Pop Culture Chronicles

Tarzan

Tarzan has been in the comics for about as long as comics have been around. Some of the earlier comic book stories were reprints of newspaper strips. Titles like Tip Top Comics (1936), Comics on Parade (1938), Large Feature Comic (1939), and Sparkler Comics (1941) featured Tarzan stories.

The most popular Tarzan series spanned at least three publishers running from 1939-1979. Dell published the Tarzan title from 1939-1947 for 131 issues. Issues 132-206 appeared under the Gold Key label from 1948-1972. DC Comics continued the numbering with 207-259 (1972-1977). Then Marvel secured the rights to Tarzan with renumbering starting in 1977, running for 29 issues and three annuals. 

The Tarzan comic series often complimented the Tarzan movie series which was produced during many of the same years. In addition to various stand-alone Tarzan movies, the movie series starred the following actors in the lead role: 

- Johnny Weissmuller [12 movies] (1932-1948)

- Lex Barker [5 movies] (1949-1953)

- Gordon Scott [6 movies] (1955-1960)

- Jock Mahoney [2 movies] (1962-1963)

- Mike Henry [2 movies] (1967-1968)

- Ron Ely [2 movies] (1970) 

Several of these actors appeared as Tarzan on photo covers of the comics. The Dell series featured Lex Barker on the covers from issues 13-54 and Gordon Scott from issues 80-110. Gold Key featured Ron Ely on at least four covers (162, 165, 168, 171). To my knowledge, Johnny Weissmuller, the most popular Tarzan never appeared on a comic cover. Some fan sites have mistakenly listed him as pictured on Dell covers, but these pictures are actually of Lex Barker who bore some resemblance to Weissmuller.  

The Tarzan comics have boasted such artistic talent as Hal Foster, Jesse Marsh, Joe Kubert, and John Buscema. The 80s were slow years for Tarzan in both movies and comics, with highlights including the 1984 Greystoke movie and Marvel's accompanying adaptation. A seven issue mini-series was published by Malibu Comics in 1992-93. The mid-nineties through early 2000s found Dark Horse with the licensing to Tarzan including comics series and an excellent mini-series in which Tarzan teamed with Batman in an Elsesworlds story set in 1939.

Tarzan has mostly been absent from the movies with exceptions including the live action feature Tarzan and the Lost City starring Casper Van Dien and Disney's animated 1999 feature which brought Tarzan back into vogue (though its TV and video sequels were quite bad).

Dynamite Entertainment published a 15-issue Tarzan series titled Lord of the Jungle in 2012-13. Tarzan may now have a new lease on life in the movies with a new Tarzan feature scheduled for release in 2016. It stars Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan and Margot Robbie as Jane. I'm hoping this movie will breath new life into Tarzan while being grounded in the source material. Perhaps this will launch a new franchise.  

Vintage TV Westerns

As a huge fan of vintage westerns, I have a goal. My goal is to view at least one episode of every TV western series ever made and to own at least one episode of each in my private collection. So I have some boxed sets of Gunsmoke, Wanted:Dead or Alive, and Big Valley DVDs in addition to some VHS episodes of Maverick and some DVD compilations with public domain episodes of stuff like Bonanza and the Rifleman. I grew up watching all the above mentioned shows, mostly when they were already cancelled and in syndication.  

But I also knew that lots of other westerns had been produced in the 50s and 60s. Why weren't these syndicated and why had I never saw them? Now many of these can be seen on DVD sets collecting various episodes of these shows. One such set is Mill Creek Entertainment's 150 Ultimate TV Westerns. Now I know why this stuff wasn't being re-run during my youth. It just wasn't that good. 

But in keeping with my goal of viewing and collecting every TV western in existence, my family and I are viewing and rating these shows and the results will be posted here. So the first reviews are published here:

 Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. This character, a Canadian Mountie in the 1800s, began on radio in 1938 and then switched to TV in 1955 running for three seasons on CBS. A comic book series ran from 1952 to 1959 with the first four issues as a part of Dell's Four Color series. Once Sergeant Preston came to TV, photo covers from the series became the norm. The highlight of this show is the dog, Yukon King, Preston's lead sled dog with whom he shares a close relationship and who assists him in catching bad guys. The plots are mildly entertaining. Sound-stages and stock footage of sled dogs are common. Originally filmed in color its brilliance has unfortunately faded.

