The era of eight-tracks, Afros, and disco saw itself reflected in the comic book ads of this generation, as advertisers in general responded to the gradual age increase of the comic book audience with ads for slightly older readers. The decade also saw the debut of one of the most iconic series of comic book ads of all time, as we all learned the crime-fighting abilities of Twinkies! Here are four interesting ads from what Tom Wolfe referred to as the “Me Decade.”
1 With a name like Masculiner Co., it has to be good! What kind of a person reads a comic book ad about glue-on sideburns and says, “Hey, that sounds like something that could work for me!” Perhaps the best part about this ad is that along with the six-dollar payment, they want you to send in a piece of your hair! Can’t you imagine some office with piles of teenage boy hair just collecting dust in the corner? Yeesh.
2 Well, if it is the biggest rock event of the decade, how could I pass? What is the only thing cooler than a rock album devoted to Marvel superheroes? Why, a rock opera album devoted to Spider-Man with a cartoon image of Stan Lee endorsing the product! Lee also narrated the rock opera, titled Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Super-Hero. The album credits the instruments to various Marvel superheroes (Thor on trumpet, Hulk on drums, the Fantastic Four on background vocals, Luke Cage on bass, etc.). Sadly, this did not begin a trend of superhero rock operas.
3 Did you really think this would work, Chiquita? You really have to question the folks in Chiquita’s marketing department for thinking that producing banana-shaped walkie-talkies and banana-shaped compasses would go over well with children. How does something like that even occur to you? I suppose it makes some sense to try to diversify your brand, but banana-shaped toys seems a little inexplicable.
4 Once again, Hostess pies save the day! The most famous series of comic book ads during the 1970s (and possibly the most famous series of comic book ads ever) was the Hostess superhero ads of the late 1970s and early 1980s. These ads starred Marvel and DC superheroes fighting villains, with the end results in the ads showing that Hostess snack cakes would save the day (usually by the villain being distracted by the snacks—“I am robbing this bank, but I can’t help but go for those cupcakes! Oh, no, now Batman has captured me!”). These ads were typically written by the editorial staff of DC and Marvel and drawn by actual Marvel and DC artists. The ad I’m sharing here is famously one of the earliest professional comic book works by none other than Frank Miller, of Daredevil, Sin City, Dark Knight Returns, and 300 fame.
