Friday, November 2, 2012

Help a Brother (and Sister) Out, Would You?

Doug:  Good day -- and a favor.  After running four comic book reviews in a very short period of six days earlier in the week, and then rushing through an editorial meeting to get the Disney/Star Wars post up yesterday, we don't mind telling you we're gassed.  So today it's back to a fun exercise we've done many times in days of yore -- the Do-It-Yourself Open Forum.  First one in gets to set the topic for today's discussion.  If they are so inclined, they can call it "open"; but if he/she asks for comments on a specific issue, then please stick to that.  Play nice!  And thanks for the breather!








Check out our comments section -- today we're discussing the DC 100-Page Super-Spectaculars (and other big book memories as well)!


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16 comments:

Unknown said...

DC 100 Page Super Spectaculars!

Thanks to the wide variety of reprints in these 50 cent wonders, the bronze age was just as much about the golden and silver ages to me in the 1970's. I couldn't get enough of these things. Even raising the price to 60 cents didn't deter me from always making the Super-Spec my first choice for purchase as a kid. Anyone else have any love for the Super-Specs?

November 2, 2012 at 6:43 AM
Doug said...

I unfortunately do not have a lot of great memories of those -- the Dollar Comics, however...

My biggest regret is that as a kid I did not appreciate the history that was both Marvel and DC that was regularly on display for us in the big books (100-Pagers, Annuals, Giant-Size, etc.). Now, that love of past is what drives my purchasing!

Doug

November 2, 2012 at 7:38 AM
dbutler16 said...

I loved the DC 100 Page Super Spectaculars! What a great bargain, and that the time, I'm not even sure I realized that they were reprints, not that that would have mattered much. The DC 100 Page Super Spectaculars is one of those quintessential things about the DC Bronze Age. The Superboy and JLA ones in particular bring back memories for me.

November 2, 2012 at 7:39 AM
Anonymous said...

Unknown, I was not big into DC but I was into the Marvel reprints. And dbutler, I can relate to not realizing they were reprints. I think it dawned on me as an 11 year old when I bought an issue of Marvel Tales that prominently featured Gwen Stacy when she had just been killed off in ASM and thinking - wait...a...minute...

Tom

November 2, 2012 at 8:19 AM
Anonymous said...

I loved DC 100 pagers! Nothing could help whlle away a few hours in the car on a vacation trip like one of those babies!

Like dbutler, I particularly liked the JLA and Legion 100 pagers, but have very vivid recollection of purchasing several others...Shazam #8, a few of the Brave and Bold issues (the Atom, and Aquaman), the DC Super Spec starring the Flash (the one that reprinted Kid Flash getting his new costume), the JLA Super Spec (the one that reprinted the JSA/Injustice Society story...gotta be my first exposure to an original JSA story), a few of the Batman 100 pagers... the Superman 100 pager that featured an all-new story with Superman battling "Superboy" (won't give away the spoiler.. I just recently re-read that story!). I could go on an on...

Interestingly enough, I still remember passing on the Flash 100 pager (with the all-new story teaming Flash and GA Flash against the Rag Doll)... that was a "pass" that haunted me for years until I was finally able to buy the issue!

Also, I always wished that Marvel had gone the 100 page route instead of the GS route, like they had originally planned! More Marvel goodness is always better than less!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

Ric

November 2, 2012 at 8:47 AM
Edo Bosnar said...

I was late to the game for the 100 Super Spectaculars, but I have very, very fond memories of the slightly later Dollar Comics.
However, I did get some of the post-100 page Super Spectaculars after the page count went down to about 50: DC Super Stars #2 ('Super Stars of Space' - Adam Strange, Hawkman, etc.), #5 (reprinting some Flash stories from the Golden and Silver Ages), and #7 (starring Aquaman) and Super Team Family #4 (featuring a Golden Age JLA story and World's Finest story from the '50s). Anytime I see just the covers of those books, I'm swept by a wave of nostalgia. I read all of those to tatters, and since this was early in my comics-reading career, I have to admit that they were eventually cut up for my various super-hero art projects...

November 2, 2012 at 9:24 AM
Dougie said...

I wrote about every one of the 100-pagers in my collection over the last year on my "Materioptikon" blog.

My favourites are probably the first JLA and SLSH issues; the Superman Flying Heroes issue and the Batman/Origin of Two-Face issue.

Since I'm only missing three Super-Specs ( two Detectives and one World's Finest)I'm now collecting Marvel giants from the Bronze Age- none of which went on sale in this part of the world, to my knowledge.

November 2, 2012 at 12:59 PM
Garett said...

