There seemed to be no shortage of these cheap novelty items advertised in american comic books between the 1960s and 1980s. San diego has officially been canceled for the first time in its 50year history due to the coronavirus covid19 pandemic. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history vulture. I really wanted this but of course i did not get it. If todays generation y and zers accuse us baby boomers of being cynical and distrustful, well, i for one blame it all on comic books. I think that ads from comic books are uniquely fun pieces of history, and my goal is to share them with others who appreciate them like i do. Turns out russ created the two most famous comic book toy soldier ads and they are probably among the most widely remembered and most reprinted ads ever seen in comic books of the era. Mailorder mysteries and hey skinny are both instant nostalgia. As a child i would stare at these ads with a begrudging fascination, knowing that even if they were available to order in the uk my mum would have surely said something like. Last week, i started a twopart column on the greatest comic book characters of the 1950s and 60s. Sales could be counted in hundreds of millions, and more than 80% of kids and 90% of teens were reading them. This tells us that men and women, not just young children were reading these comics. Its not until the comic shifts from the 30s to the 40s, gaining international success, that we.
In the early 1950s horror comics, such as chamber of chills, sold womans fashion items and items for hair loss. This ad actually turned out to be more educational for me than i was expecting. The first time i ever saw comics for sale was in 1979, when the place we called the icee shop got a comic rack. So keep reading to find out if your favorite heroes made my list, and feel free to respond with your different opinions. Sep 10, 2014 its been so long since ive opened up a new comic book, i dont even know if they still run ads anymore. It was rare continue reading comic book adverts of the 1960s70s. In case these new comics are too good to include cheesy toy ads anymore, heres a handful of vintage advertisements to fill the void. With the headline instant live sea animals i initially assumed it was some generic knockoff of seamonkeys but then i noticed that it actually used. One of the staples of mainstream western world comics has been the sometimes funny, sometimes strange, almost never genuinely useful ads. Fantastic ads like these ruled the back of my beloved comic books with every issue. The 1950sinspired series sees the two superheroes attempting to live the simple.
Notable comic book advertisements appears in 15 issues. Its been so long since ive opened up a new comic book, i dont even know if they still run ads anymore. Great advertisements from the golden age of comic books, a large size paperback that reprints in colour comic book ads from the forties and fifties. I was able to read before i started school, and for that i thank comic books. Classic 1950s sciencefiction comics all stories no ads. One thing has stayed consistent in western world comic books, however, and thats the often bizarre advertisements. I was in the first grade, and i decided to spend my candy money on a micronauts comic book instead. Mar 25, 2008 why comic books scared us so captain marvel reduced to ashes by terrified parents. David hajdu examines the great comic book panic of the 1950s. The 30second trailer teases the expanding comic book world that will unfold on disneys streaming service. Tracing the evolution of comic books by looking at the pictures, panels, and text that brought them to.
These classic ads in the back of comic books tricked kids from the 50s through the 80s. These kinds of lists are always less the definitive end of the conversation than the start of one. Comic book ads strike back i was flipping through some old comics books the other day and came across some random title from 1984. Comic book ads from hostess, super cobra video game by konami, kenner mask toys, nbc saturday morning. The 100 most influential pages in comic book history. Rex, allosaurus, pterodactyl, or dimetrodon, but im willing to forgive pom poms because tarzan isnt traveling back in.
Jan 16, 2017 our latest edition of nontoy ad tuesday features a selection of 1970s and 80s north american ads for converse footwear, bubble yum, oreos, super friends school supplies, iron on transfers, junior sales club of america, and crosman air guns. When the phrase comic book ads are brought up, be it in a search bar seriously you will not find a single. Despite their incredibly short lifespan, sea monkeys remain one of the most infamous comic book pop culture references. These 19 images are but a small sampling of the comic treasure to be found in the someday funnies. Comic books that circulated from the 1950s to the 1970s were jampacked with ads that promised everything from. Curl up in your chair, grab your hot cocoa, and take a stroll down memory lane with your favorite dc comic book ads no, not those ones for the little cheap, paperthin soldiers or the cardboard submarine starring our favorite action figure, gi joe. How many of us who grew up in the 1960s and early 70s were. The strange history of comic book advertisements syfy wire. With the headline instant live sea animals i initially assumed it was some generic knockoff of seamonkeys but then i noticed that it actually used the term seamonkeys in the description. Disney plus debuts first look at marvel shows during super.
