Monday, December 10, 2007

Memoirs of a Bronze Age Baby: Wonder Woman #267

If you go back and check out Wonder Woman issues circa 1980, you’ll notice that there are a ton of captivating covers. This one really got my attention, and I plucked in off the newsstand wondering ‘Who is that guy in the orange outfit?’ This was my first exposure to Animal Man, as I most admit to really liking his style right off the bat. DC’s triumvirate was a pretty serious lot back then (still are, I guess. Animal Man appeared to have fun with crime fighting without seeming too clownish (I’m talking to you, Dibney!) – he seemed to be the perfect Yin to Wonder Woman’s Yang.

The story intimated that Animal Man he had a history in the DCU (although no issues were noted) so I set out to find back issues features this rather unique character. It wasn’t long before I tracked down copies of Strange Adventure #195 and #201. If I recall correctly, they would have set me back 30 or 40 cents back then. I was pretty excited, half expecting him to become a major player in the DCU and so I waited. I waited, waited and waited. Where did he go? Aside from appearing in the next Wonder Woman issue, the DCU remained Animal Man-free for the next few years. I guess I was wrong about the A-Man renaissance; that would have to wait. Oh well, it’s still fun to go back and read this one as Gerry Conway must have had a soft spot in his heart for Buddy Baker.

5 comments:

blaine*paints said...

Thanks for the beautiful pic of my Dad's Frankenstein classic cover, its the first time Ive seen it since he painted it when I was a kid, and your image is so sharp, its like being there with him again, Thanks,its on my desktop npw. Blaine Saunders, [ you were so kind I left you some notes about him on your Nov. 28 post. Thanks again]

blaine*paints said...

how did you get that beautiful shot of Frankie?

Scott M said...

Thanks for the comments Blaine, they are fantastic. With your permission, I'd like to post them as part of a thread on the forums of Comic Book Resources (it is listed in the Links section on the right hand side of my blog). There are a bunch of people who are regulars on that board that I know would love to read what you wrote on here. Your father has a legion of fans - it is a real treat to hear about the man and his techniques.

If you'd like me to email you a really high grade pic of what I posted on here - send me an email at scott_mahaffy@yahoo.ca

Anonymous said...

Re "thread on the forums of Comic Book Resources" which link are you referring to? and once I hit it, Where do I go to find where you'll post the info about dad? It'd be neat to read any comment, and might be able to share some Norm Saunders history. Like living for months in the North Woods with Indians as a child. Thanks, your friend, Blaine

blaine*paints said...

ok, I searched down the list and its CBR..will you just post on the main page that comes up? Or is it more mysterious? B