365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 360: The Human (and Kryptonian, and Martian, and Amazonian, and Atlantean, and Apokoliptan) League

House ad for The Brave and the Bold #28 [Justice League of America] (February-March 1960); printed in Batman #129 (February 1960); comic cover art: pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Murphy Anderson, colors by Jack Adler (?), letters by Ira Schnapp; ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp


House ad for Justice League (1987 series) #1 (May 1987); printed in Batman #406 (April 1987); ad art from the cover of Justice League #1: pencils by Kevin Maguire, inks by Terry Austin


House ad for JLA (1997 series); printed in Superman Adventures #6 (April 1997); ad art: pencils by Howard Porter, inks by John Dell

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 341: Uh, Jonah, you got a little..on your face...no, the other side...yeah, right there...no, over to the...

House ads for All-Star Western (1970 series) #10 (February-March 1972);
(top) printed in Batman #237 (December 1971); (bottom) printed in Our Army at War #240 (January 1972)
Ad art: pencils and inks by Tony DeZuñiga
Ad designed by Sol Harrison (?) or Ben Oda (?); lettered by Gaspar Saladino Ben Oda

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 333: The Dazzling Debut of the Dominoed Daredoll*

House ad for Detective Comics #359 (January 1967); printed in Batman #189 (February 1967)
Comic cover art: pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp
*Yes, they really did call her that, both in the comic book...


Panels from "Batgirl's Costume Cut-Ups!" in Detective Comics #371 (January 1968), script by Gardner Fox, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Sid Greene
...and on the TV series:


Dominoed Daredoll!

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 310: Sometimes I feel like Wonder Woman / Kickin' ass and raisin' thunder

House ad for Wonder Woman (1987 Series) #1 (February 1987); printed in Batman #404 (February 1987)
Ad art: pencils by George Pérez, inks by Bruce Patterson Pencils:

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 285: Green Lantern makes his debut and criminals everywhere corner the market on yellow paint

House ad for Showcase #22 [first appearance: Silver Age Green Lantern] (September-October 1959); printed in Batman #127 (October 1959)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Gil Kane, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 281: Diana is bustin' out all over

House ad for DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982) and Wonder Woman (1942 series) #288 (February 1982); printed in Superman Family #213 (December 1981)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Here's the finished art for those gorgeous Colan pencils in the ad:


Page from the New Wonder Woman Preview in DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Romeo Tanghal, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza
Ask most people in what comic book Diana's new Wonder Woman symbol (the double-W) first appeared and they'll probably guess "Wonder Woman number..." In which case you can yell out "BUZZZZZZZZZ!" right in their faces, much like Stephen Fry should do every time Alan Davies answers "the blue whale" on QI. But make sure you do this only with people who like you regardless, and not with strangers on the street, by the way. Such a dramatic costume change you'd expect to take place in an issue of the character's own magazine, but no...it first appeared in that "free insert" in DCCP #41!


Y'know, I'd always remembered this scene as being somehow more...momentous, and I must have been mistaken. the phrase "this charming top," aside from being one of the Smiths' lesser songs, isn't exactly laden with the regality and power one associates with our Amazon princess. Overall, despite its long-lasting design change, the story doesn't give the new bustiér as much feminist significance at the time that it could have; it almost seems like a throwaway concept destined to be retconned within a couple years:


The New Wonder Woman Preview ends, as does this post, with another house ad: for an exciting comic book called...um...wait, it's on the tip of my tongue here...ah, yes...Wonder Woman, with her new logo, new costume, new attitude...not to mention the word "bustin'!"


House ad for Wonder Woman #288 (February 1982); printed in DC Comics Presents #41 (January 1982)
Comic cover art: pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Dick Giordano
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 233: DC's very first 3D lenticular cover leaps right out at you!

House ad for Showcase #27 [Sea Devils] (July-August 1960); printed in Batman #133 (August 1960)
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp
That's actually not the actual art for the actual cover of the actual Showcase #27 which features the actual first appearance of the (actual) Sea Devils, actually. Here it is, a gorgeous color wash cover by Russ Heath (who is actually pretty great in and of himself...actually.)


Cover of Showcase #27 [Sea Devils] (July-August 1960), painted wash art by Russ Heath
The art in the ad above is (actually) repurposed and recolored from the splash page of the story.
Splash page of Showcase #27, script by Robert Kanigher, pencils and inks by Russ Heath, letters by Gaspar Saladino

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 225: Smells Like Teen Spirit

House ad for The New Teen Titans (1980 series) #1 (November 1980); printed in Batman #326 (August 1980)
Ad art is from the cover of The New Teen Titans #1, pencils by George Pérez, inks by Dick Giordano, letters by Gaspar "My Name Does Not Mean 'Little Salad'" Saladino (that joke tickled by funny bone and was provided by boisterous Bully-backer Blam!)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 189: People in the comic, hot hot hot

House ad for Showcase #1 [Fireman Farrell] (March-April 1956); printed in Detective Comics #229 (March 1956)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by John Prentice
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp
The first three issues of Showcase faithfully pretended to print printed themed stories based on readers' demands:


Until they pretty much threw up their hands and said "the heck with it" by issue #4...


...thank goodness.

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 144: From giant puppets to blood-vomiting Red Lanterns in a mere fifty years

House ad for Green Lantern #1 (July-August 1960); printed in Detective Comics #281 (July 1960)
Comic cover art: pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Joe Giella, colors by Jack Adler (?), letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 121

April showers bring May flowers Supergirl!


House ad for Action Comics #252 (May 1959), the first appearance of Kara Zor-El, Supergirl; printed in Adventure Comics #259 (April 1959)

Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp
You may think you know that the artwork in this ad came direct from the cover of Action #252...but, as the Firesign Theater says, everything you know is wrong!


Cover of Action Comics #252 (May 1959), pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Al Plastino, letters by Ira Schnapp
The ad art is actually taken from the splash panel of the Supergirl story in Action:


Splash panel of "The Supergirl from Krypton!" in Action Comics #252 (May 1959), script by Otto Binder, pencils and inks by Al Plastino
A story which brings us this heartwarming moment of Superman empathy and familial bonds!


Also premiering in the DC Universe in this very issue: Richard Corben, Metallo!


Panel from "The Menace of Metallo!" in Action Comics #252 (May 1959), script by Robert Bernstein, pencils and inks by Al Plastino
Yes, Metallo! The only supervillain whose superpower is to die of a massive cardiac arrest.


Geez, Superman, I know he was a villain, but that's a pretty tasteless tagline:


BWAH-HA-HA-HA Silver Age Superman is a jerk!

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 117

House ad for Sugar and Spike #1 (April-May 1956); printed in Showcase #2 (May-June 1956)
Comic cover and ad art: pencils and inks by Sheldon Mayer
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 114

House ad for The Atom #1 (June-July 1962); printed in Batman #148 (June 1962)
Comic cover art: pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ira Schnapp
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 23

House ad for Showcase #73 (March-April 1968, the debut of The Creeper); printed in House of Mystery #173 (March-April 1968)
Creeper silhouette by Steve Ditko (?)
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino (?)

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 22

House ad for The Doom Patrol #86 (March 1964, the first issue of their comic after being renamed from My Greatest Adventure); printed in Batman #162 (March 1964)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by Bob Brown
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 11

House ad for The Flash #105 (first issue; February-March 1959); printed in Lois Lane #7 (February 1959)
Comic cover art: pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Joe Giella
Ad designed and lettered by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 8

House ad for Superboy #1 (March-April 1949); printed in Batman #51 (February-March 1949)
Comic cover art: pencils by Wayne Boring, inks by Stan Kaye