Team-Up Tuesdays: Crusaders VS Invaders

This would be an epic matchup. Consider the following duels between the Crusaders and Invaders:

• The heat-generating android Human Torch versus circus fire-breather Inferno (not show). The latter took on Steel just as Torch does in the picture. Advantage: Human Torch.
• Two elemental men in Blue Diamond (not shown) versus Steel Sterling. Superstrong and invulnerable, each was a paragon of potent power. Advantage: Steel Sterling.
• High-flying Miss America versus the bird-handler Captain Flag, considering the lady had strength as well she'd take out Flag's pet eagle Yank. Advantage: Miss America.
• The Vision aka Aarkus versus Mister Justice: Although Aarkus could control temperature, illusions and teleport... Justice could  do that and more. Advantage: Mister Justice.
• The Whizzer versus Bob Phantom (not shown): A superspeedster versus a master teleporter. Whizzer was quite fast, but Bob was as fast as thought! Advantage: Bob Phantom.
• Sub-Mariner versus the Wizard (not shown): His world's first mutant, the Mariner would meet his match with the mastermind turned man of might. Advantage: the Wizard.
• Union Jack (not shown) versus Black Jack: Two mighty fine fighters, nevertheless the Battling Brit has the edge with his superhuman lighting powers. Advantage: Union Jack.
• Bucky versus Dusty: The supreme sidekicks of the super-soldiers. In the golden age: As the Boy Detective, Dusty takes this. As a retcon secret agent, Bucky. Advantage: Toss Up.
• The Destroyer (not shown) versus the Web: Both the pinnacles of human perfection, matching physical attributes with tactical minds and great courage. Advantage: Toss Up.
• The Patriot (not show) versus the Hangman: Non-powered but superbly talented second-tier mystery men, the former an optimist and the latter a pessimist. Advantage: Patriot.
• Captain America versus the Shield: Here would be the epic battle of ages. Two twin titans. As his superstrong self, Advantage: the Shield. If he is non-powered, Advantage: Captain America.

Steeler Sundays: The New and the Old... Same Ol' Same Ol'

As Archie Comics reinvigorates their superhero franchise with yet another rendition of the Mighty Crusaders,  the Charlton cast of characters languish in the storehouses of DC Comics as acquired properties awaiting assimiliation into their main Multiverse of metahumans. However, which situation provides the best oppportunity for Charton vs Mighty MLJ to once more claim the captive attention of comicdom? As a web-only endearvor such as the Crusaders will be granted, with focus on just them yet without the marketing push of mainstream comics, or the ability to be ready-for-print in a big time publisher that the Charlton cast of characters has access to, albeit as background players?

With the advent of a "Steel Sterling Jr" over on Earth-MLJ, can there not be a Sarge Steel the Second lurking around the Multiverse as well? Given the number of potential marriage mates the Sarge encountered throughout the years, it would seem logical that eventually he would feel the need to settle down. In the potential Earth-Four i.e. Earth-Charlton upon which the original Sarge resided, time would tick down at about the same rate as on MLJ, and he would be well into his sixties at the point. Perhaps one day in another web-only venture, should the Crusaders succeed, DC might attempt the same for its acquired "Action-Heroes" from the town of Derby, we may find out...

  

Steeler Sundays: Return of Inferno Part 3

Postscript: Sarge Steel here. Wasn't that an excellent tale wherein my fellow Steel, Mr. Sterling, used a clever method to get the intelligence he needs to ferret out that rat... er snake. He wasn't just all brawn. Still not to sure about that Inferno, but I've been told some good things about him... we'll see...

Steeler Sundays: Return of Inferno Part 2

Picking up where we left off last Steeler Sundays, we find Steel Sterling facing off once more against his old foe Inferno in the pages of Zip Comics #11. Only this time, the fire-breathing foe of the Man of Steel gets caught up with his friend Twisto in a nefarious scheme hatched by the true villain of this piece. Pig Pan Wood. Realizing that he escaped by the skin of his teeth and the bumbling of a fellow fiend, Pig Pan adopts the alias of the Rattler with a unique modus operandi of his own.

Note the comical copper who is Steel's erstwhile companion, always a necessary component in any successful golden age character's strip. And Steel hiimself displays some versatility, not simply relying on his considerable superstrength, durability and "ZIPs" through the air. Realizing he needs to cosy up to the criminal element in order to track it down, he assume a down-and-out hoodlum alias all his own. Shade of Batman's "Matches Malone and definitely highlighting that strategically he is on par with his doppleganger Sarge Steel over at Charlton Comics.

