Comic Coverage

Cover to Cover: Here Comes Santa Claus!

“When, what to my wondering
eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.”

–The Night Before Christmas, by Clement Clarke Moore

Conspicuously missing from my recent survey of Christmas covers was Santa Claus, the beloved harbinger of Christmas whose mythic stature easily outranks the relative “rookie” folklore status of the superhero.  Yet, despite Santa’s towering legend, his appearances with superheroes have always felt natural, as if he lived only a few blocks away in the public’s collective imagination. 

This is especially true of his appearances in simpler, less cynical times…such as the cover of Comic Cavalcade #5 (1943), where a Jabba The Hutt-sized Santa laughs it up with Green Lantern, the Flash and Wonder Woman (the permanent stars of the title).  Though they couldn’t come from more disparate backgrounds, Santa and the colorfully costumed threesome just seem right together, don’t they?

Cover to Cover: The Mythadventures of Superman!

Ancient Strongmen Meet the Man of Steel!

The inaugural storyline of DC’s All-Star Superman (by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely) has proven to be a dazzling fusion of Morrison’s trippy big ideas and the delightfully wonky world of the Silver Age Superman (fittingly one of Morrison’s early influences).  One of the highlights of the tale has been the boisterous appearance of Superman’s godly pals Samson and Atlas in issue #3, harkening back to a time when Superman routinely encountered ancient strongmen of Scripture and myth.

Superman’s first brush with these heroes of old was in Superman #28 (1944).  Though only a statue on its cover, Superman encounters the “real” Hercules in one of the issue’s stories, albeit a weakling Hercules Superman has to cover for.  No sign of an actual Atlas, though.

Cover to Cover: Tales from the Kiddy Table

The Second Childhoods of Superheroes!

Here in the first week of January, the familiar sight of Baby New Year not only symbolizes the dawning of 2007, but also brings to mind the baby superheroes of years past.  More specifically, the adventures of adult superheroes when they were children, or, in some cases, de-aged from adults into teenagers…or even toddlers! 

Like so many whimsical comic book transformations, kiddy superheroes were a more frequent sight in simpler times, when readers were still primarily children and not mortgage-paying cynics. As such, kids were genuinely amused to see child versions of powerful, grown-up superheroes, much as they would be by photos of their own parents as children.  It was somehow reassuring to find out that these mighty grown-ups were at one time children themselves, or, if they were de-aged, could be reminded of what it’s really like to be a kid.

The very first kid-version of an adult superhero was, of course, Superboy, who made his debut cover appearance on More Fun Comics #104 (1945). 

Awww, ain’t he cute?

Cover to Cover: Superheroes in the Slammer!

Of all the dramatic devices used to grab the attention of comic-book fans, few could surpass the shock of a superhero (or similarly upstanding character) behind bars. Normally dedicated to truth, justice and the American Way (I don't edit that last part out), superheroes portrayed as prisoners were an especially alarming, incongruous spectacle.

Case in point, the cover of Captain America #260 (1981), which featured an understandably bummed-out Cap "behind bars."

Cover to Cover: They Might Be GIANTS! (part 1)

Tall Tales of Super-Sized Superheroes!

For all the changes the modern world has introduced, a few things remain constant…one of which is our near-universal fascination with GIANTS. From fairy tales to American folklore, 50’s films, and freakish professional athletes, giant humans represent a kaleidoscope of mankind’s dreams and nightmares.  Whether symbolizing a young America’s can-do spirit, a woman’s wrath, or mankind’s blundering, hubristic power, giants simultaneously embody our brightest aspirations and darkest fears in a way few mythic figures can.

In the case of superhero comic books, that balance leans toward the “darkest fears” end of the spectrum, though comics aren’t without their heroic giants.  One of the first (if not THE first) person to achieve extra-large hero status was Hank Pym, a scientist who created size-altering “Pym Particles”.  Beginning his heroic career as Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish #27 (1962), Pym went on to become a founding member of the Avengers. In Tales to Astonish #49 (1963), Pym switched gears to become the much more impressive Giant-Man.

Cover to Cover: They Might Be Giants! (part 2)

Tall Tales of Super-Sized Superheroes!