Northwest Passage. Fictionalized account of historic figure Major Robert Rogers, whose volunteers known as Roger's Rangers fought for the British during the French-Indian War. Rogers was located in what is now New York and endeavored to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. The series was based on a novel, made into a movie in 1940. The series cast included Buddy Ebsen as one of the rangers. I've viewed one episode which guest starred Pernell Roberts of Bonanza fame. While the original color has faded in quality the plot was intelligent. The series lasted only one season (1958-59) due to the stiff competition of Maverick on another network.

  Cisco Kid. I did grow up with this series since it has remained in syndication. That could be due to the fact that it was the first TV series filmed in color which has continued to hold up decently. The title character, originally a bad guy,  was created for a short story by O. Henry entitled "The Caballero's Way" in 1907.  The story became a movie in 1914.

The Kid is portrayed as a good guy in the 1928 film, In Old Arizona. A series of seven movies were released from 1939 to 1941, with Caesar Romero playing the Kid in later installments. A second movie series ran from 1945-1950 which starred Duncan Renaldo playing the lead in most, but Gilbert Roland as the Kid in six movies during 1946-47.

Renaldo would play the Kid on the syndicated TV series from 1950-1956. Joined by his comedic sidekick Pancho, the Kid brought law and order to the old west. The stories are about the caliber of the Lone Ranger, though somewhat inferior. The show was obviously intended to appeal to children.  

A comic book series published by Dell ran for 41 issues from 1950 to 1958. The last five issues had photo covers. An earlier Cisco Kid Comics one-shot was released in 1944 by Bernard Bailey / Swappers Quarterly. A TV movie with Jimmy Smits in the lead role aired on TNT in 1994.  

Mission: Impossible

My family is currently enjoying the original Mission: Impossible TV series on Netflix streaming video. We started with the fifth season due to recognizable cast members and faster-paced plots than previous years. We've now completed that season. The fifth season is notable for having Leonard Nimoy, Leslie Ann Warren, and Sam Elliott together on the IMF team. This has led me to start researching the series and here are some things I learned:

1) Peter Graves did not join the cast until season 2, replacing Steven Hill as Dan Briggs, the original IMF leader.

2) Sam Elliott (Doug) was brought in to replace Peter Lupus (Willy) who contemplated quitting the show. Elliott was assimilated into the cast appearing in episodes alongside Lupus with Elliott listed as a guest star. Elliott's appearances in episodes without Lupus had Elliott replacing him in the opening credits. Once producers recognized Willy's popularity, Elliott was dropped and Lupus' complaints about his character's screen time were remedied.  

3) The Mission: Impossible comic book ran five issues in 1967-1969. Issue 4 had the only photo cover with Peter Graves and was the only issue featuring the Jim Phelps character. Issue 5 was a reprint of issue 1. The comic only coincided with the first two seasons of the show. 

4) During the fourth season, there was no female regular, but only female guest stars as IMF agents. The only recurring female agent was Lee Meriwether who appeared as Tracey in four episodes. She is loved by comic fans as Catwoman in the 1966 Batman movie.    

5) Barbara Bain, who played Cinnamon Carter in seasons 1-3 reprised her role for an episode of Diagnosis: Murder titled Discards in 1997. Both Bain and her character, Cinnamon, had earlier careers as fashion models. 

6) There was a revival series running on ABC from 1988-1990. Peter Graves was the only regular cast member from the original series, although Greg Morris (Barney) and Lynda Day George (Casey) reprised their original roles in guest appearances. Morris' son, Phil, was a regular on the revival series. The original series was on CBS from 1966-1973.  

Here are just a few more interesting facts: 

1) Female IMF agents appearing in multiple episodes include Barbara Bain (Cinnamon) seasons 1-3; Lee Meriwether (Tracey) season 4; Leslie Warren (Dana) season 5; Lynda Day George (Casey) seasons 6-7; and Barbara Anderson (Mimi) season 7.

2) Greg Morris and Peter Lupus were the only actors to stay with Mission: Impossible its entire run, although Lupus was absent for much of season 5.

3) Leaonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock on Star Trek) played The Great Paris on seasons 4-5, replacing Martin Landau who appeared in seasons 1-3.

Mission: Impossible is one of the true classics and a true original. It also had one of the best themes of all time.   

