# Nostalgic for old comic books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comic-books-manga\ **Created:** [July 29, 2026, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999 "2026-07-29T12:43:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/21 "2026-07-29T15:12:08Z")
I figured that. Dizzy Duck was a ripoff of Daffy, but somewhat more ill-tempered, IIRC. He had a girlfriend named Lwanna, a duck who looked a little like Rita Hayworth. The comic did not last long. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/22 "2026-07-29T15:27:56Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Even Josie, before she was a Pussycat That is something I never knew. What comics featured Josie before the Pussycats existed? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/23 "2026-07-29T15:36:48Z")
Nevermind-I found it. In 1969 “Josie” #44 is the last comic of that name, and in becomes “Josie And The Pussycats”, which introduces the group, with issue #45. It is also the same issue that introduces Valerie, the bass player. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/24 "2026-07-29T15:43:36Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > When I was a kid there were 3 places that had the most comic books Back in the '60s, there was a used book store near the bottom of Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis, not far from the old Chestnut Tree restaurant. The store always had stacks of comics right by the cash register up front. The proprietor (I think his name was Maurice) was a nice guy who sat reading quietly while I was down on my hands and knees picking out the comics I wanted. I remember the first time I bought a comic for 12 instead of 10 cents. It was on a cold and rainy night in the fall of 1961, when I was six. The comic was a _ **Felix the Cat** _, from a drugstore on the northwest corner of Nicollet Avenue and Grant Street. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/25 "2026-07-29T15:52:18Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Archie – There was a seemingy infinite number of comics about Archie, Jughead, Veronia, Betty, and the rest of the gang. Even Josie, before she was a Pussycat, and Sabrina. I occasionally saw a couple of thir superhero titles, like The Jaguar and The Fly (and ly-Girl), but didn’t realize there were others, like B-Man. But did you know that for a time, Archie and the gang had superhero alter-egos of their own? Archie was Pureheart the Powerful, Betty was Superteen, and Jughead was Captain Hero. Even Reggie got a superpowered identity, as the villain Evilheart. It was, of course, an attempt to cash in on the 60s superhero craze. See [here](https://www.toonopedia.com/purheart.htm) for a bit more detail. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/26 "2026-07-29T16:01:22Z")
I remember getting comics at the humungous comics display stand at Tschetter’s Pharmacy in Spirit Lake, Idaho. It was run by Ethel Tschetter and her husband, “Shaky” Jake, ran the barbershop in the back. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/27 "2026-07-29T16:03:05Z")
I remember the creepy comic titles like _Chamber of Secrets_, _Tower of Shadows_, _Monsters on the Prowl_, _Creatures on the Loose_, etc… my first exposure to HP Lovecraft was a comic adaptation of “Pickman’s Model”. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/28 "2026-07-29T16:14:02Z")
Growing up, I read DC almost exclusively, and an occasional Classics Illustrated. I knew of Dell and Charlton, but they didn’t interest me. No Marvel. They weren’t sold in my area. I had a friend who moved here with a bunch of Spider-Man comics, but no one else in my town had ever heard of him. We had a trivia contest and I was specifically forbidden to ask questions about Marvel, since “What is Spider-Man’s secret identity?” was a complete stumper. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/29 "2026-07-29T16:52:25Z")
Ahhh, so many memories. I still devour comics, and read up on the obscure old companies that are featured here. A treat for anyone reading this would be the many web sites and people that chronicle those old comics. My favorite was always Scott Shaw! (yes, he spelled his name with an exclamation point). He started out doing slide shows of “oddball comics”… [https://www.shaw-cartoons.com/oddball-comics-gallery/](https://www.shaw-cartoons.com/oddball-comics-gallery/) which grew into a web site. Now it’s folded into his personal site, but still fun. > **[Oddball Comics – Shaw Cartoons](https://www.shaw-cartoons.com/oddball-comics/)** And on Facebook: > **[Scott Shaw’s Oddball Comics](https://www.facebook.com/scottshawsoddballcomics/)** > > Scott Shaw’s Oddball Comics. 13,750 likes · 453 talking about this. Scott Shaw!s Oddball Comics - from the comic creator's own collection! https://www.shaw-cartoons.com ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/30 "2026-07-29T17:01:19Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > But did you know that for a time, Archie and the gang had superhero alter-egos of their own? Archie was Pureheart the Powerful, Betty was Superteen, and Jughead was Captain Hero. Even Reggie got a superpowered identity, as the villain Evilheart. > > It was, of course, an attempt to cash in on the 60s superhero craze. See [here](https://www.toonopedia.com/purheart.htm) for a bit more detail. Yep. I’ve got some of those. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/31 "2026-07-29T17:08:25Z")
