Setting the Super Status Quo

Recently, I was reading through some issues of Superman and Action Comics from 1953 and 1954. These were books that I had never read before now, since they predated my earliest comics collecting years and were old enough that none of the people with whom I traded comic (nor the stores where I bought used comics) had books from that time period.

As I read through these books, I recognized several of the stories. "A Doghouse for Superman," a 1953 story from Superman #84 in which he was captured by aliens who treated him like a pet, was instantly recognizable to me because it was reprinted in Superman Annual #4 in 1961. Same for "The Outlaws from Krypton," originally published in 1954's Action #194 and reprinted in that same annual. "The Thing from 40,000 AD," which first appeared in 1954's Superman #87, was reprinted in Superman Annual #2.

What's significant about this is that none of these stories seemed at all out of place in a 1960 or 1961 comic book--nor would they have seemed out of place in a Superman comic from 1965, or 1968, or any issue from the Mort Weisinger-edited era of Superman (which lasted until 1971, when Julius Schwartz took over the Superman titles).  By 1953, the Silver Age Superman pattern was already established; it would continue largely unchanged for almost two decades.

That's pretty amazing, when you think about it. Look at today's comics and see how frequently characters undergo major reinventions, revitalizations, relaunches, recasting, and reinterpretations; the idea of a character with a two-decade status quo is all but unheard of. Certainly, Jerry Siegel and Edmond Hamilton and others expanded on the Superman mythos in the late 50s and early 60s, but not in such a way that the earlier stories seemed like they would be out of place.

So when did the change occur? When did the "modern" era of Superman begin--a period that might mark the beginning of the Silver Age for Superman family titles, at least? My first thought was Superman #76, featuring the first Superman-Batman team-up, but I did some more reading and found that at least two issues before that have a decidedly "modern era" feel to them. So I read through Superman #s 60 through 83, just to see when the tone of the books took on a decidedly modern "Silver Age" feel.

The transition for Superman seems to take place between Superman #73 and Superman #74. Superman #73, the November/December 1951 issue, has a decidedly Golden Age look and feel as Superman confronts circus strongman Hank Garvin, who stands his ground against a steamroller. But Superman #74, the January/February 1952 issue, pits Superman against Lex Luthor, who has come into possession of Kryptonian weaponry and is using "The Lost Secrets of Krypton" against the Man of Steel. Had I read this story ten years later, it would have fit right into the Silver Age Superman canon.

I'm not sure what inspired the change, but as far as I'm concerned, the Silver Age doesn't start with Superman #76 or Detective #225 or Showcase #4. but with Superman #74. For Superman, at least, this is when the tone of the stories and the continuity elements of the Silver Age really come into focus. I may never know why the change occurred, but at least I know when.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/27/1968 to 6/2/1968

Rome police officers raided Shorter Heights Drive-In at 414 Shorter Avenue on Tuesday night and arrested thirteen Rome residents (ten from West Rome) for illegal gambling. An assortment of gaming paraphernalia was seized, along with a sophisticated electronic warning system designed to allow the bartender to alert the gamblers that authorities were on the way. The drive-in’s beer license was suspended along with their business license until the case could be tried. 

Memorial Day was observed on Thursday, May 30th (the holiday had not yet been moved to the fourth Monday in May); while most federal and state facilities were closed in observance of the holiday, US District Court continued to hear cases on that date, state and local offices were open, and school was still in session. (It would be years more before all government agencies and schools would close in observance of Memorial Day.)

School came to an end on Friday, May 31st, for Rome City Schools students (although the county school system would continue for another week). Seniors ended their week on Wednesday, May 29th to give teachers time to grade finals and determine who would graduate and who wouldn't; graduation was scheduled for Saturday, June 1st.

