My #3 oldest comic (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)...
Showcase #74, on stands 3/12/68 Pencils & Inks: Howie Post
I clearly remember owning this one because I had it for many years. From here on out in this countdown, I was really surprised to discover which were the very earliest comics I owned, after viewing them chronologically online. If I had realized this was the 3rd comic I ever owned, I certainly would have kept it (and did for a couple decades, but it eventually went in one of my purges, I think after college).
No doubt, caveman+woolly mammoth+volcano =I would have asked for this one!
By the end of 1972, the Fourth World was pretty much over. Only Mister Miracle escaped cancellation. So here’s New Gods #8 (Apr.-May 1972), inks by Mike Royer. I chose this cover not so much because it’s a great cover—which it is—but because this issue’s story was used, along with others, as the basis of an episode of Superman: The Animated Series. For those unfamiliar with Dan “Terrible” Turpin, the guy front and center on the cover, he first appeared in New Gods #5—a police officer who is one of the first humans to become aware of the New Gods. Kind of like Kirby himself might have done, when Kalibak comes to Earth to raise havoc, Turpin charges in single-handed to take him on. He survives the encounter, but just barely.
Flash forward a couple of decades and change, and Superman: The Animated Series features Turpin—visually based on Kirby, who had passed away just over a year before the show entered production—as part of Metropolis’ Special Crime Unit. This time, however, Turpin doesn't survive the Apokolips invasion. Turpin’s funeral was visually styled after the graveyard in which Kirby was buried.
My #2 oldest comic (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)...
Superman #205, on stands 2/6/68 Pencils & Inks: Neal Adams
Another one I owned for a couple decades. I had no idea this was my first Superman comic, much less the second comic I ever owned. I wish I had kept my original copy! I was less than 3 years old when I received this one, but I loved the reruns of the black and white, live-action TV show, and I'm sure I was mesmerized by the Neal Adams cover art.
In 1973, Kirby was writing and drawing two monthlies (Kamandi and The Demon) and one bi-monthly (Mister Miracle), but despite doing covers for every one of those books, Marvel still managed to publish more Kirby covers (reprints) than DC. Here’s Kamandi #8, inked by Mike Royer, featuring the familiar faces of the most recent (at the time) U.S. presidents—the story inside would add Eisenhower and Lincoln to the mix.
And, finally .... My #1 oldest comic (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)...
Phantom #22, on stands 5/1/67 Pencils & Inks: Sy Barry
I was flabbergasted this was the first comic I ever owned off the stands, and yet another I owned for a couple decades...and now wish I had kept my original copy.
This one I received before I was two, but it makes perfect sense, because right at this time my grandfather was reading newspaper comic strips to me (especially the color Sunday pages, which I think included the Phantom). I've always believed my grandfather probably bought me my first comic, and this being the very first chronologically supports that theory -- either he or I probably recognized Phantom from the newspaper strips.
I first started to read, long before school, from the newspaper comic strips, and then later from comics, and the family story goes I told my grandfather I was only going to go to school long enough to learn to read comics, though I eventually overshot that low bar.
Thanks to everyone for humoring me in my countdown walk down memory lane...I still have one "honorable mention" coming up.
Spooky #90 February 1966 Cover by ... possibly Warren Kremer, or maybe Ernie Colón, Sid Couchey, Dom Sileo, Ben Brown, Steve Muffatti, or Joe Dennett. Hard to say with Harvey Comics, but maybe @nweathington knows. An interesting discussion on thathere.
Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost was the inverse of his fellow Harvey comics star, Casper the Friendly Ghost—equally cute, but he had no use for "friendliness," he wanted nothing more than to scare people (or anything else). This cover, from 1966, features the classic Monsters emerging from the TV (where the Universal Monsters were incredibly popular).
Looks like Kremer to me, judging by Spooky’s longish face and the figures of the monsters. And there weren't many Harvey covers of the late ’60s that Kremer didn’t draw.
1973 ended with the cancellation of Mister Miracle, and 1974 led off with the cancellation of The Demon, leaving Kirby with only one monthly book. But OMAC, a bimonthly, launched in the fall, with Sandman, another bimonthly (this time written by Joe Simon), not far behind. And 1974 closed with Kirby taking over Our Fighting Forces (featuring the Losers)—another bimonthly—with issue #151. Meanwhile, Marvel not only (re)printed twice as many Kirby covers as DC, but reprinted more Kirby interior pages than DC printed new Kirby pages. Here’s Kamandi #16 (Apr. 1974), inked by D. Bruce Berry.
