House ads - The 1990's - Starman

This just looks...so bad.

House Ad- The 1990's -Ravage 2099

So I finally found a Marvel house ad and it's a bad one. Ravage 2099. This book stank. Ravage was created by Stan Lee and was the first new creation in the Marvel 2099 family of books. Read this article for more information. Bad book....really bad book. Were they trying to go for a Jonah Hex look? Yikes.

House ad - The 1990's - Nintendo comics from Valiant

An ad from Valiant Comics before they released their superhero line. Speaking of Valiant, they are set to return in 2012

House Ad - The 1990's - Wonder Woman #50

 

So I've been looking through my back issues trying to find house ads from the nineties. One thing that is jumping out at me is the lack of house ads in Marvel books of that era. Granted my collection screeches to a halt at around 1993, there is nothing but video game and tie in merchandise ads. I guess the more advertising revenue you have the less house ads you need. Just take a look at a Dark Horse or other early independent book, full of house ads. So nineties week is going to be heavy in the DC field with a couple of the smaller publishing houses thrown in. Maybe Dark Horse, maybe some Valiant. Doesn't mean they are bad ads. Here's one for Perez's Wonder Woman.  

House ad - 1990's -Batman: Knightfall

 
 Today starts the last week in House Ad month. In the past three weeks we covered the 60's, 70's, 80's and now the 90's. Lets start the week with a house ad for a big nineties event...Batman: Knightfall. 

The 100th post...another Superbaby tale.

This is the 100th post on Four Color Promises. To celebrate I am throwing you another tale of Superbaby. It's the story "Little Green Men Who Weren't There." This story was the back-up story in Superboy (v2) # 24 from 1981. Written by Bob Rozakis, pencilled by John Calnan and inked by Frank McLaughlin. All rights and trademarks own by DC comics.

Not an ad but...A Joe Eisma commision

I recently started collecting original comic art. I've also been really enjoying Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma's ongoing series from Image called Morning Glories. It's a great book and Eisma's art is pretty cool. So I decided to get a commission done of two of the evil characters from the book. Here you have Miss Daramont and the school nurse. I pretty happy with how it turned out and I wanted to share it with you all.

Now go buy Morning Glories from Image Comics!

House ad - The 80's- King Conan

House Ad - 1980's - Marvel Treasury Edition #28

I remember my mom picking this up for me when I was a kid. I was almost a 100% DC fan and this was the first exposure to Marvel outside of the old Spider-Man cartoon. Jump over to Jim Shooters blog where he just finished going over the genesis of the project and all the drama that went with it. 

House Ad - 1980's - Power Man and Iron Fist

House Ad - 1980's - Battle of the Planets

1981. Battle of the Planets from Gold Key comics. Since this ad is from a comic my mom most likely bought for me at a K-Mart it was released by Whitman.

House Ad - The 1980's - Coyote

From 1983 comes an ad for Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers Coyote.This book was on Marvel's creator owned line Epic. Read about the origins of Epic over at Jim Shooters blog. This is a book I'd like to read someday.

Not an ad but...A tale of Superbaby

Here's a Sunday treat, a tale of Superbaby. Ridiculous I know, but I used to love coming across a story featuring Superbaby when I was a kid. A friend of mine said he always disliked these stories because of the way Superbaby talked. He would said me instead of I'm. For example, take a look at the first page...and I quote,

"Oh-oh! Me afraid this would happen! Now mommy and daddy find out my big secret!" 

I was never as much of a discerning reader as my friend I guess. Now I just find it silly. Anyway, from 1972 comes the story "Superbaby's new family". Written by Leo Dorfman, pencilled by Bob Brown and inked by Murphy Anderson. All rights, images etc owned by DC Comics. As always, just click the page to enlarge.

House Ad - The 1970's - Superman Family #200

From 1979. Oh pre-Crisis DC...these Superman Family stories were ridiculous but I loved them as a kid. Listen to these story synopsis pulled from http://dc.wikia.com.

Synopsis for "Unhappy Anniversary"

Lois Kent discovers she is pregnant, and, since she wanted to resume her reporting career, is driven to tears by the turn of events. Laura Kent, in the meantime, finally starts exhibiting super-powers. Clark solves the problem for Lois by saying he will give up his reporting career, though not his fatherly or superheroic ones, and Lois will be allowed to be the reporter in the family. They are reconciled in time for a wedding anniversary party attended by all their longtime friends and colleagues

Synopsis for "The Thief at Sky's Edge!"

Lucy Lane-Olsen loses a statuette intended as an anniversary gift for Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and Jimmy decides to retrace her trip to see if he will be victimized by the same thieves who took it.

Synopsis for "Clark Kent's Frantic Fan"

While his daughter Laura is finally manifesting super-powers, Clark Kent is victimized by an elderly “fan”.

Synopsis for "Something Swims the Time Stream"

Superwoman, now Governor Linda Danvers of Florida, goes back through the time-stream and films highlights in the relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, intending to give them the film as an anniversary gift, since both of them are married. However, she encounters a Time Beast which preys on travelers in the time-stream. Since she cannot effectively destroy it due to its ability to manipulate the time-flow around itself, Supergirl flees, luring the creature to the very edge of time. The Time Beast then rapidly ages and dies. Superwoman returns to her native time with the film.

Next week are house ads from the eighties.

House Ad - The 1970's - The DC Explosion

From 1978 comes an ad for The DC Explosion. More commonly known as the DC Implosion resulted in a number of titles being canceled, including the almost cancellation of Detective comics. Fanzing.com has a detailed run down of the cancellation history.

House ads - The 70's - Rom

In 1979 the world was given...ROM! Both a toy and a comic. What a novel concept. Check out Jim Shooter's fascinating blog to read more about the creation and inception of ROM.

House ads - The 70's - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

From Gold Key Comics its Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

House ads - The 70's -Tor #1

An ad for Tor # 1 from DC Comics.  1973

House ads - The 1960's - The Spectre #3

House ads - The 1960's - Batman # 200

House ads - The 1960's - Avengers King Size Special # 2

Avengers King Size Special # 2 from 1968.

House ads - The 1960's - Flash #169, 80 pg Giant

House ads - The 1960's - Action Comics #360, 80 pg Giant

For the next month I will be posting house ads from comics ranging from the 1960's to the 1990's. Each week will feature ads from each of the decades starting this week with the sixties. New ads will be posted every weekday making 5 new ads for you all per week.

House ads are those which advertise comics being sold by the publisher of the comic featured in. You can find them in comics ranging from the golden age to the present. I'm starting from the sixties as that's where my collection starts.

Action comics #360 was an 80-page giant issue (March 1968 G45). DC started the 80-page giant series in 1964. They primarily featured reprint stories and this is no different. I love the board game cover.

Green Hornet's "Black Beauty" hobby kit

Click to Enlarge

What's the ad for?

Green Hornet's "Black Beauty" hobby kit
Year
1967

Spotted in

The scoop
Aurora Plastics Corporation was a successful plastic model company that existed between 1952-1977. They were well known for the figure models they produced especially of Hollywood Monsters. The company ended up being owned by rival Monogram. Monogram ended up destroying many of Auroras model molds making the kits highly collectible.

On Monday starts a new series of ads that will see a new post five times a week!