In this battle between Sterling and Rattler, which side will Inferno join in this battle of good and evil? Well we know how he'll ultimately turn out, but the road to redemption is paved with many potential potholes. Not the least of which is getting that snazzy costume he's more famously clad in.



















For the conclusion of this mini-epic return with us next time for Part 3 of the Return of Inferno on Steeler Sundays!

Steeler Sundays: The Return of Inferno!

When last we considered Inferno, we learrned of his stunning origin and his radical turn to the side of truth and justice (even though he was framed by an impersonator stealing his unique modus operandi. But how did this famed flame-breathing fearless fighter face his most fearsome foe, Mr. Sterling himself? Let's look into Zip Comics #11 for the second appearance of this golden age villain turned hero, as he once more engages in a crimespree with his pal Flexo the Rubber Man.

With quite the flair for fiendish felonies, this dastardly duo deviously conspire to successfully loot and pillage, this time without the interference of their former foe Steel Sterling. However, their rather low rent approach doesn't seem to match that of their golden age peers over at All-American Publications or Timely Comics (precursors of DC and Marvel, respectively) despite their rather odd modus operandi of flexibility and fire-breathing. One definite difference from Sterling's doppleganger Sarge Steel is that there was some longterm plotting involved in Sterling's adventures, at least the initial ones, while Sarge's formula was more one-and-done tales (although there were repetitive foes that returned later on like Ivan Chung and other rogues). Perhaps Sterling's strip would be considered a launching pad for other characters in the backpages of Zip Comics (recall that this is prior to the debut of the Web, who himself only lasted for a scant ten issue run... they were really struggling with other features to supplement this publication unlike its companion Pep).

Nevertheless, it is quite clear that the seeds are already in place from the first part of this memorable masterpiece that Inferno is set to become something more than a common hood, even though he is shown rather menacely on both the cover and within this tale. Next week we'll carry on with part two of this timeless tale of evil turned to good. Return with us next Steeler Sunday...

Steeler Sundays: The Original Lex Luthor!

So you think the whole "I'm going to avenge myself upon you Superboy because you made me bald by blowing toxic fumes back in my face" stiche was patented by Lex Luthor? Think again. Another folicle-challenged foe of a Man of Steel beat him to the punch by several years, in Zip Comics #37.  Check out Jameson the jerk confronting Steel Sterling...

Unfortunately for our bald bad boy, he ended up getting burned by his own schemes... literally in fact. Never fear, though, for any concept is fresh for being raped and pillaged by the Big Two at a moments notice, dear reader!

Now had Jameson's opponent been another Steel, Sarge Steel from Charlton, he'd have a sympathetic foil who would understand the loss of a body part... although he at least kept his closely cropped crew cut that was all the rave of ladies in the 60's. Cut clear to the bone? Not so much...

Steeler Sundays: Dopplegangers Under the Hood

The Steels known as Sarge and Sterling, were there publishers' renditions for "Men of Steel", each possessing attributes of the original Superman while grounding them to a more human template in both characterization and abilities.

In order to obtain a skill set  necessary to dare approach such a legend, they each depended upon technology to give them an edge. For Sarge, it was his surgically repaired left hand, fully mechanized providing him hydraulic strength in its robotic joints. For Sterling, it was an anti-gravity belt allowing him to hurtle unencumbered through the air.

Alas, they need a steady diet of yellow sun radiation and light gravity to match the Metropolis Marvel's marvelous mighty. Oh wait, they have both! To bad neither was born on Krypton to take advantage of either...

Steeler Sundays: Post-Game Wrap-Up

Steeler Sundays: Don't Drink and Drive Part 2

Steeler Sundays: Don't Drink and Drive Part 1

Stay tuned later today for Part 2...

Crossover Month: Self-Made Men of Might

And straight from the "B" league of supermen-wannabees are Steel Sterling and Doc Samson. Two scientists who jury-rigged their equipment to gain superhuman strength and durability, in part thanks to radiation the ultimately comes from the sun.

While Samson was always a supporting character for his more powerful contemporary and inspiration, the Hulk, Sterling was a man-unto-himself never depending on others' fame to elevate his own status. As such, Steel is much more prominent in his universe than is Doc in his. However, were these two men to ever meet, they undoubtedly would get along swimmingly after initial fisticuffs had already ensued.

