PLUS: Your FIRST LOOK at the cover of Jason Young’s Whitman’s World of Coloring Books…
Jason Young sure knows to press the right nostalgia buttons. Over the last couple of years, he’s DIY published three fab books on a variety of niche subjects that whip fans into a frenzy — Ben Cooper costumes, Power Records and the art of trading card wrappers.
All three books have sold out but a fourth is on its way — Whitman’s World of Coloring Books, which Jason said, “will be the biggest one yet, over 270 pages in full-color, covering decades of old-time coloring books you’re sure to remember.”
Here’s your FIRST LOOK at the complete cover, which Jason included in this promo image:
The book doesn’t have a release date yet — it’s coming soon — but I highly recommend following his Oldtimes Digest page on Facebook for updates.
Meantime, Jason has picked the TOP 13 Classic WHITMAN Coloring Books — RANKED.
Break out the Crayolas!
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13. Super Heroes Big Big Book. This was the last coloring book I bought as a kid. I remember seeing this one at the age where I had outgrown coloring books, but had to make the exception when seeing this one was 448 pages. I used a Superman emblem as a replacement for my Mego.
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12. Scooby-Doo. I distinctly remember teaching myself as a boy how to draw by tracing pages out of a Scooby-Doo coloring book.
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11. Batman. I’ve always loved this cover and how they draw Batman inside reminds me of the Filmation cartoon of the era.
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10. The Incredible Hulk at the Circus. I have vivid memories of this one as a child, coloring in different shades of green. This one features the artwork of Owen McCarron from Marvel’s Fun and Games series.
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9. UFO Space Strangers. This one is ranked on pure nostalgia. I recall my brothers owning it and the artwork is similar to the Spidey ones I love so much.
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7, 8 (tie). Spider-Man. The Red Robot and The Oyster Mystery. These Spidey coloring books are exactly how I see Spidey in his heyday.
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6. Captain America. This is the first coloring book I remember buying myself. The bright yellow background grabbed my attention as a boy.
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5. The Lone Ranger. The artwork on the cover reminds me of those impressive Dell Comics covers. Such cool action shots inside to color.
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4. Superman. There’s something about Superman in the’ 60s that captures everything I loved about comics. I have this cover art framed in my man cave.
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3. Star Trek – Another cover I’ve always loved. The pages were simple to color and captured the likenesses of both the real show and the animated series.
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2. Spider-Man: Seeing Double. The artwork on the cover and throughout is just so cool. THIS is Spidey at his best.
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1. Super Friends. As a massive fan of this old cartoon, having this coloring book was an instant favorite. I still have mine in well-loved condition and it remains my all-time favorite coloring book.
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MORE
— The TOP 13 POWER RECORDS Book and Record Sets — RANKED. Click here.
— The TOP 13 Frank Romano BEN COOPER Costume Designs — RANKED, by Jason Young. Click here.
October 12, 2022
Now if I could only buy these again for the grandsons to discover/enjoy.
October 12, 2022
Had the ‘Seeing Double’ and ‘Oyster’ Spideys, as well as the Superman ‘Missile Base’ one. Think I also had a Batman one not on this list, and a Shogun Warriors one. They were my gateway to comics.
Like you, I also had that DC Super Heroes one, which I thought was great for having actual comics, not just the usual ‘watered down’ stories.
October 12, 2022
Dan, I was wondering if you had ever seen the more recent DC Comic Art Coloring book, and Marvel Comics Heroic Coloring book? The DC book is published by Paragon Books in 2016, and the Marvel one is by Benton , and has been reprinted several times. I picked one up at my local Barnes and Noble and Walmart. Both are filled with classic art and covers from the Bronze Age. The DC coloring book in particular, is quite thick at over 120 pages with Golden, Silver, Bronze and modern age comic book covers and art from such artists as Neal Adams, Jack Kirby, George Perez, Jim Steranko, Kevin Maguire, etc.
October 13, 2022
I have — but thanks for the reminder, Mike!
October 13, 2022
As a kid in the 70s, I had a giant Batman coloring book with art that reminded me a lot of the 60s Batman show I was seeing in reruns. It may have been the one with Catwoman on the cover, but I thought it featured The Riddler. Does anyone remember it?
October 15, 2022
I had a lot of these and remember them vividly. I was hoping The Super Friends coloring book would be included and it was #1! It was my favorite too. I remember a Wonder Woman comic too that had her saving Steve Trevor (or someone) from a burning building. It had a college football game angle too. I’m not sure if I’m remembering it right, though.