Archive for the ‘Advertisements’ Category
National Pizza Day
Like an excuse is needed for a pizza party, but just in case welcome to National Pizza Day.
We’ve visited this non-holiday on several occasions, usually with the X-Men, but have included those teen heroes in a half shell, too.
Pizza Hut has hosted the party each time and today is no different.
The Wichita, Kansas, native has plumbed the four color field often to entice us comic book fans to stop in for a slice. To date, this is the earliest cross promotion we’ve found.
In 1977 America’s largest pizza franchise partnered with DC Comics to offer six reprints featuring the big three from the Golden Age.
Batman, issues 122 and 123; Superman 97 and 113; and Wonder Woman 60 and 62 were reproduced almost exactly as they were when first published. The main differences being size and advertisements.
If anyone has any information on how these were obtained through Pizza Hut or how they were issued, please let us know.
First, take time out for a pie and some hero worship of your choice.
Superman Peanut Butter
Not to be confused with National Peanut Butter Day or National PB & J Day, today – March 1 – is National Peanut Butter Lovers Day.
It is a day to remember the food of kings and the masses has many fathers and many origins. The peanut paste product stands alone or completes so many combinations. Peanut butter is a multi million dollar a year industry.
Taking on the big boys, i.e. JIF, Peter Pan, Smuckers, Skippy, etc; is not an easy task. One that would be Herculean for most. Or, even a job for someone with powers far beyond those of mortal man.
A job for Superman.
Sometime in the late 1970s a maverick private label peanut butter company called Sunnyland Refining Co. chose a small advertising firm to tackle the peanut butter market. Rather than join the fray on merit, it would seek licensing to catapult it onto store shelves.
It just so happened DC Comics, a subsidy of Warner Communications, had made a company wide agreement not to whore the Superman name out for food products unless it was nutritious. Sunnyland’s peanut butter was deemed so and a partnership was formed.
Superman Peanut Butter hit grocery store shelves around 1981.
While not affiliated with any DC Comics production, cross promotions were included in the deal. At one point Superman Peanut Butter purchasers could redeem two product labels for a free copy of Action Comics issue one. Another tie in offered coupons for Super Powers merchandise.
The brand would remain a staple of many diets for the next decade.
Peanut butter can be traced back to the Aztec and Inca civilizations. They ground roasted peanuts into a paste.
More modern dabblers include Marcellus Gilmore Edson of Quebec, Canada, cited for receiving the first patent for a method of producing peanut butter from roasted peanuts using heated surfaces in 1884.
George Bayle, a businessman from St. Louis, sold peanut butter as a snack food in 1894. The dietary aid became more of a kitchen staple when, in 1917, peanut butter was used as a source of protein during meatless Mondays when rationing was in effect for World War I.
Breakfast cereal magnate John Kellogg championed peanut butter as a meat alternative in his campaign to substitute plant based products for a healthier lifestyle.
Maybe the most recognized name in the peanut butter game is George Washington Carver. A common misconception credits him as the inventor of peanut paste. Rather, Carver merely published a document entitled How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption.
The list of peanut butter contributors continues, but you get the gist.
Sit back, enjoy a peanut butter delicacy of choice and watch Superman shill for Wall Street as we round out the day.
The Prize Disguise
Join Archie and the gang – and us – as we celebrate National Cherry Pie Day.
Why cherry pie? Why not.
Why February 20? ‘Cuz it’s close to President’s Day (February 17) and the story of George Washington chopping down the cherry tree.
Pies came to America courtesy of the early English settlers. Pies were cooked in long, narrow pans called coffyns. As in Roman times the crust was often left uneaten.
To celebrate the day bake a cherry pie, visit a bakery, teach someone to bake and share your experience online at #NationalCherryPieDay.
Ironically enough, Archie’s grand prize for the prettiest girl in school are pies. Enough of those and those swimsuits will be a moot point.
Anyway, have a piece on us.
Season’s Greetings From DC Comics
DC Comics gave the paying public a shot of Christmas in 1978 with this quartet of comic books.
Kicking off the season was Green Lantern/Green Arrow (1960) issue 113 which hit the stands November 30.
Lantern, Arrow and Black Canary survive a Christmas eve complete with kidnapping and volcano in That They May Fear No More.
A group of musicians find themselves prey to Granny Bleach and followers. They feel pregnant Marcy who is with musicians will birth the chosen one who will keep the suddenly active volcano dormant.
Season’s Greetings
Lantern is able to divert the lava flow and save the town.
Have Yourself a Deadly Little Christmas from Batman (1940) 309 was covered back in December 2018. Slip back there for a rehash of events between the Dark Knight and Blockbuster. It was on the spin racks December 14.
