Team-Up Tuesdays: Sentinels VS Society

Charlton had an inordinate number of "street-level" superheroes, i.e. non-powered costumed crusaders. The only ones that had demonstrative superhuman attributes during the silver age "Action-Heroes" era was Captain Atom and Nightshade. Nevertheless, these individuals harkened back to the 1940's Justice Society of America, which also had several "normal" members amongst their ranks. How would these twin teams compare in a head-to-head matchup? Let's see:

• Sandman vs Peacemaker - Two helmeted heroes with non-lethal guns designed to immobilize their foes. Armed with tremendous wealth, inventive minds and true tenacity. Howeve, Peacemaker had more technology on his side. Advantage: Peacemaker.
• Doctor Mid-Nite vs Blue Beetle - Each man wore special goggles, devised special guns (Doc's cryotuber and Blue's bb-gun), distorted vision (Doc's blackout bombs and Blue's flare gun), and had "fauna" for sidekicks (Doc's Hooty the Owl and Blue's Bug). Both athletic and inventive, the Bug vehicle tips the balance devisely here. Advantage: Blue Beetle.
• Starman vs Captain Atom - Energy-weilding avengers, harnessing cosmic radiation unabling them to manipulate fundamental forces. In a matchup, both would fare well in battle, however Starman depends on his Cosmic Rod to empower him while the Captain possessed his superpowers due to his accidental origin. Advantage: Captain Atom.

• The Atom vs the Question - Fierce fist-fighters, charging into battle unreservedly showing the depth of their courage and conviction. Question can talk a mean blue-streak on philosophy and so forth, however when atomically powered the Atom's superstrength and "atomic punch" makes him hard to beat in this head-to-head. Advantage: The Atom.
• Mister Terrific vs Peter Cannon...Thunderbolt - The Man of 1000 Talents versus another man of 1000 Talents. Physical, psychological, tactical, intellectual... these gamely clad crusaders would have the most epic of confrontations. Advantage: Toss Up.
• Wildcat vs Judomaster - The heavy weight champion of the world and the judo master of the world. Fists and feets a-flying. Random rage against methodic might. If this thing went more than a couple rounds, and it would... Advantage: Wildcat.
• Black Canary vs Nightshade (neither shown) - The fine fighting femmes are skilled in multiple disciplines in the martial arts. Each came equipped with various gadgets as well. However, Nightshade is able to phase into shadows. Advantage: Black Canary.

Friday Fiends: VS New Sentinels of Justice

Commando D was the last member of the Sentinels of Justice from the Americomics-verse, and followed similar elements to other smart superheroes. Originally, lab technician Kon-Nar of the parallel world of the Altrann was used as a template for a size-shifting super-soldier to combat the equally malleable menace known as the Vardax. These reptilian desired claiming the world as their latest conquest, and after being overwhelmed by their forces, Kon-Nar and his girlfiend Dorna escaped to Earth.

It was there that Dorna perished, bequeathing her ring to young Denny Bryant, a ring that housed a minaturized chamber which actived Kon-Nar's abilities. Using the dual identity of Connor Page the unassuming civilian and in his costume alias, Commando D! Like Earth-Four's Peter Cannon, the Thunderbolt, Commando also harnessed mythical might from the mental magnificence of a secluded civiliztion. And, like John Raymond aka the Web over on Earth-MLJ, he favored the colors green and yellow while having a red head drapped over his shoulder (a lot less nagging than Rose, Web's wife, we would imagine).

As for the Friday Fiends, the serpentile Vardax? They followed their prey to Earth-AC and drew the attention of the then formed Sentinels to retrieve imprisoned teammate Scarlet Scorpion. Yet their loss is Justice's gain in the form of a giant of man, literally and metaphorically.

Amazingly Agile Americans Attain Asian Abilities

Even within a comic publisher, often creators will conceive characters with similar attributes to function within the same fictional universe. Sometimes with startling results... assuming they are able to interact to any measurable degree.

Sadly, while Judomaster and Thunderbolt were appearing in their own self-titled comics under the Charlton banner of the late 1960s, ne'er twain the two did meet! Perhaps there was a reason.

While each was distinct in specific ways, each spawned from the minds of equally gifted artist writers, they had some fundamental similarities:

• Americans trained in the proficency of an Asian artist style of self-defense
• Champions developed by seasoned masters to combat insidious international threats
• Positive mind-sets propel their physical abilities to their peak efficiency
• Spunky sidekicks assisted these masters in both their self-training and their adventures

Were they to have met in am epic duel, what may have transpired?

