September 1954 Editor: Whitney Ellsworth Cover: Win Mortimer (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Jungle Cat Queen! Script: Edmond Hamilton Pencils: Dick Sprang Inks: Charles Paris Catwoman steals some diamonds and flies away in her Cat-plane. I love that she can pilot her own aircraft. It’s unusual during this time period for a female character to be so empowered, but sister … Read More
World’s Finest Comics #72
September-October 1954Editor: Whitney EllsworthCover: Curt Swan (Pencils) Stan Kaye (Inks) 1. Fort Crime Script: Alvin SchwartzPencils: Curt SwanInks: Stan Kaye Superman and Batman appeared together on all the covers of World”™s Finest Comics since it”™s beginning in 1941 but it wasn”™t until the issue just before this one (#71) that the comic would feature a story of the two heroes … Read More
Batman #86
Sept. 1954Editor: Jack SchiffCover: Win Mortimer (Pencils and Inks) 1. The Voyage of the First Batmarine! Script: Edmond HamiltonPencils: Dick SprangInks: Charles Paris Batman and Robin are scuba diving to retrieve a submerged shipment of highly explosive nitroglycerin but they stay underwater too long (only an hour!) and now they have to stay there for two days or they’ll die. … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 54 • Bat-Mite
Bat-Mite was a magical imp from another dimension who claimed to be Batman”™s biggest fan. He wore a suit inspired by his idol and loved to visit Gotham City to see the Caped Crusader in action. And the more action the better. If he thought Batman and Robin were succeeding too easily in their fight against crime, he used his … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 51 • Robin
It”™s been a while, but I”™m ready to finish this series. First up: Robin! Batman”™s junior partner, Robin, has been around almost as long as the Caped Crusader. Introduced in 1940, just a year after Batman”™s debut, Robin was created to lighten the dark tone of Batman”™s stories and appeal to young readers. He was the first young sidekick of … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 37 • Bat-Girl
If you’re familiar with Batgirl at all, you probably know the red-haired Barbara Gordon—daughter of Police Commissioner Gordon. But there was another Bat-Girl before her, and for some reason there was a hyphen in her name. Long story short, Batwoman was introduced in 1956 to quell any uncertainty about Batman’s sexuality, and 5 years later Bat-Girl showed up as a love interest for Robin. And if you think Batman was uncomfortable … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 25 • Batwoman
Comic Cards Project: Day 25 • Batwoman Now would be a good time to talk about Frederic Wertham’s book Seduction of the Innocent. Published in 1954, this bestselling condemnation of comic books as a major cause of juvenile delinquency had a huge impact on the industry. It led to congressional hearings on the subject and to the formation of the Comics Code … Read More
Comic Cards Project: Day 1 • Batman
I’m working on a personal project, illustrating a deck of playing cards using characters found in DC comics between 1957-1967 — the height of the kitschy Silver Age of comics. I’ll be posting one illustration every weekday for 11 weeks, which will take us just about until the end of May. 55 posts = 52 regular cards, 2 jokers, and … Read More