Take The Challenge

What's the ad for?

DC Challenge
Year
1985

Spotted in

The scoop

So here is the concept. Each issue has a certain creative team. They are allowed to use any characters in the DCU as long as it's not the characters they were currently writing or drawing. Each issue ends with a cliffhanger that the next creative team would have to work their way out of.  That is the part of the "Challenge" for the reader... to figure out how the heroes get out of their particular predicament. Below is a break down of the issues and the featured creative team.

• 1 – “Outbreak!” by Mark Evanier; art by Gene Colan & Bob Smith (Nov. 1985)
• 2 – “Blinded By the Light” by Len Wein & Chuck Patton; inked by Mike DeCarlo (Dec. 1985)
• 3 – “Viking Vengeance” by Doug Moench; art by Carmine Infantino & Bob Smith (Jan. 1986)
• 4 – “Atomic Nights” by Paul Levitz; art by Gil Kane & Klaus Janson (Feb. 1986)
• 5 – “Thunderbolts and Lightning” by Mike W. Barr; art by Dave Gibbons & Mark Farmer (Mar.
• 6 – “A Matter of Anti Matter” by Elliot S. Maggin & Dan Jurgens; inked by Larry Mahlstedt
• 7 – “Don’t Bogart That Grape . . . Hand Me the Gas Pump!” by Paul Kupperberg; art by Joe Staton & Steve Mitchell
• 8 – “If This Is Love, Why Do My Teeth Hurt?” by Gerry Conway; art by Rick Hoberg, Dick Giordano, & Arnie Starr
• 9 – “All This and World War, Too!” by Roy Thomas; art by Don Heck
• 10 – “Jules Verne Was Right!” by Dan Mishkin; art by Curt Swan & Terry Austin
• 11 – “How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You’re Not Anywhere At All?” by Marv Wolfman & Cary Bates; art by Keith Giffen & Dave Hunt
• 12 – “Fathers Against Suns”, with everyone

It sounds pretty cool and you had some very crazy stuff happening. Aquaman trapped in a desert? WWII Nazi's find a spaceship brought to their time by the Blackhawks and end up winning the war? Albert Einstein is even in it. The series started just before Crisis but didn't wrap up until after. Throw all your continuity concerns out the window, this is pure crazy...but is it fun? I've read numerous reviews that state it's not some hidden gem. That the series had the obvious "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome for it to work. I think I  may add it to my list of cheap books to look for at comic cons.

House Ad- The Seventies - The DC Line

From 1974 comes a left over from the special series I did on house ads. "The Line of DC Superstars." Just in time for the impending DC line-wide reboot that starts this week I believe.

Mega Man 2 and Strider

What's the ad for?

Mega Man 2 and Strider video games for the NES
Year
1989

Spotted in

The scoop

I really enjoyed the arcade version of Strider and remember being very excited for the release of the NES version. The NES version was a completely different game but I soon grew to love it. Hardcore Gaming 101 has a great page dedicated to the game and it's different versions.

And then there is Mega Man 2. What more can you say then classic...

Let's play Ninja!

What's the ad for?

Ninja Star Target Game
Year
1987

Spotted in
Daredevil # 244, Marvel Comics
The scoop

Remember the eighties when Ninjas were the coolest? There was ninja video games, ninja movies, ninja toys, heck even ninja turtles. Ninja's were all the rage in the eighties. Now you can stop playing Star Wars with your friends and play Ninja instead. I think it's funny that the foam throwing stars come from "Lady Shogun Martial Arts Supply."

At the bottom of the above ad you see a teaser for Amazing Spider-Man #290 banner ad. "Peter Parker Proposes? Possibly." Spoiler alert! He does!

New Universe Supersleuth Sweepstakes

What's the ad for?

New Universe Supersleuth Sweepstakes
Year
1987

Spotted in

The scoop

I have never read any of the New Universe so I know absolutely none of the answers to the questions featured in this contest. Jim Shooter has mentioned that he plans to cover the history of the New Universe in his blog. I believe that the Valiant universe that he created a few years later was what he had hoped the New Universe would end up becoming. I was a big fan of the early Valiant comics. I think I will have to pick up some of the old New Universe titles.

G.I. Joe - Hasbro Direct

What's the ad for?

