1970s Harmony HC DC Comics books?

[PNGwynne]

I just obtained a nice copy of Shazam! From the '40s to the '70s at what I consider a good price. I had wanted a copy for a long time and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

I see there are several other Harmony DC hardcover collections from the '70s: Superman, Batman, DC Origins. (Sadly, no WW).

What say ye, do you recommend these--in regards to content? The Batman volume has ubiquitous Infantino art that gives it a Mego vibe.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Isn't this book essentially the same thing for Wonder Woman? I remember seeing it advertised alongside the others in DC books of the 70s.

https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Gloria-Chesler-Steinem/dp/0030131812

Chris

[phil]

My High School library had the Shazam! book. Checked it out many, many times.

[PNGwynne]

I don't know Chris, but I'm very intrigued.

Isn't this book essentially the same thing for Wonder Woman? I remember seeing it advertised alongside the others in DC books of the 70s.

https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Gloria-Chesler-Steinem/dp/0030131812

Chris

[PNGwynne]

My High School library had the Shazam! book. Checked it out many, many times.

I'm enjoying it so much now; at twelve, my head might have exploded lol.

I think the introduction by Bridwell is excellent, I learned from it and I thought I was pretty savvy on the Big Red Cheese.

[johnnystorm]

I have the Batman & Superman volumes (Shazam too), and they are comparable. Great stuff for sure!

[Blue Meanie]

The Shazam book is a hard one to find. I have multiple copies of the Superman and Batman 30's - 70's books. Used to take the Batman one out of my grade school library once a week. Love that book.

[PNGwynne]

I just found some contents listings for the other volumes. Regarding Batman: Room for Batwoman, Ace, and two Batgirls, but no Catwoman? Clayface I but not Penguin!? I'm somewhat shocked.

Similarly, the Superman volume excludes Brainiac.

[Blue Meanie]

I've never seen the Wonder Woman in person...Only knew it existed after I saw it on Ebay.

[MRP]

I first encountered the Shazam volume at the public library when I was in high school. I acquired the Superman volume at the fall Columbus Toy Show in 2016 for $20 and picked up the Shazam volume at an estate sale for $2 at the end of last year. I have been trying to find a copy of the Batman book at a reasonable price for a while-the Columbus Half Price Books near the OSU campus had all three at one point but wanted $150 each for Superman and Shazam and $200 for Batman and all were missing the dust jackets, which I thought was way out of line for those books even if at that point I hadn't seen them in over a decade.

I've never encountered the Wonder Woman volume in the wild.

I'd also like to find copies of the DC books from Fireside Books (a division of Simon & Shuster) who also put out a bunch of Marvel books (they were the publishers for Origins of Marvel Comics Son of Origins etc.).

They did a collection of DC sci-fi stories-Mysteries in Space...



and one for the DC Romance comics-Heartthrobs



and one of DC war comics-America at War...



-M

[C.H.O.A.M.]

Are those different from the Crown Publishers Batman and Superman from the '30s to the '70s?

[PNGwynne]

Are those different from the Crown Publishers Batman and Superman from the '30s to the '70s?

Judging from the indicia, one and the same. I think they were also reprinted by Bonanza books.

[C.H.O.A.M.]

Interesting. Do you know which editions were first?
Also, is there any modern equivalent to a '70s Supes or Bats collection in color? a dc "omnibus" of '70s Bats and Supes?

[Makernaut]

Isn't this book essentially the same thing for Wonder Woman? I remember seeing it advertised alongside the others in DC books of the 70s.

https://www.amazon.com/Wonder-Woman-Gloria-Chesler-Steinem/dp/0030131812

Chris

I wish I could say with 100% certainty, but I believe that is one of the four books my hometown library had. I can only remember with certainty that they had a hardcover Wonder Woman collection of comics along with the Superman, Batman, and Shazam! volumes that had the E. Nelson Bridwell introductions. I can't find anything else that I might be thinking of, so that had to be it. All I know is that it seemed to be a natural fit for a series and in fact, I thought it was a part of it. I read all of them several to many times as a kid. I remember that the library had to have all of them recovered/rebound because they were popular and heavily read. (Hard to imagine that libraries used to have to do that). That's a factor in why I can't recognize it by the cover alone and I wouldn't have known Gloria Steinem from Gloria Stivic at that age so that doesn't help jar any memories, either.

Long way of saying if that's the one I read as a kid, it fits right in with the Superman/Batman/ Shazam! books.

[Makernaut]

I think the introduction by Bridwell is excellent, I learned from it and I thought I was pretty savvy on the Big Red Cheese.

I'm thinking Bridwell was probably the first "fan-boy" to make his way into the industry.