Steelers Sundays: Steel vs Sarge Round 2

As Steel Sterling's second adventure rolled around (not counting an aside in Blue Ribbon Comics which insert some character references somewhat concurrent with this and the next issue), we see a new plotter steered the original Man of Steel in a new direction. A more human direction, actually. Gone was the superhuman abilities, now he was just above human with moments of marvelous muscles thrown into the mix to satisfy the superhero fanboys:

You got it... it's Robert Kaningher... aka Mr. Wonder Woman. Making his claim to fame as the plotter for some truly wacky stories during the silver age of the amazing amazon and then creating the most famous fictional sergeant in comics (Rock) and several other World War II characters, he was now winding now his comic book career. Attempting to make Steel "relevant" to modern sensibilities, more tales of angst and human drama would be interjected throughout the remainder of this series. Sometimes effectively, sometimes not so much so.

Introducing a strong female (Princess Diana?) to counterbalance the balance the rugged blonde boyscout (Steve Trevor?), Ms. Samson was more of an annoyance at this point then a love interest. But fear not... once she traded hairstyles and soften her approach she would become the twinkle in Steel's eye. Well, one of them anyways. The point of the above exchange was to motivate our titular tough-guy to push himself beyond his limits. Oh boy, would he!

Facing a rogue motorcycle gang without an appreciation for history (c'mon, you gonna slap around the dude who took out such immortal crooks as Monster Master, the Red Knight and the Magnetic whatishisname?), Sterling now has a tough decision to make... whether to bolt and save his tail or stick to his convictions and face down his fearsome foes?

________________

Sarge Steel #2 picked up the momentum of its previous issue and carried it further. Mostly due to the introduction of Bess Forbes, who is absolutely one of the best female love interests in comics (although they always tapped dance around something going on between Sarge and Bess). Werner Von Wess was the villain-of-the-week, a passable sort filling the ex-Nazi niche all in vogue in the robust 60's. His scheme to take over the world using a nuclear submarine was squashed by the most indispensable tool in Sarge's crime fighting repertoire: his steel fist (the picture was from his confrontation with arch-foe Ivan Chung last week. This week he used it to bust down a locked hatch!). Not a bad follow-up to a promising series of the P.I./Spy. Each Steel had some more adventures in store for them of varying types which we'll consider in the months to come!

Steeler Sundays: Inaspcious Introductions

One had a history of previous stories chronicled for their grandparents and parents in the 40's and 60's to read. The other was a brand new product in those very same late 1960's. Essentially, both Steels were brand new characters where Sarge Steel appeared the 60s and Steel Sterling reappeared in the 80's (we're ignoring his more superhero-type adventures of the 60s as they've been covered in some of our Friday Fiends posts previously). In each we see that our heroes reflect the times in which the writers attempt to market them in.

So Sterling was nothing more than a dime-store Ferrigno or Schwarzenegger? Not much respect for the original "Man of Steel". And apparently not much acknowledgment by his new writers Stan Timmons and Rich Buckler as to his legacy. He was being approached as a notable figure yet with his superhero persona downplayed almost the point of non-existence. Fair enough if the tales are strong enough to stand on their own. Alas, this first one is definitely NOT!

In the course of events we meet Steel's main squeeze (for now at least) Gayla Gaynor, she of the remarkably divergent hair styles/colors. Then we get a quick battle between protagonist and antagonist, in this case the man-monster known as Humongous. Truly a one-hit wonder if ever there was one, all brawn no depth, and despite our knack for scrapping the bottom of the barrel at times to highlight various Fiends... he simply doesn't merit further mention. Nor did his creators feel he had any redeemable value as he was quickly scrapped as a character in favor of more "human" tales of daring do by our hero. Nevertheless, if nothing else we have our hero's courage and might measured in appropriate context to frame future storytelling possibilities around Sterling. On that score and the Hollywood premise they wisely setup, this leads to some memorable yarns to come (although by another more legendary writer who himself aspired to write  of strong champions clad in red and blue from a Distinct Competitor to Red Circle Comics).

The setup for Sarge Steel contrasts that of Sterling only in the sense of what was "in" for movies of that era. While Sterling was featured in the action hero era where might-made-right, Sarge hit his peak during the secret agent phase in Hollywood. While initially a private investigator that dipped his hand in covert affairs only when it suit him, there would be a definite shift toward the latter in subsequent issues. In this initial outing we meet Sarge's fine (and only) supporting character in Bess Forbes, and his chief antagonist in Ivan Chang. Also added to spice things up is the distinctive steel plated left hand which he would use to great advantage repeatedly as a bulletproof shield. The finest component to this finally crafted tale was the use of first-person narrative, and Sarge's distinct personality literally jumping off the page.