The city of Rome went to court to force Southern Railway to remove its outdated overpass on Shorter Avenue near the Marine Corps Reserve facility. The railroad link was discontinued and the tracks were removed in 1965, but Southern Railway did nothing to remove the overpass itself. Southern Railway was trying to use the underpass as a bargaining chip to get the city to cover costs for a grade crossing and warning signals near Southern’s main depot. These costs were typically covered by the railroad, not the city, so the city rejected the proposal and went to court to force Southern to remove an unused eyesore and a traffic bottleneck.

Wednesday evening thunderstorms spawned a tornado that skipped over the lower end of Horseleg Creek Road before touching down again in the north Rome area. One mobile home on Wayside Road was destroyed by the tornado, and several other homes sustained roof damage. 

Kay’s Kastles celebrated its grand opening in the Gala Shopping Center (also known as the Big K Shopping Center), right across the street from West Rome High School. During the grand opening, the offered a half-gallon of their ice cream for only 79¢, a dime off the regular price. Kay’s Kastles advertised that they had ten delicious flavors of ice cream--and while that may not sound like a lot right now, that was two more flavors than the eight flavors that our very own Candler’s Drugs offered!

Piggly Wiggly had smoked ham for 49¢ a pound, yellow corn for 8¢ an ear, and Chase & Sanborn coffee for 69¢ a can. Kroger had round steak for 89¢ a pound, Irvindale ice milk for 33¢ a half-gallon, and canned biscuits for 6¢ a can. Big Apple had sirloin steak for 89¢ a pound, tomatoes for 25¢ a pound, and Blue Plate ketchup for 33¢ a bottle. A&P had fresh whole fryers for 29¢ a pound, strawberries for 39¢ a pint, and Ann Page bread for 24¢ a loaf. Couch’s had Beaver’s wieners for 49¢ a pound (I don’t make up these names, I just report ‘em), Nabisco saltines for 37¢ a box, and a three-pound jar of JFG peanut butter for $1.29.

The cinematic week began with A Stranger in Town (starring Tony Anthony) at the DeSoto Theatre, Around the World in 80 Days (starring David Niven) at the First Avenue, and The Road Hustlers (starring Jim Davis) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought Yours, Mine, & Ours (starring Lucille Ball & Henry Fonda) to the DeSoto, Sweet November (starring Sandy Dennis) at the First Avenue, and Wild In the Streets (starring Shelly Winters) at the West Rome Drive-In.

Simon & Garfunkel took the number one slot this week in 1968 with “Mrs. Robinson.” Other top ten hits included “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, & Chorus (#2); “A Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals (#3); “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells” (#4); “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro (#5); “Yummy Yummy Yummy” by the Ohio Express (#6); “Mony Mony” by Tommy James & the Shondells (#7); “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#9); and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” by Dionne Warwick (#10). 

Meanwhile, over in the UK, the Beatles began recording songs for what would eventually become The Beatles (better known as The White Album); the sessions would run through the summer and into the fall, wrapping up in early October so that the double album could be released in November in time for the Christmas season (lots of us got albums as Christmas gifts back in the 1960s, after all!).

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/20/1968 to 5/26/1968

Rome City Schools submitted a five-step plan to eliminate the remnants of its segregated school system before the beginning of the 1968-1969 school year. The most important aspect of the plan involved the closing of Main High School, which had been Rome’s black high school during the segregation era. Plans called for all students to be transferred to West Rome and East Rome High Schools. Initial plans, based on a proposal from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW, the precursor to today’s Department of Education) called for the elimination of West Rome Junior High and the use of Main High School as a junior high school until East Rome Junior High could be expanded to serve as a city-wide high school. Furthermore, high school would have been redefined as grades 10 through 12, with grades 7 through 9 being designated as junior high school. West Rome residents were strongly opposed to this plan and lobbied successfully to keep West Rome Junior High as a community junior high school, stressing the benefits to West Rome to have a consistent community educational experience that allowed students to attend school in or near their own neighborhoods. (Alas, a little more than a couple of decades later, however, the Rome City School System would dismiss the benefits of neighborhood schools in favor of neighborhood big-box-retail stores, consolidating West Rome and East Rome and selling the school sites to Walmart and KMart respectively.) 

