ZOWIE WEDNESDAYS!
Welcome to ZOWIE WEDNESDAYS — in which we’re serializing across 13 weeks Mark Voger’s forthcoming book Zowie! from publisher TwoMorrows. Click here for a ton more on this feature — and info on the book itself, a brightly colored history of “the TV Superhero Craze in ’60s Pop Culture.” You can also find there links to previous installments. Right on! — Dan
Comics in the 1960s — as they are now — were dominated by DC and Marvel, who ruled the racks with the biggest names in superheroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and on and on.
There were plenty of other publishers out there but they tended more toward other genres, like romance, Westerns and sci-fi.
But when Batmania hit, virtually every company worth its salt felt compelled to cash in with its own line-up of long-underwear types.
So dig this gallery of the also-ran superheroes (some of whom ended up stars years later) who also happened to be wildly entertaining in their own right:
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Zowie! by Mark Voger, is a 192-page, full-color hardcover that lists for $43.95. It is scheduled to be released July 31 and will be available through booksellers and comics shops. You can also pre-order it directly from TwoMorrows. Click here.
Also check out MarkVoger.com!
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MORE
— The Complete ZOWIE WEDNESDAYS! Index. Click here.
— SHUWATCH! The Ultra-Bonkers Kaiju of ULTRAMAN. Click here.
July 24, 2024
I stumbled across an issue of the Dell “Dracula” at a grade school Fun Night and snapped it up for a nickel. Actually pretty good! They reprinted them a few years later I think.
July 25, 2024
I just realized that Herbie and Rorschach have almost identical speech patterns. 🙂
It always fascinated me that letterer Sam Rosen worked on “Fighting American”, and his work can be seen in the Harvey Comics ad. He’s so identified with Marvel Comics that it’s a surprise when his work pops up elsewhere, unlike someone like Ben Oda who seemingly lettered for EVERYONE until he settled down at DC.
July 31, 2024
I remember most of those heroes and even got that strange Capt. Marvel one, which got off the market because they were sued for using Capt. Marvel name. Some of those heroes got absorbed into DCU. Especially Charlton and Gold Key. Alan Moore’s Watchmen series came from parodying Charlton heroes. Even the Owl was part of Watchmen. I didn’t realize how much Steve Ditko did for Charlton after he left Marvel.
August 10, 2024
What? No mention of Fatman The Human Flying Saucer by C.C. Beck and Otto Binder?