Bronze Age Babies: Discuss: DC's "Family" Mags

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Discuss: DC's "Family" Mags

Doug: DC's various "Family" magazines may or may not have been their answer to the Marvel "Giant-Size" issues. Regardless, they were fun! Who has a memory or opinion to share?

14 comments:

Anonymous said...: I think I liked these least of DC's various anthology titles; I only had one or two issues of Superman Family, mainly because I think the Nightwing & Flamebird stories set in Kandor interested me.
I got Batman Family a little more regularly, but all too often the attractive cover (by, say, Aparo) far outmatched the sort of so-so stories and art in side. However, this changed with issue #17: all of the sudden there were these great stories, and lots of nice art by Michael Golden, Aparo, Staton, etc. And after it was cancelled, Detective Comics assumed the Batman Family format for a while.; December 2, 2014 at 6:51 AM
Edo Bosnar said...: Oops, sorry, hit publish too fast: "Anonymous" above is me.; December 2, 2014 at 6:51 AM
Humanbelly said...: I don't think I have a single one of these Family issues in my admittedly-meager DC Bronze Age stash. "How could that be?", I wondered. And then I realized that I have never, ever bought any Superman or Batman books regularly. Thus, these issues were never even on my radar. Wasn't there also a SHAZAAM Family? What about their horror/mystery books? Team books? Or were these an "extra" quarterly-type publication, similar to the afore-mentioned Giant-Size @ Marvel?

HB; December 2, 2014 at 7:36 AM
J.A. Morris said...: Not a fan of these. Borrowed a few from a friend, stories always felt "old fashioned" even in the 70s. You could say the same about lots of the Bronze Age Brave And The Bold Stories, but at least they had Aparo art.; December 2, 2014 at 8:36 AM
Garett said...: I'd like to get more Batman Family, for those great artists Edo mentioned. I have #20 now.

Interesting, from Wiki: "In 1978, after the DC Implosion, it was decided that DC Comics' long-running flagship title Detective Comics was to be terminated with #480. The decision was overturned following strenuous arguments on behalf of saving the title within the DC office. Despite being the better selling title, Batman Family was instead merged with Detective, converting that book into a $1 68-page giant as of Detective #481 (Dec. 1978-Jan. 1979)."; December 2, 2014 at 11:04 AM
david_b said...: Edo, pretty much agreed..

I suffered through the AWFUL Heck art in the Robin-Batgirl stories in Batman Family (despite nice covers...), but I quit about the time the stories got better, lost interest I recall, not sure.

I thought it was a clever move for DC. It played to the more wholesome, stalwart characters embodying DC titles, fresh off the 100-page 'super spectaculars' endeavor.

Nice venue of fluff with added Gold/Silver reprints for page count.; December 2, 2014 at 12:13 PM
Doug said...: I've gone on record a bazillion times around here discussing the creative gap between Marvel and DC in the Silver and Bronze Ages. I know that many of our readers share that prejudice. Although I had around 4-5 issues of Batman family (and two issues of Super-Team Family), like some have said I found the art off-putting. I'll also say that I had no appreciation whatever for reprints when I was a kid. So rather than embracing the rich history that was before me, I turned up my nose. In fairness, I generally didn't care for Marvel reprints, either.

What a knucklehead I was...

If all of these sorts of books suddenly became available to me, I would like to see them again.

Doug; December 2, 2014 at 4:39 PM
Anonymous said...: Man, DC and Marvel really need to bring back these large size format mags!

- Mike 'mini-me' from Trinidad & Tobago.; December 2, 2014 at 6:31 PM
Humanbelly said...: Uhm, except Mike-- they would almost certainly charge $8 to $10 a-piece for them. The price point would have to be ridiculously high, or else they couldn't justify the price of the regular monthly issues. It's kind of a lose/lose proposition business-wise, I think. . .

HB; December 2, 2014 at 7:29 PM
Anonymous said...: I know that what first drew me to Marvel was Spider-Man and at that time, the two Spider-Man books were Amazing and Marvel Tales. The other book I was buying at that time was FF, so that meant Marvel's Greatest Comics. Thor also meant Marvel Spectacular, DD and Amazing Adventures, Avengers and Marvel Triple Action. For some reason I bought Marvel Double Feature but not Cap or IM's books.

The closest brush I had with DC and any of their family books was The Treasury edition of Shazam.

I know it's weak to offer excuses but so much of my time was wrapped up in other activities. If you refer to the following pie chart, this wedge is sleeping, of course, this wedge here is model building. This one is reading, books comics what not. This one is where we got cable and all the super stations. WWOR, WGN, WTBS. This wedge here is literally farting around. And this sliver, girls. Not actually girls, but the combing of the hair, the practice nonchalance, the "hey" spoken just right and without your voice cracking. You know. So, in conclusion, I think I can safely say that it wasn't my fault, I ran out of gas, the car had a flat, the cat needed a bath.......

The Prowler (The other night
As I lay sleeping whoah, I dreamed I held you held you in my arms Well, but when I woke up this morning I found out I was mistaken do you know that I hung my I hung my head and cried whoah you are my sunshine).; December 2, 2014 at 8:28 PM
Graham said...: I only read a couple of the Superman Family issues, but wasn't really into the Superman world back then. I agree with everyone else on Batman Family.....stiff art, fair stories, nice reprints.

I mostly read the Tarzan Family line and Super Team Family. I was into the Korak series before it was turned into Tarzan Family and liked the Weird World characters. Super Team had some interesting team ups and I remember the Challengers of the Unknown showing up in a few issues.; December 2, 2014 at 8:57 PM
Anonymous said...: Loved Batman Family. I remember picking up #1 at a 7-Eleven. I must have bought half the issues in its original run.

Superman Family varied in quality, mostly storywise. Art was usually good.

Tarzan Family - never picked it up.

Super-Team Family - Somehow missed all but the last issue; it must not have had wide distribution in my area.; December 3, 2014 at 12:23 AM
Anonymous said...: MAN!!! FREAKING FLAMING BROWN BAG OF DOO DOO!!!

My post from yesterday is gone. GONE!!! And it had pie. Well, a pie chart.

I hate when that happens..........

The Prowler (its sad, so sad, its a sad sad situation, and it's getting more and more absurd).; December 3, 2014 at 8:08 AM
Doug said...: Prowler --

Your comment from last evening got flipped into the "spam comments" folder. See, you go mentioning pie charts the Google/Blogger police are going to take notice...

It's been restored in all it's lengthy glory.

Doug; December 3, 2014 at 9:41 AM