Imagine if Action 1 Had Been A Flip book With... 0

[Cat]

So, the thread on identifying the earliest known flip book got me thinking, you know. Imagine if Action #1 had been a flip book with one half covering the debut of Superman. Flip it over and voila! The debut of Batman (yeah I'm messing with the time lines here). I wonder how that would have changed the comics world, and it's standard presentation of its fair, and how it's stories are told. Would there be the Marvel method and the Action 1 method? 

 What can you see happening differently if history had gone down this way? 

And finally, if you had this book, which cover would you display? The Action 1 cover we all know and love, or the 'new' cover, that in our timeline went on to be the cover to Detective Comics #27. 

[BigLeagueCHEW]

I’d cut the book in half, sub to CGC and double my profit 

TEC 27 all day for me 

[Lazyboy]

Flip books are generally used when an issue contains two stories and they want to showcase both (not relegating one to a backup). Action Comics was an anthology title, with more than two stories per issue (as was Detective Comics), so even if the idea for flip books existed then, it wouldn't have made much sense.

3 hours ago, Mecha_Fantastic said:

Would there be the Marvel method and the Action 1 method?

Well, most of the biggest (early) Marvel heroes debuted in their own feature stories in anthology titles as well. Now, that might have been because of publishing restrictions rather than the standard way comics were done at the time of the early DCs, but it still happened.

[aardvark88]

Sure would have been nice to have a Zatarra back flip cover on Action #1. Magicians and illusionists that travel the world on adventures would have sold more copies.

[theCapraAegagrus]

12 hours ago, Mecha_Fantastic said:

What can you see happening differently if history had gone down this way?

The moon landing would have actually been faked, scientist would declare that the world is actually flat, and world would have actually ended in 2012.

[Cat]

12 hours ago, Lazyboy said:

Flip books are generally used when an issue contains two stories and they want to showcase both (not relegating one to a backup). Action Comics was an anthology title, with more than two stories per issue (as was Detective Comics), so even if the idea for flip books existed then, it wouldn't have made much sense.

Well, most of the biggest (early) Marvel heroes debuted in their own feature stories in anthology titles as well. Now, that might have been because of publishing restrictions rather than the standard way comics were done at the time of the early DCs, but it still happened.

 

I know, but work with me here. Alternate timeline! 

[Cat]

6 minutes ago, Amazeron said:

 

You can always purchase Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27, get the scissors and tape out, and boom! Your own one of a kind flip book. That’s an arts and craft project you can do in this timeline.

It'll get me some views on YouTube.