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Wednesday, August 29, 2007

DC Super Heroes Activity Book by Golden Books - 1980

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Sometimes you have to be a bit creative when searching for things on ebay. Usually a search using keywords "Aquaman" or "Super Friends" is enough, but occasionally you have to try "Super Heroes" and then wade through a lot of stuff to find something unique.

This definitely qualifies, and when I saw it I Buy It Nowed it immediately. It's a 36-page activity book featuring the big guns of the DCU, with art by some newcomer named "Jerry Ordway." Hmm...

Aquaman makes a couple of appearances inside
(he doesn't appear on the cover, though--Hmph.), like in this friendly group shot, as well as a "stamp" that you were supposed to tear out and place in the correct spot in the book. He also gets a two-page "What's Wrong With This Picture?" puzzle all to himself, which will show up tomorrow, as well as a small role in a maze.

One odd thing--there is absolutely no trace of The Flash in this book. There's Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Superboy, Supergirl, and Batgirl, and Captain Marvel--but no Flash(sorry, Dixon). As the kids say, what the dillio?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, yeah, I found this at ToysRUs or someplace I didn't usually frequent back in the late 80s. I thought it was a major find, and it remains one of my favorite items. I never noticed it didn't feature The Flash, though. That IS weird...!

Anonymous said...

I've never seen this before! When I saw that first pic, I thought "That looks like Jerry Ordway's work" but then I dismissed it as being a tad too early for him to be doing licensed stuff. I was wrong!

Man, GL's non-matching boots and gloves have baffled colorists for ages, haven't they?

No love for Barry? GA and Supergirl make it in, but no Barry? Crud.

Chris

Anonymous said...

Love Ordway (even a pretty solid writer, when he also scripted Supes.)

Could the Flash's absence be another of those gawdawful "you can't use him right now!" decisions by The Suits, due to the Shipp TV show?

(Like when they put the kibosh on Bruce Wayne in SMALLVILLE.)

Thanks, Rob!

rob! said...

well, it cant be because of the show, since there's a 10-yr time difference.

but i bet youre right, craig--Flash mightve been optioned for one thing or another so right at the moment they put this together he couldnt be included. stoopid.

its that kind of wonderfully helpful, creative thinking that kept any mention of the Daily Bugle out of the Daredevil movie, for instance.

Anonymous said...

My favorite example of cross licenses interfering is the infamous introduction of "The Protector" into the New Teen Titans anti-drug comics. The comics were sponsered by Keebler, but Robin was licensed out to Nabisco for those Super Hero cookie/animal crackers. So all of George Perez's Robin figures were drawn over to make a new character...The Protector!

I can't figure why Flash would be omitted though. That's really odd.

Chris

Anonymous said...

The CBS show dates from '90. If this piece is from the late '80's, it looks like its Development could well be the culprit?

(Or more accurately, the dipstickitude of its Developers!)

-Craig

Anonymous said...

That's a good question. Is the Wonder Woman movie development responsible for Diana NOT being a part of the current Super Hero coloring book (featuring Supes, Bats, Flash, GL, and Aquaman)? I would doubt it, but....?