Back Issue #153 August 2024 (magazine review).

The cover of this ‘Back Issue’ clearly showcases a focus on younger comicbook characters. From a superhero perspective, it certainly presents challenges. Writer Joe Norton takes a close look at Franklin Benjamin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue Richards. Franklin Benjamin Richards, the son of Reed and Sue Richards, was born in Fantastic Four Annual #6 in 1968 and has mostly stayed under the age of a teenager since then.

However, one of his odd powers is the ability to jump up and down the timeline, which is why we’ve seen him at different ages. Consider Ilyana Rasputin, who experienced an age jump while trapped in Limbo and a guest of Belasco for several decades, before reverting to normal time and attaining the appropriate age for regular use. It does illustrate the point that kids remind readers that adult characters have to age, too, no matter the universe. As an aside, until Louise Simonson gave Franklin Richards the Power Pack, the people working on him didn’t really know what to do with him.

I would like to draw attention to Terry Austin’s parody of the cake ads with ‘Here’s Pie in Your Eye’ from 2023, which parodies a variety of characters including Ronnie Rich.

Author John Wells examines ‘Sugar and Spike’ from DC Comics. Shelly Mayer (1917-1991) created it and remained involved throughout its existence. It’s not a title I would have chosen to follow, but it’s interesting to see how it lasted from 1956-1971 and produced 98 issues, which is quite an accomplishment.

Writer Mark Arnold examines Harvey Comics, which featured characters such as Casper the Friendly Ghost and Ronnie Rich, and how they maintained multiple titles for each character, a strategy that likely saturated the American market before its closure in 1976.

We are facing a challenge in the UK. Our Dennis the Menace was created on 12 March 1951 for the ‘Beano’ comicbook, and we got somewhat confused when an American ‘Dennis the Menace’ appeared on TV in the 1960s but didn’t last long over here because of it. Writer Ed Lute examines their version, which was also created on 12 March 1951 by Hank Ketcham (1920-2001). Since both characters are distinct from one another, there has never been a copyright issue. Unlike the American Dennis, we did have a female version in Minnie the Minx. I’m raising this information since it’s not covered in his article. Like Americans, we have a special fondness for our own characters, and this article provides a wealth of details about them, rather than merely stating my interpretation. The cuteness of their character contrasts sharply with ours, highlighting the distinct differences in our respective markets.

In a similar vein, writer Dewey Cossell examines Marvel’s diverse approaches to key characters, highlighting the era when comicbook companies emulated the success of any popular cartoon character.

Having said that, Gold Key’s baby elephant title, ‘Baby Snooks’, must seem peculiar, given that writer John Schwirion discusses both his own history and that of his tiny mate, Uptite the Mouse. I observed a common pattern in all the titles: as the majority concluded, so did these characters.

Just in case you thought super-heroes weren’t getting enough attention, writer Alissa Marmol-Cernut examines Superbaby, focusing on the period when Lex Luthor reduced the Man of Steel to a young age in 1976.

Finally, writer Christopher Larochelle examines the X-Babies, seeing them more as a creation or construction of Mojo in his television reality. I always found them a bit peculiar, even though the creators, Chris Claremont, Ann Nocenti, and Arthur Adams, were simply trying to be playful.

Although this is an unusual ‘Back Issue,’ it provides valuable insights into characters I would not have otherwise encountered, and their significance in American comicbook history is undeniable. Most of the writers in this edition probably relived their childhoods with comicbooks.

GF Willmetts

October 2024

(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page illustrated magazine. Price: $10.95 (US). ISSN: 1932-6904. Direct from them, you can get it for $10.95 (US))

check out websites: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_54&products_id=1788