In part one of "They Might Be Giants", we began the titanic tale of comic book giants, ending with a skyscraper-sized Baby Superman terrorizing his home planet of Krypton.

In part two, we jump from a Skyscraper Superman to a “Skyscraper Wonder Woman”, as Wonder Woman #122 (1961) kicks off a trio of King Kong tribute covers.

Cover to Cover: Unfrozen Caveman Superhero

The History of Prehistory in Superhero Comics

The prehistoric world has always fascinated the modern audience, most likely because it’s so completely out of our reach. 

Unearthed artifacts and scattered remains offer some vital clues as to what prehistoric life might have been like, but ultimately that ancient era and its people are unknowable to us.  Despite this knowledge gap, our collective imagination has settled upon a standardized archetype of early man: the fur-clad, hairy brute lugging a massive club (or stone-tipped spear), generically referred to as a “caveman”.  Whether he was capable of speech (or not), a contemporary of dinosaurs (or not), or able to propel stone cars with foot power (I’m looking at you, Flintstone), the caveman has been a remarkably versatile and enduring member of the pop cultural pantheon.

Proof of that versatility can be found in Tales of Suspense #40 (1963), as Iron Man (in only his second adventure) meets Gargantus, a caveman bent on conquering the small town of Granville.  However, Gargantus was no run-of-the-mill caveman, but actually a robot created by invading aliens who wanted to avoid detection. Because, you know, a twelve-foot giant caveman is much more subtle than invading aliens.

Cover to Cover: Love Is In The Air!

The Happiness and Heartaches of Superhero Romance!

When it comes to matters of love and romance, only the Immortal Bard
can say it best. No, not William Shakespeare, but the late, great Barry White.

Take it away, Barry:

Thanks, Barry.

Now that the deep-voiced crooner has set the proper mood, it’s time to pour some wine, pull up a bearskin rug and swoon over some superhero romance covers.

Although comic book covers are normally the place for heated battles, villainous schemes or zany transformations, they’ve also been known to feature the occasional romantic interlude…as Cupid’s arrows compel busy crime fighters to take a break and experience the finer things in life.

Our first love connection harkens back to the melodramatic romance comics of decades past. Captain America #44 (2001) finds the two lovebirds secretly fretting over their relationship.  Cap/Steve wonders if the lovely Connie Ferrari will accept him for who he is, while Connie can't decide which identity she's really in love with. And why Cap is only wearing half a mask.

Cover to Cover: Way-Out West!

Sci-Fi Comes to the American Frontier

When the popularity of superhero comic books faded in the late 1940’s, one of the genres that filled the void was Western comics.  These All-American tales of sturdy cowboys, noble gunslingers and earnest Hollywood matinee stars dominated the newsstands for the next decade. Western comics typically kept their stories within the realm of believability, as these champions of the Old West encountered conflicts and threats that at least seemed authentic, even if historians didn’t quite see it that way.

Despite their huge success, the exploding popularity of science fiction in the late 1950’s forced most Western comics to ride off into the sunset, while the handful of stragglers that stuck around needed to make some rather drastic changes in order to survive.  Instead of the traditional Old West threats of bullies, crooks, varmints, owlhoots and polecats, cowboy heroes now faced an almost endless parade of Atomic Age menaces!

Always a magnet for frontier weirdness, Tom Hawk and his Rangers battled “The Alien Indian Chief”, who made the Native American cause his own in Tomahawk #79 (1962).

Cover to Cover: Bring on the (really bad) Bad Guys!

A Collection of Comicdom’s Sorriest Super-Villains

Not every hit can be a home run. 

Not every car can be a Lamborghini.

Not every guitar solo can be Eddie Van Halen’s Eruption.

Well, you get the picture.

Similarly, not every comic book supervillain can be The Joker or Dr. Doom. 

In fact, the rigors of monthly deadlines have ensured that most comic book bad guys remain forgettable, vanilla flavored non-entities.  However, that same deadline pressure is also responsible for spawning some of the most delightfully stupid supervillains to ever grace a comic book cover.  Of course, “deadline pressure” doesn’t explain all of the hapless losers I’m about to inflict upon you, but I’d rather give the well-meaning creators of years past the benefit of the doubt.