Comic Book Resources

A while ago I was reading a copy of All-Flash #15 (1944) and saw a slogan at the bottom of every page. They were all rhymed couplets, and all things kids could do to help the war effort. I wrote them up on my blog, so it's easy to pull them up:

- Bottom Lines on Following Pages Tell What to Do While Battle Rages
- Tin Cans in the Garbage Pile Are Just a Way of Saying “Heil!”
- Waste Fats in Good Condition Help to Make Fine Ammunition
- Boys and Girls, Every Day, Can Give War Aid in Many a Way—
- Every Time You Buy a Stamp, You Feed the Flame in Freedom’s Lamp
- If You Have an Extra Quarter, Buy a Stamp to Make War Shorter
- However far soldiers roam, the want to have some mail from home
- Collect Old Paper, Turn It In—Help Your Uncle Sam to Win
- You Can Walk to School and Store! Saving Gas Helps Win the War!
- Boys Are Smart, Girls Are Wise, Black Markets Not to Patronize
- IF YOU STILL HAVE METAL SCRAP, TURN IT IN TO BEAT THE JAP
- Turn Out Lights Not in Use —War Production Needs the “Juice”

Rita should know that the dollar or two she gets for that comic book is probably enough to buy a second-hand guide to grammar and punctuation.

way too many covers

Comic Books and WWII was the subject of my senior year term paper back in 1976. I'm glad there was no internet back then. There is nothing like writing a term paper chock full of references and footnotes that the teacher has no way in hell of checking.

Ha ha! Nicely done, Brian.

Bwa ha! Of all the superhero War Comics cover, Captain Marvel Jr. belting "Terror Twins'" takes the cake!

On the other hand, the Japanese xenophobia of the time was blatantly obvious in the covers portraying them as monsters. It wouldn't matter that much now, except for the unjust abuses committed again Japanese American citizens as a result....

It's also interesting to note that, for the most part, characters who were written away from direct contact with the "enemy" tended to be the ones who survived the post-war years in better shape. As if it was easier for the homecoming soldiers to return to civilian life without being reminded of the entertainment they read while fighting overseas. Or, that the comics who fought the war found returning to civilian life as difficult as some of the veterans they entertained during it. The more escapist and whimsical stories of National/DC or Fawcett seemed to adapt better to the post-war world. It was only National/DC's courtroom attacks that caused the most damage to the Fawcett lines.

I dunno BB. Sure, the "direct contact" heroes like the Caps went under, but so did virtually *all* other superhero books, 'cepting a few DC hold-outs.

way too many covers

Are you serious?!?!? Get outta here with that!

is it me or do the Captain Marvel covers seem to be of much, MUCH better quality than the other covers? I'm quite impressed!

Brian, I can't thank you enough for doing this research and compiling those covers. I'll show my student tomorrow and make sure he gives an extra shout-out in his final paper to the fine folks at Comics Should Be Good!

If I recall correctly while Cap and Namor were beating up Nazis well before Pearl Habor, Action Comics 1# had a plot with a distinctly isolationist tone to it (somthing about Superman foiling a plot to get the US embroiled in a European war). Perhaps an indication of a difference in political stance between the big two during the period?

You remember correctly, Dan.

There was a lot of veiled references to Europe in early Action Comics issues.

way too many covers

Sorry, Captain Trips.

I admire that you're willing to take a stand on the issue, though.

is it me or do the Captain Marvel covers seem to be of much, MUCH better quality than the other covers? I’m quite impressed!

The DC covers were asking for a different style, though, ya know?

A real child-like quality to them.

But yeah, the Fawcett covers are amazing.

T, I agree, those Captain Marvel covers really are something.

Brian, I can’t thank you enough for doing this research and compiling those covers. I’ll show my student tomorrow and make sure he gives an extra shout-out in his final paper to the fine folks at Comics Should Be Good!

No problema, Jeremy!

"is it me or do the Captain Marvel covers seem to be of much, MUCH better quality than the other covers? I’m quite impressed!"

I don't know, I rather like the "Max Fleisher" feel to those Superman covers.

Sorry, Captain Trips.

I admire that you’re willing to take a stand on the issue, though.

Hilarious!

If you're ever looking for a standard response to any criticism about posts on the site, that should be it.

Wait... in Marvel Comics Mystery no. 31, is the Human Torch battling Orcs? Or was this an early appearance of Skrulls?

Those are in fact supposed to be Japanese soldiers, Skemono.

One of the weirder World War II-related tales appeared in All Star Comics 1, in which Gary Concord, the Ultra-Man ("he means to have peace even if he has to fight to get it!") stopped a war between the European nations of Toutonia and Balkania. The villain of the piece was the monocled 'Sylvanian' ambassador with the oh-so-British name 'Lord Criket'.

It strikes an oddly Isolationist note among the generally anti-Axis themes of the comics of the time.

My favourite part comes right at the end as Ultra-Man succeeds in pitching the ambassador through a window. His "flunky" yells out, "My word! Your Lordship, stop! It's ninety floors to the ground!"

Interesting to compare with comics during more recent wars...

One thing I've always been curious about: Was the term "Japanazi" ever actually used outside comic books?

Was the term “Japanazi” ever actually used outside comic books?

http://history1900s.about.com/library/photos/blywwiip58.htm

Also, Hillman Comics was in on the WWII action with some very graphic covers and lots of stories about airplane piliots like Airboy. A lot of the Air Fighters covers were pretty graphic, too, like this, or just flat out racist in their depictions of the enemy, like this. Eclipse Comics reprinted a bunch of them in the 1980s.

@Superman No.12 cover

Northstar isn't allowed to kiss a guy, but Superman is allowed to have two boyfriends?

I am Mr. Brock's student who needed these covers. I would like to personally thank you for taking the time to find these comic covers and giving me the information. This is the best recourse i have found so far in the comic book category and i will for sure throw a link to the site in my power point. thanks for all your help.

Captain America #13 looks so garishly coloured that I thought it was an early 3D cover at first glance!

But, yeah, the Captain Marvel covers really leap out at you! Maybe it's also something to do with the quality of the scans?

This is a nice companion feature to Urban Legends. I would recommend, though, to not answer questions about comic book prices, lest you be swamped with such requests.

I don't mind the covers at all, Brian. Fun stuff.

(And the query from Rita originally appeared as a comment in Urban Legends, so I wonder if she'll ever see the answer...)

I've got a question: has the Superman 2000 proposal ever been published or posted in its entirety?

I've seen the excerpts and discussion here http://david.ely.fm/davextreme/2008/07/superman-2000.html but couldn't tell if that was the whole thing or what.

Any insights, O' Wise One?

Lawrence, as long as he doesn't kiss them...

"Japanazis"

Are they like the Communazis that McBain fought?

Also, I'd like to take a moment to enjoy the cover where a smiling Batman is mowing someone down with a freakin' Gatling gun...awesome.

How silly that anyone would say, "Too many covers." Clearly the covers were the entire point. They were great. And yes, the grinning Gatling-gunning Goddamn Batman and Robin. Milleresque.

>On the other hand, the Japanese xenophobia of the time was blatantly obvious in the covers portraying them as monsters. It wouldn’t matter that much now, except for the unjust abuses committed again Japanese American citizens as a result….

But when you consider the abuses the Japanese were inflicting upon the Chinese at the time, a few silly caricatures don't seem all that offensive in comparison.

That cover of Batman with the machine gun is just disturbing, given what an ingrained part of the character the "no guns" rule has become. (And yes, I know he started out with a gun originally.)

I also find something unintentionally hilarious about that cover with Superman swimming towards the submarine. "Hmmm...I wonder what's going on above the surface...I'll just look through my periscope and... HOLY $&*# Superman is swimming right at us!"

Isn't there something wonderfully ironic about "Captain Nazi" being introduced in "Master Comics"??

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u51/The_Mutt_pics/Batmangodddamnit.jpg

Hi, I'm not sure if this is where I need to post this but the search is driving me crazy so forgive me if my exhaustion has driven me to post in the wrong area. My question? When I was a kid I remember reading an issue of a comic. I am trying to find it but I have no idea the name. What I remember is this: I believe it would be considered a horror comic, I think the title may have had the word "Star" in it, Inside I recall that there were several short stories, One of them was the origin of God (it took one page and started with a blank panel at the top, then eyes then an explosion, then the planets and stars), There was another story where a man takes acid (I think) and goes into a high-rise building, gets in an elevator and then tries to fight death. I remember he cuts death's head off but death wins. I remember the art was really incredible. I believe some of it was in black and white. Please, if anyone has any ideas drop me a line. This one has been driving me nuts for years. I've told folks about this comic for years but I feel so foolish for not having a title for them.

Jareth, technically, it wasn't a horror book, but the only candidate I can think of off the top of my head for something like that was Mike Friedrich's famous "ground-level" (meaning not underground, nor mainstream) book Star*Reach. Any of these covers ring a bell?

Thank you Greg. I'm just not sure. I remember I got the issue at a flea market in a box of other comics. I may have to go to a comic shop and actually flip through a couple of old issues here soon. I hope that is it. Regardless though I wanted to say, "Thanks" for at least giving me a direction. Do you remember those issues well enough to remember any of those stories I mentioned above? From the covers these look kind of like space pirate stories. Although I do see a few "deaths" scattered about so I might be waaaay off. Thanks anyway though.

Thank you Greg. I'm just not sure. I remember I got the issue at a flea market in a box of other comics. I may have to go to a comic shop and actually flip through a couple of old issues here soon. I hope that is it. Regardless though I wanted to say, "Thanks" for at least giving me a direction. Do you remember those issues well enough to remember any of those stories I mentioned above? I found this page http://www.enjolrasworld.com/Richard%20Arndt/Star-Reach.htm and it does describe them just about the way I remember so I think you got it. I really can't thank you enough. That was such an awesome book the way I remember it.

Greg, that was it! You were so right! I found a copy on eBay. I got it at a great price just now. Thank you so much for putting me on the right path. Where I was confused was I knew the cover by the 2nd. printing which was just a skull with two nearly nude green girls. I found my mistake by searching through Mile High Comics site where they had the first few pages actually scanned in. Thank you very much man. That is why comics rule!

Glad it worked out for you, Jareth. I have very fond memories of Star*Reach and a lot of good stuff came out of those books. Enjoy.