RKMBs Forums .::Robegories::. Comic Books DC 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR

I loved these DC 100-pagers when they came out back from 1971-1975, a mixture of great new material, as well as reprint material that spanned from the 1940's to the late 1960's, that gave a great sampling of the era prior to 1972 when I began collecting. An era where there were no comic shops for back issues, few comics conventions, and mail order was pretty much your only option to get back issues.


I recently went through my collection, as well as ads and comics.org, and tried to draft a complete list of 100-page issues:


ACTION COMICS
437 443

ADVENTURE
416 (also DC-10)

BRAVE & THE BOLD
111 112 113 114 115 116 117

BATMAN
238(also DC-8) 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261

DETECTIVE COMICS
438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445

FLASH
214(also DC-11) 229 232

JUSTICE LEAGUE
110 111 112 113 114 115 116

HOUSE OF MYSTERY
224 225 226 227 228 229

DC 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR (the title that started the 100-page issues)
DC-4(WEIRD MYSTERY) DC-5(LOVE STORIES) DC-6(JLA, JSA) DC-8(also BATMAN 238) DC-9(also OUR ARMY AT WAR 242) DC-10(also ADVENTURE 416) DC-11(also FLASH 214) DC-12(also SUPERBOY 185) DC-13(also SUPERMAN 252)

(and continuing as 100-PAGE SUPER SPECTACULAR in 1973: )
DC-14 DC-15 DC-16 DC-17 DC-18 DC-19 DC-20 DC-21 DC-22

OUR ARMY AT WAR
242(also DC-9) 269 275 280

SHAZAM
8 12 13 14 15 16 17


SUPERMAN
252(also DC-13) 272 278 284

SUPERMAN FAMILY
164 165 166 167 168 169 170

SUPERBOY
185 202 205

TARZAN
230 231 232 233 234 235

UNEXPECTED
157 158 159 160

WITCHING HOUR
38

WONDER WOMAN
211 214

WORLD'S FINEST
223 224 225 226 227 228

YOUNG LOVE
107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114

YOUNG ROMANCE
197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204





That's my best list of the 100-page issues (excluding the shorter 64-page giants that followed on many of these titles, such as BATMAN, TARZAN FAMILY, SUPERTEAM FAMILY and a few scattered others.)

I count approximately 111 of the 100-page issues, of which I have 60. Most of the romance, mystery, SHAZAM and Superman-related titles I don't have.

In a time before comic shops and readily available back issues, these books were pure magic, and a great window into the whole of comics history.

If I were to pick one as the best 100-page collection of Golden Age material, it would be SUPERMAN 252



With a 1942 two-part "Powerstone" story with a bald villain character that was a prototype for Lex Luthor. Plus TWO Lou Fine stories, one The Ray story, one a Black Condor Story, a Howard Sherman Dr Fate story, a Jack Burnley Starman story, a Bernard Baily Spectre story, a Sheldon Moldoff golden age Hawkman story, and the only 1960's piece, an Al Plastino Superman story.

That's pretty much a greatest hits sampling of all the great Golden Age DC characters.

The group of 100-pagers I consider to have the best selection of reprint material is DETECTIVE COMICS 438-443.

Ranging from golden age Simon and Kirby Manhunter and Newsboy Legion, to Golden Age Bob Kane Batman, to Quality Comics material like Gustavson's The Spider. Along with early 1940's stories of Dr Fate by Howard Sherman, of Spectre by Bernard Baily, Eclipso by Toth, and 1940's Hawkman and Green Lantern stories by Kubert and Infantino when they were still in their teens but working professionally! And what a contrast with their more recent 1960's work. To Showcase 73 featuring Ditko's first Creeper story(that introduced me to the character), to early 60's Kubert Hawkman stories, Gil Kane silver age Atom stories, and Batman reprints that span the whole era from the 1940's to the 1960's.

DETECTIVE 444 and 445 are also 100-pagers, but these last two had stories selected by returning editor Julius Schwartz, that were late 1950's/early 1960's heavy. As I recall, E. Nelson Bridwell selected stories that went into 438-443.



Also noteworthy are the exceptional pulpish-looking covers:
438 by Kaluta
439 by Neal Adams.
440-443 covers by Aparo.
Also noteworthy in these issues are the exceptional new material, particularly the 7-part award-winning Goodwin/Simonson "Manhunter" series, and the great Batman lead stories, mostly written by Goodwin as well, in 438 (art by Aparo), 439 (the award-winning "Night of the Stalker", art by Almendola/Giordano), 440 (art by Almendola/Giordano), 441 (art by a very new to the field Howard Chaykin), 442 (art by Alex Toth), 443 (the 20-page Manhunter grand finale by Goodwin/Simonson)

Memorable all the more for a nice mix of great new material, in combination with a great selection of golden/silver age material.