DCML Digest, Vol 52, Issue 26

[Joseph Farrell]

With respect to your final comment, I believe that the
Bugs Bunny "Showtime" title might have been an
exception to the general arbitrariness of the various
Bandwagons, Parades, etc. I was a reader of most of
these Dell Giants in the early 60's, and I remember
recognizing Showtime as a reflection of the weekly
Bugs Bunny Show that ran on U.S. primetime television
beginning in 1960. Those programs were characterized
by a new "Showtime" framing sequence built around
older theatrical Warner cartoons. Bugs and his fellow
cartoon characters would appear on a stage at the
beginning of each show and "perform" the production
number "On With the Show". I expect that the Showtime
comics were designed to remind readers of that
program.

Joe Farrell

From:	kimba1962 at comcast.net
To:	dcml at nafsk.se
Date:	Thu, 28 Jun 2007 14:08:51 +0000
Subject:	Re: DCML Digest, Vol 52, Issue 24 ("Parade"
etc.)

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Joe Torcivia wrote:
 
> I'd also point out that there was a time
> in comic books where the publishers seemed to
"create" new titles for
> existing characters just by tacking on another
pleasant sounding or otherwise
> appropriate word. "Parade" is such a word, as it
conjures up good feelings
> though, as Barry indicated, no parade actually
occurred in its pages.
> In the early days of Gold Key, there were such
titles as "Hanna-Barbera Band
> Wagon". Though the characters were depicted marching
with instruments on the
> cover of #1, and actually PULLING a band wagon on
#2, the cover of #3 had a
> skating/skiing theme, and none of the interior
stories were about
> marching/playing music/pulling wagons/etc. It was
just a pleasant sounding
> word/name that helped sell the book.
> There was also "Bugs Bunny Showtime", where the "put
on a show", "have a
> ball" type of images were reflected on the covers,
but t! he stor ies were mainly
> typical of the Warner Bros. comics of the time.
> No publisher was better -- or at least more prolific
at this -- than Harvey
> Comics, where things like "Casper's Ghostland",
"Little Dot's Dotland", and
> "Richie Rich Dollars and Cents" would sprout wildly
to accompany the characters'
> "regular" titles on the newsstands of the
1960s-1970s.
The big difference, I think, between Harvey's approach
to this sort of thing and that of Western Publishing
was that the Harvey "subsidiary titles" usually had
something to do with the specific character featured
in the title.  "Little Dot's Uncles and Aunts," for
example, did not include a mention of Dot's dot
obsession but DID focus on another key aspect of her
"universe" that was repeatedly featured in Dot
stories.  Ditto all the Richie Rich money-themed and
Sad Sack Army-themed titles.  The Western "Parade",
"Band Wagon", "Fun-In", "Showtime" etc. titles were
all omnibus titles and didn't necessarily (as you
yourself noted) reflect anything in particular about
the specific characters inside.  It would be
interesting to speculate on WHY a particular omnibus
"umbrella" title was chosen.  Why not "Bugs Bunny Band
Wagon," for instance -- to take advantage of the
alliteration?
 
Chris
 
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