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Post your favorite Golden Age Classic Covers !!

Started by showcase4,

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showcase4

showcase4

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You want "classic"?! Here is the classic trilogy of covers by that new team of Simon & Kirby fresh from Fox Publications.....

 

1472411-champ8.jpg1472411-champ9.jpg1472411-champ10.jpg

 

Jon,

these books are just gorgeous! True "classic covers"! Thank you for your contributions to this post...and if you'd like an ego boost, check out how many times you were favorably mentioned in the 'Boards Awards' thread

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jbcomicbox

jbcomicbox

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You want "classic"?! Here is the classic trilogy of covers by that new team of Simon & Kirby fresh from Fox Publications.....

 

 

 

Jon,

these books are just gorgeous! True "classic covers"! Thank you for your contributions to this post...and if you'd like an ego boost, check out how many times you were favorably mentioned in the 'Boards Awards' thread

 

gosh you make me blush.....all I try to do is share 'stuff' and hopefully expand the knowledge and breath of the wonderful era of golden age comics for fellow nutcases like me.....jon

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spillred

spillred

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You want "classic"?! Here is the classic trilogy of covers by that new team of Simon & Kirby fresh from Fox Publications.....

 

#10, wow.

 

I'm not familiar with these at all, but what a costume. Bare-chested with a tie-on cape? Priceless laugh.gif

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jbcomicbox

jbcomicbox

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You want "classic"?! Here is the classic trilogy of covers by that new team of Simon & Kirby fresh from Fox Publications.....

 

#10, wow.

 

I'm not familiar with these at all, but what a costume. Bare-chested with a tie-on cape? Priceless laugh.gif

 

Ut oh...you said the "magic words"......"I'm not familar with these at all....."

From the depths of my CBM articles, I submit for your boring pleasure....

 

Or, from those who would label me "a friend"......"$h!8, There he goes again....."

 

HUMAN METEOR

 

Question: What do the Foreign Legion, Texas, Tibet and a taxi cab have in common?

Answer: Duke O’Dowd who streaked across the pages of Champion/Champ Comics as the “Human Meteor”.

 

Obscure in the pantheon of super-heroes who romped about the golden age, O’Dowd underwent one of the slowest transformations to a super-hero of all the characters who put on colorful pajamas. In his first appearance in Champion Comics #6 (April 1940), we meet O’Dowd who is a happy-go-lucky Texan who has just joined the Foreign Legion. Duke, before he joined the Legion, was a crack air pilot and stuntman. His carefree manner and careless tongue often get him in trouble.

 

After months of soldiering, Duke longs for the feel of an airplane and his homeland of Texas. His desire to return home is facilitated after he rescues the daughter of his commandant from some shifty shieks in issue 7. As thanks for saving his daughter, the commandant discharges Duke from further service in the Legion. The story ends as Duke hitches a ride in a bi-plane heading to the U.S. via Manila.

 

Things really pick up in issue 8 as the plane Duke is in gets caught in a tornado in the Himalayas (Yes, I said “a tornado in the Himalayas”.). This Texas-size twister carries him and the plane higher and higher until it crashes on a plateau. His pilot dead, Duke finds himself alone in Bayakura, the lost city. There he is greeted as the “Great Deliverer”. Bayakura is home to a scientifically advanced culture which has been isolated from the outside world by the same windstorms that almost killed Duke.

 

Duke is taken to the city’s leader, Len-lu, who is on his death bed. There, Len-lu annoits Duke as a force for good. “You will free your great outside world from the steadily increasing oppression of evil! You will be aided by unheard of powers that only our advance knowledge of science and invention have make possible.” Overwhelmed, Duke pledges to his best, and, in the words of Duke, “An O’Dowd keeps his word!”

 

Duke is introduced to Wah Le who gives Duke a “wonder belt” which will be the source of his powers. Its operation is explained as follows, “This wonder belt contains an ato-motor. Its radium emanations, exploding atoms, will rocket you through space. It also holds tiny storage batteries, powering an electric energizer to give you super-human strength and create a contra-magnetic field about you to destroy any metal weapon used against you.” Well, no sooner does Duke strap the wonder belt on when he is called on to defeat Frango and his cohorts who plot to take over the city upon the death of Len-lu. In his best fighting Texan mode and with his new powers, Duke saves the city from the evil Frango. His new-found friend, Wah Le, is installed as the city’s new leader.

