Comic Coverage

Cover to Cover: "YEEEEEEE-HAWWWWW!"

The Legion of (Missile-Riding) Superheroes

Of all the highlights from Stanley Kubrick’s classic Cold War satire Dr. Strangelove (1964), its surreal final scene remains its most memorable. While on a B-52 bombing run, the buffoonish Major T.J. “King” Kong (Slim Pickens) rides an atomic bomb rodeo style, whooping and hollering all the way down to nuclear obliteration (click on the screen below to watch it).

However, as memorable as Slim Pickens’ turn as an Atomic Age cowboy has proven to be, it should be noted that Major Kong wasn’t the first fictional character to fly the friendly skies while straddling a missile, bomb, or rocket.  While researching previous Cover to Cover columns, I’ve come across several comic book superheroes who also rode the High Explosive Express, some of them several decades before Kong’s famous flight.

Our first bomb-riding superhero appears to be none other than Captain Marvel himself, seen here on the cover of the first (and only) issue of Special Edition Comics (1940). 

Considering the United States wouldn’t enter World War II for at least another year, it’s not clear who the missile and its costumed rider were aimed at.  In addition to that, despite the famous line that “sometimes a cigar is just a cigar”, one can’t help but notice the rather obvious…er…”Freudian shadings” of the missile-riding phenomenon.

Cover to Cover: To All the Girls I've Loved Before

The (Caddish) Adventures of Bob Hope

It’s often said, “In springtime, a young man’s thoughts turn to love”.  Well, after reviewing the covers of DC’s Adventures of Bob Hope series, one could say an old man’s thoughts could turn to love not only in the spring, but the other three seasons as well!

By 1950, comedian Bob Hope had already enjoyed a long career, appearing in nearly every form of popular entertainment the 20^th century could dish out.  From vaudeville and radio to movies and TV, Hope pretty much occupied the entire “entertainment spectrum”, making his jump into comic books the most obvious kind of no-brainer.

As the popularity (and sales) of superhero titles sank lower and lower, comic book publishers like DC Comics turned to genres like romance, westerns and celebrity humor to pump up their cash flow.  Along with popular stars like Alan Ladd and the Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis team, Bob Hope headlined his own series of comic misadventures starting in early 1950.

What began as a series of publicity photo covers soon gave way to an impish cartoon version of Hope in a variety of exotic locales, goofy outfits, and wacky situations. However, the one consistent theme running through the vast majority of the title’s covers was, of course, Bob’s insatiable appetite for romance.

Cover to Cover: The Dog Days of Summer

The Crime-Fighting Canines of Comics!

The phrase “Dog Days of Summer” has traditionally referred to the hottest period of the summer, typically falling between early July and late August.  In other words, right about now….so what better time of the year to take a look at the unusually intelligent, super-powered and (in some cases) cape-wearing members of the comic book Adventure Dog community?

Though he was a wolf in the original comic strip version of The Phantom, Devil was eventually identified as a dog.  Loyally serving the Ghost Who Walks alongside Hero the horse and Fraka the Falcon, Devil was essentially a well-trained attack dog with no special powers.

Cover to Cover: Welcome to the Jungle

Superheroes Catch Jungle Fever!

Jungle life
We're living in the open
All alone like Tarzan Boy.
Hide and seek
We play along while rushing 'cross the forest
Monkey business on a sunny afternoon.
—Tarzan Boy, by 80’s one-hit wonder Baltimora

Ever since Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan of the Apes burst onto the scene in 1912, the world’s jungles have been overrun by a virtual stampede of loincloth and leopard skin wearing imitators.  Their roll call is a nearly endless list of exotic sounding, two-syllable names like Bomba, Tom-Tom, Kaanga, Ramar, Sheena, Nyoka, Lorna, Rulah, Wambi, Zago, and Zegra.

However, an altogether different branch of the comic book Jungle Genre included a number of costumed superheroes that either made the jungle their home, or (for whatever reason) had temporarily defected from civilization and “gone native”.

Among the costumed heroes who enjoyed the jungle’s “home field advantage” was Leopard Girl. Wearing an outfit similar to that of Wildcat, the Cheetah, and the modern Catwoman, Leopard Girl shared Jungle Action #2 (1954) with a couple of generic members of the Loincloth Brigade and the gorilla hero “Man-oo the Mighty”.  In a tough spot, she could utter the “cry of the leopard” and summon a group of real leopards to her aid (or a “leap” of leopards if you want to get technical).

Cover to Cover: Little Women

The Itsy-Bitsy, Teeny-Weenie Wonder Woman

A few months back, I wrote a Cover to Cover column about giant superheroes, so naturally I had to follow it up with one on tiny superheroes, right? 

Right…but while researching the topic, a strange pattern began to emerge that made it clear I needed to narrow my focus.

In addition to the superheroes that used shrinking as part of their M.O. (like the Atom, Ant-Man, or the original tiny hero Doll Man), just about everyone else has been shrunk to a teeny-tiny size at one time or another.  However, when it came to getting small on a comic book cover, Wonder Woman far surpassed them all.