Undoubtedly, Peter Cannon's superior mental disciplines coupled with his muscular conditioning would more than match that of Rip Jagger, if for no other reason than the special scroll that Thunderbolt had access to as well as decades of training from childhood onward, as opposed to Judomaster who was trained as an adult. Still, after the requisite superhero smackdown ala Marvel Comics style, the two heroes would then team-up to protect the world from any threats that may endanger their precious Earth-Four!

Escelsior!

Action-Heroes in a Parallel Universe

What may have been in a parallel universe, had DC Comics published the Action-Heroes in the mid to late 1960s rather than Charlton.

When you get down to it, some stark realities reveal themselves through this exercise:

• All of these characters except one (Adam Strange) were principally defined by the teams they joined.
• Two had their own self-titled comics (Atom and Karate Kid...although Strange had a mini-series later).
• All were all zapped by energies (Thunderbolt/solar/Zeta/White Dwarf/chronological) which sent them to unexpected locales throughout the multiverse. 
• All of them were B-level characters that shined most when they were underestimated by those around them.

And all of them are near spitting images of their brethren over at Derby, if form if not always in substance.

Crossover Month: Thunderbolts Squared

Two more different individuals you could not find than Johnny Thunder and Peter Cannon. Peter is Mr. "I can do it. I must do it. I will do it!" while Johnny is Mr. "Say You". One had his powerful Thunderbolt handed to him with relative ease, the other dedicated his life from youth onward to become Thunderbolt. John has tremendous power but not the wisdom to use it appropriately, Pete is able to accomplish seeming miracles though a mortal man.

Imagine the power of Johnny's Thunderbolt controlled by Peter Cannon! It staggers the imagination, although it would probably not make for a good comics series.

Charlton Meets MLJ Week: Autograph Hound

Some fan boys just cannot take a hint!

Battling Blondes: Round 7 - Teamup Tribulations!

This week we shift gears away from the solo adventures of our pair of battling blondes, and dissect how well they work with fellow heroes. Actually we had a sneak peak into John Raymond's teammate chemistry, for when  last we saw him the Web worked well with his brother-in-law, Ralph (the Jaguar) Hardy. Only now, we review Web's inter-team dynamics with fellow Mighty Crusaders. And in a first, we consider Peter Cannon's sole documented case alongside the Sentinels of Justice! How well do both fare? Proceed if you dare...

Right from the start, the Web aspired to join the Crusaders, which we've previous joined fellow heroes Captain Flag and the Fox as potential recruits for the team. When that didn't go so well (in part thanks to John's aching back), they decided to go it as the terrific trio known as the Ultra-Men! They were so successful... they never reappeared. At least two of them bonded, that being the Web and Fox, no doubt due to the fact that both were sons of golden agers under the same monikers.

By the time the 1980's rolled around, John's stock had risen much like most of Wall Street, and he was immediately inducted into that decade's incarnation of the Mighty Crusaders. He carried such clout, he brought along good friend Doc Reeves in tow. In fact, he seemed to be the peacemaker in the group, no one had (or at least expressed) ill feelings towards him. However, on one occasion Web displayed some uncharacteristic prejudice towards Thunder Bunny, although he soon learned to trust the rascally rabbit rounding-up rough rogues relentlessly!

During an epic battle to save their allies from the Druid and his mercenary band of supervillains, the Web even faced death plummeting towards the Earth with death-defying fear and a tinge of remorse only for how his beloved Rose would be affected by her loss of her beloved husband! This same pattern of self-sacrifice for his teammates was reflected in his pursuit of evidence absolving his pal the Shield of a murder charge, and of his avenging the death of Reeves at the hands of Sting and the Brain Emperor.

Alas, Peter Cannon's record as a teammate was not quite as sterling! Mister "I can do it I must do it I will do it" was anything but when his world came under the influence of another Earth's Psycho Pirate. While the rest of the Sentinels of Justice were attempting to fight a perceived alien invasion under emotional duress, Thunderbolt uncharacteristically fled into a wall of white anti-matter. Saved by a superspeeding Jay Garrick aka the Flash, Peter was left in the next issue of Crisis on Infinite Earths as a hysterical looking rookie! What caused this change of demeanor for the normally cool/calm/collected hero? No one can say. Bad writing?