Next week we'll dissect more of this pair of pretty potent playboys...

Steeler Sundays: Sarge and Sterling Beginnings

Both Steel series from Charlton and Red Circle (Mighty) Comics started off with a bang, but one ended up being more of a whimper while the other held promise of great storytelling.

To start out, we have two sets of panels that present the origins of Sarge and Sterling, which transformed mere heroic lads into men of steel!

For Sarge it was more tragic as he gave up a part of his body to save lives, and this seemed to leave him with not only a hardened left hand but a heart that didn't soften even around the most pleasing of females.

For Sterling it was the thrill of scientific discovery leaving him with a devil-may-care attitude as he plunges into a molten caldron and is forged in the form of steely hide! This leads him to a more cheery disposition than his contemporary and yet he too is rock hard in the attachment department where the fairer sex are concerned.

Two villains are introduced, the generic Humongous which is set up as a mere foil for Sterling on a purely physical level, and the psychotic and strategic Ivan Chang who becomes Sarge's arch-enemy throughout the remainder of the series. While not matching the status of true criminal legends in fiction, Chang still measures up in the critical criteria of plaguing the protagonist. And isn't that the point in comics?

Next week we'll delve further into this pair of tales and separate the wheat from the chaff. Until then adieu.

Steeler Sundays: Zippity doo dah zippity aye!

(The following is brought to you by Zip Comics:)

Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye,

My oh my what a wonderful day

Plenty of sunshine coming my way,

Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye.

Mister blue bird's on my shoulder,


it's the truth,


it's actual,


everything's satisfactual!


Zippity doo dah,

zippity aye,

zippity doo dah,

zippity aye! 

Steeler Sunday's will return in mere weeks. Stay tuned!!!

Sideline Sundays: E-nimals Week - The Other Action Heroes

Our focus for "E"-nimals week are Jaguar and E-Man. Huh? What do THESE two have in common. Surprisingly....oodles... which we'll get to tomorrow. For now, let's see some of the characters who are on the periphery of our heroic pair's adventures. See, are red-clad raiders were never all that sociable with the hero set, at least not at first. Still, the pair had some interactions with the Action Heroes.

From this initial outing alongside fellow members of the Terrific Three, Mister Justice and Steel Sterling, it is quite evident that he doesn't have to much respect for Justice and is very defensive of the Man of Steel. Maybe that's why this triumphant triad didn't last nor worked together again (until decades later, with scores of other heroes against a legion of larcenists). While in his solo tales jag seems amiable enough with fellow scientists and damsels in distress, with fellow "Type A" adventurers he didn't seem to play nice. This is evident when he next joins a super-set.

No that's not Jaguar all nice and close with the Web, that's just the weird way he carries his fly-less friend to an assemblage of the Mighty Crusaders. The Web ended up being Jaguar's brother-in-law, since he married Jag's sister Rose. She wasn't partial to Web risking his life in his colorful alias, but didn't seem to care much about brother Ralph prancing around in his feline fashions. And if his mama thought that John "the Web" Raymond" was a double-daring nut, imagine what she would have thought of her own flesh and blood doing far more dangerous stunts... battling wild beast and deadly aliens! We see where Jag got his feisty nature!

While another team mate (and Web's close confidant Doc Reeves) felt some tension between Jaguar and himself, Darkling sensed the animal avenger had the noblest spirit of any man she had ever met in all her dimensional traveling. He felt more at home with the animal kingdom.

In the above picture we see a melding of various Charlton Action Heroes, perhaps the only appearance he ever had with his fellow action aces. Note the impression he made on Blue Beetle, and the one Captain Atom made on him. Alas, in the publishing universe of Charlton, very rarely did any of its characters "play friendly" with one another, especially with E-Man who arrived several years after his fellow heroes (aside from Yang) had already left for comic book limbo. The did operate simultaneously for a brief period in the early to mid 1970s during the Charlton Bullseye's run.

On one other occasion, Mr. Alec Tronn aka E-Man was shown alongside Captain Atom (off panel) and the Blue Beetle (well his Bug, anyway). Okay, they WERE parade floats... but still that cements some acknowledgment that these characters played in the same fictional sandbox. And for Charlton, this was about as good as it got on most occasions!  Unlike Jaguar, E-Man generally had a friendly nature to all whom he met, yet he still preferred operating (with one or two notable exceptions, considered in a couple days) solo. Maybe that was due to being a disembodied sentient manifestation of energy floating through space for aeons? Could be, guess we'd have to ask him when we see him.