A New Way to Watch Old TV

Remember the old days when you actually had to wait until your favorite program came on before you could watch it? If you weren't in front of the TV at that time, you were just out of luck. Then came VCRs. We could now record shows while we were away, but there was still that matter of setting the timer and hoping you went through all the steps just right. (The DVR has greatly simplified the recording process).

But recording wasn't fool proof. If the start of your show was delayed by a news bulletin or sporting event in overtime, you might not get the ending recorded. When you did, there was still all those commercials to fast forward through.  

But it wasn't long before programs started coming to video, and later DVD, and still later Blue Ray. Now we can purchase what we really want to watch. But that could run into mountains of money, so the video rental store became popular. But if every copy of what we wanted was already rented, or did not even come to that store, again we were out of luck. Plus we had to waste time and gas driving.  

Then came the mail order video rental, but now Netflix has gone even a step farther offering streaming video as a part of their monthly membership package, the least expensive of which is only around $11.00 a month. This provides unlimited streaming video and unlimited DVD rentals (but only one DVD out at a time. If you want more you must pay more).

What I really like is the streaming video feature, but that doesn't mean you have to watch TV on your computer. You can buy a Roku player for less than $100 which puts the streaming video right on your TV. It is ridiculously easy to install. High speed internet is a must. You can use ethernet if you like, but Roku is also set up to handle a wireless router.

We've had our Roku for over a year now and we have greatly enjoyed it. It's like TV a la carte. Pick what you want to watch, click on it with the remote, and you're in business. You can pause it if you get interrupted. You can even design your own instant queue. The selection of what is available on streaming video does rotate. Shows are on for a while and then replaced just like on syndicated television.

While this is old news to many, I am especially excited about what this means for comic fans and western fans, of which I am both. The available programs include old TV series like westerns that also came to comics. These include Gunsmoke, Cheyenne, Have Gun Will Travel, and Wagon Train. Other shows that have since been made into comics include 24, the A-Team, Dark Shadows, Heroes, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and the Munsters. All of these are currently available to watch at any time. Shows whose characters began in comics include Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Incredible Hulk, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and a number of the DC "straight-to-DVD" animated features.

In terms of mail order, our Netflix queue has Superboy, the animated Batman, Superman, and Justice League series, the 1967 Spiderman cartoons, Wonder Woman, Young Indiana Jones, the Three Stooges, Star Trek, Laramie, Bonanza, The Wild Wild West, and Gomer Pyle all on standby. Right now the new Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey, Jr. is waiting to be watched and returned. So in case some of you didn't know about this, for me it is a dream come true as I journey to retroville to watch many of the TV series that I have loved through the years.  

Now, all that being said, some of the newer TVs can show Netfilx streaming video without a Roku player, but I would still recommend you get the Roku. New channels are being added constantly, many of which are free. These include Whiskey Media whose offerings include Comic Vine News videos. Local weather and various radio news sites are available as well. With the Roku player you can have Hulu on your TV screen for a small monthly fee. One channel I like is Pub D' Hub (A free channel) which includes an almost endless list of public domain movies and TV series. You can watch the Drive-in variety "Teenagers from Outer Space," "Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter," or "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians." (I'm not making these titles up! Lots of B variety sci-fi and westerns are available.

With this new way of watching TV, I think we'll be cancelling our cable soon. Who needs overpriced cable when you can buy a Roku player and then pay $11.00 a month for Netflix? Well, I know there is sports, but for ESPN, live broadcasts are often online at ESPN3.com. But thankfully, we're not big sports fans. If you are, you can still get locals with a digital antenna for around 100 bucks.         

A Very Brady Blog Post

Recently Watching A Very Brady Christmas with my daughter caused me to wonder how many Brady reunions there have been since the cancellation of the original series. My research has revealed that there have been three spin-off series from the original: a variety show, a sit-com, and a drama. The original series is available in its entirety on DVD.

The first reunion was the Brady Variety Hour in 1977 which lasted only nine episodes. The second reunion was to be a TV movie entitled The Brady Girls Get Married in 1981. The movie was re-edited into the first three episodes of a new sit-com called The Brady Brides which told of Marcia and Jan's married life. The series ran 10 episodes. 

The TV movie A Very Brady Christmas aired in 1988. The high ratings led to yet another spin-off series called The Bradys which was more dramatic than comedic. It ran six episodes which have since been re-edited into three TV movies. 