 

Before leaving the breathless adventure of issue 8, the cover to this issue (as well as to issues 9 and 10) deserve attention. These covers depicting The Human Meteor are little known, but are classic golden age covers. The first is by Joe Simon and the last two by Jack Kirby. Each cover exudes unbridled energy and dynamism. The obscurity of the title and this character have kept these covers “hidden” from collectors of the more well-known classic covers of the better known titles and characters of this era. Reed Crandall also contributed some covers. Later covers which are described as “Kirbyesque” were drawn by Simon under the name “John Henri”. It is believed that many of the issues of this title are fairly rare. Note that the Gerber Photo-Journal does not even depict issues 20-23. Of course, like many lower price goldenage titles, a rise in price would determine their true scarcity. (i.e. does a significant price rise bring more copies into the marketplace?)

 

The publishing history of this series is somewhat obscure. Issues 2 (there was no number 1) through 10 of Champion Comics and issue 11 of Champ Comics (December 1939 to October 1940) was published by Worth Publishing for which no information is known. For a short period of time (issues 12-17, February 1941 through February 1942), the series was published by “Champ Publishing Co.” Again no information is known about this company. However, as of issue 18, this series came under the umbrella of Alfred Harvey (founder of the immensely popular titles of Casper, Richie Rich, Little Dot etc.) who decided to publish comics on his own. His first venture was Pocket Comics (August 1941). Harvey had met Joe Simon while Simon was the art director for Fox publications. Simon prepared the cover for this issue. Harvey also acquired Speed Comics and began publishing this series with issue 14 (September 1941). Again a pocket-size book. (According to Simon this concept was successful- too successful, in that store owners complained that the reduced size made the books susceptible to shop-lifting.) As of June 1942 Harvey also began publishing Green Hornet Comics.

 

It appears that the earlier adventures of the Human Meteor were drawn by Louie Cazeneuve, while the later exploits were drawn by Arthur Peddy. Cazeneuve drew for many of the earliest golden age companies including Fox, Harvey, Centaur etc. (In fact, according to Goulart’s Great History of Comic Books, Cazeneuve drew the Red Raven story for Timely.) Arthur Peddy also was deeply involved with the early golden age titles drawing features for Fox, Fiction House and Quality. He drew many of the early episodes of the Phantom Lady.

 

Meanwhile, back in Bayakura, Duke is given a new outfit by Wah Le, more in keeping with the respectable super-hero of the day. Viewing criminal activity on the telovox, Duke leaves on his quest to suppress evil. Streaking to New York he makes short work of a gang that has plunged the city into darkness. His contramagnetic field comes in handy to repel bullets. However, Duke discovers the field has no effect on wood. (Move over Green Lantern!)

 

By issue #11 (October 1940) he becomes a cab driver and takes under his wing (what had become a popular comic fixture) a boy companion named “Toby”.

 

. The middle issues of this title suffered from spotty publication (see chart) which probably accounts for the spotty quality of these stories. Many of these stories involved intrigue with fifth columnists and the such. Stories included confrontation with the “Scaly Dragon”, a band of Japanese sabateurs in Cincinatti, thwarting Japanese spys which paint to top of buildings in Los Angelos to guide bombing runs and battling Gestapo agents and their fiendish plans on the America shores.

 

By the beginning of World War II, Duke and Toby were in full swing protecting the shores of the U.S.A. from foreign enemies. Nearing the end of the run, Duke finally took his fight against the Nazis to Europe. However, this was not enough to save the title which folded two issues later (#25 April 1943).

 

Although of no lasting impact or importance, “The Human Meteor” was yet another thread in the colorful tapesty of the golden age.

 

 

rights reserved Jon Berk

 

Publication History of Champ/Champion Comics

 

Jan. Feb. March April May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

 

1939 2

 

1940 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

 

1941 12 13 14 15 16

 

1942 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

 

1943 25

 

 

Worth Publishing Co. issues 2-11

Champ Publishing Co. issues 12-17

Family Comics, Inc. (Harvey) issues 18-25

 

 

(Thanks to Howard Keltner for the data used in this chart)

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selegue

selegue

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I've never looked that this cover before -- it's Dave Berg!

I can't exactly say why it, especially Capt Courageous (who looks like he ran into a Starro the Conqueror prototype), reminds me of Chris Ware's washed-up superhero in Jimmy Corrigan.

 

Interesting cover -- and gorgeous copy, of course.

 

Jack

 

another obscure classic cover

 

1473113-1favf5copy.jpg

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