That's all for the outer ring of our duo's universe, so to speak. Tomorrow we get into the nitty gritty on what makes these two tick and why they are so unique. We'd love to see more published about each of them at some point in the future!

Hump-Day Humour: A Teenager's Breakthrough!

This solicit for a new feature in Jackpot comics was the beginning of the end for the MLJ back of mystery men. Humour would soon rule the day, thanks in large measure to the hijinks of one red haired teenager. Subsequent covers and ads would frequently pair Archie with this publisher's premier hero, the Shield, over in Pep Comics. This might help to break up the lengthy career of the Riverdale gang, with Archie and friends' 1940s-50s adventures on the same Earth as the Mighty heroes, and the modern versions on a separate universe (see Archie's Weird Mysteries #3 that shows this in detail). We were laughing, and so were the publishers all the way to the bank, but were the heroes? Don't think so.

Friday Fiends: Cancelite, Thy Name Is Sales!

Cancelite. An plot device of Jerry Siegel (yeah...THAT Siegel!) used to level the playing field between good and bad guys. Except he shouldn't have leveled it...instead it should have been elevated. It was a period time in mid to late 60's that was riding the crest of Batman's campy television series. Nearly all comics publishers produced their own brand of superheroes...or in the case of Mighty Comics (Shield, Steel Sterling, etc) and Mighty/Radio Comics (Blue Beetle, Captain Atom) reintroduce their earlier creations. For the former, a more serious approach was taken to their presentation...for the latter, a more light-hearted one. Neither took.

1965 Comic Book Sales Figures
Average Total Paid Circulation as Reported in Publishers' Statements of Ownership

	Title	Publisher	Avg. paid circ.
1)	Superman	DC	823,829
2)	Superboy	DC	672,681
3)	Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane	DC	556,091
4)	Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen	DC	554,931
5)	Action Comics	DC	525,254
6)	Adventure Comics	DC	520,440
7)	Archie	Archie	467,552
8)	World's Finest Comics	DC	465,842
9)	Batman	DC	453,745
10)	Walt Disney's Comics & Stories	Gold Key	410,209
11)	Justice League of America	DC	389,285
12)	Treasure Chest	Catholic Guild	386,171
13)	Flintstones	Gold Key	374,322
14)	Tarzan	Gold Key	356,699
15)	Metal Men	DC	334,245
16)	Uncle Scrooge	Gold Key	330,925
17)	Betty and Veronica	Archie	328,969
18)	G.I. Combat	DC	320,607
19)	Detective Comics	DC	304,414
