Amph 1001 Comic Books You Must Read: 280. "Superboy" #49

No arguing that - the King's obviously got a long way to go back in these days. But I cannot stand Peter's interiors - especially the way he handles noses. Good lord the way he handles noses. Two dots amidst a featureless expanse do not a nose make, and it bugs the hell out of me.

As for Bill Barnes... uh... awkward.

 

No kidding. Times have changed.

 

47. Crime Does Not Pay #22

[image=http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/crime-does-not-pay/22-1.jpg]

Writer(s): Bob Wood, Charles Biro

Artist(s): Harry Lucey, Allan Mundel

Lev Gleason (July 1942 c. 1942 Comic House, Inc.)

"The first and greatest of the crime comics. The gangsters of the 1930's were the main draw of this title, but editors Woods and Biro would go back as far back as the Middle Ages for their "true" tales of malfeasance and punishment."

 

Why #22 in particular?

 

The book *says* it is #22. No clue why this particular one, though.

48. Zip Comics #27

[image=http://loknar54.com/images/ZipComics-27-1942.jpg]

Writer: Uncredited

Artist: John Cassone

MLJ (July, 1942@ MLJ Magazines, Inc.)

"Professor of criminology John Raymond brings swift justice to Nazis and criminals as The Web. Ironically, the gaudily dressed avenger, so grim in the 1940s, would be revived in the 1960s as the henpecked husband of a shrewish wife."

 

Ah, The Web. Another character who went on to become a minor hit in the Archie Comic hero line. The character himself was created by John Cassone, one of the fathers of the Golden Age. When DC comics bought up all of these licenses, Cassone's works were all put into the alternate universe known as "Earth MLJ." (I'm not up to date on all the post-Crisis reboots, so Earth MLJ might be currently retconned out of existence, I'm not sure) But it does mean that there is a direct line between the old and the new here.

I hope that Cassone's most famous Golden Age creation, "The Black Angel" has a spot later on in this list, because she was a bit forward reaching for the time.

 

49. Action Comics #52

[image=http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/action-comics/52-1.jpg]

Writer: Jerry Siegel, Gardner F. Fox

Artist: Mort Meskin, Fred Ray

DC (September 1942@ Detective Comics, Inc.)

"This one makes the book for its iconic and oft-reprinted Fred Ray cover of Superman and the other "Action" stars: Americommando, the Vigilante, Congo Bill, and Zatara the Magician,. The Superman story is an imaginary tale set in post-war America."

 

50. Our Gang Comics #1

[image=http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/0/3125/209156-19246-115483-1-our-gang-comics_super.jpg]

Writer: Walt Kelly

Artist: Walt Kelly, Carl Barks

Dell (September 1942@ Loew's Inc.)

"From Hal Roach's popular short comedy films, Spanky, Froggy, Buckwheat and the rest of the Little Rascals now starred in comics adventures by Walt Kelly. The title also featured Tom and Jerry and non-Disney funny animal stories by Carl Barks."

 

Don't really know much about either of these entries.

I mean, I know of "Our Gang," but not enough to know if this is a good representation or not. Ditto with the previous issue. If the "marching heroes" cover is an iconic one that is often repeated, I don't know where or when. I'd say that time has diminished these considerably.

 

Not to mention a cover is a bad reason for inclusion on a must read list. Maybe if there were 1001 Comic Book Covers You Must Look At.

 

51. Daredevil Comics #13

[image=http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/daredevil-comics/13-5.jpg]

Writer: Charles Biro

Artist: Charles Biro

Lev Gleason (October 1942@ Comics House, Inc.)

"Daredevil gets four kid sidekicks as he battles The Wizard and the German-American Cult. The Little Wise Guys--initially Meatball, Peewee, Scarecrow, and Jock--would become more popular than Daredevil and, by 1951, push him out of his own book."

 

Another group which didn't transition very well from the golden age of comics to the modern era, and I'm sure a lot of them sit in the public domain. Although Alex Ross, the famous artist, revisited some of these guys a couple of years ago- I think as a pet project, probably due to the fact that he didn't have to pay for the rights.

 

Some of this stuff gets revived every decade or two. Remember Impact comics in the '90s with things like the Web a few posts up? I was just reading the other day that DC revisited those dudes again for a miniseries recently.

 

52. Four Colour #9: Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold

[image=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PH598HN3L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg]

Writer: Jack Karp

Artist: Carl Barks, Jack Hannah

Dell (October 1942@ Walt Disney Productions, Inc.)

