A BIRTHDAY SALUTE…
By WALT GROGAN
Hey, hey! It’s the late Henry Boltinoff’s birthday — he was born Feb. 19, 1914 — and just like last year, we’re going to celebrate his life by looking at one of his humor strips! This one appeared in many of DC’s Superman family titles from the mid-’60s to the early-’70s!
With James Gunn’s upcoming Superman film just around the corner, it seems only fitting to turn a spotlight on Henry’s ode to Superman… Super-Turtle! From 1963 to 1972, you could catch the lovable and sweet hi-jinks of the Terrapin of Steel in Adventure Comics, Superboy, Superman, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen and Action Comics!
Henry’s gentle humor, in these usually half-page shorts, were a delightful respite from Superman’s mostly more serious adventures!
So, without further ado, and with a glass raised to Henry Boltinoff, here are 13 early Super-Turple shorts!
Adventure Comics #304, Jan. 1963
Superman #159, Feb. 1963
Action Comics #299, April 1963
Action Comics #301, June 1963
Adventure Comics #312, Sept. 1963
Action Comics #305, Oct. 1963
Adventure Comics #316, Jan. 1964
Superboy #110, Jan., 1964
Adventure Comics #317, Feb. 1964
Action Comics #309, Feb. 1964
Superboy #113, June 1964
Superboy #114, July 1964
Superman #170, July 1964
And what kind of celebration would it be without including, as a 13th Dimension lagniappe, Super-Turtle’s near miss meeting with Superman?!?
Adventure Comics #363, Dec. 1967
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MORE
— CAP’S HOBBY HINTS: A Charming World of Silver Age Fun. Click here.
— JOHNNY DC: An Anniversary Salute to Comics’ Greatest Mascot. Click here.
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A 10-year-old Walt Grogan fell in love with the Big Red Cheese thanks to essays written by Dick Lupoff and Don Thompson in the paperback edition of All in Color for a Dime, released in 1970 and bought for him by his father off a paperback spinner rack in a liquor store on the South Side of Chicago. Walt runs The Marvel Family Web Facebook page devoted to all incarnations of the Fawcett/DC Captain Marvel and blogs about Captain Marvel at shazamshistorama.com.
February 19, 2025
Now that’s one tip top turtle!
February 19, 2025
my favorite back up strip in dc comics! i would buy a collection of these, as well as a complete run of sugar and spike!
February 19, 2025
Thanks for the lagniappe! Not only are each of these bonus gifts from the past, they are well done humorous shorts. I infer where Super-Turtle stores his cape and glasses when in his varying alter-egos is in his shell, similar to how Superman stores his Clark Kent costume inside of his cape when flying about. I wonder, however, how Super-Turtle has such a variety of colors for his stylish glasses. Does Super-Turtle have an entire frame shop hidden in his shell fortress? Is he able independently reach above his eyes to switch the glasses on and off? Does the wearing of glasses fool Tina Turtle (or another name with doubled letters) into thinking that Super-Turtle is someone else? It looks like I’m encouraged to pull out some long boxes and hunt down some more information like so many 13th Dimension columns make me do!
February 19, 2025
Love it!
February 19, 2025
Oh, that was fun! Thanks!