] type='image/vnd.microsoft.icon'/>

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

DC House Ad - 1962

sg
This sweet, friendly house ad ran in a bunch of DC's books in 1962, introducing their mascot, Johnny DC. As you can see, it features most of DC's then-stars, from Superman and Batman to Sugar and Spike to Tomahawk and Bob Hope!

I'm quite possibly reading too much into it, but its sort of amazing how buried Batman is, at least compared to Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman. This was a bad time, sales-wise, for the Caped Crusader, so maybe the ad's composition (accidentally or not) reflects this. Of course, less than three years later, DC would slap giant images of Bats on everything!

Anyone know who drew this?

6 comments:

BronzeTiger said...

Heya Rob!
You ever wonder if Jimmy Olsen & Lois Lane wondered where Clark was for these ads? LOL! Or were they sooo used to him being gone when something important happens it didn't even phase them? hahaah!

Rick L. Phillips said...

Aquaman probably did sell better then Batman back then. My earliest memories of reading and buying comics start around the time of the Batman TV series. So to me Batman has always been a top seller. I found it almost hard to believe when I read Batman was almost canceled and it was the TV series that saved him. Of course later I found that only to be part true as his short lived new look was starting to improve his sales before they felt they had to go back to a campy style like the TV show.

Russell said...

Rob, this is looks to me to be a composition ad, as Hawkman is clearly by Joe Kubert (or drawn in his style), Batman/Robin/Batwoman appear to be by the Bob Kane studio artist of the time (Sheldon something or other iirc?), and Aquaman appears to be by Mike Sekowsky. My guess is that he atleast was pulled from the pages of JLA.

What a terribly cluttered and non-focused (on Johnny DC) ad.

Wings1295 said...

I am guessing they knew people just needed to see his chest with the bat on it and not much more?

Cool ad, though!

r duncan said...

If Lois and Jimmy were surprised that Clark wasn't there, they really should all be amazed that Superman and Superboy were in the same ad. If you look close you can see the Atom on the Flash's shoulder. Also is that Jerry Lewis peeking under Superman's armpit?

Earth 2 Chris said...

I'm detecting Mike Sekowsky in this ad. The odd body postures suggest him. Batman and crew don't look like Moldoff's work to me. Maybe Jim Mooney on inks?

Chris