Showcase showdown: As superheroes
Dolphin is in the swim, from Showcase #79 (1968). Far right: The Maniaks hold a pow-wow, from Showcase #69 (1967). Opposite: Jason is on his quest, from Showcase #88 (1970). © DC Comics, Inc.
initially neglected to keep up with the times, DC shrewdly used its “tryout” title, Showcase, to explore youth culture. Early stabs such as “The Maniaks” (#68, 69 and 71), a British pop group drawn by Mike Sekowsky, were cute, funny and a bit square. Still, authentic hipness crept in. “Dolphin” (#79), by J. Scott Pike, was a water-breathing humanoid who resembled a flower child in her flowing blond hair and cutoffs. “Jason’s Quest” (#88-90), also by Sekowsky, had a shaggy, guitar-strumming, motorcycleriding teen searching for the twin sister he never knew.
Dynamic duo: They didn’t come much
Teen dreams: By definition, the “teen” comic books were about youth culture — albeit, wholesome youth culture — and groovy fashions made their mark on the genre. You found contemporary looks in DC’s Binky, Swing With Scooter and Debbi’s Dates; Marvel’s Millie the Model and Patsy and Hedy; and all of the books from Archie. Teen Titans, not a “teen” book per se, gave Wonder Girl a kinda groovy costume. DC’s comedy titles, too, flirted with modernity. The Adventures of Bob Hope introduced Super-Hip, a parody of pop stars and an alter-ego for Hope’s nerdy ward, Tadwallader. Angel’s wardrobe in Angel and the Ape was all colored tights and miniskirts.
more “old guard” than Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, the duo behind Captain America. Working separately for DC in the early ’70s, these old-timers got a bit “with it.” Simon brought out Brother Power the Geek, a quasifantasy about a clown-faced mannequin who comes to life to face the chaos of modern times. Simon was also behind Prez, the “first teen president,” which borrowed heavily from the 1968 film “Wild in the Streets.” Kirby’s Forever People looked, and sometimes acted, like hippies on a commune. Except, of course, for that constantly pinging Mother Box.
Left: The decidedly unhip Super-Hip, from Bob Hope #100 (1966). © DC Comics, Inc.