Atomic Man Comic Ad
In my experience as a kid comic book reader, the advertisements that peppered the four-color pages of my youth fell into three important categories, each with its own unique merits. First, there are the house ads, which served the purpose of touting upcoming new comics or important events. These are interesting from a historic and marketing perspective. Second, we have toy ads, which can vary from model kits, action figures to video games. Third, are Hostess snack cake ads starring the heroes and villains of both the DC and Marvel universes.
Today we feature a GI Joe comic ad that tells the story of Mike Power: Atomic Man. It’s a doozy of a background tale, as we learn that Mike performed a little self-surgery along the way. The GI Joe brand’s foray into a more sci-fi/superhero arena is perfectly suited to a comic book. It’s a shame that the Adventure Team didn’t make it into their own series. Could you imagine the nuttiness that would have ensued had 1970s Jack Kirby gotten ahold of it?
Lest I forget, I have a personal ranking for the three types of comic ads, which can best be expressed as follows (with apologies to the Apostle Paul). “Now these three comic ads remain: house, toy and Hostess; but the greatest of these is Hostess.”
These are great. I remember the Hostess ads, too. They were cool as a kid.
It’s amazing how much they can pack into just a few panels.
Don’t forget two other staples of comic book advertisements: the mail-away page (if those x-ray specs worked, every guy would be walkin’ around town, wearing them) and the sea monkeys.
And another: those Olympia ones where you sell crap for prizes and cash.
I remember the corny Hostess pie ads, but it was the mail-away pages that I’d stare at for hours. Really wanted to build my own Willy’s Jeep and get an Army-In-a-Box.