20)	Flash	DC	298,151
21)	Walt Disney's Donald Duck	Gold Key	298,144
22)	Life with Archie	Archie	293,651
23)	Bugs Bunny	Gold Key	291,816
24)	The Three Stooges	Gold Key	288,967
25)	Korak	Gold Key	278,800
26)	Tom and Jerry	Gold Key	276,980
27)	Archie's Joke Book	Archie	273,679
28)	Green Lantern	DC	273,527
29)	Our Army at War	DC	270,100
30)	Laugh Comics	Archie	269,747
31)	Archie's Pal Jughead	Archie	269,512
32)	Archie Giant Series	Archie	256,516
33)	Twilight Zone	Gold Key	256,050
34)	Atom	DC	255,254
35)	Archie's Pals 'n' Gals	Archie	253,860
36)	Woody Woodpecker	Gold Key	250,340
37)	Turok, Son of Stone	Gold Key	250,316
38)	Yogi Bear	Gold Key	250,175
39)	Brave & Bold	DC	249,768
40)	All-American Men of War	DC	247,717
41)	Aquaman	DC	247,140
42)	Little Lulu	Gold Key	246,650
43)	Top Cat	Gold Key	245,387
44)	Bonanza	Gold Key	244,042
45)	Daffy Duck	Gold Key	243,825
46)	Star-Spangled Comics	DC	243,700
47)	Beetle Bailey	Gold Key	237,700
48)	Magnus	Gold Key	236,713
49)	Showcase	DC	235,091
50)	Journey into Mystery	Marvel	232,644
51)	Madhouse	Archie	231,934
52)	Mickey Mouse	Gold Key	231,814
53)	Strange Tales	Marvel	230,285
54)	Tomahawk	DC	229,979
55)	Phantom	Gold Key	229,890
56)	Doctor Solar	Gold Key	226,720
57)	Tales to Astonish	Marvel	224,346
58)	Tales of Suspense	Marvel	222,060
59)	Challengers of the Unknown	DC	220,965
60)	Pep Comics	Archie	220,010
61)	Millie the Model	Marvel	219,427
62)	Lost in Space	Gold Key	216,775
63)	Combat	Dell	210,687
64)	Wonder Woman	DC	209,918
65)	Adventures of Jerry Lewis	DC	209,691
66)	Young Love	DC	206,456
67)	Doom Patrol	DC	200,188
68)	House of Mystery	DC	196,677
69)	Kid Colt Outlaw	Marvel	193,506
70)	Rawhide Kid	Marvel	192,540
71)	Adventures of Bob Hope	DC	191,656
72)	Sea Devils	DC	182,866
73)	Mystery in Space	DC	182,376
74)	Thirteen	Dell	175,169
75)	Sugar & Spike	DC	175,089
76)	Forbidden Worlds	ACG	172,270
77)	Unknown Worlds	ACG	168,330
78)	Adventures into the Unknown	ACG	163,049
79)	Fox & The Crow	DC	160,515
80)	Adventures of the Fly	Archie	160,235
81)	Fightin' Army	Charlton	144,865
82)	Fightin' Marines	Charlton	144,487
83)	Hot Rods and Racing Cars	Charlton	143,342
84)	Sweethearts	Charlton	142,208
85)	Love Diary	Charlton	141,333
86)	Billy the Kid	Charlton	140,635
87)	Romantic Story	Charlton	140,528
88)	I Love You	Charlton	139,689
89)	Strange Suspense Stories	Charlton	131,350
90)	Space War	Charlton	130,490
91)	Texas Rangers in Action	Charlton	126,665
92)	Outlaws of the West	Charlton	126,012
93)	Cheyenne Kid	Charlton	118,124
	Average for comics		263,090

