JUST IMAGINE! October 1962: The Flame Rekindled

As an 8-year-old, I wasn’t aware that the Human Torch had a famous prior history when…

JUST IMAGINE! June 1961: Super Pets Peeved

Loving both cats (although I was allergic to them) and the color orange, I naturally appreciated…

JUST IMAGING! May 1978: The Bionic Woman Meets The Prisoner

Martin Caidin’s 1972 novel Cyborg inspired the 1973-78 TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, which…

JUST IMAGINE! July 1960: The Invader from 4,500 Years Ago

The 66-foot-tall, 240-foot-long Great Sphinx of Giza has always loomed large in young imaginations, and comic…

January 1963: Neither Rain nor Sleet nor Alien Invasion…

I have long considered the cover of Strange Adventures 148 (Jan. 1963), to exemplify the title’s…

JUST IMAGINE! August 1963: In a Mirror Darkly

Battling bodies careering into and right through arcane architecture — this new superhero feature was clearly…

December 1952: The Joker Goes Crazier

The theme of insanity has always been central to the concept of the Joker. Though a…

May 1954: Aquaman’s Fantastic Voyage

Move over, Proteus. Aquaman got there first. In Adventure Comics 200 (May 1954), the Pentagon summons…

JUST IMAGINE! June 1983: You Only Live Twice

Lancelot Strong, the Shield, has a place of honor among the annals of short-lived superheroes. He…

JUST IMAGINE! June 1963: Models and Marvels

Contemporary readers might be surprised to realize that five of the 14 titles Marvel Comics published…

JUST IMAGINE! June 1959: The Short and Double Life of Private Strong

Even given the quirky history of comic books, The Double Life of Private Strong was an…

JUST IMAGINE! December 1947: The Super-Queen from the 7th Dimension

All-Flash 32 (Dec. 1947-Jan. 1948) became No-Flash with the next issue, which never appeared. Even as…