13 COVERS to celebrate the brightest day of the year…
For years, I have been promising/threatening to do a feature on hot-rod comics, a super-specific genre that speaks to a very specific time — mid-20th century America. Throw in surfing and motorsickles and what you’ve got is the perfect way to kick off the summer.
So, put on some Beach Boys, or Jan and Dean, or the Trashmen, or Dick Dale, or the Surfaris, and dig these 13 COVERS, Daddy-o!
Bill Fraccio pencils, Rocke Mastroserio inks
Dick Giordano
Jack Keller
Giordano inks (and poss. pencils)
Nick Cardy
Keller
Keller
Keller
Pat Masulli pencils, Mastroserio inks
Keller
(Left) Bill Fraccio pencils and Tony Tallarico inks. (Right) Keller.
Cardy
Keller
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MORE
— THE BLUE LOTUS STRIKES: Get Ready for the GO-GO RACERS. Click here.
— An INSIDE LOOK at the Most Souped-Up, Powerful George Barris 1966 BATMOBILE of Them All. Click here.
June 21, 2026
What? No Hot Wheels?
June 21, 2026
Thursday is Alex Toth’s birthday…
June 21, 2026
Yeah, okeh, on Thursday. And Neal Adams’ was last week. And TODAY, on “Surfin’ and Hot Roddin’ Day” there’s no Hot Wheels?
June 21, 2026
Love! Brings me back to my CAR-Toon days. Thanks for sharing
June 22, 2026
I managed the newsstand at a Detroit drugstore from 1967-late 1973, and these hot rod (and related) titles were our best selling Charlton titles by far. Until they weren’t. Whomever was buying them also seemed to buy the similar magazines in almost identical numbers, as the number or copies sold of each were almost identical month to month. (However, whether it was the same people buying both or not I haven’t a clue; I have no recollection of personally selling anyone any of these.) Also interesting was that over a period of about six to eight months, sales of these titles (both the comics and magazines) dropped to nothing – and I never knew if these folks moved away, lost interest or simply discovered girls and moved on to better things.
(A similar thing happened with the Charlton romance titles, our second best sellers from that publisher. One day they sold in decent numbers; the next, not a single one was purchased.)