I now pick up everything I can by him and this comic would now costs a small fortune to replace nowadays.
Defenders issue 4: Cover by Sal Buscema. As Stan used to say ““Nuff said!” It’s a cracker of a cover and was probably my favourite Marvel comic book at this time.
Monsters on the Prowl issue 16: Cover by John Severin.
Conan the Barbarian issue 16:Cover by Barry Smith: This issue reprinted a coloured version of the Frost Giants Daughter (from Savage tales issue 1).
Action comics issue 414: Cover by Nick Cardy.
I was probably about seven years old when I walked into my local newsagents in Cambuslang (near Glasgow) with my pocket money firmly he...
Following on from my last post featuring some of my favourite Marvel comic book covers from 1973, I thought I would show some of DC's ...
Nearly a half-century on I still consider 1973 to be the year that cemented my destiny in becoming a lifetime comic book fan. It was a yea...
Some great covers there, McS. I think Captain Marvel #25 was my 'first' issue of him in his new costume, but I remember also having the first ish at one time as well. (That was when he was in his original green and white outfit.) I also remember having Action Comics #414 (I think), but had forgotten the cover and issue number until your post reminded me. I'm going to have to track that one down. If I recall correctly, it involved the actor who played Superman in a TV show, who'd had his face disfigured (in another issue I think) and restored after plastic surgery. Is this the issue where he helps calm down an angry mob who think he's the real deal? Or maybe this is an earlier one where he first appeared.
ReplyDeleteI've just bought it on ebay, McS. Can't wait to receive it.
DeleteIn don't know what happened to my reo!y there Kid. Anyway to summarize yes that's the very story the actor who plays Superman in a TV series is scarred. He arranged through magic to switch bodies with Superman when they shame hands. Superman sees a pentagram on his hand and does the old switcheroo on him etc. Silly but fun story.
DeleteThat Captain Marvel was the game-changer for the character. As much I have a nostalgia for the green and white Kree Captain there's no denying that Starlin finally cracked the character and made him essential to the Marvel mythology. And I miss the old Defenders comic a lot, the first many issues were truly wild affairs as these were powerhouse characters barely contained by the narrative.
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Hi Rip - I don’t think that I had actually seen the “green and white” Captain Marvel at this point and if I did it didn’t register with me so this was my introduction to the character. I still think this is one of comics all time classic costumes. I really enjoyed Starlin’s work especially his excellent Warlock series. Ahh the Defenders the first 15-20 issues were just a joy and full of old style Marvel fun and action. Sal Buscema’s art on this series (in particular the first 10 issues) are for me some of the best in any comic series, it was like reading an animated cartoon the art just came “alive” .
ReplyDeleteI love that Defenders cover too but when the story was reprinted in the UK's Rampage weekly in November 1977 they used an inferior UK-exclusive cover instead for some unknown reason. I didn't discover the original cover until many years later.
ReplyDeleteI only bought the first 2 issues of Rampage weekly as I had all the US originals at that time but t seems a silly thing not to use that great cover
ReplyDeleteSome great issues, McScotty. I still have copies of the Teen Titans (classic Nick Cardy), JLA (love those Neal Adams pages - some of his best line work there), Action, Batman, Conan and Detective (brilliant Frank Robbins issue. I wrote about it over on my blog http://superstuff73.blogspot.com/2011/02/moral-parker.html about 10 year ago, I was so impressed. Hope it's not breaking blog etiquette to link to one's own blog - but I see that Kid had added to the comments back then :-) ).
ReplyDeleteI'll need to have a read of that Robbins blog baggsey, he is such an underrated artist. I think that Teen Titans at this time had the best series of covers of any comic book.
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