Now THAT'S How You Sell A Comic Book

The idea of a comic book cover is that it has to be eye-catching, dynamic, something that draws you in and makes you want to read what's inside, right? Well, in that case, this may be the greatest comic book cover I've ever seen:

How could you possibly resist?

I thought this was an old EC comic at first, but on closer inspection it appears to be from Comic Media. They were probably trying to ride some of William Gaines' wave, but apparently didn't last long.

"Ghostly Tales of Spine-Chilling Horror!" I couldn't have come up with a better tagline if I tried.

I love the old comic titles, by the way. They really lay it on thick in terms of telling you what you're getting. "Horrific", "Weird Terror." EC had "Weird Science", "Weird Fantasy", and "Weird Science Fantasy." Marvel had things like "Tales of Suspense" and "Tales To Astonish", among others. What are some other good ones from the old days? 

Comic Book Buddies

Today they had this hilarious toy photo on Cartoon Brew:

It's unbelievable the kind of things that can slip by an editor. I imagine this must be from some cheap knockoff toy from another country- could this possibly fly here?

The post actually reminded me of another unintentionally dirty image I had seen in one of my old comic books a few years ago. Through the amazing magic of Google, I was able to actually find it again! I'll just let the picture speak for itself for now:

Wow, right? This passed muster with the Comics Code Authority?

Don't Forget To Pay Your Taxes!

It's Tax Day! And Uncle Sam wants you to do your part!

Make sure you file those returns on time... or else Uncle Sam will get even, his way...

When he gets angry, he might even go on a rampage like King Kong...

And once the shirt comes off, there's truly no stopping him!

And if you still don't want to pay your taxes, as a last resort, he'll steal your children and sell them as slaves in a foreign land!

Better get those forms in order!

What a Specimen!

My favorite Superman: the 1930's muscleman version from the early comics.

Here are the hallmarks, as I see them:

1. Very wide torso and slightly pudgy physique

2. Weathered, mildly aged look to face

3. Square, hard, manly chin

4. Very neat, greased down hairstyle

5. Details on outfit suggest sweatsuit-like material

6. Stiff, uncomfortable stance as a result of the briefs being worn outside the pants

7. Flat, un-dynamic look to the cape

8. Heartless attitude toward criminals:

(I couldn't find a direct example of this just now, so this is my own interpretation)

In 1938, Superman was supposed to be just that- a "Super Man"- the ideal of manly macho manliness all men would aspire to be, who would kick sand in the face of weaklings and walk off with the hottest girl. It wasn't until later when the creators added the backstory about Ma and Pa Kent, and his moral obligation to protect man.

Look at that Physical Marvel!

I enjoy this earlier version mostly because he's so of his time- a time when men were gruff and aggressive and worked out with medicine balls and punching bags. Anything less would be an utter disgrace: