Whew! We’ve made it through another Holiday season. And with it all, I stumbled across/was gifted a few treasures! Let’s have a look, shall we?
The original Rugrats?
Sugar and Spike were never my thing, but these two comics have such a charm that I couldn’t resist them in the “dollar comics” section of a local comic shop. To a guy like me, part of that charm is those wonderful Go-Go Checks. And I never thought about it before, but these two characters were The Rugrats before there were Rugrats.
Giant Batman vs. Hawkman in Batman #61 Mondadori (1969)
I saw a copy of this Italian Batman comic a few years ago at Chicago’s C2E2. But I was like that single guy who wished he had spoken to the beautiful woman, but missed the opportunity. I wish I had snagged it right away, but it was gone I’ve never seen another copy.
One of my all-time favorite comics is Brave and the Bold #70. Batman and Hawkman are beating the stuffing out of one another on the cover. When I was a kid reading it, I instantly identified because my brother and I were always fighting. I was also intrigued as the Batmobile was smashed up. How could this be?
And so… a “lost” ‘60s comic with Batman and Hawkman fighting on the cover? That’s one for me. This particular issue reprints a favorite story, “Ride Bat-Hombre, Ride!” from Batman #56 (1949) and a Hawkman vs. Medusa story—that I never really liked—from Hawkman #25 (1968).
Need to learn more? These wonderful Italian comics, published by Mondadori, were covered in The 13th Dimension a few years ago.
Boys and Girls March of Comics #144 – 1956
I’ve always been a big Tarzan, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, fan. And I keep an eye out for eclectic items. Here’s one – this is a promotional giveaway for Poll-Parrot Shoes.
I never heard of this company. But after reading this backgrounder on the Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society’s HistoryWiki, I think it’s an entrepreneurial story that is ripe for a Netflix show:
Businessman Paul Parrot’s pet project was the Parrot Shoe Company, but his Poll-Parrot Shoes hit the market in 1925 and had stiff competition from another kiddie clothier with a popular spokestoon, Buster Brown.
The shoes remained popular well into the 1950s which was no small feat. Its various premiums, including buttons, tin whistles, tin clickers, spinner tops, tin banks, flicker rings and pop guns, certainly helped the company sustain its success. And its 1930s, twice-weekly airing radio show, “The Curse of Poll-Parrot”, bolstered sales exponentially.
It’s greatest advertising achievement was to sponsor the Howdy Doody Show on NBC.
The March of Comics was promotional series published by Western Publishing’s K.K. Publishing subsidiary. Each issue would feature different characters – including Donald Duck, Little Lulu, Our Gang, and Tarzan. Mark Evanier has explained that some of these comics had circulations of over 5 million. But I’ve never seen one before.
This is a wonky little comic, despite the crude art and simple/misguided story. Tarzan is a character that’s been rendered by so many fantastic artists (Hogarth, Foster, Kubert, Yeates, Manning, Jusko, Adams… The list goes on and on), that I feel bad when comparing an artist with more pedestrian talents to the outstanding Tarzan art that’s already out there.
Six Decades of Kindness
Believe it or not, since I moved back to my hometown, I’ve become reacquainted with my old babysitter. Her mom still across the street from my parents’ home. And both are family friends.
Way back when, when the babysitter would babysit, she knew I was nuts for comics and especially for Batman. Now, as an older guy, she knows I’m still nuts for comics and Batman. She found these treasures (from the book sale she runs) and gifted them. What a spot-on, and thoughtful, Christmas gift that is.
Kind of makes me guilty for being such a rat as kid when she came over to babysit all those years ago. Kind of.
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Next week : Hello 2025!
