Coming Super-Attractions!

1959

2009-02-16T00:03:00.000-05:00

All these of these genuine "Coming Super-Attractions" ads were sent to me by Robby Reed of Dial "B" For Blog. Thanks Robby!

And now its time to call it a day at Coming Super-Attractions! I deeply appreciate everyone who stopped by here and checked out what I was doing, and those who left comments.

While this blog was always the least popular of all my comic blogging efforts, there was a core audience who stopped by every day, and it was for that audience--you--that I kept it going for as long as I did.

If/when CSA returns, I think I'll be adding some of the other bizarre and/or fun material you'd find in between the story pages, like Cap's Hobby Hints, Reader Surveys, Public Service Annoucements, and the like. And since most of my current blogs are "limited run" blogs, I do think I'll be returning to CSA at some point down the line.

Until then, if you don't already, you should check out Allan Harvey's blog Gorilla Daze--he regularly posts DC house ads, many even more obscure than the ones I got to.

Thanks everyone, and keep watching the newsstands!

5708

2009-02-15T00:03:00.000-05:00

A DC house ad...from the future!!

1980

2009-02-14T00:03:00.000-05:00

I had this sitting in my files for a while, figured this is as good a time to use it as any...I used to love this book!

1961

2009-02-13T00:03:00.000-05:00

DC has reinvented Adventure Comics, House of Mystery, and House of Secrets...where's My Greatest Adventure?!?

1975

2009-02-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

Why do I get the feeling that when they made this ad, DC didn't know whether Atlas was getting his own title or just a First Issue Special?

1970

2009-02-11T00:03:00.000-05:00

1957

2009-02-10T00:03:00.000-05:00

This cool ad was sent to me by Robby Reed of Dial "B" For Blog. Too bad Sgt. Rock never crossed over...

1966

2009-02-09T00:03:00.000-05:00

Oh man, what I wouldn't have given to see a Metamorpho cartoon...

1980

2009-02-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

I have to say, "Dagon the Avenger" looks like a pretty tough character. I should pick that issue up some day and see what its all about.

DC house ads--still working, twenty-nine years later!

1970

2009-02-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

1969

2009-02-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

I wonder if DC ran the above ad in their romance titles?

1969

2009-02-05T00:03:00.000-05:00

1977

2009-02-04T00:03:00.000-05:00

1981

2009-02-03T00:03:00.000-05:00

As you could probably guess, this is an ad from another foreign DC comic, this time a German edition Wonder Woman.

Who knew Deadman had his own series in 1981?

1970

2009-02-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

Recognize most of these characters but not the titles? That's because these are house ads from an Australian comic, called Wonder Comics, that featured an amalgam of DC characters.

I would love to know why some American titles made it over to other countries, and others were created especially for those markets.

And I'm intrigued by the title Bumper Western Comic.

1966

2009-02-01T00:03:00.001-05:00

This bottom ad is unusual, in that you've got Superman and Lois flying in just to promote Scooter! Ah, the stuff The Man of Steel had to do in those days...

1969

2009-01-31T00:03:00.000-05:00

1976

2009-01-30T00:03:00.000-05:00

I love any ad that features a comic book spinner rack. Bonus Gorilla points, too.

1965

2009-01-29T00:03:00.000-05:00

I don't think I've ever seen an ad just for Sugar and Spike and Fox and Crow...where are the Absolute Editions of those books?

1974

2009-01-28T00:03:00.000-05:00

1978

2009-01-27T00:03:00.000-05:00

Here's an unusual ad--advertising a title that never actually got published!

So, was this ad Vixen's first appearance, or was it when she actually debuted in a story (Action Comics #521)? This kind of stuff used to bug me when I was a kid...

1967

2009-01-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

1979

2009-01-25T00:03:00.000-05:00

Judging by how many ads they ran for it, DC had high hopes for the Plastic Man/Starman combo in Adventure Comics....which lasted less than a year.

1971

2009-01-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

Man, there's a lot of dead space in the above ad...?

1962

2009-01-23T00:03:00.000-05:00

1970

2009-01-22T00:03:00.000-05:00

One of the most famous ads DC ever ran...Kirby is Here!

1973

2009-01-21T00:03:00.000-05:00

That Legion book was an all-reprint title, though DC thought it best to leave that off the ad...

Our American Heritage - 1960

2009-01-20T00:03:00.000-05:00

1964

2009-01-19T00:03:00.000-05:00

I love that G.I. Joe ad...

1968

2009-01-18T00:03:00.000-05:00

1974

2009-01-17T00:03:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all who left a nice comment here yesterday upon my announcement this blog would shut down on Feb. 16th.

But in relation to one of the comments--I don't intend for Coming Super-Attractions! to go away forever. One of my current blogs, I Am The Phantom Stranger, has a relatively firm "end date", and so does another new blog I plan to start next month. By the end of 2009, both blogs will most likely be over, as well.

