Multiversity’s history column returns with coverage of the comic industry of 1973. For some extra context, get caught up by revisiting 1970, 1971, and 1972.
In 1973, there were around 200 storefronts in the US that could be called “comic stores” because of their significant volume of back issues, but nearly all of them also relied on other merchandise (like used books) to pad their income. Superheroes dominated the newsstands, but romance comics were still popular enough to support 17 titles. A national paper shortage hit comics in the Fall, prompting DC and other publishers to cancel titles. Dell, the former powerhouse publisher of the 1950s, chose to simply exit the comic arena. The University of California hosted its first comic convention in Berkeley, and “Tin Tin” was brought to American audiences for the first time by publisher Little Brown.
Comics made the rounds in academia in 1973. Frederic Wertham, the psychiatrist who led a populist crusade against comics a few decades earlier, now published “The World of Fanzines” through Southern Illinois University. The book extolled the virtues of comic fanzines and marveled at how exposure to the fantasy in comics could result in constructive, creative adults like Paul Levitz, whose “Comic Reader” had a circulation over 3,000 copies. Comics in education got a push from Kay Haugaard, who advocated their use in her article ‘Comic Books: Conduits to Culture,’ published in “The Reading Teacher” issue 27.1. David Kunzle finally made good on a grant he received from the National Endowment for the Humanities in 1967 when he published “The Early Comic Strip.” The book covered material from 1450 to 1825 that met his definition for a comic strip and was marketed as the first volume in a series called “The History of the Comic Strip.” The second volume wasn’t released until 1990.
Meanwhile, the court case Miller v California gave localities the power to decide their own obscenity limits and was initially interpreted as meaning a single community instead of a whole state. The number of prosecutions for creating or selling underground comics spiked. That, combined with the end of US involvement in Vietnam and anti-drug paraphernalia laws, caused a sudden decrease in head shops, the primary sales outlet for undergrounds. Consequently, 1973 was the last year for growth in the underground movement, which peaked with 300+ titles in print and average sales around 40,000 copies. Art Spiegelman, a prominent underground cartoonist, help usher in the movement’s transformation into alternative comics when he started his autobiographical “Prisoner on Hell Planet” in “Short Order Comix” #1.
One of those obscenity busts struck the 1973 New York Comicon when the convention organizer, Phil Seuling, and two teenage girls assisting him were arrested after police found a copy of “Zap Comix” #4 for sale. The charges were dropped and Seuling suggested in print the whole thing had been a publicity stunt by a local anti-comics group, but the arrest prevented Seuling from returning to his job as a high school teacher. He probably could have been reinstated after the charges were dropped, but he really wanted to pursue his passion in comics, and now he could because of something else that occurred during the convention.
Another dealer, Ed Summer, didn’t just bring back issues to sell at his table – he also brought copies of every new comic available from his newsstand wholesaler. Fans noticeably flocked to his table to buy the current issues, grabbing the attention of DC production head Sol Harrison. Seuling wasn’t surprised by Summer’s brisk business; he saw it as confirmation of what he had been telling publishers for years: demand from fans was strong enough to support a distribution system that catered to them directly. They had laughed at him before. DC wasn’t laughing now.
Harrison reported what he saw to his publisher, Carmine Infantino, reminding him about Seuling’s proposition. Infantino agreed to hear Seuling’s pitch, which was pretty simple. DC’s newsstand deal was to sell comics to wholesalers at 40% of the cover price and to refund them later for any comics that didn’t sell at retail. Seuling wanted DC to sell comics to him as a wholesaler for 50%, and there would be zero returns because any unsold copies would be kept by the retailer to sell later as back issues. Seuling would arrange an account with World Color Press so the comics would be shipped direct to his client stores from the printer. DC would take a smaller profit on the front end, but save a lot of time and effort by eliminating the back end. All they had to do was believe it was true, and now they were interested in finding out. Seuling and Harrison made the deal official a few months later at SDCC 1973. Marvel, Archie, Harvey, and Warren followed DC’s lead and signed similar deals.
Continued belowSeuling was operating as Sea Gate Distribution with a great deal of assistance from his partner, Jonni Levas. Their system had some imperfections. There was no credit available, so retailers had to pay up front. There was no formal communication channel, so retailers had no information about what they were ordering. Sea Gate functioned as a proof-of-concept, and the comic specialty stores flourished. Seuling had his detractors, notably one of his regional sub-distributors that formed in 1973 – Irjax Enterprises. The two would have a legal battle before the end of the decade and Seuling’s monopoly deal would eventually be shattered and allow other comic distributors to compete fairly.
Not all of Harrison’s choices in 1973 were as successful as his deal with Seuling. For example, the DC Comicmobile. It was panel van that drove from neighborhood to neighborhood selling comics out the back to kids, much like an ice cream truck. The driver, usually Bob Rozakis, would ask they kids why they picked some comics over others and what other options they’d like to see. He then reported this customer research back to DC’s main office, where it would theoretically be put to use in a way that would increase national sales. The plan wasn’t taken seriously by many employees and was discontinued after one summer.
Early in the year, DC revived Captain Marvel in “Shazam” #1. The character had headlined the top-selling comic in the 1940s, so there were high hopes for the new launch. Speculators tried to cornor the market on the first issue, and some collectors bought them by the case. As is often the case when everyone expects to get rich quick, no one did. “Shazam” did not become the most popular comic of the year, and the first attempt at speculation in comics was a dud.
As a minor note for the year, 1973 was when Warner Brothers got serious about developing a Superman film. The initial short list for who would play the title role included Clint Eastwood and Muhammad Ali. It’s unknown how seriously they were considered, or if they were ever approached about it.
Across the way, Marvel was on a roll in 1973. After years of putting it on their covers, they officially changed their corporate name to “The Marvel Comics Group.” They averaged 42 new releases every month, a pace DC tried to match until World Color Press complained about volume. The long-running fan club Marvelmania ended, replaced by the much lower-key promotional magazine “FOOM” (Friends of ‘ol Marvel) in the winter. Trying to keep pace with changing customer tastes, Marvel cancelled its longest-running title in December when it ended “Millie the Model” at number 207.
Most of Marvel’s big events were in its content. The company tried to draw new readers by introducing diverse characters like Luke Cage, Blade, and giving Black Panther his own title. Darker themes were first introduced with the death of Gwen Stacey in “Amazing Spider-Man” #121, which became (one of) the milestones marking the end of the Silver Age of Superheroes.
Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas left annuals off the calendar for the year, prompting writer Steve Englehart to think of another way to give readers some extra excitement during the summer. Two of his titles were “Avengers” and “Defenders,” leading him to a new concept: the multi-title crossover. Thomas had concerns about delays, but approved the idea. The Avengers/Defenders War became the first crossover story (and the first crossover story without delays).
Steve Gerber drew criticism on multiple fronts in 1973. He introduced Wundarr as a Superman parody in “Adventures into Fear” #17, prompting a letter from DC claiming plagiarism. Gerber was nearly fired over it, but an agreement between the companies allowed him to write a second Wundarr story emphasizing the character’s contrasting elements and pushing him in a more original direction, which Gerber said was his plan anyway. In his “Man-Thing” plots, he banished Howard the Duck to another dimension. Fans of the duck wrote in asking for his return, and one… intense… fan from Canada sent Gerber a package containing a genuine duck carcass with a note calling him a murderer.