Some reprints were better than others, but I really enjoyed the old JSA stories. The art, the characters were so different, plus it was from the "Golden Age of Comics", which had its own mystique about it. Like Indiana Jones digging up ancient treasures.

November 2, 2012 at 2:02 PM
humanbelly said...

Flash #214! That's the only one I have-- but it contains that "Gauntlet of Supervillains" story I referenced yesterday (which means it doesn't pre-date the older Hulk story. . . but I nit-pick. . . ).

It's funny, the Carmine Infantino art makes the new material seem a lot older than it actually was. Loved this book, though. Read it until the cover came off. Delightfully hokey reprints which include a golden-age Quicksilver, Johnny Quick, and GA Flash. As well as Kid Flash (who looks disturbingly feminine in Infantino's hands)and Metal Men. There was a lot to be said for this failed format-- just too expensive at the time, I suppose. . .

HB

November 2, 2012 at 2:32 PM
Anonymous said...

Checking out the Materioptikon, Dougie. I think I'll be spending some time there.

I loved the JLA and LSH issues. But I think my favorites were Detective, Brave & Bold, and World's Finest. You literally never knew what characters they were gonna dig up for their reprints. I first encountered Deadman, Metamorpho, Kid Eternity, and the Teen Titans vs Dimension X this way.

A lot of DC's silver age line had been cancelled at this point, which also made the reprints attractive. Green Lantern, Aquaman, Atom, Hawkman, Teen Titans, Metal Men, Blackhawk, Challengers of the Unknown, Plastic Man, etc. were gone, or in tiny back-up features.

I remember seeing my first JLA silver age reprint, and trying to figure out who the heck that green bald guy with the martian breath was. Oh, Wonder Woman was in the league? No wonder she was on Super Friends.

I think JLA, Detective, and Brave & Bold's super-spec issues also happened to coincide with really strong runs for the new stories, too. Detective had Goodwin's great run on Batman with a different artist every issue AND Manhunter in the back. The Atom traipsed through Batman's brain in one of the B & B super-specs.

I always wished Marvel had an equivilant back then. The giant size's were skimpy to me. They seemed much stingier regarding their history. I loved some of their treasury editions, but always wanted to see more of their golden age stuff. I did follow Marvel Tales, etc.

It's been an honor to hi-jack BAB for a day. This place is FUN!

James Chatterton

November 2, 2012 at 4:45 PM
david_b said...

DC 100pg Super Spectaculars were pretty awesome. What a great idea to add pages of gold/silver age love...!! Nice way not only to read the old stories LONG before reprint tpbs and the internet, but also seed interest in older teams like JSA.

I had the Flash special mentioned with the Kid Flash origin, one of the best 100pagers ever. I had some of the Batman, Detective, and JLA ones, loved the little extras they added (puzzles, etc..). My all-time fav was the DC Super Stars Teen Titans issue from '75.

The first GS Super Stars featured the FF (and one of the most fun Thing-Hulk bouts ever..), and it seemed to go on the same vein (adding some vintage Silver Villain profiles in the end.. great move which regrettably wasn't featured more.), adding old reprints, as did the GS Avengers and other titles. So Marvel tried to capture some of the DC method, but recalibrated once the DC mags weren't selling as well.

November 2, 2012 at 9:10 PM
Tony said...

The only 100 pg I remember having is Batman #258. I liked the extra stories, and I remember after reading it so many times, putting masking tape on the spine. What I remember more is the DC Super Stars series, and specifically issue #5 starring The Flash. This was my introduction to Jay Garrick, and this book as well was read and re-read, and re-read, and re-read many times.

November 2, 2012 at 9:47 PM
Tony said...

Oh yeah, I also had the Aquaman issue which was "loved" as well

November 2, 2012 at 9:50 PM
Rip Jagger said...

One of my great comic book reading memories was loading up on some of those 100-pagers and finding a cool shady spot in the small town where I went to high school, and reading Bronze, Silver, and Golden Age stories one right after another. Each one was like a treasure trove of great comics fun, almost like it must've been to open up old Golden Age books.

Rip Off

November 3, 2012 at 2:39 AM
Graham said...

My favorite 100 pagers were the first one I found that had the first JLA/JSA team-up (LOVED the cover) and the Batman issue that featured the origin of Two-Face.

I loved those vintage stories from the 40's. I really looked forward to going to our local grocery store and seeing who was going to be featured in the new 100 pagers. I was so disappointed when they stopped.

November 3, 2012 at 8:55 AM
MikeS said...

I have most of the ones mentioned. Don't think anyone mentioned the one from 1971 featuring the first Luthor-Brainiac team-up (just re-read that story about six weeks ago).

November 29, 2012 at 9:41 PM

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