I sorta lost track of comics while I was in grad school – too busy, and often not a lot of comics outlets. So I missed **Watchmen** and **The Dark Knight Returns** when they first came out. I’ve been a fan of Carl Barks ever since I read one of his stories in a Dell edition of _Uncle Scrooge_, but even more since I read a Gold Key special issue with “Back to the Klondike” and “The Ghost of the Grotto” in 1966 > **[Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=299d7fdae20ad544&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1122US1128&sxsrf=APpeQnvylFD52sNGvnExeTb_v4ZVNYlpdA:1785344771962&fbs=ABfTbFVyMZGZf1hfvX9uKjN_-G8c4u0nXx4bEIpwm1lnNH832VstEKsVDqPorK0Gahnm2nrruedQ0d32Et2kDhW_DVrEiVEEKhGMS6J6qOai58Kp-6LWKI-B9MUO4L5hSNevGTt_P775rRrm5ckCWnpRJ0Z_bEDXKPd0OlqjGKBMJSUhQwnJq6joUWfVDIJb-ha_GXmJ3UJfEoXi3KNzyhly1aIL0j5_Fw&q=%22Back+to+the+Klondike%22+%22Ghost+of+the+Grotto%22+Gold+Key&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi7v7zHr_iVAxWumokEHfPoDK4QtKgLegQIFhAB&biw=1280&bih=585&dpr=1.5&tbm=isch)** Then I started reading more of his stuff. As I wrote in an issue of our now sadly-departed **Teemings** , I’m convinced that we owe Uncle Scrooge in large part for Indiana Jones. Even more than we owe it to Charlton Heston’s _Secret of the Incas_ ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/32 "2026-07-29T17:24:08Z")
My favorite when I was younger was “The Rook”, a large black and white comic, put out by Warren Publishing. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/33 "2026-07-29T17:27:39Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I sorta lost track of comics while I was in grad school – too busy, and often not a lot of comics outlets I was just telling a comic shop manager that I didn’t read any comics while I was college (in a small town with ZERO bookstores!). But during my first job after school I wandered into a bookstore that had a few comics and was blown away by an issue of Detective Comics… BATMAN drawn by Marshall Rogers. That’s all it took… I was a voracious reader again. So now I stop by a coffeeshop in the morning, always with a comic book or two. The more screwed up the world gets, the more I need to see personal heroics, and see it rewarded. And the bad guys brought to justice. Hey, I can dream, right? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/34 "2026-07-29T18:04:04Z")
My siblings and I still have a shitload of old comics from the 60’s and 70’s in storage. Maybe close to 1000 Lots of Archies. But also Superboy from the 60’s. Also “Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane” and a bunch of assorted titles. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/35 "2026-07-29T19:11:44Z")
Gosh, this thread is bringing back a lot of memories. I certainly remember some of the lesser-known ones that have been mentioned: _Sugar and Spike_, the _Three Mouseketeers_, the M.F. _Captain Marvel_, and when Archie and the gang got super powers. I remember the Dennis the Menace “travelogues,” in particular, when he and his family visited Hawaii and California. Gold Key was great for kid stuff. Lots of stories involving Warner Brothers cartoon characters, and some Hanna-Barbera ones too—I distinctly recall “The Flintstones” being one of their titles. Plus, I noticed that Gold Keys had no advertising. Where other publishers might have a page of ads (“Sell _Grit_!” “Sell greeting cards and earn these great prizes!” “Watch the CBS Saturday Morning Cartoon Lineup!”), Gold Keys would have a page of jokes or some interesting facts. One that I didn’t see mentioned so far is _Deadman_. Yes, really, there was such a “superhero.” Boston Brand was a circus acrobat who, during his act, was shot by a man with a hook for a hand. He spends his afterlife trying to find the shooter. Weird premise, but a good action title. Published by DC. So many great memories of comics. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/36 "2026-07-29T23:00:57Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I remember the Dennis the Menace “travelogues,” in particular, when he and his family visited Hawaii and California. In the Bicentennial remembrance thread, the only thing I could really remember was this thick issue of _Dennis the Menace_ [![](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/RqoAAOSwSDZi12sV/s-l1200.jpg) ](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/RqoAAOSwSDZi12sV/s-l1200.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/37 "2026-07-29T23:30:51Z")
Earlier, the Mitchells also went to Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Washington, DC. The last story was altered in a new edition after the Kennedy assassination: Inside the White House, Dennis encountered a Secret Service agent instead of Caroline Kennedy. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/38 "2026-07-30T01:14:29Z")
I remember the DC story from the mid-1970’s. I didn’t realize it as a kid, but Fawcett comics was the king of reprinting/repackaging stories. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/39 "2026-07-30T03:19:27Z")
Growing up in New Zealand we had a few American comics here or there, just the main ones like superheroes, Archie, Mickey Mouse, Richie Rich etc, but also a lot of British comics, like the Beano, Buster, Eagle, and 2000AD. As my Mother loved comics as a child she encouraged us kids to read them, but we stuck to the British kind. It was our Friday night treat to get the latest issue, and their Christmas Annuals. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2026, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999/40 "2026-07-30T05:44:36Z")
My main outlet for comics when I was growing up in the 1960s was the little local market, which had a small rack of comic books. All were packaged in plastic bags, three comic books to a bag, and all of them had their covers removed. It wasn’t until many years later that I learned what the removed covers meant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nostalgic-for-old-comic-books/1031999.md?page=3)