The conformist Cold War decade of the 1950s had dawned, and the detectives had vanished. They…
Dan Hagen
Dan Hagen is a retired newspaper journalist and editor, a former journalism professor, and a mighty comics presence in print and on the web. You can find Dan's work at... danhagengreatcaesar.blogspot.com, justimaginedanhagen.blogspot.com and captaincommentdanhagen.blogspot.com
October 1940: A Fantasy of Freedom
Flight. We see comic book superheroes doing it all the time, and we ourselves do it,…
JUST IMAGINE! September 1966: A Female Who Could Fight for Herself
Fighting females had been around in the comics for a couple of decades before they finally…
JUST IMAGINE! December 1952: The Thing from 400 Newspapers
Here’s a classic monster that traveled from outer space and the far future — and from…
JUST IMAGINE! April 1970: The Amazon and the Clown
Wonder Woman and … Jerry Lewis? Talk about your odd couple. But actually, the comedian had…
JUST IMAGINE! June 1955: Where is that Masked Man?
At right, a cover painting from the Masked Rider Western pulp; at left, Masked Raider art…
JUST IMAGINE! May 1938: The Ghost Who Walks and the Man of Steel
By the time Superman arrived in comic books in 1938, the Phantom had already been crusading…
JUST IMAGINE! October 1964: The Way of the Watcher
The Watcher’s vow of non-intervention, like Star Trek’s Prime Directive, was a rule made to be…
JUST IMAGINE: June 1967: With One Magic Word, Complications!
Young readers had been arguing whether Superman could beat Captain Marvel at least since 1940, when…
JUST IMAGINE! October 1965: The Truncated Trial of Tiger Boy
Sometimes you wonder what on earth they were thinking. Harvey Comics cover-featured a new superhero, Tiger…
September 1963: The Fashions of the Fantastic
The Man of the Atom, like the Fantastic Four, was a late arrival to the superhero…
JUST IMAGINE! August 1930: Fun with a Firing Squad
The most dreaded weapon of World War I, mustard gas, cast its shadow over Superman 2…
JUST IMAGINE! June 1977: The Long Reach of the Unseen Hand
The inventive British novelist H.G. Wells contributed several conventions that have become mainstays in superhero comics…
September 1940: When the X-Men Met Star Trek
If you’re interested in the origins of persecuted teenage mutant supermen, you’ll have to look earlier…
JUST IMAGINE! August 1983: The Battle of the Beetles
Nobody ever said the history of superhero comics wasn’t convoluted. Americomics 3 (Aug. 1983) gave us…
JUST IMAGINE! April 1954: Thinking Outside the Boxer
Captain Comet’s friend Prof. Zackro takes center stage as a stand-in for Arthur Conan Doyle’s Prof.…
JUST IMAGINE! June 1960: Those Destructive and Lovable Titans
I think children are attracted to giant monsters for the same reason they are attracted to…
JUST IMAGINE! February 1947: Undepressed by the Depression
“Many of the adventure-strip leading men, and a few of the women, were pretty tough and…
JUST IMAGINE! April 1930: The Wings of Justice
Something of a cross between Hawkman and Batman, the Night Hawk flew silhouetted against moonlit London…
JUST IMAGINE! October 1970: When Kirby Met Kent
In August 1970, at age 16, I was no longer reading many comics. But I knew…
JUST IMAGINE! August 1955: The Justice Machine
Automation worried many Americans in the 1950s. The Nation magazine termed it an “Automation Depression.” “We…
JUST IMAGINE! May 1968: Lo, This Bitter Victory!
“O Bitter Victory!” is a title that perfectly encapsulates the Marvel Comics approach to storytelling. That’s…
JUST IMAGINE! June 1961: Infantino’s Heroes
This DC house ad from June 1961 showcases two features that relied on the considerable talents…
JUST IMAGINE! May 1962: How Mighty the Mummies
Mummies, those shambling staples of Universal and Hammer horror movies, weren’t quite a big enough threat…
JUST IMAGINE! December 1950: The Return of Iron Jaw
The ferocity of the fearsome villain Iron Jaw served to underline the gritty determination of the…
JUST IMAGINE! March 1956: Showcasing the Superheroes
Firefighters, anyone? How about Manhunters, Frogmen or Kings of the Wild? No? Well, the comic book…
JUST IMAGINE! December 2003: The War of the Weapon People
One was turned into a monster by a weapon he created. The other was himself a…
JUST IMAGINE! September 1966: Meet the Cosmic Mystery Man
Gary Owens as Space Ghost: “I’m combining the Stun Ray with the Force Energy Power!” Tim…
April 1961: A Way Around the Immovable Object
I do admire elegant plotting. And that would include plots such as The Menace of Red-Green…
JUST IMAGINE! September 1957: Cloud with a Silver Lining
It’s a happy ending story with a somewhat sinister vibe. Steve Ditko’s The Man Who Stepped…
JUST IMAGINE! August 1958: The Darts of Outrageous Fortune
Someone who poses as a superhero for sketchy ulterior motives can serve as the springboard for…
JUST IMAGINE! July 1955: The Dreams of Lois Lane
Superman and Lois Lane finally married in 1955, 17 years after they met — but it…
JUST IMAGINE! February 1963: A Whirlwind with Quite an Appetite
To tell the truth, I always preferred the scrappier, edgier Warner Brothers animated characters to Disney’s,…