The Spinner Rack - 1973 - Part 4

My final selection of comics from my favourite year,for now. Most of the comics shown here I have repurchased in the last 10 or so years but in many cases I still own my original, albeit tatty issues from over 50 years !!!.

For your information it was the Elongated Man the was the new member that joined the JLA.

The Spinner Rack: 1973 - Part 3

Over the last few months I have been making yet another attempt to thin out my comic book collection, partly to free up some storage space in our wee cottage and partly to enable me to access my comics more easily from my favourite decade, the groovy 1970's. In doing this I found tucked away in an unmarked box, a selection of comics from my favourite year , 1973. Below are some of my favourite comics from that great year including the above issue of Action comics #424 (cover by Nick Cardy) to add to my previous 1973 Spinner rack (Part 1 and Part 2) posts.

Above: Flash #221 - Cover by Nick Cardy

Above: Wierd Worlds #3 - Cover by Mike Kaluta

The Shadow #2 Cover by Mike Kaluta (my first "Shadow" and a classic comic book)

Shazam #2 Cover C.C Beck - This comic (not my copy above) is on a sale in Forbidden Planet (Glasgow) for £100 which seems exceptionaly high to me. I have cleaned up almost all my covers here using my natty new "Picsart" app to make them look "pretty" but regardless of my copys wear and tear, I can see it going on ebay soon lol.

Fantastic Four # 134 - Cover by John Buscema / Joe Sinnott - My first US issue of the FF was #150 and this issue (#134) was one of the first back issues I ever bought in the late 1970's.

Captain Marvel # 26 - Cover by Jim Starlin and Frank Giacoia - a repurchase from last year.

The Defenders # 11 - Cover by Sal Buscema and Frank Bolle

Thor #211 = Cover by John Buscema - Another repurchase from a few years ago.

Dead of Night #1 - Cover John Romita - I picked this issue up on a city break in Haarlem (Netherlands) in a great little comic shop for around £2 - I never had this comic back in 1973 but I just love the issue and I'm sure that 13 year old me probably drooled over the cover if it was advertised in Marvel titles.

Conan the Barbarian #26 - cover by John Romita, John Buscema and Ernie Chua - I have already shown my (newer) US cents copy of this issue but above is my original UK pence issue (tidied up on my app).

The Phantom #55 - Cover Pat Boyette - Next up more from 1973 in part 4.

The Comic Van - Buying and swapping comics in the 1960's

Back in the 1960's American comic books were for the most part regularly available in newsagents in the UK. While comics like Superman, Batman, The Flash etc were available , they were (compared to most UK comics) also expensive. To combat this there was a ‘Swap’ culture available amongst comic fans at the time. Although my interest in comics in the 1960's was largely confined to UK titles (being only 9 years old by 1969) I do recall my older brother and his pals "buying and selling" rules, which were predicated by the owner of the “comic book van" in my local town.

The “comic van” was a confectionary van that also sold US comic books, bubble gum card sets like American Civil War, Mars Attacks, Batman etc and other media-based items. I no longer remember the gentleman’s name that owned the van, but I can still recall the magic of visiting his van and checking his latest selection of new comics and cards. Comic sales were split into 2 section , new comics, and preowned titles with the option to swap an older comic along with some money (usually getting a new comic for half price). Batman and Superman comics were always the best items to swap as these allowed you to buy a new comic for less money, but titles like Lois Lane, US War comics, Archies etc were never in demand and these were the worst items to swap. In one of my last conversations with my brother we briefly discussed this time and the "comic van" and I wish I had taken more account of the details on these tims and the swaps/stories he told me. Below are some of my brothers original comics that he bought at the comic van (some of these are comics I have repurchased) to go with the above titles ( Justice League of America # 63 by Mike Sekowsky (a repurchase) and Jimmy Olsen #111 by Neal Adams(my brothers original):

Above : Hawkman #27 - 1968 - Cover by Joe Kubert (a repurchase)

Above: Action Comics #359 - December 1968 - Cover by Neal Adams (my brothers original)

Above: Adventure Comics # 354 - 1967 - Cover by Curt Swan (original)

Above: Adventure Comics # 361 - 1967 - Cover by Curt Swan (original)

Above: Superman # 201 - 1967 - Cover by Curt Swan (original)

Above: Action Comics # 368 - 1969 - Cover by Carmine Infantino (original)

Lois Lane # 89 - 1969 - Cover by Carmine Infantino/Neal Adams (Original)

Above: DC Special - 1970 - (repurchase)

I recently saw the above issue of Justice League of America (#74 by Neal Adams) on the excellent Rip Jaggers Dojo blog, which reminded me of the "Comic van" as this was one of my brother favourite comics. It also encouraged me to visit to my loft to look out the above comics when I found some of these in an carrier bag that my cousin gave to me ( I had loaned him some of these comics over 20 years ago and forgot all about them when he returned them a few years ago).

