Before I started reading comic books, my first exposure to comic book action heroes was as seen on TV. When I was a kid in the early 1960s, reruns of the fabulous 1950s TV series The Adventures Of Superman and the 1930s Flash Gordon movie serial were my de facto introductions to larger-than-life crusaders. In 1966, the Batman TV series transformed my previous casual interest in comic books into a life-long passion.
Today's Comic Book Cover Gallery expands beyond the printed page to gather images of some live-action adaptations of various comics characters, specifically representing my first exposures to live-action adaptations of a strange visitor from another planet, a dynamic duo, a world's mightiest mortal, a star-spangled avenger, an Amazon princess, a friendly neighborhood wall-crawler, a dominoed dare-doll, and more. Plus a few villains! For our purposes, it doesn't matter if the TV or film actor served as my introduction to the character or if I read the funnybook and then saw the movie or show. And to make it a COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY, we'll accompany each crusading thespian's photo with a four-color counterpart.
(NOTE: My first live incarnation of a character isn't necessarily the first live incarnation of the character. I saw George Reeves star in The Adventures Of Superman way, way before I saw Kirk Alyn star in 1948's Superman movie serial, and I saw Gene Hackman play Lex Luthor before eventually watching Lyle Talbot play irascible ol' Lex in 1950's Atom Man Vs. Superman. And I saw Luthor in comics before I saw him on any size screen.)
As always (at least for the comic books), we'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s, '70s, and '80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Today's selections include books I bought new, back issues I acquired after the fact (but within the timeline), and B-stock contraband originally purchased without their covers. These aren't actual photos of comics in my collection; most images are courtesy of the Grand Comics Database, which is grand indeed. But I did have each and every one of 'em at some point in time.
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| George Reeves and Noel Neill as Superman and Lois Lane (1950s) |
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| Jean Rogers and Buster Crabbe as Dale Arden and Flash Gordon (1936) |
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| Dick Purcell as Captain America (1944) |
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| Cathy Lee Crosby as Wonder Woman (1974) |
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| Bruce Lee and Van Williams as Kato and the Green Hornet (1966) |
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| Ralph Byrd as Dick Tracy (1930s-1950s) |
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| Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk (1977) |
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| Danuta Wesley as Black Canary (1979) |
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| Rod Haase as the Flash (1979); we could do more from the two awful Legends Of The Superheroes TV specials (Green Lantern, Hawkman, Dr. Sivana, the Huntress, Mordru, Giganta, Sinestro,Solomon Grundy, Weather Wizard, and Aunt Minerva), but...no. Really. Let's NOT. |
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| Nicholas Hammond as Spider-Man (1977) |
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| Tom Tyler as Captain Marvel (1941) |
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| Sam J. Jones and Nana Visitor as the Spirit and Ellen Dolan (1987) |
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| Johnny Rockwell as Suberboy (1961, unreleased) |
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| Clayton Moore as the Lone Ranger (1950s) |
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| Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor (1978) |
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| Scott Paulin as the Red Skull (1990) |
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| Rod La Rocque as the Shadow (1937) |
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| Talisa Soto as Vampirella (1996) |
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| Johnny Weissmuller and Maureen O'Sullivan as Tarzan and Jane (1930s-1940s) |
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| Carl Ciarfalio, Rebecca Staab, Alex Hyde-White, and Jay Underwood as the Fantastic Four (1994, unreleased but widely bootlegged) |
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| Helen Slater as Supergirl (1984) |
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| Billy Zane as the Phantom (1996) |
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| Cesar Romero as the Joker (1966) |
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| Julie Newmar as Catwoman (1966) |
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| Yvonne Craig as Batgirl (1967) |
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| Burt Ward as Robin the Boy Wonder (1966) |
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| Adam West as Batman (1966) |
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