Gorilla Daze

Charlton was a cheap and cheerful comics publisher — with the accent on cheap. Rarely much good, its comics — mostly anthologies — kept coming month after month for the best part of forty years. The reason for that is that Charlton owned its own printing presses, and needed something to keep them running to full capacity — an idle press being an extremely costly proposition. Comics, which could be filled with plenty of material very cheaply, fit the bill nicely.

Charlton mainly made its money with music magazines, the comics were very much a secondary consideration.

By paying such low rates Charlton couldn’t hold on to its most talented creators for long, though a few (such as Steve Ditko) enjoyed the freedom that Charlton allowed. None too fussed about what went into the comics the Charlton editors pretty much waved anything through, very rarely requiring changes. After his frustrations with Marvel and DC, Ditko relished the chance to produce strips without editorial interference.

©2009 the respective copyright holder

Time Warp #2, January 1980

And so the 1980s arrived with a bang, heralded by this fine Mike Kaluta cover. As ever there is a lovely selection of art internally from Steve Ditko, Gil Kane, and Howard Chaykin amongst others, while the stories continue to plumb the depths familiar to anyone who’d read even a smattering of DC’s earlier SF output.

I did do love the Dollar Comic format though. Unavailable on these shores at the time — at least in the shops where I was — the adverts for them tantalised, and once I finally did manage to bag one at some seaside resort in 1979 (World’s Finest #245, if memory serves) it was as if I’d found the Holy Grail. I swear an ethereal light was shining on that thing even as the peel of a heavenly choir sounded all around…

©2009 DC Comics

Young Romance #158, March 1969

Proving, perhaps, that comics were indeed getting “relevant” in 1969, this cover illustrates a common conundrum for the perennially horny love-struck youth. It’s the right place, it’s the right time, and, oh boy do you need it bad, but… it’s the wrong person. Sigh.

Of course, for us lads that wouldn’t really much of an issue (”If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with, etc” I think the song goes) — but those of a more distaff disposition seem to place a great deal of emphasis on the person they’re, uh… doing it with being someone they at least find attractive.

Sadly, of course, being a comics fan, this particular scene — nor one remotely like it –  has ever occurred in my life…

Not sure of the artist, but it’s nice work.

©2009 DC Comics

Hmmm… science or sorcery? Sorcery or science? That’s the big question ain’t it? I’m a big science freak myself, but I know there are those who prefer the charms of, say, Dr Strange, or Dr Fate, or Zatanna. Well, actually, the last one I’d be perfectly happy with — as long as she wasn’t wearing that weird lobster on her head anyway.

You can do pretty much whatever you want with science — except defeat Superman. And for that, sorcery will always come in handy.

I love the Strange Adventures run of this period: #218-236 or so. Lot’s of chunkily-sized issue chock full of premium reprints of the likes of Adam Strange, the Atomic Knights, and Star Rovers.

Brilliant. Bigger and better? Indeed they were!

©2009 DC Comics

Didn’t DC do well? Not surprising, I guess, given that this coverage was printed in DC comics. ACBA was an early attempt to create talking shop/union for comic book creators, but wasn’t wildly successful as there was no consensus on just what ACBA should be or stand for (some wanted it to merely celebrate the form, while others felt it ought to campaign on behalf of creators). It did however pave the way for greater creator rights, many of which only began to be instituted once ACBA was long gone.

While it was running it presided over the annual Shazam awards, with this ad announcing the first set of winners from 1971. As you can tell, it was pretty much Green Lantern/Green Arrow’s year, with the world of comics being wowed by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’s ‘Hard Traveling Heroes’ arc. Nice to see the seriously under-rated Bob Oksner getting a rare moment of recognition though.

Art by Neal Adams.

©2009 DC Comics

Debbi’s Dates #1, May 1969

The first issue of Debbi’s Dates gets the series off to what, at first glance, looks like something of a risque start. Now just what can our heroine be doing with her other hand to elicit such a smug expression from Buddy..?

Okay, okay — cheap gag, I know. But it made me laugh.

Debbi’s Dates was the second title to feature the eponymous teen, but this one concentrated more on her would-be suitors. Lots of short, often one page, strips were the order of the day.

©2009 DC Comics