G.I. Joe figures and vehicle mail order offer
Year
1988

Spotted in

Go Joe! Have a good weekend.

Summer at HOME can be FUN!

What's the ad for?

Public service announcement from the National Social Welfare Assembly coordinating with the Organization for National Health, Welfare and Recreation Agencies of the U.S.?????
Year
1965

Spotted in

The scoop

What the hell is the scoop with this one? Jack wasn't able to visit his friend Hank in the city but that's okay he still had a good summer. Meanwhile Hank wasn't able to visit his friend Jack in the Country but that's okay because he went to the zoo and the museum. Who cares? What's the deal? Were they worried in 1965 about a revolution lead by bored children? Maybe the UK could have used some of these ads....too soon?

Marvel trading cards

Don't tell anyone but I once paid a grade school classmate $10 to steal me a box of these cards...Can you identify who all the hands belong to?

Score in Sports

What's the ad for?

Huskies Sport Shoes
Year
1973

Spotted in

 Now this is what I call a dark ad...

The Corgi Adventures of Corgi Boy

What's the ad for?

Corgi Die-cast cars
Year
1972

Spotted in

The scoop

Funny ad. I've never seen toy cars marketed as such. You know, a fantasy setting and all. Weird.

The Folk Box

What's the ad for?

The Folk Box
Year
1971

Spotted in

The scoop

The Folk Box was released by Elektra Records in 1964 and consisted of four LP's with each side featuring a particular style of Folk or Traditional music. From what I read, this was an excellent collection. Since this ad was ran seven years after its release, it was most likely a way to unload unsold copies. For those interested, listed below are the styles of folk music featured in each LP side.

Side 1: Songs of the Old World and Migration to the New

Side 2: Settling, Exploring and Growing in the New World

Side 3: Work Song

Side 4: Many Worshippers, One God

Side 5: Country Music - From Ballads to Bluegrass

Side 6: Nothing But The Blues

Side 7: Of War, Love and Hope

Side 8: Broadsides, Topical Songs, Protest Songs

Marvel Artists Self-Portraits

Click to enlarge

What's the ad for?

Marvel Artists Self-Portraits
Year
1971

Spotted in

The scoop

Marvelmania was Marvel's in-house fan club. They released a lot of different merchandise but according to Mark Evanier plenty of kids sent money but never received anything. I wonder if these Artist Self-Portraits were ever actually made and sent out. Has anyone ever seen these around on eBay or something?

As a bonus I've kept the Mighty Marvel Checklist which appeared directly above the ad.

Sgt Rock Action Figure

What's the ad for?

Sgt. Rock action figure
Year
1982

Spotted in

The scoop

I don't remember seeing these figures in the store. I wouldn't have noticed them anyway sitting beside G.I. Joe figures and vehicles. A description from www.virtualtoychest.com

With the exception of Sgt. Rock himself, most the action figures were released under generic names as simply "Marine", "Ranger", and "Medic". The recurring characters from Sgt. Rock's Easy Company in D.C. Comics did not appear. Rock himself differed somewhat from his usual comic book attire, where he was often drawn wearing a short-sleeved or sleeveless shirt and ammo belts, the action figure wore a long-sleeved shirt and no ammo belts.

Despite the fact the Sgt. Rock comic took place during World War 2, Remco including noticeable post-war items. Among them were M-16 assault rifles and helicopter gunships.

In the comic books, Sgt. Rock usually fought the Axis powers, primarily the Germans. For whatever reasons, Remco chose to create a new enemy for the toy series. Sold on their own packaging as "The Bad Guys: the Ultimate Enemy", Remco's packaging pitched them as foes of Sgt. Rock, G.I. Joe, M.A.S.H. (who were non-combatants!) and "all mini action soldiers". The toys were almost entirely recolored Sgt. Rock products, but did not include kid-scale dog tags. The Bad Guys' logo featured a black and yellow cobra snake, an obvious attempt to connect to G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero's arch-enemy Cobra.

Flashback, The first CD-ROM game in a cartridge!

Do you remember this game from 1993? It came out for the 16-bit systems, both the Sega Genesis and the Super Nintendo. I was blown away with the graphics, so fluid, so unlike anything I had seen at that point. Visit this page for a history and screen-shots of the game