Advertising in comic books

Comic book advertisements are a common feature in American comic books mainly from the 1940s onwards. As these advertisements were directed at young people, many made sensational claims,^[1] and sold the products for a few dollars or less, to be sent to a post office box. Products offered included novelty items, toys, and self-improvement courses such as drawing and body building.

Companies

The Johnson Smith Company placed advertisements for gadgets and toys^[2] that appeared on the back cover of many historically significant comic books, including Action Comics #1 (June 1938)^[3] (the first appearance of the character Superman) and Detective Comics #27 (May 1939) (the first appearance of the character Batman).^{[citation needed]}

Notable products offered

Charles Atlas illustrated bodybuilding book
Disappearing ink^[4]
Dribble glass
Itching powder^[5]
Joy buzzer^[4]
Latex mask
Potato gun^[6]
Sea-Monkeys^[7]
Sneezing powder
Squirting flower^[8]
Stink bomb
Whoopee cushion^[9]
X-ray specs^[10]

The ads also included recruitment of youngsters to act as salespeople for products such as greeting cards and the national newspaper Grit.

References

^ By (25 May 2008). "12 Comic Book Ads That Taught Us To Be Cynical". Cracked.com.
^ Comic Book Come-ons that Catch Kids. Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. November 1974. pp. 43–46. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ Tosh, D. (2015). Picker's Pocket Guide - Comic Books: How to Pick Antiques Like a Pro. F+W Media. p. pt252. ISBN 978-1-4402-4514-5. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ a b The Thin Man. Cincinnati Magazine. September 2005. p. 58. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ "Monkey Madness". NPR.org.
^ New Society. New Society Limited. 1975. p. 697. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ Hix, Lisa. "Sea-Monkeys and X-Ray Spex: Collecting the Bizarre Stuff Sold in the Back of Comic Books". Collectors Weekly.
^ American Woodworker. New Track Media. p. 42. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ The New York Times Book Reviews 2000. Fitzroy Dearborn. 2001. p. 1706. ISBN 978-1-57958-058-2. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ Penkava, Michael. "Penkava: Don't monkey around with comic book ads". www.nwherald.com.

External links

Media related to Comic book advertisements at Wikimedia Commons

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[1] By (25 May 2008). "12 Comic Book Ads That Taught Us To Be Cynical". Cracked.com.

[2] Comic Book Come-ons that Catch Kids. Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. November 1974. pp. 43–46. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

[3] Tosh, D. (2015). Picker's Pocket Guide - Comic Books: How to Pick Antiques Like a Pro. F+W Media. p. pt252. ISBN 978-1-4402-4514-5. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

[Cincinnati_Magazine-4] The Thin Man. Cincinnati Magazine. September 2005. p. 58. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

[5] "Monkey Madness". NPR.org.

[6] New Society. New Society Limited. 1975. p. 697. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

[7] Hix, Lisa. "Sea-Monkeys and X-Ray Spex: Collecting the Bizarre Stuff Sold in the Back of Comic Books". Collectors Weekly.

[8] American Woodworker. New Track Media. p. 42. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

[9] The New York Times Book Reviews 2000. Fitzroy Dearborn. 2001. p. 1706. ISBN 978-1-57958-058-2. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

[10] Penkava, Michael. "Penkava: Don't monkey around with comic book ads". www.nwherald.com.

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Advertising in comic books

Companies

Notable products offered

See also

References

Further reading

External links