Comics Five-O

Over on Facebook, Jack C. Harris has created a fascinating album called "On Sale Fifty Years Ago Today," depicting five DC books that were on sale this week in 1961. I have distinct memories of buying all five of those books, although probably not at the same time (and probably not fifty years ago today, since books tended to get staggered release dates in Rome, depending on when the magazine distributor serviced each store on his route).

My favorite cover of the bunch is the Gil Kane cover for Green Lantern #8, finished in an ink-wash by Jack Adler that was designed to give the book a painted look. It's a remarkable cover that's every bit as distinctive today as it was the day I bought it, and no colorist working (or overworking) in Photoshop today can come up with anything half as eye-catching.

But the cover that most appealed to me as a reader was the cover for Flash #123, "Flash of Two Worlds." Two guys called the Flash? What the heck was going on? Earth-One and Earth-Two were new concepts back then, and this was an incredibly exciting innovation for a young comics reader like me.

Thanks for stirring up some pleasant memories, Mr. Harris--please keep it up!