West Rome’s baseball team won the first game in the Floyd Baseball Tournament on Thursday, beating Model 9-2. The game was close until the sixth inning, when West Rome scored five runs to pull ahead 8-2; the Chiefs scored one more run in the eighth inning. West Rome went on to win the next round 4-2 against Darlington, which set the m up to take on Pepperell in the next week for the Floyd County Baseball Tournament championship.

The King’s Inn arson trial of Rome real estate agent Dwyatt Dempsey began this week in 1968, and the first motion the defense made was to exclude evidence that included gas cans found in Dempsey’s car. The judge ruled against the motion, however, and the trial got underway. (I remain amazed at how quickly cases went to trial in the 1960s; today, it would take many months, and perhaps even a year or more, to bring an arson case to trial.)

The Rome Boys Club Choir performed its annual concert on Thursday and Friday at the Rome City Auditorium. Dan Biggers of Berry College (who was no relation to me whatsoever, although I sometimes wonder if the shared last name might have worked to my benefit during my four years at Berry College!) was the master of ceremonies for the concert and Betty Hester served as assistant choir director. 

National City Bank continued its push to bring the new BankAmericard to Rome, stressing its value to retailers. For only a quarter of one percent of the sales total, retailers could take the card and get funds deposited to their account within three days of submitting the credit card slips to their bank. That made it affordable for every retail establishment to offer credit to its customers. (Oh, how happy today’s retailers would be if they could take credit cards for only .25% per transaction!)

Piggly Wiggly had shrimp for 99¢ a pound, bananas for a dime a pound, and Double Cola for 99¢ a case (plus deposit). A&P had ground beef for 39¢ a pound, tomatoes for 29¢ a pound, and Nabisco Biscoes waffle cream cookies (apparently, there is at least one kind of cookie that I don’t remember at all!) for 37¢ a box. Kroger had sirloin steak for 99¢ a pound, lettuce for 19¢ a head, and whole watermelons for 99¢. Big Apple had spare ribs for 59¢ a pound, Blue Plate mayonnaise for 39¢ a jar, and Irvindale ice cream for 49¢  a half-gallon. Couch’s had chicken livers for 49¢ a pound, Derby potted meat for a dime a can, and strawberries for 33¢ a pint. 

The cinematic week began with The Party (starring Peter Sellers) at the DeSoto Theatre, Ballad of Josie (starring Doris Day) at the First Avenue, and Carpet Baggers (starring George Peppard) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought A Stranger in Town (starring Tony Anthony) to the DeSoto, Around the World in 80 Days (starring David Niven and many, many others) to the First Avenue, and The Road Hustlers (starring Jim Davis--not the Garfield artist--and Andy Devine) to the West Rome Drive-In.

Archie Bell & the Drells took number one this week with “Tighten Up.” Other top ten hits included “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (#2); “A Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals (#3); “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Montenegro, His Chorus & Orchestra (#4); “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro (#5); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#6); “the Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers (#7); “Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (#8); “Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day” by Stevie Wonder (#9); and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” by Dionne Warwick (#10). 

Simon & Garfunkel had both the number one and the number two albums this week in 1968... sort of. Their album Bookends was number one, while the soundtrack to The Graduate (which featured a number of Simon & Garfunkel songs) was number two. The Monkees, Aretha Franklin, & Herb Alpert rounded out the top five albums. 

It was a great week for new albums, with Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison, The Delfonics' La La Means I Love You,  The Mamas & the Papas' The Papas & the Mamas, Richard Harris's A Tramp Shining, and the eponymous Quicksilver Messenger Service all seeing release this week in 1968.

The Silver Surfer premiered in his own comic this week in 1968. Originally created by artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee in the pages of Fantastic Four, the tragic Silver Surfer quickly became a fan favorite; when Marvel had an opportunity to expand its line of books in 1968, the Surfer became one of the new launches. Since Jack Kirby wasn’t available to handle the art on the 64-page comic, Marvel enlisted John Buscema to pencil the series; Fantastic Four inker Joe Sinnott finished the art to give it that FF look. 

