InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Inconceivable!"

glaurung_quena (glaurung_quena) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-03-01 16:46:00

Entry tags:

char: alfred pennyworth, char: bat-mite, char: batgirl/oracle/barbara gordon, char: batman/bruce wayne, char: catwoman/selina kyle, char: etrigan/jason blood, char: jim gordon, char: joker, char: man-bat/kirk langstrom, char: penguin/oswald cobblepot, char: ra's al ghul, char: riddler/edward nigma, char: robin/nightwing/dick grayson, char: scarecrow/jonathan crane, char: two-face/harvey dent, publisher: dc comics, title: batman family

Batman Family "Dollar comic" back covers
IJ account created, check. Joined S_D 2.0, check. ~~Userpic, can't find the damn thing, heck with it I'll get one later~~. Here we go...

The relentless stagflation of the 70's was not kind to comics. 50 cents for a 100 page super-spectacular became 60 cents, then became 60 cents for a 64 page giant, and finally 60 cents for a 48 page "giant." (back then, comic companies were actually reluctant to raise cover prices, you see). Then came the "Dollar Comic," at 80 pages for a dollar, with all-new content. But 80 pages was just too much paper to be affordable, so after only a few months of 80 page dollar comics, the page count was cut back to 64 pages.

But again, this was an era when comic publishers felt a responsibility to deliver value for your dollar, so DC eliminated all advertising from the 64 page dollar comics. 64 pages with no ads was nearly the same number of story pages as 80 pages with ads, so they could tell readers that nothing had changed except a lower printing bill for DC. And it gave the artists the opportunity to create pinups for the back cover.

Batman Family was merged with Detective Comics around this time: here are the back covers to Detective 481-485.

(This was for the 40th anniversary issue of Detective)

The no-ads Dollar Comic didn't last long, of course: as stagflation continued, the ads came back, then the page count was reduced again to 48 pages (again with no ads), but this time the back cover was really a house ad in disguise (the "front page" of The Daily Planet, showcasing various DC titles being published that month). Dollar comics stayed ad-free with 48 pages for something like a year before the ads came back again, and shortly thereafter the "Dollar Comic" line was cancelled for good.

If I have the time, and if there's interest, I may post scans from the back covers of my Superman Family dollar comics later this month.

Dial-uppers may want to visit my flikr stream instead of clicking that link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/glaurung_quena/3317657829/

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	04nbod 2009-03-01 04:00 pm UTC (link)
	Its so weird to see how the batman family has grew. It's probably a bit too big now actually. The Superfamily is OK as long as they keep Power girl a bit to the side and keep the main family Superman, Supergirl and Superboy. (and streaky and krypto) (Reply to this) (Thread)

glaurung_quena
2009-03-01 04:15 pm UTC (link)

Well, basically every $1 sized issue of Batman Family had Robin, Batgirl, and Batman, plus some other guys, ranging from the vaguely logical (Alfred, Man-Bat, Commissioner Gordon) to the just plain weird (Roy Raymond: TV detective, Black Lightning, the Human Target).

Superman Family of that era had a much bigger cast, with no weird appendages like "The Odd Man": there were always stories featuring Superman, Jimmy Olson, Lois Lane and Supergirl, and then one or more of: Krypto, Blackhawk and Nightwing (heroes of Kandor), or Mr and Mrs Superman (Clark and Lois from Earth-2).

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	04nbod 2009-03-01 06:05 pm UTC (link)
	Can you imagine a Batman family book now? Nightwing, Robin, Jason Todd, Alfred, Oracle, Batgirl, Huntress, Spoiler, Catwoman, Batwoman,Damian, pobably Manhunter as she is gotham's new DA, The Question, Simon Dark could fit, Azrael, Zatanna..throw in Ace and its a deal (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	aaron_bourque 2009-03-02 02:45 pm UTC (link)
	Has Simon met Batman? I got the impression that he's off in his own corner on Gotham, and, really, Jason Blood would be a better fit in Si's comic than Batman. (Reply to this) (Parent)

aaron_bourque
2009-03-01 04:29 pm UTC (link)

It makes more sense for Batman to have a huge pseudo-family than Superman, ironically. I remember an old study, possibly bull, I read once about how the more mature and adjusted you are, the fewer friends you have, and the less those friends act as a surrogate family. Supes is more "family values," but on the other hand, also more adjusted. Bruce, well . . .

Aaron "The Mad Whitaker" Bourque; and he tends to attract those who need a surrogate family, too, who bring their own surrogate family into an ever widening circle.

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	sistermagpie 2009-03-01 05:54 pm UTC (link)
	Also being a human being, Batman could use more help, and more people can do what he does. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	redsilkscarf 2009-03-01 04:04 pm UTC (link)
	God, Dick Grayson in the 70s. It's at the point where he's starting to look little too adult to be wearing those panties... in an entirely good way, though. ;-) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	tsuki_the_geek 2009-03-01 06:42 pm UTC (link)
	ABSOLUTELY in a good way (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	redsilkscarf 2009-03-01 10:56 pm UTC (link)
	XD Now where is icon_uk?? scans_daily will not fully be able to appreciate Dick Grayson without his presence. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	tsuki_the_geek 2009-03-01 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	Seriously! :( (Reply to this) (Parent)

	knastymike 2009-03-01 04:14 pm UTC (link)
	Who is that in the villains portrait rocking the green suit with matching giant green cape with collar-hood? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	aaron_bourque 2009-03-01 04:20 pm UTC (link)
	Ra's al-Ghul. You may have heard of him. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	thandrak 2009-03-01 04:42 pm UTC (link)
	I was thinking the same thing till I noticed the beard, to be honest. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	knastymike 2009-03-01 04:44 pm UTC (link)
	yes, but I didn't realize he had terrible fashion tastes at one time. He normally seems a pretty snappy dresser. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	filbypott 2009-03-01 04:58 pm UTC (link)
	To be fair, the outfit looked a little better when drawn in slightly more detail. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	leikomgwtfbbq 2009-03-01 05:34 pm UTC (link)
	...Oh. I thought he was the Riddler's even-more-fashion-challenged cousin or something. Dayum. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	bwmedia.wordpress.com 2009-03-01 07:11 pm UTC (link)
	It's nice to see Commissioner Gordon got to visit the Batcave. :) (Reply to this)

	kamino_neko 2009-03-01 08:17 pm UTC (link)
	Goddess, the image of Batman LOOMING over the skyline of Gotham doesn't fill me with security. Pants-wetting dread is more like it. And this is the FRIENDLY Batman.... (Reply to this) (Thread)

mysteryfan
2009-03-01 10:39 pm UTC (link)

You're so right about the first panel up there. I went back to look.

Batman Family is ---I love that title. I collected all twenty, and I still can't believe DC suddenly had to give it up to save Detective (Although I'm glad they did and it was the right thing to do). It's amazing and probably completely unrepeatable that so many bat-characters could be featured in one book. Each one's story being so remarkably--if not always the best story on earth ever--character consistent.

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	kamino_neko 2009-03-01 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	The Implosion killed a lot of good titles, it really rather sucked, that way. >_> (Reply to this) (Parent)

	jesidres 2009-03-01 11:00 pm UTC (link)
	I will never, EVER get sick of Dick in the green armor panties and pixie boots. Ok, maybe I will, but I haven't yet. (Reply to this)

	rabican 2009-03-02 11:57 am UTC (link)
	I could actually go for that new costume of Robin's. (Reply to this)