COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: Licensed properties appearing in comic books I acquired in the '60s, '70s, and '80s

                               
Licensed properties have been a part of comic books for as long as there have been comic books. Aside from the newspaper strip reprints that formed the earliest comic books, many publishers from the 1930s to today have cut deals with other companies to license and adapt stars of screen, radio, pulp magazines, comic strips, and more into newsstand funnybooks. Some of these stars were real people--notably including a ton of movie actors known for appearing in Westerns, as well as some comedy stars--or at least real people who shared a name with the fictional characters they portrayed. Many more were intellectual properties ranging from Mickey Mouse to Captain Midnight. All American Comics, one of the publishers that eventually became part of what we now call DC Comics, had a long-running book starring comic strip stalwarts Mutt and Jeff, and your Jeff and your Mutt also shared space with the original Green Lantern in the pages of the anthology title All American Comics. Dell Comics, probably the biggest-selling comics line of the '40s and '50s, was almost entirely devoted to licensed properties.

In an industry now largely defined by the superhero universes it created, some fans dismiss or forget how common and how popular licensed properties have been for so many companies, including DC and Marvel. This week's gallery looks back on a handful of the licensed books I scored during my first few decades as an obsessive comics fan, including a few examples of outside IPs mingling with a company's own characters, and one case (the original Captain Marvel) of a licensed character that was eventually purchased outright by current rights holder DC Comics.

We'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s-'80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Today's selection includes books I bought new, back issues I acquired after the fact (but within the timeline), and B-stock contraband originally purchased without their covers. As always: These aren't actual photos of comics in my collection. But I did have each and every one of 'em at some point in time.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.

I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.