Once that happens, my schedule frees up a bit and I've had the time to find more ads, I plan for CSA to return, either for a week or two at a time or on a somewhat more long-lasting basis.

So while Feb. 16th is the end for now, it's not the end!

The Beginning of the End

2009-01-16T00:03:00.000-05:00

It's been one year and one month since I started Coming Super Attractions!, so this seems like as good a time as any to announce that CSA will be wrapping up one month from now, on February 16th.

I never had any real idea how long I planned to keep CSA going when I started it. Within a few months of its creation, I had had scanned in enough DC house ads to keep it going at least two full years.

With The Aquaman Shrine, I Am The Phantom Stranger, and Rob Kelly Illustration taking up a lot so much of my time, I never felt like I could give CSA my full attention. And since I have another blogging venture planned to start fairly soon, I felt like one had to go.

So for the next month, I'll be taking a sort of "Everything Must Go!" approach, and posting multiple ads every day, to show off everything I have still in my "To Post" folder. As a wise man used to say, be here, it'll be fun!

Detective Comics/World's Finest/Unknown Soldier - 1978

2009-01-15T00:03:00.000-05:00

Jimmy Olsen/Showcase - 1965

2009-01-14T00:03:00.000-05:00

Amazing World of DC Comics Ads

2009-01-13T00:03:00.000-05:00

Mystery In Space/Star-Spangled Comics - 1951

2009-01-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

Showcase/Sugar and Spike - 1969

2009-01-11T00:03:00.000-05:00

That Dolphin ad is quite unusual, one of the many out-of-the-box ones DC tried for its Showcase stars.

I guess it didn't work too well, since Dolphin never got a return engagement as a solo star...*sigh*

Humor Titles - 1969

2009-01-10T00:03:00.000-05:00

The Flash/Green Lantern - 1963

2009-01-09T00:03:00.000-05:00

"100 Pages For Only 60 Cents!" - 1974

2009-01-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

I had three more of these ads so I figured why not another hat-trick?

Fun Blogger Fact: Trying to list all the titles represented here in the Labels tab exceeded the character limit. Sorry!

Lois Lane/Adventure Comics/Super DC Giant - 1970

2009-01-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

Flash/Mystery In Space/Brave and the Bold - 1961

2009-01-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

Untold Legend of Batman - 1980

2009-01-05T00:03:00.000-05:00

I remember really enjoying this series, even though it wreaks all kinds of havoc with the classic Batman origin.

That second ad is killer!

Batman/Detective Comics/World's Finest - 1968

2009-01-04T00:03:00.000-05:00

This bottom ad is...not one of DC's finest, let's say...

Adventure Comics - 1979

2009-01-03T00:03:00.000-05:00

Green Lantern/Brave and the Bold/Jimmy Olsen - 1968

2009-01-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Superman is Jimmy Olsen's Hang-Up!"--awesome.

Showcase/Adventures of Jerry Lewis - 1965

2009-01-01T00:03:00.000-05:00

I love that DC buck--I'd use that as real money if they'd let me.

Happy 2009 everyone!

Humor Titles - 1967

2008-12-31T00:03:00.000-05:00

Poor Fox and Crow--they don't even get to appear in an ad for their own book!

Plop/Prez - 1973

2008-12-30T00:03:00.000-05:00

Batman/Detective Comics - 1965

2008-12-29T00:03:00.000-05:00

"New From DC" - 1975

2008-12-28T00:03:00.000-05:00

That top ad was certainly promoting some...off-brand titles, wasn't it?

Showcase/Hot Wheels - 1970

2008-12-27T00:03:00.000-05:00

G.I. Combat/Richard Dragon - 1976

2008-12-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

Comic Pacs/Subscriptions - 1963/1964

2008-12-25T00:03:00.000-05:00

Man, what I wouldn't give to have a whole bunch of Comic-Pacs waiting for me under the tree this Christmas... (or better yet, that cool display stand!)

Happy Holidays everyone!

Showcase: I Spy!/Sgt. Rock - 1964

2008-12-24T00:03:00.000-05:00

I love that I Spy ad--I've always wanted to pick up that particular book, just based on the ad and the cover.

"The Line of DC Super-Stars!" - 1974

2008-12-23T00:03:00.000-05:00

Angel and the Ape - 1968

2008-12-22T00:03:00.000-05:00

Batman/Detective Comics/Brave and the Bold - 1961

2008-12-21T00:03:00.000-05:00

Super-Stars of TV/"Two By Two!" - 1980

2008-12-20T00:03:00.000-05:00

Brave and The Bold/Flash/Green Lantern - 1964

2008-12-19T00:03:00.000-05:00

Action Comics/World's Finest - 1971

2008-12-18T00:03:00.000-05:00

DC Annuals/Flash/Mystery In Space

2008-12-17T00:03:00.000-05:00

Coming...Super-Attractions! - 1962

2008-12-16T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Hey, that'd be a great name for a blog!"--me, a year ago today

Since today this is Coming Super Attractions! 1st anniversary, I thought we'd post a couple of ads from the different decades--1950, 1970, and 1980:

Starting tomorrow, as a way to kick off our 2nd year, we'll be posting two ads per day--as DC might say, For Double The Excitement!