Reuniting the entirety of such a large cast proved challenging, with the original Jan missing from the variety hour, the original Cindy missing from the Christmas movie, and the original Marcia missing from the drama. Each were replaced with other actors. The Brady Girls Get Married (which became the first three episodes of "The Brady Brides") was the only reunion that featured the entire original cast.  

The most successful Brady series outside of the original was actually a cartoon called "The Brady Kids" airing from 1972-1974, lasting 22 episodes. Since the series there have been two theatrical films which spoofed the original series, both featuring all new actors. The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel were released in 1995 and 1996 respectively. A third movie was released to DVD in 2002 called The Brady Bunch in the White House.

As is obvious from the picture on this post, the Bradys also had their day in comics when Dell published two issues, complete with photo covers, in 1970. A promotional comic, Brady Bunch Kite Fun Book appeared in 1976.

It has been noted that the original series and reunions have put the Bradys on all three networks at various times. This feat isn't unique to the Bradys, however, since James Garner has played the role of Bret Maverick on all three networks as well. The original Maverick series aired on ABC, the New Maverick/Young Maverick on CBS, and the Bret Maverick series on NBC.             

Books with Retro Appeal

Here is a listing of some books I'd like to eventually check out, especially if I could find them in a public library:

1000 Comic Books You Must Read by Tony Isabella

Should be interesting to see what makes his list and why. Amazon has it for 19.79.  

Alex Toth in Hollywood (Pure Imagination Publishing)

This late great 20th century artist spent some years working for Western Publishing (Dell & Gold Key) drawing comics based on TV series and movies. This volume includes stories from Roy Rogers, Sea Hunt, The Lennon Sisters, Disney's Zorro and Sugarfoot. Also included is an adaptation of the John Wayne film, The Wings of Eagles and James Stewart's film The F.B.I. Story.

Batman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski and Superman: Earth One by Geoff Johns

Two of the greatest writers take on two of DC's greatest heroes. These graphic novels retell the origins of these heroes outside the context of regular DC continuity. Anything can happen as we see yet another universe's version of these heroes. I'm thinking these should be out in the Spring.  

Casper the Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversary (hardcover).

I would look this one over for the sheer nostalgia, although I'm not a huge Casper fan. But these kind of old kid-friendly stories and art take me back to my childhood and celebrate the Golden Age (which I'n not old enough to remember, but only enjoy through reprints and back issues).

This one, published by Dark Horse, reprints Casper #1 from St.John Publishing (1949) and Casper # 61 from Harvey (1952). Amazon has it for only ten bucks. Back issue reprint collections are a great way to share a comic hobby with your kids without exposing them to all the graphic violence and language in some of today's comics. 

Crisis on Multiple Earths, vol. 5 (trade paperback) 

I've waited a very long time for the next volume in this series that reprints the annual JLA and JSA crossovers. This one should cover the late 70s and early 80s. It is scheduled for late April release. 

Jonah Hex: No Way Back (DC Comics)

An original graphic novel, scheduled for May release, just in time for the live action movie starring Josh Brolin.

Last Days of Animal Man (DC Comics)

This early March release collects the six issue mini-series of the character I grew to love in the 52 series. I'll read this one after I check out Countdown to Adventure which I believe to be a bridge from 52 to this series.  

Supermen: The First Wave of Heroes 1936-1941(Fantagraphics, paperback, 192 pages)

Reprints of early and rarely seen heroes drawn by the likes of Kirby, Wolverton, and others. Amazon has it for $23.07.  

Tarzan Archives. vol. 5, The Jesse Marsh Years (Dark Horse, hardcover)

Reprints Dell's rare issues 23-27. 

Was Superman a Spy? by Brian Cronin 

This one is dirt cheap on Amazon right now, listed as a bargain. Written by the author of the popular Comics Should be Good blog, this book deals with the urban myths and legends of the comic book industry. Divided into three sections; Marvel, DC, and other publishers, this volume either confirms or dispels many rumors. 

It purports to answr such burning questions as "Why did Ditko leave Spiderman?"; Why did a robot replace the Human Torch on the 70s Fantastic Four cartoon series?"; and "Was Elvis Presley's trademark hairstyle based on a comic character?" Sounds like some amusing light reading.  

Top Ten TV Westerns (50s-60s) Part 2

I now give you my choices for top five westerns of the 50s-60s. Since each western also appeared in comics, a comic cover will accompany each.

