The perfect Valentine’s Day tie-in — except with some suspense thrown in…
By PETER BOSCH
You know that today, February 14, is Valentine’s Day, but did you know it is also Ferris Wheel Day? It’s true: It’s held each year to celebrate the birthday of the ride’s creator, George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr., who was born in 1859. Could a more perfect day tie into the day of romance? How many kisses have been shared at the top of the Ferris wheel since it debuted 132 years ago, on June 21, 1893, at the Chicago World’s Fair?
To celebrate the day, here are 13 COVERS (ranked!) featuring a Ferris wheel — though I must forewarn you, some aren’t very romantic.
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13. Harvey Hits #54 (March 1962, Harvey). An amusing cover and one that reminds me of many of the silly but loveable Harvey Comics of the early 1960s. Art by Warren Kremer.
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12. Ken Shannon #5 (June 1952, Quality). Cover pencils by Reed Crandall. Unknown inker.
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11. Girls’ Love #161 (Aug. 1971, DC). Bob Oksner art.
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10. Little Dot #109 (Feb. 1967, Harvey). While an eye-catching cover, the eye also catches that the unknown artist drew just a symbolic rendition of a Ferris wheel. Just how would anyone get into the passenger cars so far up from the ground?
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9. The Human Fly #6 (Feb. 1978, Marvel). Pencils by Frank Robbins. Inks by John Romita.
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8. Barbie #9 (Sept. 1991, Marvel). Clean and bright cover by Amanda Conner (pencils) and Roy Richardson (inks).
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7. Two views of the same incident. The Amazing Spider-Man #161 (Oct. 1976, Marvel), with Gil Kane pencils and John Romita inks, and the reprint issue, Marvel Tales #214 (Aug. 1988), with a new cover by Mike Zeck.
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6. A striking cover by Jack Sparling for The Outer Limits #12 (Apr. 1967, Dell).
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5. Excellent Golden Age cover by an unknown artist for Reg’lar Fellers Heroic Comics #13 (July 1942, Eastern).
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4. Tomb Raider #8 (Sept. 2014, Dark Horse). Art by Stephanie Hans.
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3. Treasure Chest Summer Edition Vol. 1 #3 (July 21, 1966, George A. Pflaum). Cover art believed to be by Reed Crandall. In its simplicity, this cover reveals the excitement of a carnival, with an enormous Ferris wheel towering above everything.
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2. Girls’ Romances #3 (June-July 1950, DC). To me, this sums up what Freddy Cannon sang about in the 1960 song, Palisades Park: “You’ll never know how great a kiss can feel when you stop at the top of a Ferris wheel.”
In the video below, be sure to see the well-known Superman comic book ad for the park:
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1. Possibly the most famous Ferris wheel cover of all: Strange Adventures #209 (Feb. 1968), art by Neal Adams.
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MORE
— 13 VINTAGE VALENTINES From the SUPER FRIENDS — and DICK GIORDANO. Click here.
— PALISADES PARK: The Grooviest DC COMICS Promotion of the Silver Age. Click here.
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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is out now. (Buy it here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
