Grit comic book ads 1950s

Many of these amusements and gizmos are now highly collected by baby boomers. Over 19,000 boys are now making money and winning prizes. My enthusiasm for imitating peter parker always ended in disaster and bruised limbs. See more ideas about vintage advertisements, vintage ads and comic books. Mailorder mysteries and hey skinny are both instant nostalgia. Neither of them, though, has what we now call precode issues. Turns out russ created the two most famous comic book toy soldier ads and they are probably among the most widely remembered and most reprinted ads ever seen in comic books of the era. Sep 10, 2014 comic book adverts of the 1960s70s its been so long since ive opened up a new comic book, i dont even know if they still run ads anymore. The site is named after shorpy higginbotham, a teenage coal miner who lived 100 years ago. May 8, 1940 sterling norths anticomics editorial, a national disgrace, is published in the chicago daily news. Comics influenced emotions and attitudes of the american people superhero comics became. A lot of ads in old comic books just wanted your money. Other entrylevel experiences for budding entrepreneurs included selling items marketed in comic book ads.

Six years ago, artist and historian kirk demarais, who runs the brilliant gen x nostalgia site, secret fun spot, became determined to uncover the truth behind these comicbook ads published between the 1950s and late 80s. Almost every comic book in the 1970s had ads recruiting boys to sell grit newspapers in their hometowns to earn a little money. More 10 stunning vintage evening dresses worthy of the red carpet. The american comic book chronicles continues its ambitious series of fullcolor hardcovers where twomorrows top authors document every decade of comic book history from the 1940s to today. Users browsing for golden age comics 1938 1955 in golden age 193855 usually look at. They should be relevant from the era the book was published. Founded in the early 1880s, grit is, somewhat surprisingly, still going today, catering to middle america with very little change in content over the last century and claiming itself to be americas greatest family newspaper. Jan 24, 20 young boys reading superhero comics saw a lot of body building ads and ads to get taller, thinner, and richer. Grit carried a fullpage ad offering valentine cards for seven cents each. The heyday of comic book mail order ads lasted from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Steven spielberg says superhero comic book movies are the new. Supermans other life, script by bill woolfolk, art by al plastino. Young boys reading superhero comics saw a lot of body building ads and ads to get taller, thinner, and richer. Comic book advertisements are a common feature in american comic books mainly from the. Monday, april 22, 2019 1960s comic book ads, 1970s comic book ads, 80s comic book ads, comic book ads, comic book ads 1950s, comic book ads 1970s, comic book ads from the 70s, comic book ads vintage, grit magazine comic book ads, hostess comic book ads edit. Unfollow 1950s comic books to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Detective comics golden age 193855 dc authentic reprint golden age 193855. Back to menu comic book mail order ads offered toy selections for all ages. Bobby saves the life of a golden palomino and in return, the horse saves his life when he is attacked by a mountain lion. While most people saw these items as ripoffs, gimmicks, and junk, others now look back fondly on them.

The american seed company, encouraged young people to sign a simple contract that read. These ads were in almost every comic book i remember. Posted in comics tagged 1970s, 1970s comic book ads, monster fan club 70s, moon monster, retro, vintage horror leave a reply nontoy ad tuesday. The ads also included recruitment of youngsters to act as salespeople for products such as greeting cards and the national newspaper grit. So, armed with some hot dialogue, we both agreed that i should be the one pitching the sales. From the 40s to the 70s, ads for grit would appear regularly in comics, not necessarily offering. What i find odd is that i own the 19601964 edition of the american comic book chronicles and the binding is perfect. Americans turned to comics to put themselves in better moods during these hard times.

Did you ever sell grit or order 200 plastic army men. Theres little information on why this practice ceased, although one presumes it might have something to do with the increased focus on child labor laws in the 70s. Get the best deals on superman golden age comics 19381955. If they dont, its a shame, because a lot of the enjoyment came from these strange little adverts directed at kids. Cover and centerfold detached, 3 spine split from top of comic.

David hajdu has written biographies of music greats billy strayhorn, bob dylan, and joan baez. David hajdu has written biographies of music greats billy. It would later be reprinted in numerous newspapers throughout the united states. Fellows, you can have a paying business of your own by selling grit on saturdays. Jul, 2014 old comic book ads xray specs sea monkeys kit charles atlas workout duration. Comicbook controversy is a cautionary tale nbc news. The binding of third copy that amazon sent me as a replacement also fell apart, but i was so disgusted by then that i kept the book and used white glue to repair the binding as best as i could. No comic book was harmed in the making of this article.

Get the best deals on superman golden age comics 19381955 when you shop the largest online selection at. Precode issues refer to comic books published prior to marchapril 1955. Comic books in the 1940s and 1950s comics became popular in the 1930s during the great depression. The stories in these books, says david hajdu, author of the new book, the tencent plague. I was on my way to being the next donald trump minus combover. Dec 08, 2011 last week, i started a twopart column on the greatest comic book characters of the 1950s and 60s. During this time, modern comic books were first published and enjoyed a surge of popularity. May 31, 2016 i earned a pocket watch and possibly other small prizes that i cant recall.