# 5 - Sugarfoot - I'm still not sure what a sugarfoot is, but I think it's like a tenderfoot with a sweet disposition. This was the character Will Hutchins played in this classic Warner Brothers series. Tom Brewster was a drifter studying law from the mail order books in his saddlebags (which is where his gun-belt stayed most of the time as well). This story about an experienced cowboy who was also a lawyer wannabe made for some very unique plots. About six issues of the comic were published as a part of Dell's Four Color series. 

 

# 4 - Big Valley- This series was the big break that made Lee Majors and Linda Evans TV stars. Ahead of its time, this series dealt with more mature issues as the illegitimate Barkley son returns to collect his share of the inheritance. Older brother, Jarrod (Richard Long) is a lawyer and middle brother, Nick (Peter Breck) is the hot tempered ranch boss. It didn't hurt that this series featured veteran actress, Barbara Stanwyck as matriarch Victoria. Dell published six issues of the comic series. 

 

# 3 - Gunsmoke - The longest running Western series in history, Gunsmoke stayed in prime time for 20 years (1955-1975), making James Arness the only actor to play the same character in a single series for two decades. Our family is currently making our way through the first season of this series which is now being released in official DVD season sets. The first three seasons are already out. The first 27 issues of the comic series were published by Dell beginning in 1957 as a part of the Four Color series. In 1969-70, six issues of Gunsmoke were published by Gold Key. 

 

# 2 - Bonanza- On DVD, finally! The first two seasons of this series recently came out on DVD. Until now VHS tapes and DVDs of public domain episodes were released, but often minus the original theme music. The new sets are "official" and even include original promo material, photo stills, and other special features. Most of these episodes have never before been released on video. The series was about the ranch family of patriarch Ben Cartwright, a three time widower with a grown son by each wife.

The chemistry of the original cast was excellent, but midway through, Pernell Roberts (eldest brother, Adam) left the show and Dan Blocker (Hoss) died just prior to the final season. The only original cast members left were Lorne Greene (Ben) and Michael Landon (Little Joe), so things just weren't the same by series end. The writing had also deteriorated. But in its heyday Bonanza was one of the best series ever. The first few seasons are exceptional and you can see how the Cartwright clan evolved and developed over time. A few issues of Bonanza were published as a part of Dell's Four Color series, followed by 37 issues published by Gold Key.   

# 1 - Maverick - What can be said that I haven't already mentioned in my previous Maverick post? While I'm a fan of traditional westerns, this one was anything but traditional. Cerebral plots and comedic episodes were common. Some episodes didn't even seem like westerns, with stories in settings like Louisiana, Mexico, on riverboats, and even in South America. James Garner was the original Maverick, but Jack Kelly, who played Brother Bart, was also very talented and likable.

The series was about two gamblers traveling the west and occasionally crossing paths. The first three seasons, featuring Garner, were the absolute best. The fourth season with Roger Moore as Beau and Robert Colbert as Brent were okay, but not as good. I do like the Roger Moore episode, Bolt from the Blue which guest stars Will Hutchins (as Sugarfoot?). 

For the fifth season Bart went solo, explaining why there are more episodes with him. One redeeming thing about this season was the recurring role of Peter Breck (pre-Big Valley) as Doc Holiday. My favorite fifth season episode is the hilarious Marshall Maverick with Jack Kelly and Peter Breck.

What makes this my favorite western is the stories and the acting of Garner and Kelly. Most of the Warner Brothers stable of westerns (including Maverick, Cheyenne, Colt 45, Sugarfoot, Bronco, and Lawman) have not made it to DVD. Exceptions include the first season of Cheyenne which is available and only three episodes of Maverick. These are all rare or nonexistent in syndication as well making the need for DVD collections even greater. But Maverick is available to Netflix members on streaming video.

Top Ten TV Westerns (50s-60s) Part 1

If you've read this blog for any length of time, then you know that one of my favorite television genres is the Western. I cut my teeth on the westerns of the late 60s and the re-runs of earlier Westerns. What all popular 50s and 60s westerns had in common is that they were all in the comic books as well--complete with photo covers. So here I'll go through my top ten westerns displaying the image of a comic cover for each.  