Marvel Team-Up #36 August 1975 Cover by Ed Hannigan, Mike Esposito, and Irv Watanabe
"Once Upon a Time, in a Castle" Part 1 by Gerry Conway with interior art by Sal Buscema (layouts) and Vince Colletta (finishes). At some point in high school, Peter Parker probably read Mary Shelley's classic novel "Frankenstein," but at no point did Peter think he might someday team up with Victor Frankenstein's creation! But due to a strange series of events, the Amazing Spider-Man finds himself across the Atlantic Ocean, in the Balkans, and inside the castle of the evil Baron von Shtupf...with only one friend by his side: the Frankenstein monster! It's a literary team up for the ages as the wondrous wall-crawler and the man-monster from the pages of a 19th century novel join forces...to save the world! Cameo appearance by the Man-Wolf. This issue includes a 2-page retelling of the origin of Frankenstein's monster.)
And, finally .... My #1 oldest comic (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)...
Phantom #22, on stands 5/1/67 Pencils & Inks: Sy Barry
I was flabbergasted this was the first comic I ever owned off the stands, and yet another I owned for a couple decades...and now wish I had kept my original copy.
This one I received before I was two, but it makes perfect sense, because right at this time my grandfather was reading newspaper comic strips to me (especially the color Sunday pages, which I think included the Phantom). I've always believed my grandfather probably bought me my first comic, and this being the very first chronologically supports that theory -- either he or I probably recognized Phantom from the newspaper strips.
I first started to read, long before school, from the newspaper comic strips, and then later from comics, and the family story goes I told my grandfather I was only going to go to school long enough to learn to read comics, though I eventually overshot that low bar.
Thanks to everyone for humoring me in my countdown walk down memory lane...I still have one "honorable mention" coming up.
I've really enjoyed this, @RobAnderson. Thanks for sharing.
1973 ended with the cancellation of Mister Miracle, and 1974 led off with the cancellation of The Demon, leaving Kirby with only one monthly book. But OMAC, a bimonthly, launched in the fall, with Sandman, another bimonthly (this time written by Joe Simon), not far behind.
I love this period of DC Kirby. I love the Demon, and I love OMAC, but man I wish we would have gotten 7 or 8 issues of each. Omac might have been been done by then, but I would have loved to see how he finished up.
Dell Giant #36 Little Lulu and Witch Hazel Halloween Fun October 1960
Just a giant size a collection of short stories, connected loosely by a shared purpose and a specific progression of time--i.e., finding a pumpkin, choosing a costume, having a party at school, having another party at either Tubby or Lulu's house, taking to the streets to Trick or Treat, returning home as the night ends, and finally, turning in for bed as the realization that Halloween is over again for another year painfully yet inevitably sinks in.
Going into 1975, Kirby was becoming increasingly unhappy at DC. Changes in editorial and their quick trigger fingers left Kirby feeling unwanted in his role as a one-man operation. On top of that, he could see that DC was struggling financially. So when October’s “Bullpen Bulletin” announced, “The King is back! ’Nuff Said!” it wasn’t the shocking announcement his move from Marvel to DC had been.
For the next few months, new Kirby work appeared at both Marvel and DC (ending with his pencils—and only pencils, no writing—for Kamandi #40). One of the first things Kirby drew upon his return to Marvel was the cover to Giant-Size Conan #5, inked by Joe Sinnot—the only time he would ever draw the barbarian for publication. Of course, John Romita redrew Conan’s face.
Dell Giant #36 Little Lulu and Witch Hazel Halloween Fun October 1960
Just a giant size a collection of short stories, connected loosely by a shared purpose and a specific progression of time--i.e., finding a pumpkin, choosing a costume, having a party at school, having another party at either Tubby or Lulu's house, taking to the streets to Trick or Treat, returning home as the night ends, and finally, turning in for bed as the realization that Halloween is over again for another year painfully yet inevitably sinks in.
I have forever been looking for a Little Lulu Gold Key Digest I had as a kid... which was Halloween themed...
All I remember about it is that Lulu is telling the origin of Halloween to someone and the whole story revolved around her mispronouncing it "hollow-weenie"... that may have even been the name of the story.. I have never been able to track it down.
1976 opened with Kirby back on his first breakout hit character, Captain America, and through great luck in timing, Cap’s 200th issue came out just in time for our country’s bicentennial celebration. Kirby even wrote and drew a treasury-sized Cap special to commemorate the occasion. Then there was the 2001 treasury-sized movie adaptation and its following ongoing series, and The Eternals. Kirby also drew cover runs on Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man, The Invaders, Marvel Two-in-One, as well as a bunch of random covers or very brief runs for various lower-tier books, like my favorite cover Kirby drew this year: Ghost Rider #21 (Dec. 1976), inked by Al Milgrom, the first of a three-issue run of covers by Kirby.
Comments
My #3 oldest comic (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)...
