Treasury Comics

[filkertom]

I used to have a bunch of these.

My absolute favorites were the Fantastic Four reprinting "The Galactus Trilogy", the adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (and even more so The Marvelous Land of Oz), the Superman vs. Muhammad Ali by O'Neill/Adams/Giordano*, Jack Kirby's adaptation of 2001: A Space Odyssey, the Howard the Duck special, and The Spectacular Spider-Man that reprinted "The Sinister Six".

My least favorite were Captain America's Bicentennial Battles, which even by Jack Kirby's standards made no frickin' sense, and the two atrocious Superman/Spider-Man team-ups.

How 'bout you?

(Thanks to the mighty Mark Evanier for the link. I'd just been thinking about the Superman/Muhammad Ali comic the other day, too. ;)

* Part of my love for this one is based on a specific line, one of the most insightful ever in a superhero comic: Superman, currently powerless because of red sun radiation all over the place, is gonna fly across a gap in a space station... when he suddenly remembers he can't fly. Thankfully, he smacks facedown into an invisible energy bridge, and he thinks, "A life with super-powers has ruined me for this sort of thing!"

Comments

[mouser.livejournal.com]

I had some of the same ones you did - didn't know there was a second Superman/Spiderman team up though.

I only got them as Holiday/Birthday gifts - and the didn't give me (many) book adaptations. I recall having the Captian Marvel TV show adaptation, though.

[mouser.livejournal.com]

Damn, now you've got me thinking about the "comic" records I used to have on 33 1/3!

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

Oh, I had several of these. I distinctly remember the Star Wars ones, becuase I'd buy anything that said Star Wars on it, and the DC/Marvel teamups.

Good stuff.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

You can actually find some of those as MP3s. Let me track 'em down in a day or two....

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

The second S/Sp was "written" by Jim Shooter, and can be found in the Marvel/DC crossover anthology. (I think the best of the crossovers was the Batman/Hulk, although the art on all of 'em was pretty good.) Illogical, out of character, a lot of bits I'm sure the inept Mr. Shooter thought were good ideas at the time.

Jim Shooter is the only other comics creator besides Rob Liefeld and Bill Mantlo that I'd like to bitch-slap for crimes against comic fandom. Even Dave Sim doesn't piss me off so badly, if only because he's just a pain in the ass as a person, while his creation (Cerebus) was fantastic for twenty-five years.

[/unexpected small snarling]

[mononwalker.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah! I had several of these, too.

The Fantastic Four/Saga of Galactus, 2001, Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars.

I know I've got them stored someplace in the house. I'm going to have to go on a hunt!

[mononwalker.livejournal.com]

Wow! I've got an old LP of "Jonny Quest 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" that I'm grateful for your post on the USB turntable about that I've wanted to convert to MP3. Any possibility you've seen that one?

If not, I'll just have to wait until that turntable becomes available.

[wookiee71.livejournal.com]

My mom and dad had the Captain Marvel C27 issue in it's original press date (`74). (The blue one on that site) I disticntly remember it because I couldn't read yet, but I loved Cap and Talky Tawny. I also remember associating the book with the TV show that was on Saturday mornings at the time.

And my parents wonder why I got into comics...

[wookiee71.livejournal.com]

I also had to add:

Why didn't he list the KISS spectacular on that site? That was a big comic and a big hit when it printed. It eben had the band's blood mixed into the ink.

[louisadkins.livejournal.com]

Thinking of some of the older books got me thinking of some of the characters you don't see anymore (*disclaimer: I haven't read any recent comics in a couple years). Anyone remember Krypto the SuperDog?

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Magazine size, not treasury. Said the kid who bought three of 'em.

[filkertom.livejournal.com]

Ummm... I suspect everybody. :) Even if creators didn't try to work the mutt into continuity now and then, and even if they didn't have a new cartoon series starring him (http://www.tv.com/krypto-the-superdog/show/27664/summary.html), the old Superboy cartoons are still in people's heads.

[selenesue.livejournal.com]

Dayam, I had most of those. Wound up using them in a barter deal to pay off a bad debt. That was my old life, of course.

Much about Muhammad Ali is surprising. He has a surprising gentle streak and good heart... Still a powerful man despite his medical issues, but who truly understands the Tao of Spider-Man, "with great power comes great responsibility." Supes could have had no better tutor.

[ldwheeler.livejournal.com]

I kinda liked the second Superman-Spider-Man edition (never saw the first), though I have to admit I like it more for scattered moments than for the overall story. Doom manipulating the Hulk into a rampage just to maneuver him in place to free the Parasite seemed a bit overthinking, even for Doom -- and Doom's Supreme Master Plan seemed cobbled from a pastiche of 50s sci-fi films and lesser James Bond installments. Parker/Spider-Man seemed a bit more downtrodden than he had been in years in the comics (although I could see Tobey Maguire playing that particular Parker). And both he and Wonder Woman seemed light years out of character in their little skirmish. Still, I liked the Superman-Doom interaction ... and how Clark Kent comes across as cool and urbane at the Daily Bugle. Sorta. Jim Shooter is one of those creators who was capable of great work and miserable work. (I put Gerry Conway in the same boat.) The "Legion" stories he did as a teenager are sentimental favorites, I liked his work on the Avengers, and the first Secret Wars was a servicable story. And he made all the trains run on time on Marvel for awhile. However, he also inflicted Secret Wars II on the world, and that builds up some Mighty Bad Karma.

I also had a treasury-sized edition reprinting Superman #1, and -- get ready for this -- a Laff-A-Lympics special written by Mark Evanier with art from Scott Shaw, Dan Spiegle, etc. (There's a great moment with the Scooby gang at a comic book convention, where a dealer describes how comics don't get opened, they just get sold and resold and resold. Fred: "Doesn't anyone read them?" Dealer: Heavens, no. Anybody who'd want to do that probably can't afford them.") Marvel's brief waltz with the Hanna-Barbera license produced some of comics' underrated gems, largely because Evanier wrote almost all of them. And I had Marvel's adaptation of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Wish I knew what happened to that one.

Those are missed. It's nice to see that kind of presentation being flirted with these days, though usually the creators involved have to have the cachet of an Alex Ross for it to happen ...

Wow, didn't realize how many I had

[pickledcritter.livejournal.com]

OK, I had:
Famous Firsts: Whiz #2, Batman #1, Action #1, Detective #27, Sensation #1
I also had the Shazam with the live-action cover, Dick Tracy, Superman vs. the Flash, and Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Which one was my favorite? whew...I remember the live-action Shazam one had a 3D diorama cut-out that I recall playing with for HOURS and HOURS...However, I think Whiz #2 was my favorite - I loved all the backup stories - Spy Smasher, Scoop Smith, Lance O'Casey, Dan Dare, Ibis the Invincible, Golden Arrow (I mean, aren't just the names themselves AWESOME? :) :) ). I really loved Spy Smasher and his Gyrosub - Who needs a batplane, batmobile, batboat, etc when you can have them all in ONE? :)

[louisadkins.livejournal.com]

Ah, this is the kind of slip one makes when one has not had a cable or sat. TV subscription for going on 4 years... sorry.