By various (Atlas Publishing & Distribution)
No ISBN
This is a volume of great personal significance to me. My parents were both immigrants to Britain in the aftermath of World War II and I was born at the end of the 1950s. My father was artistic himself and somehow came up with the idea of using comics as a means of teaching me – and I suspect, himself – to read English.
On Christmas Day 1962, this was among the pile of hardback volumes that emerged from the blizzard of wrapping paper my pudgy fingers scattered through our living room. I’ve deduced since what other books I got that day, but this is one I can actually recall reading, both on Dad’s lap and later, over and again in front of the fireplace.
I don’t know what captured my interest. There was no colour, unlike Eagle, Swift, Dandy or Beano. There were no text pages like Lion, no photo features. There were just lots of sleekly drawn, fantastic characters, and they “spoke†like the people on the telly.
I know now that this book featured adventures of Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen (‘The Lady-Killer From Metropolis’, ‘The Most Amazing Camera in the World’, ‘Olsen’s Super-Supper’ and ‘Jimmy Olsen’s Wedding’ all drawn by Curt Swan), as well as the amazing ‘Secret of the Sunken Satellite!’ and ‘The Super-Gorilla’s Secret Identity’ starring the Flash and captivatingly illustrated by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella.
There were five Aquaman thrillers all drawn by Ramona Fradon (‘Aquaman and his Sea Police!’, ‘The Animal Master’, ‘The Adventures of Aquaboy!’, ‘The Menace of Aqualad!’ and ‘Aquaman Joins the Navy!’), two Tommy Tomorrow sci-fi yarns (‘The Menace of the Metal Monster’ and ‘The Gambling Asteroid’ both illustrated by Jim Mooney) and ‘How Krypto Made History,’ a Superboy story drawn by George Papp. The book also had a number of gag pages by Henry Boltinoff.
What a tribute to the abilities of those early creators that these tales were so well-constructed that even a tubby toddler could be beguiled and bemused and become the grizzled, raddled addict of today. This is a book that will always say “Merry Christmas†to me.
© 1962, 1963 National Periodical Publications, Inc., New York.
This is another one I have very vague — yet fond — memories of. I got a copy off of a friend when I was very young. Probably six or seven. It was one of the first times I’d ever seen a Superman story, other than the cartoons on TV, and was definitely the first time I’d ever seen Aquaman. The latter really fascinated me.
I was quite disturbed to discover that not all the pages were present, so I’ve only read about half the book!
It’s entirely probable that it was this that led me to a life of collecting comics. Well, this and a slightly later Super DC Annual, which really was a book I absolutely fell in love with that is directly responsible for my love of all things Silver Age.