Battling Blondes Rating

1.) Story Drama: With more story to draw from and a solid track record of appearances alongside fellow Crusaders, the Web aces this category easily. Poor Thunderbolt needed some better P.R. when he was purchased by DC Comics, which leads to #2...

2.) Imaginative Use of Abilities: While the Web eventually gained exploding "web balls" created by Doc Reeves during the Mighty Crusaders run, it was Thunderbolts unexplained ability to seemingly run at superspeed that earns him a nod. Again, bad writing not referring to the source material when introducing classic characters into today's comics.

3.) Adversary: Thunderbolt faced a faster foe and a more fearsome fiend than had the Web, yet the Web's variety of enemies were varied in their approaches and diverse in their motivations. Attempting to transform humanity into mindless snakes beats out scaring the pants of people such for cheese and grins any old day. Web claims this one by a mile.

4.) Intangibles that Worked: Both in the silver and modern ages, the Web's charm laid in his everyman approach to superheroing, and this was never more clear than how well he worked with other champions possessing greater abilities than he. Had the Pete Cannon we all read and loved in the 60's returned during Crisis, he might have had a chance here.

And so the Web has a clear cut victory in this round, and the score is now 3-2-2 with 3 wins for the Web, 2 for Thunderbolt and 2 ties for the lad. So, as Round 7 is where we finish this epic duel, the Web is the victor but not by much. Hence T-Bolt gains honorable mention.

A Historical Overview of Comics: MLJ & Charlton

For those history buffs who want a good heaping helping of some heroic hot-stuff of the Archie Comics variety, we have a treat for you! You will find over at E-Dispatches from the Great White North as comprehensive an analysis on the "A Historical Overview of the MLJ Magazines/Archie Comic Publications Superhero Lines" as you'll find anywhere!

Consider, if you would, just a few factoids gleaned from this comprehensive essay on MLJ:

• "While a great deal has been written over the years about Archie Andrews and his pals the same cannot be said about Archie Comic Publications' superheroes. Few people seem to know that not only Archie Comic get its start-under a different name mind you-in 1939-as a publisher of superhero comics but that it was one of the more innovative comics publishers in the industry...chances are that appeared around the same time as Martin Goodman's "Marvel Comics" #1. "Blue Ribbon Comics" #1 hit the stands late in the summer of 1939. Cover-dated November 1939."
• "Debuting in December, 1939, "Top-Notch Comics" (called "Top-Notch Laugh" from no. 28 on) appeared until cover-date June, 1944, with the last issue being numbered 45. During its run Top-Notch introduced a number of now-classic MLJ heroes including "The Wizard", "The Firefly", "The Black Hood" and "Roy, the Super Boy" (the second costumed boy hero after DC/National's Robin). Top-Notch also featured the work of a number of talented artists Bob Montana, Mort Meskin, Jack Cole and Bob Novick."
• " Cover-dated January 1940 "Pep Comics", MLJ Magazines' third anthology, was the company's most successful and innovative anthology. Not only did Pep run for a total of 411 issues (the final one cover-dated March, 1987) but it was also where comics' first patriotic hero debuted, where the first comics hero died in the line of duty and where the comics character that the publisher eventually renamed itself after first appeared."

You owe yourself this treat to dive into the ups and downs of the publisher known for teen comics who, in fact, gave inspiration for some of their more profitable competitor's own creations. Which we'll begin dissecting in more detail on coming Mondays. As for a companion piece for Charlton Comics history, there are bits and pieces you can find throughout the internet, but perhaps the most comprehensive piece can be found at Comic Book Artist wherein the creative talents that be made the best of a pretty bad situation financially, a diamond in the rough.

Some quotations from this thorough article for your enlightenment and (hopeful) enjoyment:

• "Charlton Publishing Empire's humble beginnings stretch back to the 1930s, when an Italian immigrant named John Santangelo began selling unauthorized printed song lyric sheets in Central Connecticut"
• "In 1956, Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel briefly packaged titles for Charlton, bearing the eclectic names Mr. Muscles, Zaza the Mystic, and Nature Boy. Ditko's impressive work appears in Tales of the Mysterious Traveler, based on a Shadow-like radio show."

And later, the legendary (in these parts) Peter Cannon...Thunderbolt, appeared in Derby, whose origin is reprinted in this article for your entertainment. Good stuff.