All-Flash/Green Lantern - 1942

2008-12-15T00:03:00.000-05:00

Wow, do I love these Golden Age ads...

Showcase: Firehair/World's Finest- 1969

2008-12-14T00:03:00.000-05:00

This doesn't have anything to do with the ad, but the story in that issue of World's Finest is insane--it features a panel where an autopsy is performed on Superman, but was considered "so gruesome" by the editors that its entirely blacked out with a big "Censored" box over it. Weird stuff...

Jonah Hex/Weird Western Tales - 1980

2008-12-13T00:03:00.000-05:00

An interestingly staged ad...I like Jonah and Scalphunter down there in the valley taking a stroll together.

Batman/The Flash - 1970

2008-12-12T00:03:00.000-05:00

Two of the goofiest covers in DC's history, and both in one ad!

Bat Lash - 1969

2008-12-11T00:03:00.000-05:00

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - 1962

2008-12-10T00:03:00.000-05:00

Wow, that's a lot of text for a Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer ad!

"The Sound and The Fury" - 1978

2008-12-09T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Dynamite's Coming!" - 1969

2008-12-08T00:03:00.000-05:00

A really striking ad, I love the color burst over the b/w covers.

"We Don't Rest On Our Laurels!" - 1981

2008-12-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

One of the strangest tag lines ever for a comic book ad...and a little defensive, too.

Interesting to consider...all but three of three of the titles represented ended up being canceled.

Saga of The Swamp Thing/Fury of Firestorm - 1982

2008-12-06T00:03:00.000-05:00

This was truly the age of superfluous title descriptors in comics.

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen - 1969

2008-12-05T00:03:00.000-05:00

Was there a more insane comic put out in the 60s than Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen?

The Flash - 1967

2008-12-04T00:03:00.000-05:00

One of the great covers of the Silver Age!

"Biggest Bargain in Comics!" - 1974

2008-12-03T00:03:00.000-05:00

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - 1961

2008-12-02T00:03:00.000-05:00

It's the Christmas season, time for one of DC's former biggest stars, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

"Go-Go" Checks - 1965

2008-12-01T00:03:00.000-05:00

Up there with "Marvel Pop-Art Productions"--remember that?

"Dazzling Doings!" - 1982

2008-11-30T00:03:00.000-05:00

"Dazzling Doings!" - 1982

2008-11-29T00:03:00.001-05:00

Firestorm - 1978

2008-11-28T09:13:00.001-05:00

Superman - 1969

2008-11-27T00:20:00.001-05:00

Shazam! - 1974

2008-11-26T00:03:00.000-05:00

An ad you could sum up as..."minimalist."

Hawkman - 1966

2008-11-25T00:47:00.001-05:00

Justice League America - 1960

2008-11-24T00:00:00.001-05:00

Also courtesy Robby Reed, a classic ad! (Although I think there's a logo or something missing at the bottom of that green burst)

New Teen Titans - 1982

2008-11-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Teen Titans Spotlight - 1986

2008-11-22T00:00:00.000-05:00

Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane - 1971

2008-11-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

Considering its like thirty degrees outside as I write this, "A Giant DC Summer" sounds really nice right about now...

For Thrills! For Action! - 1950

2008-11-20T00:17:00.001-05:00

Courtesy Robby Reed, a classic ad featuring two titles I wish DC still published...

Teen Titans - 1967

2008-11-19T00:02:00.001-05:00

A super-swingin' ad courtesy DC's in-house design genius Ira Schnapp!

Plop - 1973

2008-11-18T00:18:00.001-05:00

The Atom - 1962

2008-11-17T00:06:00.000-05:00

I love the use of the Showcase logo...cute.

America Vs. The JSA/Jonni Thunder - 1985

2008-11-16T00:21:00.001-05:00

I remember really enjoying both these series...

JLA/Green Lantern - 1986

2008-11-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

Showcase: Maniaks - 1967

2008-11-14T00:00:00.000-05:00

The Maniaks! Where's their uber-hip Vertigo relaunch??

Superman - 1973

2008-11-13T00:06:00.001-05:00

3 Blockbusters - 1969

2008-11-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

I can't believe I didn't think to run this yesterday, which was Veteran's Day. Stupid!

Anyway, better late than never, he's a solid ad highlighting DC's fightin' men...

Mystery In Space - 1965

2008-11-11T00:05:00.001-05:00

One of my all-time favorite DC characters...not exactly A, B, or even C list. D list?

Adventure Comics - 1968

2008-11-10T00:03:00.001-05:00

Who's Who - 1986

2008-11-09T00:01:00.000-05:00

Twenty plus years later, I still have all my Who's Whos.