Thanks, Mom!

I can't thank Mom in person on Mother's day (can she really have been gone for more than fifteen years now? How can that be?), so I thought I'd thank her here.

Thanks, Mom, for--
•Never making me throw away my comics or quit reading them. Instead, you supported my interests and you and Dad even gave me comics-related gifts that showed how much you cared.
•Buying a copy of the "Hey Jude" single and then letting me listen to it, thus leading me to rediscover the Beatles after having quit buying their albums a few years earlier.
•Not only letting me play around on the family typewriter, but for actually teaching me the basics of touch typing. By the time I took typing in junior high school. I had already mastered the fundamentals thanks to your patient lessons.
•Letting me invite my comic book buddies over for what must have seemed like an endless stream of spend-the-night visits when I was a kid; since my bedroom was right across the hall from yours and Dad's, I'm sure that you tolerated for more late-night comic book and monster movie conversations than you ever wanted to.
•Always making me feel welcome, even when you were struggling with emphysema. I cherish every one of those moments.
•Supporting my and Dad's fascination with technology--and in fact, embracing it. I remember that you became the family Tivo expert, and you knew more trick of video-dubbing with GoVideo machines than anyone else in the family.
•Never allowing my elementary school teachers to force me to write right-handed at a time when many teachers were less than tolerant of left-handed students. I remember more than once listening to you explain to a teacher that a right-handed cursive slant wasn't natural for a left-handed person; you were indefatigable!
•Being there at my bedside the day after my heart attack, and coming to the house on the day that I  was finally allowed to return home after my open-heart surgery. You were struggling with your own health problems at the time, but you were there to encourage me, comfort me, and support me.
•Decorating for every Christmas, every Halloween, every Easter, and every Fourth of July. I always recall holidays as big events, largely thanks to the work you put into making our home a festive place.
•Rallying for that final Friday night visit before you left us forever. I will always remember the rapt expression on your face as you watched the video I had prepared using our family photos, and the conversation that night will stay with me forever.

That's just ten of ten thousand and one things I would like to thank you for. Happy Mother's Day!

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/13/1968 to 5/19/1968

We take high school for granted nowadays, but a survey of the class of 1966 showed that only 55% of those who started the first grade in the 1954-1955 school year went on to graduate from a public high school.  If that’s not surprising enough, here’s a real stunner: 1009 persons who were old enough to have started the first grade in 1955-1955 never attended school at all!

West Rome track team members qualified to take part in eleven of sixteen track events the George Class AA track meet on Friday and Saturday in Jonsesboro. The Rome News-Tribune didn’t give first names for the list, but the Chieftains who were listed as participating were:

•Broad Jump - Smith & Rimes

•Pole Vault - Worsham

•High Jump - Smith

•Triple Jump - Rimes

•Discus - Kinnebrew, Johnson

•440 Relay - West Rome team

•100 Yard Dash - Johnson

•High Hurdles - Smith

•220 Dash - Johnson

•Low Hurdles - Trotter

Mile Relay - West Rome team

Rome had heavy thunderstorms with large hail on Thursday, May 16th, with over 2 inches of rain falling in a two hour period, accompanied by hail the size of marbles in West Rome. There were many reports of automobile damage due to the hail.

A chemistry lab explosion caused  a fire at Berry College’s Hamrick Hall on Thursday, May 16th. No students were injured, but two firemen suffered minor acid burns during their efforts to contain the blaze.

The National City Bank of Rome proudly announced that they would be the first bank in Rome to offer the new BankAmericard, “the first all purpose nationwide bank credit card! It’s a local credit card service that you can use nationally, one that costs nothing to acquire with no annual dues to pay.” Cardholders could use the card anywhere, but they could make payments at their local National City Bank. (BankAmericard would eventually become Visa, of course--and while we take credit cards for granted now, the first no-fee national credit card was a Very Big Thing in 1968!)