# 10 - Wanted: Dead or Alive - I discovered re-runs of this one weekdays after school while an elementary student. It's where Steve McQueen got his start. He went on to find stardom in the Magnificent Seven playing a character patterned after bounty hunter Josh Randall, his TV part. Two comics were published in the Dell Four Color series and the TV series is available on DVD.

 

# 9 - Lone Ranger - One of my earliest memories is of watching the Lone Ranger. As a child I would set my alarm to watch it at 6:30 weekday mornings before school. On Sunday mornings I would watch the color episodes on another TV station. I also read the comics, watched the cartoons, and owned the action figures. An official anniversary DVD set of the first two seasons has recently been released. The Lone Ranger's history in comics pre-dates his television appearances. 

 

# 8 - High Chaparral - Only one issue of this comic was ever published and is now worth about $70 in mint condition. I remember watching the TV series when it was new and I was a small child back in the late 60s. In the 70s I watched re-runs with my sister on weekday afternoons. We often pretended to be the characters when we played cowboys.  As an adult I saw re-runs on the Hallmark Channel when they dedicated Saturday afternoons to old westerns. They called it Rough and Ready Saturdays. The show was ahead of its time featuring Native Americans and Hispanics in the regular cast. This show is unfortunately unavailable on DVD, but fans are petitioning for it.  

# 7 - The Rifleman - Another show that I discovered in re-runs on weekdays after school. This was a personal favorite when I was a child. They packed a lot of action into 30 minutes. Only a handfull of public domain episodes are on DVD, but no official season sets as of yet.

 

 

# 6 - Cheyenne -An "A" variety Warner Brothers western. Great writing and great acting about a drifter raised by Native Americans. It was the first hour long TV western. This show is another of my earliest memories. I saw the re- runs as a teenager on Saturday afternoons. The first season is on DVD. 

 

Part Two of my top ten coming soon.  

Comic Collection Essentials, Part One

It's been so long since I've posted here that I almost forgot my password. But I've had a good reason for the long time in between posts--like having had four addresses in the last two years. Since my last post our family has moved for what we hope will be the last time in a long time. So being somewhat settled will mean more regular posting. Since my last post we have sold one house and bought another.  

Pictured is my comic collection in the bonus room over the garage of our new home (click photo for larger view). My wife informs me that the collection will not be staying there, but this gives an idea of the size of it. I'm currently going through and weeding out as well as making a want list to fill in some gaps. 

So I thought that now might be a good time to talk about comic collecting in general. Some time ago, several bloggers were listing their ideas of top 50 items that should be essential to every comic collection. So I've decided to finally get in on this. But I couldn't think of 50 items, so I'll list 25--in no particular order. 

So you can take all these ideas and have a massive variety filled collection. Or just take one or a few of these ideas and collect very selectively. So here are some collecting ideas: 

1) A run of several years of a favorite title. I have some pretty long runs of several Batman and Superman titles including every issue of the Shadow of the Bat series. I'm missing just two issues of the JSA series that began in 1999 and ran for 87 issues. 

2) Public Service Announcement Comics. Usually giveaways in which Smokey Bear may teach us how to prevent forest fires or Spiderman might warn against the hazards of smoking. 

3) Comics starring Hanna-Barbera characters. These comics were mainly published by Dell and Gold Key in the 60s and by Charlton in the 70s starring the likes of Scooby Doo, Huckleberry Hound, the Flintstones and other current residents of the Boomerang network. 

4) Comics featuring Looney Tunes characters. These have most recently been produced by DC Comics, but in the past Dell and Gold Key had the market cornered. These include Warner Brothers cartoon stars like Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig. My personal favorite is Daffy Duck of whom I have several Bronze Age issues.    

5) A few 3-D comics complete with glasses. My collection includes several Gumby 3-D comics, a few Superman one-shots, the more recent Final Crisis: Superman Beyond two- parter, and a Batman one-shot.         

More later.

Collected Reprint Editions

Throughout the modern age of comics thus far, collected reprint editions have been popular. A collected edition might be in trade paperback format or it might be a hardcover archives edition.

Collected editions are basically comic book reprints in book form that bring together stories consisting of a particular series, character, or theme. Just as it doesn't take long for movies to get to DVD these days, nor does it take long for comics to be reprinted as collected editions. Once a title completes a story arc of several issues, those issues are soon reprinted either in paperback or hardcover. It's also common for Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age series to be reprinted in collections.

