1966 WEEK presents a FRANCO FRIDAYS 60th anniversary bonus — on a Thursday!
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Welcome to 1966 WEEK — a 60th anniversary celebration of an extraordinary, landmark year in popular culture. For seven days, we’re bringing you a whole host of features on everything from Star Trek, to Batman, to the Beatles, to the Monkees, and much, much more. (Just check out Walt Grogan’s latest fab banner, above!) Click here for more of the far out fun! — Dan
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By FRANCO
Space Ghost… or should I say: Sssssspppaaaaacccee Ghost!
What a perfect thing to talk about for this 1966 WEEK! He’s the coolest space superhero cartoon ever! I was telling my son about the artwork I was creating for this piece but I still had to get to the actual writing part when he said the most interesting thing.
He tells me that yeah, he loves Space Ghost too, yes the old cartoon — which premiered 60 years ago, on Sept. 10, 1966 — but for him it was more Space Ghost Coast to Coast. And that was, somehow, the most realistic depiction of a superhero, in a metaphorical sense.
I asked him what he meant. And he says:
In an abstract way, Space Ghost’s depiction as a straightforward superhero in the 1960s who becomes a talk-show host in the 1990s and 2000s, might be what would happen if a superhero existed in the real world.
This is similar to athletes in real life. The notable examples, for better or worse, would be American football players such as Michael Strahan and Pat McAfee becoming hosts on Good Morning America or ESPN. Pro wrestlers becoming podcast hosts could be a more direct example.
Soooo… The kid (he’s a man, but he’s my kid always) is smart. I had never thought of that. Thanks for helping with the article, Nic.
Now, I have to go watch old 1960s Space Ghost cartoons and then some Coast to Coast.
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Want more 1966 WEEK? Click here!
Want more FRANCO’S FREE-FOR-ALL FRIDAYS? Come back tomorrow!
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MORE
— The Complete 1966 WEEK INDEX of Features. Click here.
— The TOP 13 SPACE GHOST Villains — RANKED. Click here.
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Franco and his forehead have traveled the world and he writes and draws stuff. Franco is the creator, artist and writer of Patrick the Wolf Boy and Aw Yeah Comics! Franco has worked on books/comics, including Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures. Franco was also a high-school teacher and is one of the principal owners of Aw Yeah Comics retail stores. Dan made Franco add that he has won three Eisners.
His new books, Action Cat & Adventure Bug: Let’s Do This!, with Art Baltazar, and Ninja Kaiju: Unleashed, with Scoot McMahon, both from Papercutz, are out now.