Ross Andru’s non-descript cover belies the festive Happy New Year…Rest in Peace! behind Bizarro’s toothy grin in Superman (1938) 333. It was released December 28.
The Brave and the Bold (1955) 148 is another book covered in 2018. The Night the Mob Stole Xmas! was originally reviewed in January of that year though released December 28 of 1978.
While none of the above-mentioned books made the highlight reel for 1978, DC made an effort.
What did make the nightly news included the Great Blizzard of 1978 hitting the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes January 25-27 killing 70.
By February 5 through the 7, the blizzard had worked its way to the New England states. An estimated 100 people died and $520 million in damage resulted.
As winter started to come to a close, other matters took the spotlight as the year progressed. In March, Charlie Chaplin’s remains were stolen from Cosier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
Dallas became known for more than assassinations and football with the debut of the series of the same name April 2. It would give birth to the modern-day primetime soap.
In May Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds hit his 3,000 MLB hit.
The first test tube baby was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester UK in July.
Pope John Paul I succeeded Pope Paul VI as the 263rd Pope in August.
September and Camp David hosted the Camp David Accords with Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat.
President Jimmy Carter authorized the Susan B. Anthony dollar in October.
In December, serial killer John Wayne Gacy was arrested. He would later be found guilty for the deaths of 33 men and boys between 1972 and 1978.
All in all, a busy year capped off with some DC goodness for the holidays.
Sylvan Learning Systems: Spider-Man Battles Ignorance (1992)
For those who aren’t in the know, Diwali is a real holiday; the largest and most important in India and one that may become part of the American tradition.
Diwali celebrates victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. It is a five-day festival of lights usually celebrated in the fall.
Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) has introduced a bill – Deepavali Day Act (H.R. 5904) for Diwali to be recognized nationally as a federal holiday. Currently the bill to recognize the Hindu new year has over 30 sponsors.
Diwali has been celebrated for more than 2,500 years.
To celebrate, we’re offering up a Sylvan Learning Systems sponsored spin on battling ignorance – hence the title.
After our hero has his mind wiped by the Mad Thinker, he finds help at a Sylvan Learning Center. Spidey is served a heaping helping of propaganda from students and teacher as they restore his memory enough to tackle the second-rate villain.
Using what he’s learned at the center, Spider-Man is able to defeat the Thinker and return his missing memory. A final farewell and thank you to those who helped him, Spidey swings into the sunset.
This $1.25-valued comic book giveaway featured a self-aggrandizing learning franchise as written by George Caragonne with illustrations by Alan Kupperberg. Sylvan Learning began in 1979 focusing on corporate supplemental learning centers focusing on personalized instruction in reading, writing, math skills, study habits, homework support and test preparation.
Sylvan Learning Systems: Spider-Man Battles Ignorance (1992)
Holiday Savings From Santa Paws
As we prepare to say goodbye to one year, let’s look back to when we said goodbye to not only the previous year, but decade.
Heathcliff, Alf, Count Duckula and Police Academy were the lone holdovers from Marvel’s Star Comics imprint. The spinoff started in 1984 had run its course by 1989. The last Star branded issue hit newsstands in December 1988.
The first title to bear the banner was issue one of The Muppets Take Manhattan in 1984. The remainder the Star Comics Magazine line were not released until five months later with more licensed properties. Those included Fraggle Rock, Heathcliff, Planet Terry, Strawberry Shortcake, The Ewoks, Get Along Gang, Muppet Babies, Royal Roy and Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham.
Royal Roy was the first casualty. Harvey Comics slapped an infringement suit against the title claiming it bore too close a resemblance to their Ritchie Rich. Roy was cancelled after six issues.
Droids was the second Star Wars title to come under the Star brand. It ran eight issues.
Holiday Savings From Santa Paws
Though their initial imprint was defunct, the featured four continued under Marvel’s regular umbrella title. Other books offered in this deep discount of 50-percent off – after the purchase of one regular title – are Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Tales (featuring Spider-Man), Spectacular Spider-Man, Web of Spider-Man, Captain America, G.I. Joe, Incredible Hulk and Transformers.
To take advantage of the offer, subscribers had to meet the January 31, 1990 deadline. A bit late for us, but still fun to remember as we entered a new era. It was the decade of the Gregorian calendar, grunge, the first Democratic president in over 10 years and the invasion of the World Wide Web into homes.
The ’90s would also usher out a century.
And, the comic book industry would nearly collapse under corporate and private greed.
Hopefully our incoming year will be a little calmer.
You Can’t Beat This Halloween Treat!
DC rolled out the red carpet for Halloween 1979.
