COMING SOON: Tales From My Spinner Rack Episode 08! …

When I was buying comic books as a kid way back when, we didn’t have no fancy internet or apps to help us keep track of what was coming out each week. Oh, sure there were fanzines, but they were few and far between, and by the time they got to us through the US Mail, most of the “news” on the upcoming comics they covered were already in our hot, little hands. So how did we know to save our pennies, nickels, dimes, and the occasional quarter for our twice-weekly visits to the newsstand?

HOUSE ADS! Yes, House Ads, those flashes of the future that appeared in just about every DC comic book! Yes, House Ads! More powerful than a Tootsie Roll ad, able to leap tall newsstand counters in a single bound … yes, it’s House Ads, separating kids from their parents’ hard-earned coins, faster than a speeding bullet!

Tales From My Spinner Rack! Episode 08, “Just Imagine! DC Comics House Ads!” explores the wonderful world of those ads, which became an art form in and of themselves, mainly due to the work and creativity of one man, letterer and designer Ira Schnapp. While Marvel Comics also utilized house ads to promote upcoming and currently on-sale issues, DC’s secret weapon was Schnapp, who crafted beautifully designed, hand-lettered full, half, and one-third page masterpieces that made it hard to wait to go back to the newsstand.

With over 100 different ads in this episode, I explore the world of DC Comics House Ads in the Silver Age, roughly from 1961 through 1968, when the price of comics increased to 15 cents per copy and Ira Schnapp was let go from DC Comics and the ads lost their considerable charm, to a certain degree. A lot of the ads I’m showcasing—and yes, there are some with issues of Showcase in them!—are from my personal collection, right off my spinner rack, if you will. As usual, there’s also a bit of history thrown in, including examples of house ads dating back to Action Comics #1, way back in 1938 (and no, I’m not THAT old!).

Tales From My Spinner Rack! Episode 08 will debut on YouTube about 24 hours before it appears here on my blog. You can click here to follow me on YouTube and see the next episode—and all subsequent ones—early. Please like, follow, and subscribe while you’re there.

Here’s a little preview of graphics from Episode 08 of Tales From My Spinner Rack!, “Just Imagine! DC Comics House Ads!” Click on the images to see them larger on your screen and in slide show mode!