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Vassallo: Reflecting Back to Younger Years – World’s Finest Comics
I don’t have any idea why I had a dream recently regarding World’s Finest Comics.
An avid collector of comics at youth and well as a young adult, I have always been intrigued by the stories. I will never forget the tongue lashing from my mother when she discovered I had paid $500 for Batman No.1 (1940 issue). She changed her tune six months later when she saw what it was bringing on the marketplace.
World’s Finest Comics was published by DC Comics between 1941 and 1986. It was initially titled World’s Best Comics, but changed with issue No.2. This comic was one of my favorites primarily because it teamed Superman and Batman to go up against the major criminals.
Other comics I purchased frequently included Superman, Superboy, Batman, Action Comics, Adventure, Detective and a range of lighter ones including the Disney characters. It’s amazing that some of the devices, mechanisms and weapons introduced via comics in the 1930’s and later are now in operation today in the real world.
The earliest issues of Word’s Finest also featured Robin. There were 323 issues altogether. The idea came about from the writers and artists pairing DC’s most popular characters. In the early 1950’s the superheroes fell out of vogue. One particular issue of note (#88, June, 1957) Lex Luthor and the Joker also joined forces.
Other characters of note that graced World’s Finest included the Flash, Robin, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Wonder Woman and Hawkman, just to name a few.
There were so many books, magazines and comics to choose from for those of us who grew up in the 40s, 50s and 60s. It was a different era and a different world that would be quite refreshing to return to even for just a weekend or for a one night’s dream.
The “age of innocence” was less stressful, but definitely anything but boring. And you were only limited by your imagination, even if it related occasionally to the world of superheroes!
Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.
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