Spinner Rack - 1974/75 - Part 4 - Charlton / Gold Key

The mid 1970's was a time when you could simply pop down to your local newsagents and be presented with an wide assortment of US comic books stuffed into spinner racks. And not all of these were Marvel, DC or indeed Atlas, there were other books available from companies like Skywald, Archie, King, Charlton and Gold Key comics. Of these companies Charlton produced many of my favourite titles for the period 1974/75, some of these are shown below:

"The Phantom" issues 67 (heading) and 68 above by Don Newton. I was never really that big a fan of the Phantom as a kid until Don Newton became the regualr artist on the Charlton comic.

"E-Man" isues 10 - Cover by Joe Staton. I have rambled on about my affection for E-Man in the past but it was a really wonderful comic. Sadly this was the last Charlton issue.

"Vengeance Squad" - Issue 2 - Cover by PAM (Peter Morisi) - In the 1970's TV detective shows were everywhere yet very few comic books really tried to copy this format. Vengeance Squad made a valid attempt to break into the TV detective genre but the title never took off and was cancelled after only 6 issues.

"Doomsday + 1" - Cover by John Byrne - This SF comic was John Byrne's first original colour comic series. The story which lasted for 12 isuses, featured 3 astronauts who return to Earth after a nuclear holocaust wipes out humanity and is worth searching for in the back issue bins.

"Haunted" issue 21 - cover by Don Newton. Charlton were known for their horror/mystery anthology titles each with their own "presenters" (Dr Graves etc) - with issue 21 of "Haunted" the comic introduced Baron Weirwulf as its caretaker to the macabre.

"Ghost Manor" issue 23 -Cover by Tom Sutton - This is simply my all time favourite horror/mystery anotholgy cover. Charlton, and in particular Tom Sutton produced some stunning horror covers.

"Magnus, Robot Fighter" - issue 39 - Cover by Russ Manning - This was the only Gold Key issue of "Magnus, Robot Fighter" that I ever bought.

"Ripleys, Beleive it or Not !" - issue 54 - Ripleys, Beleive it or Not! is a museum full of kitch oddities like shrunken heads, strange animal skeletons etc. It was particaltly popular in the late 1960's to the mid 1970s spawning a film, books and a Gold Key comic that lasted 94 issues. I picked up the above issue up on a holiday visit to the Blackpool Ripley's museum shop . The comic wasn't great but I liked the cover.

As with my previous 3 posts on the 1974/75 spinner rack I end this one with an Atlas/Seaboard cover. This time one of their wonderful black and white magazines "Weird Tales of the Macarbe" issue 1 - cover by Jeff Jone.

The Spinner Rack - 1974/75 - Part 3 - DC

In 1974/75 it wasn't just Atlas/Seaboard and Marvel that were producing new titles, DC were also getting in on the act with their own series of new comics and characters along with their classic line of titles. Unfortunately, just like Atlas and Marvel many of their new titles didn't last too long, but some of them were pretty good. Below are a few of my favourite DC comic covers from this year to accompany the above excellent cover of "Detective Comics" issue 457 by Dick Giordano and Tatjana Wood:

"Hercules Unbound" - issue 2 -Cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. "Hercules Unbound" was written by Gerry Conway with art by the team of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Wally Wood (issue 1-6). The comic only lasted for 12 issues before being cancelled.

"Beowulf" - issue 3 - cover by Ricardo Villamonte. Another short lived title lasting only 6 issues, nicely illustrated by Ricardo Villamonte.

"Stalker" issue 1 cover by Steve Ditko & Wally Wood - This title only lasted for 4 issues. Despite nice art from Steve Ditko and Wally Wood, it never quite worked.

Kobra issue 1 (of 7) - Cover by Ernie Chan

"Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter" issue 3 - Cover by Jim Starlin and Alan Weiss . This 18 issue series had its moments but it wasn't exactly Shang Chi.

First Issue Special - Issue 9 - Cover by Joe Kubert - One of my favourite comics (and characters) wIth some great art by Walt Simonson.

Kamandi issue 29 - cover by Jack Kirby -Kamandi was by far my favourie Kirby title at DC and this was one of the best isues in the series.

"JLA" - issue 124 - Cover by Ernie Chan - I was always a sucker for those great JLA - JSA team-ups but for me, this was one was spoiled a bit by having Cary Bates (the writer) appear in the tale.

"Super-Team Family" - issue 1 - Cover by Ernie Chan -This title and the "Batman Family" (see below) started out as all reprint books before moving to new material with issues 7 and 11 respectively.

Batman Family - issue 1 - Cover by MiKe Grell.

"Scorpion" - issue 1 - Cover by Howard Chaykin - As with my last post looking at the Marvel spinner rack of 1974/75 I have added an Atlas comic cover here. The Scorpion was arguably Atlas' best comic until they decided to radically change the characters direction from the pulp era swashbuckler and turn him into a (poor) 1970’s superhero. Chaykin would later take his "Scorpion" character to Marvel under the name of "Domonic Fortune”.