"Adapted from an unproduced Mickey Mouse cartoon, this 64-page adventure features Carl Barks' first comic-book work. Barks would soon be recognized master of the comic book art form, entertaining readers and inspiring comics creators around the world."

 

Hell yeah Carl Barks. Anyone who invents Scrooge McDuck is a comic book god in my book. Plus, he's got very nice line work.

 

53. Military Comics #12

[image=http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/3/33059/709425-military_comics12_super.jpg]

Writer: William Woolfolk

Artist: Reed Crandall

Quality Comics(November 1942@ Comic Magazines, Inc.)

"In his first Blackhawk script, Woolfolk pits the hero against The Butcher, the brother of the Nazi who murdered his family. His portrayal of Blackhawk's quest for vengeance, and the choices a real hero makes leads to an unforgettable conclusion."

 

I hope there are a lot more Disney comics on the list. Donald Duck is like the everyman or something and some of the Barks' stories are just masterpieces of adventures and comedy. Reportedly, Indiana Jones was partially inspired by some Barks adventures. Pirate Gold is a really, really good one, very funny and action packed and, at 64 pages, a real story. It's been reprinted a lot, of course, and I actually own one of the reprints. Great stuff.

 

54. Police Comics #13

[image=http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/police-comics/13-1.jpg]

Writer: Jack Cole

Artist: Jack Cole

Quality Comics(November 1942@ Comic Magazines, Inc.)

"Plastic Man gets a sidekick! Small time crook Woozy Winks is "the man who can't be harmed" thanks to a gypsy whose life he saved. Patterned after the comedian Lou Costello, his bumbling manner makes Plastic Man look serious."

 

I don't know about "Woozy Winks," but the rest of the line-up in that issue is impressive...

Besides Plastic Man, there's the Spirit...Manhunter...Human Bomb....all of these characters become important much later on for DC Comics in their own right. To see Will Eisner's creation in that book would be worth it on its own, but add the rest and it's a Freedom Fighters/All Winner's Squad extravaganza! (those 2 were team books which DC released much later on, but which were extremely important to continuity)

 

54. Military Comics #14

[image=http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/military-comics/14-2.jpg]

Writer: William Woolfolk

Artist: Reed Crandall

Quality Comics(December 1942@ Comic Magazines, Inc.)

"Wooflolk follows his Blackhawk debut with this exotic tale of Tondeleya, a "mysterious girl of the East" who wages psychological warfare on the Blackhawks...and few artist drew femmes fatales who were as enticing as those of the legendary Reed Crandall."

 

55. All Star Comics #14

[image=http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090101115510/marvel_dc/images/1/1e/All-Star_Comics_14.jpg]

Writer: Gardner F. Fox

Artist: Sheldon Moldoff et al.

DC Comics(December 1942@ All-American Comics, Inc.)

"Capsules that turn into full meals are the "Food for Starving Patriots" that Hawkman and the Justice Society must deliver to the freedom fighters of Europe. Fox excelled at super-hero adventures with social themes."

 

56. Animal Comics #1

[image=http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/animal-comics/1-4.jpg]

Writer: Walt Kelly

Artist: Walt Kelly

Dell(December 1942@ Oskar Ledbeck)

"Pogo Possum and Albert the Alligator were the stars of Kelly's newspaper strip "Pogo" (1948-75), but they were created to be humourous sidekicks for Bumbazine, a young boy who lived in the Okeefenokee Swamp in this 'funny book' for young readers."

 

57. Captain Marvel Adventures #18

[image=http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/captain-marvel-adventures/18-1.jpg]

Writer: Otto Binder

Artist: Marc Swayze, Mac Raboy

Fawcett(December 11th, 1942@ Fawcett)

"Billy Batson has a twin sister, who was separated from him when their folds died and subsequently raised by a wealthy family. When she says "Shazam!" Mary Bromfield becomes Mary Marvel and gains the same amazing powers as Captain Marvel."

 

58. Archie Comics #1

[image=http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/BobMontanaArchie1.jpg]

Writer: Uncredited

Artist: Bob Montana, Joe Edwards

MLJ(Winter, 1942@ MLJ Magazines Inc.)

"A flashback story reveals how Veronica came to Riverdale and met Archie. In between the issue's several Archie stories, readers meet such animal stories as Cubby the Bear, Bumbie th Bee-Tective, Squoimy the Woim, and Judge Owl."

 

Archie Comics sure are represented on this list...

But why is Archie jumping over moonshine barrels? In his original appearances, Archie himself was called "chick," and always had his hot rod. I wonder if there was a bootlegger background?