Piggly Wiggly had vienna sausage for 23¢ a can, Poss Brunswick stew for 49¢ a can, and yellow squash for 19¢ a pound. Kroger had smoked picnic ham for 29¢ a pound, large eggs for 33¢ a pound, and JFG coffee for 49¢ a pound. Big Apple had whole fryers for 27¢ a pound, Cudahy Bar-S bacon for 49¢ a pound, and iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a pound. A&P had chuck roast for 35¢ a pound, yellow corn for 8¢ an ear, and a one-quart jar of Heinz dill pickles for 49¢. Couch’s had pork chops for 49¢ a pound, pineapple slices for 29¢ a can, and pork & beans for 18¢ a can. 

The cinematic week began with The Scalphunters (starring Burt Lancaster) at the DeSoto Theatre, In the Heat of the Night (starring Sidney Poitier & Rod Steiger) at the First Avenue, and How to Save a Marriage & Ruin Your Life (starring Dean Martin) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Party (starring Peter Sellers) to the DeSoto, No Way to Treat a Lady (starring Rod Steiger & Lee Remick) to the First Avenue, and The Carpetbaggers (starring George Peppard) to the West Rome Drive-In. 

Archie Bell & the Drells took the top spot this week in 1968 with “Tighten Up.” Other top ten hits included “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (#2); “Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro (#3); “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Monenegro, His Orchestra & Chorus (#4); “A Beautiful Morning” by The Rascals (#5); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#6); “Love Is All Around” by the Troggs (#7); “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers (#8); “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#9); and “Do You Know The Way to San Jose?” by Dionne Warwick (#10). 

John Lennon & Paul McCartney announced their new business venture, Apple Corps Limited, on May 14th. Apple was envisioned as a multi-faceted entertainment company that would include a recording studio, a record label, and a clothing store; the clothing store didn’t last for long, though, due to rampant mismanagement, and before too long, Apple was a record label that served as the home to albums by James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Billy Preston, Badfinger, and many others--including, of course, the Beatles themselves, both as a group and later as solo artists.

Fifty Years Ago This Week in West Rome - 5/6/1968 to 5/12/1968

The May term Floyd County grand jury issued a strong criticism of the inequitable enforcement of liquor sales laws in the area. The grand jury said that not only was there not a uniform enforcement of bootleg liquor sales, but that city and county officials often failed to enforce laws regarding sales of liquor by private clubs within the county. “By failing to enforce the law properly, we are contributing to a breakdown of law and order,” the grand jury wrote.  

Judge Jerry Minge, who was criticized for conflict of interest during the Watson Street residents’ noise and safety complaints in 1967, announced that he did not plan to run fora judgeship again in the next election. (My guess is that no one living on Watson Street or in the immediate surrounding area was saddened by this news.)

Rome real estate agent Dwyatt Dempsey was indicted for arson in relation to a fire at the King’s Inn Restaurant on Shorter Avenue on March 11th. Dempsey was arrested at the scene with three empty five-gallon gasoline cans in his car; his shoes and pants reeked of gasoline, and there was evidence that gasoline had been set afire at multiple locations in the store. 

Former Roman Norma Brannon was chosen as Mrs. Georgia on Friday night; the runner-up, Mrs. James E. Duffy, was a current Roman who represented the city in the competition. (I was particularly pleased with the news, since Norma Brannon was my mother’s sister and my aunt. She was a gracious, charming, and kind woman who was a vital part of my youth, and I couldn’t have imagined a woman more deserving of the honor--other than my own Mom, of course!)

Charles Burnes of West Rome was charged with assault with intent to commit murder for stabbing a man and then engaging in a shootout with him at a used car lot in North Rome. The shootout involved two handguns and a shotgun; while more than a dozen shots were fired, only a single pellet from the shotgun actually hit either man. The victim was not charged, since he only fired in self-defense when fired upon.

