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...