He spent the following decades in commercial and advertising work. Buy products related to vintage comic books and see what customers say about vintage comic books on. Marvel comics is an american comic book line published by marvel entertainment, inc. David hajdu examines the great comicbook panic of the 1950s. You may not solicit cpg classifieds users to post ads on other classifieds sites. Look at some inside pages by clicking customer images under the cover. Sure, they were almost certainly ripoffs, but who cares. Back in my day, when we had to look something up, this is where we turned not that newfangled internet.
In todays comic books you dont see the advertisements you used to no ads with outrageous promises to be taller or more muscular. Dec 08, 2011 last week, i started a twopart column on the greatest comic book characters of the 1950s and 60s. Sea monkeys, monkeys and baby raccoons, performing chameleons, ant farms with magnifying glass eww and more. While i never read a single issue of xmen 2099, i was a fringe fan of the 2099 concept from marvel comics. Our latest edition of nontoy ad tuesday features a selection of 1970s and 80s north american ads for converse footwear, bubble yum, oreos, super friends school supplies, iron on transfers, junior sales club of america, and crosman air guns. Many of the toy and video game ads are awesome, but you also see many other ads that showed up for decades within many different comics. Comicbook controversy is a cautionary tale nbc news. This ad is illustrated with a comic strip by al capp, it is called lil abner. Affectionately called the house of ideas by the fan press, marvels bestknown comics titles include fantastic four, the amazing spiderman, the incredible hulk, iron man, daredevil, thor, captain america, and xmen. Were comic books the cause for a rising tide of juvenile delinquency in the 1940s and 1950s. I also started scanning some of the advertisements found within the comic books. Weve been selling comics since 1961 our first sale. Dcs new comic book distributors are midtown comics and dcbs. Awesome comic book ads of the past informations about retrospace.
Being born and raised in scotland meant an intermittent supply of such comic books capers. Youre not spending your pocket money on that cheap rubbish. Many times, these are even more memorable than the comic book itself. This is an original 1942 color print ad for regular and cream of wheat breakfast cereal. Teaser trailer an african american father struggles with race relations in the united states while trying to raise his family in the 1950s and coming to terms with the events of his life. Critics certainly thought so, writes david hajdu in a.
If they dont, its a shame, because a lot of the enjoyment came from these strange little adverts directed at kids. Printed images and the comic book mediums unique presentation of them. You may not offer for sale or sell an item or service to any buyer in a jurisdiction where the item, service, or terms of the sale violate applicable laws or regulations. Comic book advertisements are a common feature in american comic books mainly from the 1940s onwards. Why comic books scared us so captain marvel reduced to ashes by terrified parents. While i was growing up, we had a set of world book encyclopedias i think they were from 1967 or 68, so not too far off from when this set was around.
May 31, 2018 one thing has stayed consistent in western world comic books, however, and thats the often bizarre advertisements. What i find odd is that i own the 19601964 edition of the american comic book chronicles and the binding is perfect. The binding of third copy that amazon sent me as a replacement also fell apart, but i was so disgusted by then that i kept the book and used white glue to repair the binding as best as i could. This advertisement was in the back of many american comics. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s. Original comic book artwork for sale in uk view 63 ads. Vintage advertising with character dotz, warren on. As i was flipping through it, i came across a bevy of kickass old advertisements. Post sugar crisp cereal ad paddlewheel steamboat 1951. Great comic book ads from the 1950s funny vintage ads. We spoke to russ directly on 1804 to talk about his classic comic book ads. Vintage comic book ads that were too good to be true.
Apr 14, 2018 there seemed to be no shortage of these cheap novelty items advertised in american comic books between the 1960s and 1980s. Wertham was an anticomic book crusader who did some serious damage back in the 1950s. Original comic book artwork for sale original comic book artwork argosy mens magazine 1970s 4 x pictures. Great comic book ads from the 1950s old comic books vintage comic books vintage comics vintage toys vintage posters vintage stuff classic comics classic toys old advertisements vintage comic book ads that were too good to be true. In the early 1950s, a superhero revival brought back their three major. Old comic book ads that were total scams kryptonite rocks guff. Notable comic book advertisements concept comic vine. How a feral squirrelmonkey attacked its new owner, why a submarine disintegrated on the front lawn, how xray specs caused nothing but confusion and other crazy comic book advertising stories. As an entertainment medium, comics were the digital devices of their day. Oh well, that was the charge, and thats what we had to pay. Comic book ads from the1950s and 1960s barrys pearls of. Referencing the early issues of action comics, widely considered to be the first superhero comic, there are barely any ads at all. I picked this issue up from a quarter bin at a comic book convention recently.