Showcase #74, on stands 3/12/68
Pencils & Inks: Howie Post
I clearly remember owning this one because I had it for many years. From here on out in this countdown, I was really surprised to discover which were the very earliest comics I owned, after viewing them chronologically online. If I had realized this was the 3rd comic I ever owned, I certainly would have kept it (and did for a couple decades, but it eventually went in one of my purges, I think after college).
No doubt, caveman+woolly mammoth+volcano =I would have asked for this one!
Flash forward a couple of decades and change, and Superman: The Animated Series features Turpin—visually based on Kirby, who had passed away just over a year before the show entered production—as part of Metropolis’ Special Crime Unit. This time, however, Turpin doesn't survive the Apokolips invasion. Turpin’s funeral was visually styled after the graveyard in which Kirby was buried.
My #2 oldest comic (that was bought off the stands for me before the age of 5)...
Superman #205, on stands 2/6/68
Pencils & Inks: Neal Adams
Another one I owned for a couple decades. I had no idea this was my first Superman comic, much less the second comic I ever owned. I wish I had kept my original copy! I was less than 3 years old when I received this one, but I loved the reruns of the black and white, live-action TV show, and I'm sure I was mesmerized by the Neal Adams cover art.
Phantom #22, on stands 5/1/67
Pencils & Inks: Sy Barry
I was flabbergasted this was the first comic I ever owned off the stands, and yet another I owned for a couple decades...and now wish I had kept my original copy.
This one I received before I was two, but it makes perfect sense, because right at this time my grandfather was reading newspaper comic strips to me (especially the color Sunday pages, which I think included the Phantom). I've always believed my grandfather probably bought me my first comic, and this being the very first chronologically supports that theory -- either he or I probably recognized Phantom from the newspaper strips.
I first started to read, long before school, from the newspaper comic strips, and then later from comics, and the family story goes I told my grandfather I was only going to go to school long enough to learn to read comics, though I eventually overshot that low bar.
Thanks to everyone for humoring me in my countdown walk down memory lane...I still have one "honorable mention" coming up.
===================
Spooky #90
February 1966
Cover by ... possibly Warren Kremer, or maybe Ernie Colón, Sid Couchey, Dom Sileo, Ben Brown, Steve Muffatti, or Joe Dennett. Hard to say with Harvey Comics, but maybe @nweathington knows. An interesting discussion on that here.
Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost was the inverse of his fellow Harvey comics star, Casper the Friendly Ghost—equally cute, but he had no use for "friendliness," he wanted nothing more than to scare people (or anything else). This cover, from 1966, features the classic Monsters emerging from the TV (where the Universal Monsters were incredibly popular).
Read some of this issue online here
====================
Marvel Team-Up #36
August 1975
Cover by Ed Hannigan, Mike Esposito, and Irv Watanabe
"Once Upon a Time, in a Castle" Part 1 by Gerry Conway with interior art by Sal Buscema (layouts) and Vince Colletta (finishes). At some point in high school, Peter Parker probably read Mary Shelley's classic novel "Frankenstein," but at no point did Peter think he might someday team up with Victor Frankenstein's creation! But due to a strange series of events, the Amazing Spider-Man finds himself across the Atlantic Ocean, in the Balkans, and inside the castle of the evil Baron von Shtupf...with only one friend by his side: the Frankenstein monster! It's a literary team up for the ages as the wondrous wall-crawler and the man-monster from the pages of a 19th century novel join forces...to save the world! Cameo appearance by the Man-Wolf. This issue includes a 2-page retelling of the origin of Frankenstein's monster.)
Read it online here
==============
Dell Giant #36
Little Lulu and Witch Hazel Halloween Fun
October 1960
Just a giant size a collection of short stories, connected loosely by a shared purpose and a specific progression of time--i.e., finding a pumpkin, choosing a costume, having a party at school, having another party at either Tubby or Lulu's house, taking to the streets to Trick or Treat, returning home as the night ends, and finally, turning in for bed as the realization that Halloween is over again for another year painfully yet inevitably sinks in.
For the next few months, new Kirby work appeared at both Marvel and DC (ending with his pencils—and only pencils, no writing—for Kamandi #40). One of the first things Kirby drew upon his return to Marvel was the cover to Giant-Size Conan #5, inked by Joe Sinnot—the only time he would ever draw the barbarian for publication. Of course, John Romita redrew Conan’s face.
================
Felix the Cat and the Haunted Tower
Dell Comics Four Color #46,
June 1944
Cover by Otto Messmer
Read it online here: cartoonsnap.blogspot.com/2010/01/felix-cat-and-haunted-tower-by-otto.html
All I remember about it is that Lulu is telling the origin of Halloween to someone and the whole story revolved around her mispronouncing it "hollow-weenie"... that may have even been the name of the story.. I have never been able to track it down.