The good thing about all this is that it can make comics more affordable and easier to collect. Reprints of Golden Age material is far more affordable than the original comics. And the reprint editions are usually restored to pristine quality. And if a reader doesn't want to collect every issue in a current story arc, reading the story in small bits over several months, one can just wait for the run to be reprinted. Reprint editions can also be found in public libraries, providing access to the stories without having to buy them, or allowing readers to preview prior to purchase. So this is great news for comic fans.  

If there is a down side, it is the potential poor health of the back issue market. Who wants to do all the leg work of collecting back issues of a recent limited series when it's easier, and sometimes less expensive, to simply buy the trade? This could be bad news for dealers and collectors trying to move back issue stock--especially comics that are only several months old. 

I still buy an occasional back issue though. I recently cataloged my entire comic collection, discovering gaps in several runs--an issue or two missing here and there. Since I have some almost complete runs in comic book format it makes since to fill in the gaps with standard comics. On the other hand, I wanted to collect every JLA/JSA team-up. As opposed to hunting down all the back issues and spending hundreds of dollars, I'm collecting the trade series that reprints these stories--Crisis on Multiple Earths. Volume five is rumored to be in the works. 

That being said, I've recently noticed how the Dark Horse company is outdoing itself in regard to retro reprints. Here are some of the nostalgic reprint collections I am personally glad to see, all from Dark Horse: 

Golden Age Archives

Roy Rogers Archives reprints the King of the Cowboys first comic appearances, from Dell's Four Color series published in the 40s. Coming soon. The issues reprinted in this collection would cost thousands of dollars if one collected the back issues. Archive editions usually run around 50 bucks--or about $32 on Amazon.    

Green Lama Archives dedicates two volumes to this forgotten 40s hero who has recently made a comeback in Dynamite's Project Superpowers.

Shmoo Archives A character originating in Al Capp's Li'l Abner. This volume reprints all the Shmoo's comic book appearances from the 40s and 50s.

Harvey Collections

Remember when Disco Queen, Donna Summer, sang "Lookin' for some hot stuff, baby this evenin'. I want some hot stuff, baby tonight"? This may not be exactly what Ms. Summer meant, but now everyone can have Hot Stuff the Little Devil in a paperback collection in the Harvey Classics series. Now this is the original Hell Boy! Not really. More like Hell Baby. A devil in a diaper. How intimidating.

As a child, I recall reading many of the Harvey comics, but especially Hot Stuff and Richie Rich. Reprint volumes thus far include: Casper, Richie Rich, and Hot Stuff. Forthcoming volumes include Baby Huey and Harvey Girls (featuring Little Dot, Little Audrey, and Little Lotta). All for just around $20 each. 

Silver Age "Gold Key" Reprints

I still have fond memories of the now defunct Gold Key Comics. Most of those I read as a kid (and still own) consist of TV, movie, and cartoon characters. But Dark Horse is now reprinting the original material first published by Gold Key. 

Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom was Gold Key's first original hero (1962-69). Four volumes of his Archives have now been published.

Magnus, Robot Fighter, 4000 A.D. has now seen three Archive editions. Dark Horse has also revived this character in some recent comics.

M.A.R.S Patrol Total War Archives with art by the legendary Wally Wood, reprints stories from 1966-69. 

Boris Karloff, Tales of Mystery will be archived in 2009 complete with a forward by Sara Karloff, daughter of Boris.

Silver Age "American Comics" Reprints

MagicMan Archives reprints the adventures of this Vietnam War era sorcerer. His adventures ran in Forbidden Worlds 125-141. While the Archive edition is $60, a back issue would range from $40 to $100. Coming Soon.         

Nemesis Archives reprints the exploits of this hero from Adventures into the Unknown 154-170 (1965-67). An expensive Archive running about $60, but even one issue of the originals in near mint condition would cost you at least that much. Coming soon. 

I, for one, am happy to see the Golden and Silver Age comics being reprinted. This provides more all ages alternatives. The problem is that today's kids can't afford these, but there is always the library and retro parents who will buy and perhaps share them.     

I hope more Gold Key and Dell series will be archived but since so many of their characters were licensed to them by other companies (such as Disney and Hanna Barbera) it might require some legal red tape. 

I love reprint collections because I'm so retro. Of course the stories weren't usually too sophisticated by today's standards (a bit juvenile as opposed to being truly for "all" ages). But I love this stuff for the nostalgic flavor. I like them because of the retro appeal.