SPOILER ALERT: I love comic books; always have, always will. I buy my weekly haul at Comix Zone in North Syracuse, and I occasionally pick up trade collections of older material. These are six hypothetical trade collections I would like to see. These are mostly from the DC Comics library--Marvel Comics has already done a pretty good job of keeping its history in print--with side trips to Charlton Comics, Eclipse Comics, and others.
THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY LEWIS
Not gonna happen. Never in a million years.
DC's licensed title based on comic actor Jerry Lewis ran for eighty-four issues, 1957 to 1971, and those followed forty preceding issues as The Adventures Of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, 1952-1957.
Yep, 124 issues in all. One suspects it must have been sufficiently popular to stick around that long. I know I loved it when I was a kid in the '60s, and guest appearances by Batman and Robin, Superman, the Flash, and Wonder Woman made it even more appealing to me. I would love to read 'em all.
But it's likely a dead issue. I don't know to what extent (if any) DC has retained any right to reprint this material; I suspect DC has no standing to reprint it. Maybe--maybe--the Jerry Lewis estate holds the rights, and could strike a deal with DC to reprint, or either self-publish or arrange for someone else to reprint it (without the four stories that guest-starred the above-mentioned Justice League of America members).
Ain't likely. The potential readership is too small, and not worth the trouble for DC or the Lewis estate.
But I'd like to see it.
(Oh, and I did my own tribute to Jerry and his DC supporting cast characters Renfrew and Witch Kraft in a short story called "The Lovable Lunkhead Returns.")
BLACKHAWK
Blackhawk was originally published in the '40s and '50s by Quality Comics. When Quality ceased publication in the mid '50s, DC purchased a number of Quality's IPs, including Blackhawk. The title continued at DC until 1968, and has been revived at various times since then.
There have been Blackhawk reprints, but my all-time favorite run of the series has been unseen since its original publication. That would be Blackhawk # 251 through 273, 1982-1984, the wonderful and all-too-brief run written by Mark Evanier, usually with art by Dan Spiegle.
Man, these were just terrific comics, great art and great story, and for me they are far and away the most interesting Blackhawk stories ever made. They really, really need to return to retail, and they need to return with Evanier's text pages included. Let's hear it: HAWK-A-A-A!
CROSSFIRE/DNAGENTS
Speaking of Mark Evanier, these two interconnected 1980s series from Eclipse Comics were among my favorite books of that decade; Crossfire in particular is one of my top three '80s books, virtually tied at my top spot with Scott McCarl's Zot! and Love And Rockets by Los Brothers Hernandez.
DNAgents was sort of in the super-teen outcast mold of Marvel's Uncanny X-Men, and likewise comparable to DC's New Teen Titans; the success of those titles presumably sparked Eclipse's interest in DNAgents, but the latter was never an imitation. As much as I respect Uncanny X-Men and as much as I enjoyed Marv Wolfman and George Perez's work on New Teen Titans, it was DNAgents that thrilled me the most. Drop-dead beautiful art by DNAgents co-creator Will Meugniot didn't hurt, either.
And, as noted, I loved Crossfire even more. Everything Evanier and Spiegle brought to Blackhawk was even more so with their own character Crossfire, a bail bondsmen who takes over the masked identity of a slain criminal to battle in secret for justice. Set in Hollywood, the series gave Evanier license to draw from his own experience working in movies and television to add SoCal entertainment industry verisimilitude to Crossfire's adventures.
I hear there is little immediate likelihood of DNAgents and/or Crossfire being reprinted, perhaps even less of a chance than that of Evanier and Spiegle's Blackhawk. That's a real damned shame, and both series (with the attendant crossover Crossfire And Rainbow mini-series) cry out for fresh availability and appreciation.
And again: WITH Mark Evanier's original text pieces.
E-MAN
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The lack of comprehensive and accessible reprints of E-Man is a huge hole in the current comics landscape. Originally created by writer Nicola Cuti and artist Joe Staton for Charlton in the '70s, the property was purchased and revived in the '80s by First Comics. You can read the recollection of my own introduction to the character here.
There's just a ton of stuff to bring back here, from the original ten Charlton issues and the twenty-five First Comics issues through one-shots, mini-series, various side projects starring E-Man supporting character Michael Mauser, P.I. (including The P.I.s mini-series co-starring Mauser with Ms. Tree), and some 21st century stories by Cuti and Staton for the independent Charlton Bullseye book, done prior to Cuti's passing in 2020. All wonderful, fun comics that absolutely must be preserved for old and new readers alike.
GOODGUY
The late Jim Hanley's Goodguy was a loving homage to the original SHAZAM!-shoutin' Captain Marvel, and ol' Goodguy appeared in various comics fanzines in the '70s. I never saw much of this material, and I have no idea of who owns it, but I adored what little I saw. Maybe it's too obscure for the marketplace, but it seems like someone should be able to make this happen. I would very much like to read more than the itty-bitty little bit of the Goodguy chronicles that I've seen to date.
HOT WHEELS
Maybe not as impossible as Jerry Lewis reprints? DC briefly had the rights to do a comic book based on Mattel's Hot Wheels toys, using characters and continuity from the 1969-1971 Hot Wheels TV cartoon series. DC did six issues of Hot Wheels in 1970-71, with snappy storytelling (initially by Charlton Comics vet Joe Gill) and absolutely gorgeous artwork by Alex Toth.
(How gorgeous was Toth's work on this title? When the legendary Neal Adams took over the art chores for the sixth and final issue, he was...fine. Great, even. But Adams wasn't better than Toth on Hot Wheels.)
The Hot Wheels property remains popular enough that maybe someone could deem it worthwhile to broker a deal to reprint these. I'm emboldened by the fact that Ed Catto was able to bring DC's licensed five-issue 1968-69 Captain Action series back in a way-swell hardcover reprint volume, with Superman's Captain Action # 1 guest appearance intact. Maybe there's hope for Hot Wheels.
In addition to the six series listed above, it would be cool to see DC Comics trades collecting Action Comics Weekly, Inferior Five (the original '60s book, not the recent revival), the utterly charming '80s series 'Mazing Man, the Silver and Bronze Age Plastic Man, Plop!, and the Golden Age Scribbly And The Red Tornado. Speaking of Action Comics Weekly, that book also picked up the story of the great short-lived 1960s Secret Six series, and consider this a vote in favor of a comprehensive Secret Six reprint, to boot. I'm sure there are others! But these are my requests for today.
Wanna trade?
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Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/
If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.
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