Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Chew the Fat: Back Covers, Overlooked Troves of Nostalgia and Art



 
Hot Wheels ad from the back cover of Showcase # 77

Redartz:  We're going to turn things around today, and start from the back. Back covers, that is. Discussions of comic books often involve references to the front covers, which is only sensible. The front cover is the first thing we see, designed to get our attention and inspire a purchase. But comic books have two covers, and that back cover is often overlooked and forgotten. Usually you'll find advertising placed there, selling anything from GRIT to computer games. You'll see many examples of such ads below. 

But sometimes, actual artwork would be presented on the backside. Wrap-around covers, continuous images connected with the front cover, are perhaps the most common example of such artwork. Yet sometimes unrelated imagery would be used. In researching this post (involving pulling a lot of books out of bags, actually) I found DC to be far more likely to use artwork on the back than Marvel. My assessment is admittedly unscientific, do any of you have thoughts about this? 

And going back to the Silver Age and earlier, back covers could actually feature a story (as in some Disney comics, an example awaits below).  Much more often, though, they too would carry advertising (ads which were prettAty ambitious, even executed in comic form themselves). One of many things I find fascinating about collecting older comics is exactly this topic, seeing the variety of ads on the back (and inside) of the comics. Some are almost historic ( ads with testimonials from Mickey Mantle, for instance); some are just strange (an example of such also lurks below). 



So with no further ado, here is an array of back covers from the last several decades. Make a game of it, a few can probably be identified. Most, though, are impossible to guess without seeing the front. You'll find the list of books at the end... 

































Sorry about that last one; it's rather disturbing, I know. Clowns and marionettes, sounds like a perfect combination to inspire nightmares. Anyway, just had to share that. You're welcome.

Now, in the interests of full disclosure, here is the list (in order) of the comics from which those back covers came:

Madame Xanadu #1, Justice League of America #200,  Detective Comics #481, X-Men/Teen Titans, Marvel Fanfare #1, Marvel Fanfare #6, Giant-Size Man-Thing #4, Uncle Scrooge #14, Marvel Feature #1, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #221, Fantastic Four #268, Defenders #54, Alpha Flight #3, Superman #207, Archie at Riverdale High #67, Betty and Veronica #1, Superman #245, Dell Comic Album #14, Fantastic Four #236, Justice League of America #60, Action Comics #324, Superman #400, All-Star Squadron #1, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #172.

 So how about this 'view from the back'? What other frequent ads do you remember? What books featured actual art on the back, rather than ads? Pull out a long box, turn it backwards and have a look...

11 comments:

Selenarch said...

I think there is a whole book someone could write on the subject of comic book advertisements. The whens, hows and whats of those ads which are actually integral to the whole experience of reading Bronze Age books. I remember always feeling a little sad about them, because they marked the end of the book. And thinking of it now, I wonder why the concept of turning the back to art, like the b-side of a record, didn't happen more often. There's the money issue of course, but is it happening more now when ads are so much less present, if at all? There's a lot to think about there -- for me at least -- but then again, I still ponder a lot about the death of the thought balloon ...

Edo Bosnar said...

Ah, yes. The back-page advertisements. I'll just refer you to one of my favorites, from one of my guest posts at the BAB on the very topic of comic book advertisements: I give the the pure WTF-ness of saving the universe with banana talkies (from the back cover of Avengers Annual #9).

Charlie Horse 47 said...

I really dig the D.C. 100 pager with Super Chief, Super man, Kid Eternity... I have it; it's beat up; I keep it for the beautiful cover front AND back! Great subject Red! Thanks amigo!

Martinex1 said...

I think a back cover is where I first heard of Legos. They were not around when I was younger.

I also distinctly remember an ad for the movie Orca with the whale smashing the boat. I studied that picture closely.

Edo - that banana thing was indeed weird; even as a kid I recall thinking that makes absolutely no sense. It is funny that there is a line that can be crossed in credibility even to a child.

Anonymous said...


I remember these types of ads well. I especially remember in 1983-1984 when video games were the main product on the back covers. I came to associate certain ads with certain months.

The Popeye game was during Assistant Editors Month, for example.

But the ad I remember the most was a Star Wars game, showing an X-Wing pilot assaulting the death star. I remember Death Star month had so many good comics come out:

X-Men #175 20th anniversary
Daredevil #200
Thor #337 (first Simonson, complete with classic Beta Ray Bill cover)
Avengers #237 (very fun project pegasus brawl)
New Mutants #9 (Sunspot vs. Cannonball, a fight I'd always wanted to see)
Alpha Flight #4 and Fantastic Four #260 (a Byrne crossover)

I associate all those with that Death Star ad. 1983 was a good comic book year.

-david p.

Redartz said...

Selenarch- you offer a good question; why wasn't art used as a back cover more often. As for today's ads, they often seem to be house ads or movie ads. Nothing fun like the old days, alas.

Edo- thanks for linking your post. That was a great one! As for saving the universe with bananas- perhaps it would have been simpler with grapefruit?