The Elm Street PTA presented a musical program entitled “Elm Street School On the Go” on Thursday, May 9th at 7:30 pm at the West Rome High School auditorium. The program featured performances by both students and faculty members.

West Rome’s baseball team trounced Chattooga 13-4 on Monday, May 6th. Charles Williams was the winning pitcher for the region game that saw the Chieftains take the lead in the first inning and never gave up that lead for the remainder of the game.

The West Rome track team defeated Lafayette and Dalton 7i1-57-42 in a three-way track meet on Tuesday, May 8th. Johnny Rimes took first place in the triple jump, and the relay team won their race, clinching the victory.

Alas, West Rome’s track team was not able to pull off a victory in the season’s final meet, losing to East Rome 168-162--and that gave the Gladiators a lock on the region 6-AA championship.

West Rome French teacher Mrs. JV Cobb, announced plans to take a group of students--including Chieftains Beverly Hall and Jeannie Thompson--to France for the summer to spend five weeks in France’s chateau country, studying at the Centre D’Etudes Francaises ‘Ambroise. The school offered intensive study programs for select upper-level French students, with all classes conducted entirely in French. 

Southern Bell began promoting direct-dial long distance with daily advertising this week in 1968. The ads stressed that you could make your own long distance calls by dialing 1, the area code, and the phone number, thereby saving up to 40% over person-to-person long-distance calls. With direct-dial station-to-station calls, Romans could phone Atlanta during the day for only 45¢ a minute and only 25¢ a minute after 8:00 pm. (Yes, that equals more than $3 a minute for daytime rates and almost $2 a minute for evening rates in today’s dollars, adjusted for inflation.)

Burglars were back in action in Rome this week in 1968. Monday night, burglars broke into Cline’s Service Station on North Broad Street and raided the vending machines, taking an undetermined amount of cash. The same night, a wel pump was stolen from a residence on Huffacre Road and a rifle was stolen from a house on the Rockmart Highway. Thursday night, burglars broke into East Rome High School and ransacked the vending machines, making off with a whopping $12.00.

Piggly Wiggly had round steak for 99¢ a pound, strawberries for 49¢ a quart, and Morton’s salt for 9¢ a box. Kroger had baking hens for 33¢ a pound, Kroger bread for 18¢ a loaf, and bananas for 13¢ a pound. Big Apple had Oscar Mayer bacon for 67¢ a pound, tomatoes for 15¢ a pound, and Chase and Sanborn coffee for 55¢ a pound. A&P had corned beef for 65¢ a pound, iceberg lettuce for 19¢ a head, and Hydrox cookies for 39¢ a pack. Couch’s had Cudahy Bar-S bologna for 29¢ a half-pound, Aristocrat ice milk for 39¢ a half-gallon, and large eggs for 35¢ a dozen. 

The cinematic week began with The Secret War of Harry Frigg (starring Paul Newman) at the DeSoto Theatre, Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book at the First Avenue, and Psychout (starring Susan Strasberg) at the West Rome Drive-In. The midweek switchout brought The Scalphunters (starring Burt Lancaster) at the DeSoto, In the Heat of the Night (starring Sidney Poitier & Rod Steiger) at the First Avenue, and Kiss Me, Stupid (starring Dean Martin & Kim Novak) at the West Rome Drive-In. 

Bobby Goldsboro’s maudlin “Honey” held on to number one this week in 1968. Other top ten songs included “Tighten Up” by Archie Bell & the Drells (#2); “Young Girl” by Gary Puckett & the Union Gap (#3); “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly” by Hugo Montenegro, His Orchestra, and Chorus (#4); “Cry Like a Baby” by the Box Tops (#5); “A Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals (#6); “Cowboys to Girls” by the Intruders (#7); “The Unicorn” by the Irish Rovers (#8); “Mrs. Robinson” by Simon & Garfunkel (#9); and “Lady Madonna” by the Beatles (#10).