The first tiny Wonder Woman cover I could find was Sensation Comics #55 (1946), where a diminutive Diana faces the threat of the “Bughumans”.

Cover to Cover: Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Comics' Deadliest Deathtraps!

Though Harry Houdini had gained a measure of fame as a stage magician, it wasn’t until he began performing breathtaking escapes that he was guaranteed immortality.  Whether escaping from handcuffs, ropes, straightjackets, chains, or water-filled milk cans, audiences were thrilled by Houdini’s showmanship and (though few would admit it) the very real possibility of his failure and death!

Long after Houdini’s actual (and very premature) death, the spirit of his intricate deathtraps lived on. Saturday matinee cliffhangers, the motorcycle stunts of Evel Knievel, the elaborate execution machines of James Bond villains, modern magic stylists like David Blaine and, yes…even some superhero comic book covers seem to owe at least some debt to the great Houdini’s stagecraft.

One of the earliest of the deathtrap covers featured Dr. Zodiak’s Perpetual Motion Machine, a.k.a. “The Pinwheel O' Death” from All Star Comics #42 (1948).

Cover to Cover: Whistling Past the Graveyard

The Surreal Cemeteries of Superhero Comics

Counter to their gloomy reputation, cemeteries here in the real world are usually well-maintained havens of peaceful contemplation. Not so in the world of superhero comics, where cemeteries are routinely the sites for supervillain attacks, impromptu resurrections, and guilt-riven superheroes shouting anguished vows to the heavens.

The latter category is by far the most common, since guilty brooding has been a staple of superhero comics from the very beginning!  In fact, the two-page origin in Superman #1 (1939) sets the precedent with a panel of Clark in Momentous Decision Mode while visiting the graves of his (as yet unnamed) foster parents.

Nearly fifty years later, on the cover of Adventures of Superman #444 (1988), we find Superman still making Great Vows and Resolutions at the graves of the Kents, this time the foster parents of an alternate Earth's Superboy.

Cover to Cover: Encounters With The Count

Superheroes Vs. Dracula!

"My revenge has just begun! I spread it
over centuries and time is on my side."

–Count Dracula (from chapter 23 of Bram Stoker’s Dracula)

Much like Mary Shelly’s immortal Frankenstein Monster, Bram Stoker’s equally renowned Dracula has grown far beyond his gothic literature roots and assumed a prominent place in our modern mythology.  With that status has come countless appearances of the Lord of Vampires across many decades, media and genres…including superhero comic books!

What better way to sink our teeth into Dracula’s history among the superfolk than with the granddaddy of superheroes himself?  The wonderful Garcia Lopez cover for Superman #344 (1980) featured a thoroughly freaked-out Superman getting attacked by Dracula and a truly chilling Frankenstein Monster.  Despite the Super Scaredy-Cat act on the cover, our hero was actually quite calm as he dealt with the two monsters in the story itself.  Dropping Franky with a super-punch, he then subdued Dracula in unique Superman fashion: by creating a miniature sun using only a hydrogen balloon!  Get it?  Sunlight?  Vampires?

Cover to Cover: Bones of Contention

The Superhero Skeleton Crew!

Since the beginning of recorded history (and probably before), the human skeleton has been a powerful symbol for danger, disease, and our own inevitable deaths.  After all, the skeleton isn’t some fanciful creature of mythology or Hollywood fever dreams…it exists inside each and every one of us, waiting to be revealed by death and entropy. As such, our double-edged fear and fascination with this symbol of our mortality has found its way into countless forms of expression. From hieroglyphics to film, ancient talismans to Halloween party favors, and catacombs to comic books, skeletons have endured as a blunt reminder that time is fleeting for everyone…even seemingly death-proof superheroes!

Making that point perfectly clear was the cover of Batman #586 (2001), which portrayed a thoroughly dead Darknight Detective pinned to the wall by a pair of the Penguin’s deadly umbrellas.  Yes, I said “deadly umbrellas”…and no, the Batman didn’t actually die (the scene was only a dream of the Penguin’s).

Cover to Cover: Celebrity Parade!

Real-World Celebrities Meet Star-Struck Superheroes

Admit it. At one time or another, we’ve all been a little starry-eyed over the prospect of meeting or even glimpsing a popular celebrity “in the flesh”.  From 1950’s teenie-boppers screaming over Elvis to modern day fanboys packing the San Diego Comic Con to gaze at this year's Veronica McBuffy, everyone (of every era) is guilty of worshipping at the Altar of Celebrity…even comic book superheroes!

Intended to bolster comic book sales, superhero comics have a long history of celebrity appearances….dating all the way back to the early 1940’s!  One of the earliest I’ve come across was the cover of Flash Comics #28 (1942), which featured a kaleidoscope of movie stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age.  Some of the faces are still instantly recognizable here in the 21st century, while others are as unfamiliar as the faces in a stranger’s photo album.

In Action Comics #127 (1948), Superman made an appearance on the popular radio show Truth or Consequences, created and hosted by Ralph Edwards (of This is Your Life TV fame).  Obviously, Supes failed the “Truth” portion of the quiz show and, according to the rules, had to endure a zany, humiliating “Consequence”.