Cashing in on that Marvelous Blockbuster Film

Who says a $255 million dollar box office superhero can't take time out to rub elbows with some Action-Heroes? It says here he's up for the challenge! Presenting an issue of Sentinels of Justice in our dreams!

Just wait till Thunderbolt works his "I can do it. I must do it. I will do it!" mojo on you, Shellhead. You won't know WHAT hit you!

(The above picture was commissioned by Bob Layton at his wonderful site, check it out!)

And they're not alone dog-piling millionaire playboys masquerading as high-tech heroes. The Mighty Crusaders are up to the task as well!

So is the Dark Knight feared less than an Armored Avenger? Only three-to-one? Their Distinguished Competitor must be winching at the dissing he received that "To Many Heroes" didn't welcome him to MLJ!

Addendum: Seems like Peter "T-Bolt" Cannon is fairing just as badly against his ferro foe as is the Web against his ferro fiend, Ironfist!

(Sorry, we had to slip in a Friday Fiend reference)

Battling Blondes: Round 5 - Saucy Sidekicks

After several weeks hiatus, we continue with our duel to the definitive defeat of either Peter Cannon...Thunderbolt or the Web aka Professor John Raymond. The score thus far is 2-1-1 with T-bolts two wins to Web's single score and a tied first round. Why do we continue to return to these two? Maybe because they are cool... timeless... rad... awesome! They typify the potential excellence of superhero comics when non super-powered men have the nerve to wear brightly clad plumage and exert their mental superiority!

This time we once more shift gears to the saucy sidekicks of our duo of daring do-gooders, and without a doubt both Tabu and Rose definitely can kick the daring dudes in the side where it counts like nobody's business. As in, they can at times be pains in the butt... but our blonde bombshells will still stand by them in good times and bad. And they know that Rose and Tabu will do the same for them. We see this in today's stories and whether they will prove a help... or a hindrance?

While Tabu seems to have what it takes... he trained in the same mountain fortress by the same masters as Pete... it seemed he never had quite enough for mano y mano with the MAN bolt. And he succumbs to a poison planted by their arch foe, the Hooded One. At times he was more a liability than an asset to our blonde battler!

Rose, however, could easily hold her own against any guy whom she came across, and typically left her man John on his knees scrubbing the floor. Here she trains to one up her costumed husband. And she would soon engage in similar covert activities in a new alias!

Launching into action, Thunderbolt crossed the globe and heads to his native Himalayas to locate the cure to his friend's ailment. He comes upon Mongolian bandits and dinosaurs in a secluded valley in order to save his friend. And save him he does, escaping the death trap laid out by the One who is Hooded. However he would seek revenge later using some automatons to do his bidding!

Assuming the identity of "POW" Girl (this was, after all, the "pow wham bam" era of TV's Batman), Rose quickly ended the threat of the Stunner, after hubby already cleaned up after Mr. Scare and his gang of generic thugs. She later considers continuing her heroic adventures... although this proved short lived, much to the Web's unknowing regret (since he never did learn that his wife aided him that evening in her gaudy get-up)! EEK!

Battling Blondes Rating

1.) Story Drama: Thunderbolt wins this category, since Tabu's life is in jeopardy and he has to race against the clock to save his friend. How he does this given the swiftness of the disease and the distance from North America to Asia... well that is left to your imaginations to reconcile!

2.) Imaginative Use of Abilities: Thunderbolt's will power wins out against the Web, who can't seem to face up to a return bout with his twin adversaries. I mean... if he can't face them then dinosaurs would've been the end of our webbed warrior! GASP!

3.)Adversary: The Stunner had a neat gimmick going for him which really seemed to work in his favor, while the Hooded One basically created a setup of superior numbers to try and take down his foe. He would have better and more creative outings then this, while Stunner's one time appearance cemented his success as a one hit wonder. Web wins this.

4.) Intangibles that Worked: This one is all in the sauciest of sidekicks, Rose, who kicks Stunner into tomorrow and kick starts the Web's affections for his long suffering (or sufferable?) wife. She adds a flair to this strip that would've definitely made it all the more endearing. Alas, she also was a one hit wonder in this alias. Still, she bags this for her boy!

And so, yet another tie performance! Will the Web come from behind? Will Thunderbolt finally triumph? Stay tuned!

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.