Charlton's diverse line of Son of Vulcan, Blue Beetle and Captain Atom soon spawned additional titles such as Judomaster, Sarge Steel and Thunderbolt. From these titles, other characters were introduced such as a new Blue Beetle, Nightshade and Question. All of these provided unique takes on the heroic genre, from cosmic to mythological to scientific to perfectionism to objectivism. Mighty Comics derivative line of Fly-Man, Mighty Crusaders, their version of the Shadow, and Mighty Comic's Black Hood, Web, and others seemed to borrow elements from other classic characters and turn them on their metaphorical head while trying to grab giggles and laughs that ultimately fell flat. Both looked for niches that weren't there.

1966 Comic Book Sales Figures
Average Total Paid Circulation as Reported in Publishers' Statements of Ownership

	Title	Publisher	Avg. paid circ.
1)	Batman	DC	898,470
2)	Superman	DC	719,976
3)	Superboy	DC	608,386
4)	Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane	DC	530,808
5)	Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen	DC	523,455
6)	World's Finest Comics	DC	513,201
7)	Archie	Archie	491,691
8)	Action Comics	DC	491,135
9)	Adventure Comics	DC	481,234
10)	Justice League of America	DC	408,219
11)	Detective Comics	DC	404,339
12)	Metal Men	DC	396,506
13)	Treasure Chest	Catholic Guild	348,305
14)	Walt Disney's Comics & Stories	Gold Key	346,250
15)	Betty and Veronica	Archie	342,295
16)	Amazing Spider-Man	Marvel	340,155
17)	Tarzan	Gold Key	338,052
18)	Flintstones	Gold Key	332,362
19)	Fantastic Four	Marvel	329,379
20)	Flash	DC	325,404
21)	Life with Archie	Archie	300,954
22)	Uncle Scrooge	Gold Key	297,516
23)	Thor	Marvel	296,251
24)	Archie's Pal Jughead	Archie	284,928
25)	Laugh Comics	Archie	282,731
26)	Brave & Bold	DC	279,406
27)	Bugs Bunny	Gold Key	276,949
28)	Tom and Jerry	Gold Key	271,920
29)	Korak	Gold Key	270,923
30)	Avengers	Marvel	269,994
31)	Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos	Marvel	268,499
32)	The Three Stooges	Gold Key	266,701
33)	Walt Disney's Donald Duck	Gold Key	265,932
34)	Archie's Pals 'n' Gals	Archie	265,476
35)	Porky Pig	Gold Key	261,850
36)	Strange Tales	Marvel	261,069
37)	Twilight Zone	Gold Key	259,703
38)	Tales to Astonish	Marvel	256,145
39)	G.I. Combat	DC	255,496
40)	X-Men	Marvel	255,070
41)	Daffy Duck	Gold Key	254,750
42)	Mighty Samson	Gold Key	254,725
43)	Lost in Space	Gold Key	253,025
44)	Archie Giant Series	Archie	252,427
45)	Tales of Suspense	Marvel	252,239
46)	Showcase	DC	250,512
47)	Pep Comics	Archie	248,718
48)	Woody Woodpecker	Gold Key	248,199
49)	Yogi Bear	Gold Key	247,356
50)	Green Lantern	DC	245,699
51)	Turok, Son of Stone	Gold Key	245,202
52)	Little Lulu	Gold Key	245,000
53)	Our Army at War	DC	243,906
54)	Magnus	Gold Key	236,304
55)	Atom	DC	232,850
56)	Bonanza	Gold Key	230,033
57)	Blackhawk	DC	228,453
58)	Aquaman	DC	228,403
59)	Mickey Mouse	Gold Key	225,716
60)	Doctor Solar	Gold Key	224,936
61)	Phantom	Gold Key/King	221,141
62)	Wonder Woman	DC	220,168
63)	Archie's Madhouse	Archie	220,056
64)	Star-Spangled Comics	DC	215,495
65)	Kid Colt Outlaw	Marvel	214,555
66)	Tomahawk	DC	212,954
67)	Adventures of Jerry Lewis	DC	211,934
68)	Challengers of the Unknown	DC	210,316
69)	Our Fighting Forces	DC	207,885
70)	Little Archie	Archie	206,321
71)	Young Romance	DC	204,613
72)	Sad Sack	Harvey	204,253
73)	Rawhide Kid	Marvel	202,823
74)	Adventures of Bob Hope	DC	194,004
75)	Doom Patrol	DC	191,420
76)	Sugar & Spike	DC	190,515
77)	Millie the Model	Marvel	190,217
78)	Tales of the Unexpected	DC	185,650
79)	House of Mystery	DC	183,934
80)	Strange Adventures	DC	174,922
81)	Sea Devils	DC	168,731
82)	Unknown Worlds	ACG	162,684
83)	Thirteen	Dell	161,231
84)	Forbidden Worlds	ACG	160,520
85)	Adventures into the Unknown	ACG	155,102
86)	Teen-Age Love	Charlton	148,813
87)	Fox & The Crow	DC	142,720
88)	Army War Heroes	Charlton	133,205
89)	Fightin' Army	Charlton	129,514
90)	Texas Rangers in Action	Charlton	125,114
91)	Outlaws of the West	Charlton	124,813
92)	Fightin' Marines	Charlton	123,517
93)	Strange Suspense Stories	Charlton	123,267
94)	Cheyenne Kid	Charlton	116,320
	Average for comics		271,323

 After a mere three years from 1965 to 1967 of a concerted effort to launch a limited line of action-heroes, both publishers receded back to that which made them successful. In Mighty's case, it was its parent company Archie's line of teenage humor. And for Charlton, with the exception of licensed legend the Phantom, it was their love/war/old west comics that kept them in the game. Check out some of these titles...far down the list!

