Comic Book Implosion and Supergirl

As a comic book reader of a certain age, I knew that I had lived through the DC Comics Implosion of the 1970s. As an amateur comic historian, I thought I had something of a grasp of what it all was about. But I knew I didn't quite get it. For some reason, I always shunted the Implosion to the mid-70s rather than the later years of the decade. I needed to learn more.

So when the book Comic Book Implosion came out earlier this year, I made a mental note to seek it out. It was on a short 'to buy' list as I saw it waiting on the shelf of my LCS for me to get when the appropriate big sale came around.

Turns out blog friend Mart Gray, of the great Too Dangerous For A Girl review site, made my waiting for a sale moot, sending me a copy to read. And this definitely was a fascinating look at that slice of time.

I definitely knew the term DC Implosion was a riff on the marketing term 'The DC Explosion'. And yes, I am old enough to remember seeing this Joe Staton ad in books and wondering where I would be able to read more Big Barda (having discovered her in the Englehart/Rogers Mister Miracle) and Hawkman.

The book gathers a number of sources - interviews, articles, and publicity pieces - and snips and rearranges them more chronologically so that you understand how the Implosion unfolded. It turns out it all had to do with cover price and shelf life. As a kid growing up then and in a family that was frugal (out of necessity), the difference between a 50c comic and a 35c comic was a big deal.  So to see how those pennies crushed this endeavor and ended a whole swath of comics was fascinating to read.

But this is a Supergirl blog. So did this impact her?

Supergirl as a whole wasn't effected by the implosion. She was ensconced in the Superman Family dollar book, a title which seemed to be financially secure even in those trying times.

But one thing that did catch my eye was this tiny panel on one page.

At the time of the implosion, DC had an ongoing syndicated newspaper comic strip titled World's Greatest Super-Heroes. This was another of those things that I heard about back then (maybe even saw an ad in a comic itself). Alas, it was not part of the 'funnies page' in my local paper. I got to read Spider-Man and Rex Morgan M.D. but never got to read a Marty Pasko written ongoing. What a shame. I even would have forgiven the art by George Tuska and Vince Colletta!

But look at the ad for the strip. While the comic concentrated mostly on Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, it promised to bring in other characters, including Supergirl, the Maid of Steel! How cool would it have been for Supergirl to have made it into people's homes back then!

At least by my research, she never made it into the strip. That's another shame.

The back end of the book looks at all the issues and stories and plans completely shelved by the quick ax of the Implosion. Check out the cover for the never released Shade the Changing Man #9. Folks here should know I love Shade. I would love to read this. Others have told me it appears in a Shade trade paperback out there somewhere.

Many of these issues were put into a booklet for the DC pros back then titled Cancelled Comics Cavalcade. I can't understand why DC doesn't put that out to the general public now. I know I would buy it!

Anyways, if you are a DC fan and a historian, I'd recommend this book if you can find it cheap. It is a quick and interesting read chock full of information. Thanks again Mart! I owe you one!

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