DC's checkerboard

[deathlok]

 

I just finished this and posted it on my blog.

 

One of my favorite comic book gimmicks has always been the use of the checkerboard. This was the black and white artwork at the top of DC comics which was featured on all DC titles from February 1966 – August 1967. Several classic covers have the checkerboard at the top of the cover, covers like Detective #357. The checkerboard appeared the most on Action comics, a total of 20 issues. Three titles started with checkerboard covers on them, including Swing with Scooter, Plastic Man, and Inferior Five. In all, 535 issues carried the innovative design on the cover.

 

Here is a checklist of checkerboard covers:

 

Action Comics #333-352 (20)

Adventure Comics #341-358 (18)

Adventures of Bob Hope #98-106 (9)

Adventures of Jerry Lewis #93-101 (9)

All-American Men of War #114-117 (4)

Aquaman #26-34 (9)

Atom #24-32 (9)

Batman #179-193 (15)

Blackhawk #218-234 (17)

Brave and the Bold #64-72 (9)

Capt. Storm #12-18 (7)

Challengers of the Unknown #49-57 (9)

Detective Comics #348-365 (18)

Doom Patrol #102-112 (11)

Falling In Love #82-92 (11)

Flash #159-171 (13)

Fox and the Crow #96-104 (9)

G.I. Combat #117-124 (8)

Girls’ Love Stories #117-128 (12)

Girls’ Romances #115-126 (12)

Green Lantern #43-54 (12)

Hawkman #13-20 (8)

Heart Throbs #100-108 (9)

House of Mystery #157-168 (12)

House of Secrets #77-80 (4)

Inferior Five #1-3 (3)

Justice League of America #43-54 (12)

Metal Men #18-26 (9)

Metamorpho #5-13 (9)

Mystery in Space #106-110 (5)

Our Army at War #165-183 (18)

Our Fighting Forces #98-108 (11)

Plastic Man #1-5 (5)

Sea Devils #28-35 (8)

Secret Hearts #110-120 (11)

Showcase #61-69 (9)

Star Spangled War Stories #126-133 (8)

Strange Adventures #185-202 (18)

Sugar and Spike #64-71 (8)

Superboy #127-140 (14)

Superman #185-198 (14)

Superman’s Girl-Friend Lois Lane #63-75 (13)

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #91-103 (13)

Swing with Scooter #1-7 (7)

Tales of the Unexpected #94-101 (8)

Teen Titans #2-10 (9)

Tomahawk #103-111 (9)

Wonder Woman #161-171 (11)

World’s Finest Comics #156-167 (12)

Young Love #54-62 (9)

Young Romance #141-148 (8)

 

 

So what are your favorite checkerboard covers?

[rob_react]

My favorite books with the checkerboard are the Animal Man Strange Adventure issues.

[Sal]

i like the "DC Salutes The Bicentennial" flag thing they did...my favourite example being this one;

 

 

Although I like the checkers too, for vague reasons unrelated to my youth, since i warn't born yet when they came out with them things

[nearmint]

I like the 80 Page Giants...

 

 

 

[Sal]

admit it, you only like that JO 95 because it has a shot of Jimmy in drag on the cover

[nearmint]

[Aman619]

cool! Go-Go checks are back baby! rrrooowwwllllllll

[tth2]

Great work, DL. First time I`ve seen a list of the go-go checkerboard covers compiled.

[tth2]

Here`s a scan of one of the few checkerboard issues that I own.

 

[deathlok]

Love that cover.

[nearmint]

Here are a few more...

 

 

 

 

[sterlingcomics]

I've always wondered "why the checkerboard was used". Good info

[deathlok]

As a joke, Marvel printed this Captain America cover with checkerboard.

 

[deathlok]

I've always wondered "why the checkerboard was used". Good info

 

some more information I found on the "Go-Go Checks"

 

Known as Go-Go Checks, the checkerboard pattern that ran across the top of every issue for a year and a half was not simply a reflection of the era's pop-art movement. Since some newsstand racks displayed comics vertically, revealing only the upper portion of a book, the pattern was intended to make DC's comics stand out and thus, theoretically, increase sales. "What a ridiculous thing," Carmine Infantino declared. "It was the stupidest idea we ever heard because the books were bad in those days and that just showed people right off what not to buy." But Donenfeld disagreed: "I was trying to find a way of making DC Comics pop out on the newsstand. It wasn't a bad idea; it just didn't work the way I wanted it to. It didn't add anything, but I thought it might." In fact, total sales for the entire DC line during this period were at their peak for the 1960s, sales for Batman-related titles increased dramatically, and DC was outselling all of its competitors. The checks were most likely cancelled as a waste of precious cover space, and interestingly, sales did begin to stall about a year later.

[nearmint]

Maybe they should bring the go-go checks back. And maybe Marvel should use them too!

[tth2]

great stuff, Jeff!

[Jeffreykli]

Here's the only checkerboard book that I have scanned. Low grade, but gotta love the catfight cover. Meow!

 

[Red Hook]

[divad]

Here are ones I have scanned:

 

 

 

[sterlingcomics]

As a joke, Marvel printed this Captain America cover with checkerboard.

 

 

too funny