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A few years back, I purchased the DC ARCHIVES six-volume set of WALLY WOOD's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS, and what a cracking set it is, Gromit. (There was a seventh volume six years later, containing non-Tower tales.) However, I'm also lucky enough to own, in various shades of condition, several original TOWER COMICS issues from the '60s. Good as the books are, there's just something about the original comics - with their Ben-Day dot colouring, distinctive smell of the paper, and the various advertisements - which brings the period alive in a way that deluxe hardcover editions are unable to do.
Anyway, as you all know, I'm an extremely generous fella, so I thought I'd share some covers with you here. That way, you can enjoy them almost as much as I do. And don't miss Part Two.
6 comments:
Noman's invisibility made him the least noticeable thing on the cover of his first solo issue. He was actually featured more prominently on the cover of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7. But maybe they decided that they had to play up his invisibility, as that was his main gimmick.
I suppose they also figured that even if the kids couldn't spot him on the cover from a distance, a caveman threatening a pretty girl was enough of an attraction. And no doubt those who were close enough to make out Noman's figure would be intrigued if they weren't already familiar with who he was and what his powers were.
I'm almost surprised that the stories with the Iron Maiden got published with the Comics Code seal. She presented the same kind of problem as Catwoman: she made crime seem glamourous and attractive. My impression is that Tower Comics, like Marvel, was aiming at a slightly older audience than DC. Not adults, of course, but maybe teenagers. Also, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. was influenced as much by the Man from U.N.C.L.E. as by the Justice League or Avengers. And sexual suggestiveness was always a big part of the 1960's spy adventure genre.
Her failed schemes demonstrated that 'crime does not pay', and her curvy figure was covered from head to toe with no navel or bosom exposed. That must have kept the Code satisfied, I suppose.
I totally agree that no matter how good these archive editions are the originals had a "something" about them. I've personally found where I didn't get to read these stories in the 60s, and archive edition will do, but when I knew the originals they won't - weird huh?
It's like someone once said they don't get the same kick from reading/owning a comic they have picked up later in life to replace 'their original' as they do with those they kept!
We are weird, aren't we?
Well, I know I am (weird, that is). I think the originals we kept are always going to have a special quality to them, Norman, but I find that when I replace a comic or toy, it somehow 'becomes' the one I had when younger. It's a strange, magical, mystical process, but none the less real for all that. Thanks for commenting.
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