CRIVENS! COMICS & STUFF!: THE ESSENTIAL SHOWCASE 1956-1959... (A FABULOUS FLASHBACK)

Monday, 24 January 2022

THE ESSENTIAL SHOWCASE 1956-1959... (A FABULOUS FLASHBACK)

Back in 1992, DC COMICS released a nice little softcover edition called The ESSENTIAL SHOWCASE 1956-1959, and it's a right little cracker. Containing milestone issues, it features the first appearances of FIREMAN FARRELL, the Silver Age FLASH, CHALLENGERS Of The UNKNOWN, ADAM STRANGE, plus LOIS LANE in her first solo magazine adventures, which later led to her own long-running title.

Incidentally, I've only shown the splash pages of the first story in those issues that contain more than one, so there's actually more content than you'd think from a glance at the images which follow. The book is a nice little collectors' item and chances are you'll be able to track one down on eBay should you feel so inclined.

While you're thinking about it, you can pore over the power- packed piccies that I now present for your personal perusal within the peaceful perimeters of your own home. Nice, ain't I?

10 comments:

Spirit of '64 said...: Makes me feel very old....can't believe it came out 30 years ago.
A nice little compilation.; 24 January 2022 at 23:31
Kid said...: Neither can I. Frightening, isn't it?! How can 30 years go by so fast?; 25 January 2022 at 02:26
McSCOTTY said...: I wasn't aware Lois Lane started in Showcase I always thought she went straight to her own comic and had had her own title since the late 1940s.; 25 January 2022 at 10:57
Kid said...: Nah, started in Showcase, McS - as did The Flash (Silver Age) and The Challengers. Others as well, probably.; 25 January 2022 at 12:26
baggsey said...: Any idea why Showcase stopped? Did DC run out of ideas for new comics, or did readers stop suggesting new ideas? Looking at the range of comics published today by DC, there seem to be a million Batman titles and not much else. Marvel seems to be on the same track - publishing multiple books about a single character. Perhaps both companies have so much IP and so many characters that they don't see the need for new content?; 27 January 2022 at 21:30
Kid said...: I'd guess circulation eventually declined to such an extent that it was no longer profitable to produce it, B. Number 93 was the last issue in 1970, though it was revived for 11 issues in 1977. Incidentally, originally New Gods was planned to be #94, before it was decided to launch it in its own mag. There was a DC mag called New talent Showcase in 1984, but I think I only bought the first three issues. In the '90s, Showcase was relaunched yet again for around three years, before again being cancelled.; 27 January 2022 at 21:58
ianintheuk said...: Off subject but I would like to know if you are going to review the new SPIDER book being published next week.; 27 January 2022 at 22:24
Kid said...: I'm certainly going to be buying it, so I may possibly review it - time will tell.; 27 January 2022 at 22:27
Phil S said...: Reminds me of when Adventure Comics, Brave and the bold and World’s Finest were all cancelled. In my opinion bad moves- in retrospect. At the time we all thought ok low sales cancel . Now we realize certain titles have leftover readers or readers who like the concept of a book. Team up books of Superman and Batman and Batman and guess hero.
World’s Finest got killed when DC decided to make Bats and Supes enemies. Then later- they decided to give them team up book called - Batman and Superman.; 28 January 2022 at 04:54
Kid said...: Can't really blame DC (or any company) for cancelling mags with low sales though, PS. If they're losing money, they've got to go. Sure, they'll use a similar format again, but sometimes that's the triumph of hope over experience.; 28 January 2022 at 09:26

About the artist:

From 1985 to 2000 A.D. (little joke there), I contributed to a variety of high profile comics and magazines for various companies.

For IPC/FLEETWAY/EGMONT, I freelanced as a lettering and logo artist on various weekly comics and monthly magazines, and also as a resize comic artist and spot illustrator on pocket books, summer specials and annuals.

For MARVEL U.K., BLACK LIBRARY, REDAN and USBORNE BOOKS, I again freelanced as a lettering artist, also working as a restoration artist for MARVEL U.S., restoring and re-creating certain pages of JACK KIRBY art for their MARVEL MASTERWORKS editions.

I also lettered the MARVELMAN sample pages submitted to MARVEL U.S. when they were considering acquiring the character, which - as we all now know - they DID.

Supplied comic strips, cartoons and illustrated advertisements for local business campaigns and newspaper publication on a professional basis since the age of 16. Did my first paid art job for publication at 14 or 15 for Lanarkshire Education Board.

Have also made TV appearances as a collector of memorabilia.

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Just some of the titles I worked on are:

2000 A.D. * JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE * DICEMAN * SONIC The COMIC * JUDGE DREDD, LAWMAN Of The FUTURE * CRISIS * REVOLVER * EAGLE * TIGER * BATTLE ACTION-FORCE * BUSTER * WHIZZER & CHIPS * WHOOPEE * NIPPER * SCHOOL FUN * ACE VENTURA, PET DETECTIVE * The REAL GHOSTBUSTERS * DOCTOR WHO MAGAZINE * COUNT DUCKULA * RUGRATS * The TRANSFORMERS * DEATH'S HEAD * THUNDERCATS * GALAXY RANGERS * DRAGON'S CLAWS * SINDY * MARVEL MASTERWORKS * The TROLLS * LOADED * INFERNO * WARHAMMER * ROSE BLACK.

Copyright Notice:

Images remain the property of their respective copyright owners and are used here only for the purpose of review, promotion, and nostalgia.

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In the case of images culled from my own collection where copyright of an item isn't mine, I impose no copying restrictions on fellow bloggers.

(Although, if you don't allow copying on your own site, then you really shouldn't be copying from others, should you?)

And while you can credit this blog if you like, it's not mandatory. Who has time to make notes of every casually visited site during an idle browse of the internet?

In the case of anyone copying images of my own artwork and calligraphy, I affirm my right to be identified as the creator, and any such copying should not be for the purpose of monetary or material gain. (Unless it's mine.)

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Please also note that this blog is not sponsored by, affiliated with, or connected to, any organisation, business, or group, and is wholly independent.