Yomama's Comics

   Journey Into Mystery is a symbol of the Silver Age of comics. It began its existence in 1952 by Atlas Comics with stories of horror, science fiction, and monsters. With the acquisition by Marvel Comics, the series changed formats to a fantasy formula with issue #74. With story and art talents such as Stan Lee, Al Williamson,  and Jack Kirby, the series introduced several characters and prototypes including The Sandman, Dr. Strange ("The Sorcerer"), and The Hulk ("Xemnu"). Soon thereafter in issue #83, Journey Into Mystery's most noteable and iconic character was born: The Mighty Thor.

   Adventure Comics began its life in 1935 under the title New Comics. Published by National Allied Publications (later DC Comics), it later changed its name to New Adventure Comics in 1937 with its 12th issue. It wasn't until the 32nd issue that the title took upon its familiar moniker, Adventure Comics in November of 1938. Through the years, Adventure Comics has introduced numerous characters and firsts into the mainstream comic book industry such as The Hourman, Lana Lang, Legion of Super-Heroes, Black Orchid, and (my personal favorite) the Silver Age Aquaman. Common characters throughout the years that can be found within this series are Superman, Aquaman, Batman and Robin, Supergirl, and Superboy. Adventure Comics is truly a canvas upon which each decade through which it passed painted upon its covers and stories. In total, there are 503 issues to the series, the last ten which are in Digest format.

Aquaman Comic Books. Not all, but many.

   Showcase began in 1956 and soon epitomized the Silver Age of comics. Several successful characters and teams were derived from the pages of Showcase such as Challengers of the Unknown, Space Ranger, Adam Strange, Sea Devils, Metal Men, and Hawk and Dove to name a few. Not all characters were super-heroes (i.e. Jason's Quest). Not all characters were derived from comics either (i.e. Ian Fleming's Dr. No). Whatever the case, Showcase had something for everyone from Sci-Fi lovers to Hippies to traditional monster stories and super-hero sagas.

   The Flash Gordon title that began in 1966 had a strange run of things having been interrupted on more than one occasion and by several different publishers. The series began as an eleven book run published by King Features Syndicate. In 1969, Charlton Comics took the book over giving the books a more "modern" cover approach and lasting until 1978. With issue #19, Gold Key took over the series and thus began the true beauty of this series: the painted covers. A total of 12 painted covers were produced by Gold Key and Whitman between 1978 and 1981. Also included within this series is the comic adaptations of the classic 1980's film, Flash Gordon.