David p.- Good recall on those back covers. Some fine books you mention. And if you like the offerings from 1983, keep watching this space- that year is on the books for a "year's best comic stories" treatment...

Mike Wilson said...

Hey, Madame Xanadu! I always thought she was kinda cool.

I remember some of these ... the "Make Money, Win Prizes" thing; the Spalding ad with Dr. J was pretty much ubiquitous in the 70s (as the Parker Brothers and Burger time ones were in the 80s); the Lego and M&M ones are familiar too. There was also a Dungeons & Dragons ad that ran on a lot of back covers in the 80s ... I think it was for a video game, not the RPG.

Killraven said...

Cool subject.

I remember many of those. I also recall Evel Knievel ads (more than one).
And how about those Battlestar Galactica T-shirts? I always wanted one.
I think the one that sticks out the most was the ad for Star Trek TMP. I was so looking forward to that movie and those ads teased me for months. Of course then I went and seen it and...


As for the wrap around covers, I have a faded memory of seeing a Justice Society mag with one. Does anyone else have that in their memory banks? Or was I just imagining it all.

The Prowler said...

First things first, the Spaulding ad was Dr J AND Rick Barry.

Secondly, tying into a post we had a few days back, the Army men that made the realistic sound. The ad showed the soldier firing his weapon and you could see the rat-a-tat-tat sound effect. I think the bases also interlocked so you could have different units.

B-ly, to touch upon the Evel Knievel ad for his Adventure RV, there was a Storage Wars episode where Darrell found an unopened Adventure RV, still sealed, in the box. They took it to a Hobby Shop to get it appraised and I though the owner was going to cry...

Lastly, the CIE ad with the CIE super hero. He had an all white costume with little wings on his mask. Just a side note, CIE, the Cleveland Institute of Electronics is still operating and offering "life changing classes" today.

Some of my favorite back cover ads, and I know this was later, were the "Drink Milk" ads. In this day and age of repent lactose intolerance, could we still run those ads... Hmmm.

(I'm wearin'
Fur pyjamas
I ride a
Hot Potata'
It's tickling my fancy
Speak up, I can't hear you

Here on this mountaintop
Woahoho
I got some wild, wild life
I got some new to tell ya
Woahoho
About some wild, wild life
Here comes the doctor in charge
Woahoho
She's got some wild, wild life
Ain't that the way you like it?
Ho, ha!
Living wild, wild life.

I wrestle, with your conscience
You wrestle, with your partner
Sittin' on a window sill, but he
Spends time behind closed doors

Check out Mr. Businessman
Oh, ho ho
He bought some wild, wild life
On the way to the stock exchange
Oh, ho ho
He got some wild, wild life
Break it up when he opens the door
Whoahoho
He's doin' wild, wild life
I know that's the way you like it
Wo ho
Living wild, wild life

Peace of mind?
Piece of cake!
Thought control!
You get on board anytime you like

Like sittin' on pins and needles
Things fall apart, it's scientific

Sleeping on the interstate
Woah ho ah
Getting wild, wild life
Checkin' in, a checkin' out!
Uh, huh!
I got a wild, wild life
Spending all of my money and time
Oh, ho ho
Done too much wild, wild
We wanna go, where we go, where we go
Oh, ho ho!
I doing wild, wild
I know it, that's how we start
Uh, huh
Got some wild, wild life
Take a picture, here in the daylight
Oh, ho!
And it's a wild, wild life
You've grown so tall, you've grown so fast
Oh, ho ho
Wild, wild
I know that's the way you like it
Oh, ho!
Living wild wild wild wild, life).


PS: in a "life's weird moments" moment, I spent some time with my sister recently and discovered she's been watching Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and is awaiting the new Defenders premiere. I let her know there was an Iron Fist show also. I think she's going to try to catch up this weekend...

Dr. O said...

One of the reasons I still collect single issues of older comics are for the ads (and letters pages) which are lost in the collected editions. They are a great window into the era, and the evolution of the ads themselves. I sometimes wonder the degree to which the improvement of paper stock and print quality in comics was pushed by the desire to serve more attractive ads.

Anyway, I have two posts over at The Middle Spaces that discuss back cover ads.

One is part of an examination of an issue of Golden Legacy (an educational Black History Comic series from the 60s and 70s) that includes a response from A&P to the public outcry to their discriminatory hiring practices as a back cover ad. It is: “The More Things Change. . .” Golden Legacy, Affirmative Action & Black Comics

The other uses a video game hotline ad as a way to think about the relationship of toxic masculinity and video games even in the early days. Check it out here: “For a Good Time. . .” – Calling Up Sexist Impulses to Sell Video Games

But yeah, I do love a wrap-around cover. The X-Men/Teen Titans one especially.

Redartz said...

Osvaldo- thank you for sharing those links to your articles. Fascinating reading; I found the first column particularly relevant given recent events. I'll make a point of watching out for those Golden Legacy books.

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