COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: Classic heroes older than I am, starring in comics (and movies, books, and TV shows) I acquired in the '60s and '70s

By the time I was born in 1960, comic book superheroes had been around for more than twenty years, and the history of some of their pulp and radio forebears went back a decade or more before that. 

But I couldn't read Sherlock Holmes in the late 1800s, nor Tarzan in 1912, nor Zorro in 1919, nor the syndicated newspaper exploits of Buck Rogers or Dick Tracy in 1929, Flash Gordon in 1934, and The Phantom in 1936. I also couldn't read the pulp adventures of Doc Savage, The Avenger, Conan the Barbarian, or The Shadow at the time of publication in the 1930s and '40s, and I couldn't listen to The Lone Ranger or The Green Hornet during the heyday of radio drama. I was born way too late for the first flourish of comics' Golden Age, and even for its aftermath in the 1950s. Slacker li'l me had to wait not only until I had, y'know, actually entered this world, but also until I was old enough to read, or at least until I was old enough to sorta grasp larger-than-life concepts as they were read to me, or as I saw them on television.

The 1966 Batman TV series introduced me to that character, and kick-started my lifelong interest in superheroes and comic books. Today's gallery looks back at my introductions to some classic heroes, characters well-known outside of their comic book appearances. If I saw the character in other media prior to seeing him or her in a funnybook, I've tried to pick an image representative of my TV/movie/book/etc. point of origin with said character. If I saw the character in multiple media incarnations before getting to a comic book, I'm including multiple images to represent those, too. Since it all comes back to the comics, I'm ending each character's section with a comic book image to represent my approximate point of entry to the character's comics exploits.

Approximate. I am not under oath here.

As always, we'll be sticking exclusively to the era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Images from other media provided by the great and powerful Google. The comic book covers 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.

The Justice Society does predate me, but this is here to represent my first-ever exposure to Wonder Woman

The Avengers do not predate me, but Captain America does

In the words of noted Clark Kent lookalike Steve Allen: This could be the start of something big...!

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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.

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