This early fifties (I think) house ad is a bit misleading. Not only does it ask if you want ACTION and then advertise WORLD'S FINEST instead but isn't that the single blandest cover you have EVER seen?? I mean seriously! Superman is taking a photo of Batman taking a photo of Robin taking a photo of...well, Superman. Yawwwwn! Sorry. Excuse me. It's just... I mean... THERE ARE NO FREAKIN' BACKGROUNDS EVEN!!!What the...!!?? I guess the message is obvious. If you ARE looking for action...In any sense of the term...THIS ain't it!
Those covers come from an era of increased scrutiny by watchdog groups and politicians on the lurid content of comic books. While the interiors often had the usual stories of subtext and violence that led to such oversight, the covers were as innocuous as possible. A kind of "out of sight, out of mind" smokescreen.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky enough to OWN this issue,
ReplyDeleteand sleestak is correct; there is
PLENTY of ACTION in this 76-page comic
magazine! And YOU are right; the covers of DC comics during this period
are boring and non-related to the features within. And YET they seemed
to sell, issue after issue, year after
year.