1967 Comic Book Sales Figures
Average Total Paid Circulation as Reported in Publishers' Statements of Ownership

	Title	Publisher	Avg. paid circ.
1)	Batman	DC	805,700
2)	Superman	DC	649,300
3)	Superboy	DC	547,100
4)	World's Finest Comics	DC	537,200
5)	Archie	Archie	484,648
6)	Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen	DC	450,700
7)	Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane	DC	448,400
8)	Detective Comics	DC	425,700
9)	Action Comics	DC	420,900
10)	Adventure Comics	DC	412,800
11)	Man from U.N.C.L.E.	Dell	411,235
12)	Justice League of America	DC	385,800
13)	Tarzan	Gold Key	384,450
14)	Amazing Spider-Man	Marvel	361,663
15)	Betty and Veronica	Archie	349,632
16)	Brave & Bold	DC	342,400
17)	Fantastic Four	Marvel	329,536
18)	Walt Disney's Comics & Stories	Gold Key	310,665
19)	Dennis the Menace	Fawcett	308,736
20)	Treasure Chest	Catholic Guild	306,803
21)	Thor	Marvel	298,219
22)	Archie's Pal Jughead	Archie	287,422
23)	Laugh Comics	Archie	285,544
24)	Archie's Joke Book	Archie	282,199
25)	Flintstones	Gold Key	279,885
26)	Uncle Scrooge	Gold Key	278,901
27)	Daredevil	Gold Key	275,361
28)	Life with Archie	Archie	275,099
29)	Korak	Gold Key	270,050
30)	Avengers	Marvel	269,139
31)	Tales to Astonish	Marvel	269,132
32)	Flash	DC	267,000
33)	Bugs Bunny	Gold Key	266,815
34)	Uncanny X-Men	Marvel	266,034
35)	Lost in Space	Gold Key	264,667
36)	Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos	Marvel	260,930
37)	Tales of Suspense	Marvel	257,342
38)	Tom and Jerry	Gold Key	256,448
39)	Walt Disney's Donald Duck	Gold Key	255,470
40)	The Three Stooges	Gold Key	253,384
41)	Archie Giant Series	Archie	248,241
42)	Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea	Gold Key	243,688
43)	Pep Comics	Archie	242,821
44)	Porky Pig	Gold Key	241,735
45)	Strange Tales	Marvel	241,561
46)	Archie's Pals 'n' Gals	Archie	240,407
47)	Metal Men	DC	239,700
48)	Mighty Samson	Gold Key	238,075
49)	Twilight Zone	Gold Key	236,720
50)	Aquaman	DC	234,200
51)	Turok, Son of Stone	Gold Key	232,565
52)	Yogi Bear	Gold Key	229,100
53)	Bonanza	Gold Key	225,625
54)	Little Lulu	Gold Key	224,800
55)	Woody Woodpecker	Gold Key	220,783
56)	Magnus	Gold Key	215,100
57)	Daffy Duck	Gold Key	212,225
58)	Doctor Solar	Gold Key	208,135
59)	Rawhide Kid	Marvel	205,221
60)	Mickey Mouse	Gold Key	205,083
61)	G.I. Combat	DC	202,100
62)	Green Lantern	DC	201,700
63)	Our Army at War	DC	196,500
64)	Madhouse	Archie	196,057
65)	Sad Sack	Harvey	192,213
66)	Little Archie	Archie	191,623
67)	Showcase	DC	189,500
68)	Young Romance	DC	187,400
69)	Young Love	DC	187,400
70)	Atom	DC	184,100
71)	Challengers of the Unknown	DC	182,200
72)	Adventures of Jerry Lewis	DC	180,800
73)	Little Dot	Harvey	179,592
74)	Girls' Love Stories	DC	178,300
75)	Spooky	Harvey	177,303
76)	Wonder Woman	DC	175,000
77)	Heart Throbs	DC	174,500
78)	Millie the Model	Marvel	173,519
79)	Little Lotta	Harvey	171,055
80)	Falling in Love	DC	170,400
81)	Girls' Romances	DC	170,400
82)	Tomahawk	DC	165,700
83)	Tales of the Unexpected	DC	162,600
84)	Star-Spangled War Stories	DC	160,000
85)	House of Mystery	DC	158,500
86)	Doom Patrol	DC	157,900
87)	Blackhawk	DC	157,700
88)	Teen-Age Love	Charlton	152,317
89)	Our Fighting Forces	DC	152,200
90)	Sugar & Spike	DC	150,200
91)	Secret Hearts	DC	149,700
92)	Strange Adventures	DC	146,600
93)	Army War Heroes	Charlton	140,005
94)	Billy the Kid	Charlton	136,615
95)	Unusual Tales	Charlton	135,266
96)	Romantic Story	Charlton	134,018
97)	Career Girl Romances	Charlton	125,710
98)	Fightin' Marines	Charlton	123,517
99)	Teenage Hotrodders	Charlton	120,890
100)	Sweethearts	Charlton	120,713
101)	Hot Rods and Racing Cars	Charlton	120,563
102)	Cheyenne Kid	Charlton	120,328
103)	I Love You	Charlton	120,310
104)	Outlaws of the West	Charlton	118,313
105)	Grand Prix	Charlton	118,002
106)	Fightin' Army	Charlton	117,513
107)	Love Diary	Charlton	115,412
108)	Fox & The Crow	DC	114,700
109)	Just Married	Charlton	112,413
110)	Teen Confessions	Charlton	111,410
111)	Texas Rangers in Action	Charlton	110,615
	Average for comics		239,366

While all these characters were later revived...ironically by the same mother-of-all publisher for superheroes DC...something was lost. For despite their flaws...be it in printing process for Charlton or plotting process for Mighty...there was a charm hidden between the panels. However, their own Fiend, Cancellation...was the one enemy that could beat the combined forces of our scores of silver-age stalwarts. And sagging sales is the true Kryptonite...er Cancelite...of any superhero.

(Special thanks to Comichron.com for their compilation of the above sales figures.