I cant believe you showed that one they sent me like 20 copies it was more like a newspaper than a. May 31, 2018 from the 40s to the 70s, ads for grit would appear regularly in comics, not necessarily offering subscriptions but recruiting newsboys to sell their paper for them. Grit and atlas and other comicbook ads the classic comics. Leave a comment posted on april 21, 2017 june 12, 2018 comics image. During the first threequarters of the 20th century, grit was sold across the country by children and teenagers, many recruited by ads in comic books from the 1940s to the 1970s. In fact, they are among the older and more desirable comics on the market. These 19 images are but a small sampling of the comic treasure to be found in the someday funnies. Comic book ads from the1950s and 1960s barrys pearls of.

Approximately 30,000 children collected dimes from more than 700,000 american small town homes during the 1950s when the publication still carried the subtitle. Look at some inside pages by clicking customer images under the cover. Please send me your big prize book and one order of 45 packs of american seeds. Its so much more colorful and entertaining than the others.

Superman travels back in time and creates a new life for himself as a disc jockey. Within the comic book industry, it goes all the way back to the early 1950s. Jul 24, 2014 a lot of ads in old comic books just wanted your money. Jan 17, 2018 top 20 comic books of the 1950s duration. The strange history of comic book advertisements syfy wire.

Vintage comic book ads that were too good to be true. From the 40s to the 70s, ads for grit would appear regularly in comics, not necessarily offering subscriptions but recruiting newsboys to sell. Boys sell grit earn cash, also a watch, rifle, glove, wagon, knife, scooter and many more free prizes. Last week, i started a twopart column on the greatest comic book characters of the 1950s and 60s. Obviously being a superhero was not all it was crackedup to be. Why my mother threw out my comic books part 1 of 3 webages by adam blatner reposted november 18, 2009 this is based on a talk given on 61209 to the summer session of the senior university georgetown. Grit and atlas and other comicbook ads the classic.

So keep reading to find out if your favorite heroes made my list, and feel free to respond with your different opinions. Mar 25, 2008 david hajdu examines the great comic book panic of the 1950s. This is my favorite of the grit ads ive featured, since its actually in the form of a comic. Charles atlas one of the most famous comic book ads in existence. Grit newspaper hey lady, hey mister, wanna buy a grit. We spoke to russ directly on 1804 to talk about his classic comic book ads. They are often different in manufactured copies from originals. The golden age of comic books was a period in the history of american comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s. These classic ads in the back of comic books tricked kids from the 50s through the 80s. Im sure i found all these opportunities in comicbook ads. The great comicbook scare and how it changed america, were unlike anything kids had seen before. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Here we have the story of chris, a prematurely grayhaired kid who doesnt have enough money to go have fun with his friends.

Old comic book ads xray specs sea monkeys kit charles atlas workout duration. Posted on january 16, 2017 by the vintage toy advertiser. This one is actually pretty stripped down compared to the others, without very much text at all, and this is the first ad of theirs ive seen where theyve used a cartoony character rather than a photo or realistic drawing. In the early 1950s horror comics, such as chamber of chills, sold womans fashion items and items for hair loss. Grit called itself americas greatest family newspaper. Its a classic ad that also got a sequel where a new weakling, jack, is bullied at a school dance instead of a beach. First, a brief history of comic books from their origins to the late 1940s. I myself never did any of these things, but my wife did sell grit when she was just a wee lass. Even seasoned collectors may have problems attaining comics from this era. So this is our fourth installment of grit, with the previous ones being from 1963, 1972, and 1980. The comic section for january 1, 1950, carried the following sunday comic.

My most lucrative business was selling lancaster vegetable and flower seeds at 10cents a packet. Anybody remember that newspaper that used to advertise in comic books in the 60s and 70s, trying to get kids to be paperboys for them. Because of my job, i have spent a lot of time in williamsport, pa over the past 5 years and i took some pictures of the grit building in the downtown area to share with her. Comic book adverts of the 1960s70s its been so long since ive opened up a new comic book, i dont even know if they still run ads anymore. This article may feature affiliate links to amazon or other companies, and purchases made via these links may earn us a small commission at no additional cost to you. Weve already seen an example from 1980, but heres one from eight years earlier in the ad from 1980, it seems like theyre begrudgingly accepting of girls i guess well let them sell papers too if we have to, but here theyre 100% clear that this is a boys club. Bill schelly authors the volume on the 1950s era of marilyn monroe and elvis presley, with a yearbyyear account of the most significant publications, notable creators, and impactful trends, including. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Honey bunns class lets a rare fish, the durantis finnius, loose in the sea and its a race to see who can catch it. I was never going to be spidermanno matter how i tried to swing from washing lines or scale neighborhood walls or tumble out of trees. In the eyedancers, mitchell brant is a comic book collector. This is why as kids, every so often wed come across an ad in a. I earned a pocket watch and possibly other small prizes that i cant recall. Its well known, and there is a whole industry that thrives on it.