Featured in the house advertisement are Secrets of Haunted House 20, House of Mystery 276, Weird War Tales 83 and Ghosts 84. Showcased was Super Friends 28 touted as a “Hair Raising Chiller!”
According to the hype, “The Super Friends Battle 5-Fearsome Foes…and their Mysterious Master!”
To learn more about the issue, tune in tomorrow for the full synopsis.
In the meantime, continue to dig out DC’s anthology House books and Marvel’s serialized monster soaps with Universally-recognized names. Let them take you back to the days of Ben Cooper costumes, plastic Jack o’ Lantern candy buckets and gobs of sugary candies.
You Can’t Beat This Halloween Treat!
Time is Running Out
Okay, time ran out.
A long time ago.
January 31, 1986, to be exact.
No matter, this in-house ad is still a time capsule. First of all, this baker’s dozen issues for $6.50 – “only 50-cents an issue” – when on-stand prices were $.65 is amazing. As of this writing, fans are paying at least four bucks a pop for their favorite heroes.
Secondly, the artwork takes us back to a time when the Hobgoblin was still a mystery to most of the Marvel U. First introduced in Amazing Spider-Man 238, March 1983, no one was privy to his private identity for years. It was unveiled in AMS 289.
Not only does it bring back memories of the Hobgoblin, but the Green Goblin, too. The illustration is a homage to Amazing Spider-Man issue 39, the issue that revealed the (original) Goblin was Norman Osborne.
The Hobgoblin is a derivative of the Green Goblin, anyway. He came about when one of the original Goblin’s hideouts was discovered. Guess it’s only fitting the advertisement resurrect one of Marvel’s best covers.
It also showcases the titles published in 1985; from Alpha Flight to X-Men. Special books, at varying prices, included Marvel Age, G.I. Joe, Sectaurs, Elf Quest, Transformers, Groo the Wanderer, Dreadstar, Alien Legion, Swashbucklers, Conan the King, Marvel Saga, Marvel Fanfare and Savage Sword of Conan.
The last book was the last of Marvel’s magazine line that played in the periphery of the 1970s.
Though time has run out for the ad, it doesn’t stop us from turning the hands of time back to relive comic book history.
Summer’s Here and the Time is Right…
…for dancing in the streets.
At least, that’s how Martha and the Vandellas finished the line.
DC appropriated the lyric, finishing it with…”for DC comics.”
According to the ad, they’ve got “all the action this summer with hot titles like New Teen Titans…Superman…Hawkman…Booster Gold…Swamp Thing.”
All for nine dollars a subscription. No deals for buying more than one.
This offer was available about the time David Bowie and Mick Jagger charted with their duet of ‘Dancing in the Streets’ shortly after Live Aid. Series like Hex and Adventures of the Outsiders were short lived as the DCU headed into its first crisis.
Though summer isn’t a holiday, the last day of school always seemed like one. So, no matter who sang your favorite version of Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter’s chart topper, enjoy the warm weather and take some time to relax.
‘Dancing in the Streets’ was also covered by the Mamas & the Papas, Van Halen, Grateful Dead and Black Oak Arkansas.
The Colonel of Two Worlds (2015)
Not only did it happen once, or even twice, but three times. DC Comics and KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC, partnered to bring justice by forming an alliance between franchise food founder and four-color heroes.
We’ve already examined the third volume in this trilogy of travesty. While somewhat non linear in our approach to this trio of non-traditional team-ups, Four Color is committed to bringing the whole story – no matter how ludicrous.
The Colonel of Two Worlds (2015)
This time around, Flash rogues Captain Cold and Mirror Master welcome Colonel Sunders from Earth 3. Together they are to use their criminal genius to plunder as never before.
Working from Sunder’s cleverly disguised base of operations, a fast food restaurant called Easy Fried Chicken, robberies, muggings and other sundry foul deeds erupt.
Neither the cheap chicken nor criminal activities go unnoticed. Both the real Colonel Harland Sanders and Justice League founders Flash and Green Lantern come to the rescue.
The Scarlet Speedster and Emerald Gladiator take a back seat to the Colonel’s wrath. The discount franchiser beats a hasty retreat leaving Cold and Mirror Master to receive their just desserts. Sanders takes pity on the pair of felons, offering them a job at a local KFC.
KFC is the second largest restaurant chain with over 30,000 locations around the world. Only McDonald’s outpaces the chicken franchise.
The first location opened in 1952 in Salt Lake, Utah. Sanders sold the company in 1964, though he remained the figurehead.
So, join in some southern fried goodness whether it be homemade or just brought home. Make sure to wipe your fingers before reading the DC Comics/KFC saturated cheesiness, it does bring a few dollars on the collector market.