"Ace's Comic Place" Gallery Open

Nice! A classic silver age story....Argo will be happy, if no one else! Nice work Admin and Ace!!

Well, I'd be surprised if ace has a Silver Age ubergirl story that's not in my own collection ... but it's nice to see them posted here for the enjoyment of other SWManiacs.

Despite clunky exposition, one-dimensional characterization, plot holes you could steer the Death Star through, and strictly "G" content, these Silver Age stories still retain something of the appeal they had for me when I was 12 or 13, reading my way through a trunkful of old comics that a friend's uncle had passed on to him.

Updating one of these old stories might make for a fun workshop.

A vote of thanks to admin and ace for another nice addition to our forum.

ace, check your private messages -- I've sent you a "wish list."

I'm happy too. I agree that an update to a Silver Age comic story would be a great workshop topic.

The Big Fall is one of my favorites. I'd love to write a workshop story that's a variation on this one.

It seems to me that "Jilly Milly" has a few things in common with "The Big Fall."

I always felt cheated that Lana gave Superboy's powers back immediately after gaining the last of them. (Although, rereading the story, I see that she was unaware that taking Superboy back to the pyramid would reverse the jewel's effect ... and maybe Superboy's claim to be dying was merely a ruse to get his powers back ... yes, I see story possibilities here!)

Another sour note: The author takes every opportunity to point out that Superboy doesn't need Lana's help, even after his super-strength and invulnerability have been transferred to her -- and in fact, still has to rescue her from danger. The theme that girls can't use super-powers skillfully and responsibly comes up in a number of these Silver Age ubergirl stories.

Apparently one ironclad rule for Silver Age stories was that the status quo be restored at the story's end ... and that generally meant 8 - 12 pages. So a story-line that would be spread over several months nowadays had to be neatly wrapped up in just a few pages. Too bad -- it would have been fun to see a "Super-Lana" story continued over several issues.

Marknew, I'd love to see you give this story a few tweaks. And Ace: Keep these coming!

Thanks to both Ace and admin.

Keep up the good work!! :wink:

8) "The Mutiny of the Super-Heroines" is one of my Silver Age favorites! It was one of the comics that kick-started my "genre interest" -- and it was a definite influence in the writing of my "Super Triplicate Girl" story. Sadly -- like the other two stories ace has posted so far -- the girls get "de-powered" at the end. Another tale that demands revision -- SWM style!

Yes, as Ace knows, "The Mutiny of the Super-Heroines" and "The Big Fall" were two of the key stories in my early love of superpower transfer/female power enhancement fantasy. Of course, I had these tendencies from the start, but it was a revelation to see them on the printed page.

Thanks so much to Ace for digitizing them and to Admin for making the space to post them.

I do believe that the gallery owns that piece.

I love how comic books can take you back and show you the cars, buildings and fashions of the day, but of even more importance, they can show the prevailing attitutes of the day.

Along that line, our next two storiens are going to come out of the 50's.

Virgina Slims was not kidding when she told Laura Kroft that "You have come a long way baby?

We have looked at a couple of stories from the Sixties. Now let's see how the editors at DC (as well as males in general) viewed women in the fifties.

From 1957 World’s Finest “The Super Batwoman”

Next post will be from 1951. Action #156 “The Girl of Steel”


Coming up in the next few weeks, on loan from the Louve (actually from Argonaut’s collection) two rare uberbabe stories from the sixties.

Nice find, ace! I remember now that I read a reprint of this story in an "80 Page Giant," but I'd forgotten about it until I saw it posted here.

I love the redundant word balloons on some of these old covers ...

I don't know the artist's name, but he drew a lot of Batman stories in the 1950's. I would have preferred a somewhat less "cartoony" rendition of Batwoman, though I liked the last panel on page 4. I believe he drew a "Supergirl" story that actually pre-dates the appearance of Kara -- maybe it was a "trial run" for the character. Do you have that story, ace?

There's more super-woman action in this story than in most of the one-shot super-girl stories from the Silver Age. And unlike many of those stories, in which the super-girl's ineptitude is used for comic effect, Batwoman uses her powers skillfully and resourcefully --

-- which makes Batman's condescending admonition ("Super-powers can be dangerous! You must go home and stay safely quiet until your powers have faded away!") all the more galling. (What would Batwoman have done at that moment if Conceptfan had been writing the story?) Oh, well -- at least he didn't say "dangeous for a girl!"

And then there's the first panel on page 11. A super-woman who's just handled a rockslide, a lightning storm, a mine-field, and Niagara Falls with aplomb ... is afraid of mice -- just as Superman expected. (Check out the know-it-all smirk on his face.)

All in all, an enjoyable trip in ace's time-machine ... but we SWManiacs have got to rewrite these stories the way they should have been done back then![/i]