Rounding up all four…
I don’t know if you folks have caught these but since last fall, DC has published four Superman variant covers by Dave Johnson that send up old-school comics ads for preposterous products that could not possibly work.
The first ran in November and the last ran in April. Now that the quartet are complete, we wanted to put them together for you as a gallery, along with Dave’s online comments about them.
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SUPERMAN #20
“So a few years back Mark Chiarello and I had a crazy idea to do a series of variant covers that would mimic old-school comic book ads selling ridiculous products. Unfortunately things didn’t work out at the time but now it’s happening!… Hope y’all dig them. I personally think DC should sell Heat Vision glasses!”
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SUPERMAN #21
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SUPERMAN #23
“No. 3 in the fake Superman ad variant cover series. Might be my favorite so far. No clue how these are being received by the general public. I’m just happy to do something a little different than the usual pin-up-type variants.”
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SUPERMAN #25
“This one was the hardest to figure out. Just how would you design a cheap toy to show ‘freeze breath” anyways? I think I nailed it. Plastic cup with slits and blue streamers. Although you end up looking like Cthulhu. Which I think is a bonus.”
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If you missed these, all of them are floating around eBay. But better yet, check with your local comics shop.
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MORE
— PAUL KUPPERBERG: My 13 Favorite COMIC BOOK ADS by Comic Book Artists. Click here.
— MORRISON MONDAYS: HEY, HO, LET’S GO — When the RAMONES and Classic Comic Book Ads Collide. Click here.
May 6, 2025
Those are ridiculously fun and very well executed!
May 6, 2025
These are great! I like the shield detail on the freeze breath!
Come to think of it, I sent in for those heat vision glasses in 1983 but haven’t received them. Customer Service assures me they’re in the mail!
May 6, 2025
Those are great. I would buy all those products. 🙂
May 9, 2025
An incredible series of variant covers! I love it that the ads sell items that mimic Supes’ powers!