Great Covers: DC Around The World 1

It’s only natural that I would focus on Marvel releases as we look at the assorted overseas localizations of American comics. But that doesn’t mean that’s all that I have in my arsenal. So just for a change, let’s spend this installment focusing on the competition, on how DC’s titles have been represented across the globe.

Let’s start things off with a vintage SUPERMAN cover from Japan in the very early 1950s. I have a whole piece cooking on these releases, where in certain cases they had local manga artists redraw the American stories rather than simply reprinting them.

This 1951 Brazilian issue of SUPERMAN colorizes a still photograph of Kirk Alyn from the 1948 Columbia SUPERMAN movie serial to use as its cover image. I have to say this is pretty cool.

Another favorite. Here, the local Brazilian artist of this ad for the first appearance of HOMEM DE ACO (literally MAN OF STEEL) doesn’t realize that Superman wears a costume, and so draws him about as close to naked as one can get. Even his socks, apparently, are flesh-colored.

This 1953 Brazilian issue of BATMAN doesn’t repurpose a movie still, but rather sports a very cool original painting of the Dynamic Duo. There’s something a little bit strange about the construction of that gigantic key, though.

This 1970 British Annual reprints a variety of older DC stories, all wrapped up in an original painting based on interior panels. I especially enjoy the blase and indifferent expression on Batman’s face here.

Plastic Man wasn’t yet a DC character in 1953 when this edition was released, but for our purposes, we’re going to count it–especially since O LOBINBO did mix and match DC characters on the interiors and covers as well. This funky cover image is signed by Milton Sardelli

A wild painting on this 1970s copy of THE FLASH. I’m intrigued by the fact that the Scarlet Speedster has no gloves.

The home-grown cover art on this reprint of WORLD’S FINEST COMICS is just a little bit crude, but nonetheless charming.

Can’t pass up the opportunity of including this colorized image of Robert Lowery and Johnny Duncan from the 1949 Columbia serial BATMAN & ROBIN, used on the cover of this issue of BATMAN. That’s Lyle Talbot as Commissioner Gordon–and no, I don’t like the look Batman is giving you either, Commissioner.

Somewhat later, and we have a profoundly oddball Batman painting on this cover.

And I kind of love this original cover, signed by Axion Thomas, depicting not only Batman and Robin, but also Johnny Quick, Congo Bill, Green Arrow and Speedy

Another cover based on an American original, this one for the first issue of JUSTICE LEAGE OF AMERICA. But for some reason, Despero is green rather than magenta, Wonder Woman is entirely in red and gold, Green Lantern has lost his gloves. Aquaman is looking a bit washed out, and J’onn J’onzz seems to have put on Superman’s costume rather than his own. (And is looking quite fleshy to boot!)

War makes for strange bedfellows, and so Superman finds himself hanging out with MLJ’s Black Hood and Roy the Super Boy on this repurposed WORLD’S FINEST COMICS cover for GLOBO JUVENIL MENSAL

I feel as though I may be over-representing Brazil in these covers, but with images such as this painted SUPERMAN cover, can you really blame me?

In Brazil, the Flash takes over for Superman on this issue of SUPERMAN. I love his name: Joel Ciclone!

A cool original cover for this issue of TEEN TITANS/TURMA TITA, also featuring Batgirl (who never made it into the Titans proper.)

In Brazil, the Atom was known as Elektron. And just look at how icky this cover image is. What is that covering the magnet that Elektron is stuck to?

My man Joel Ciclone getting it done in the pages of O LOBINHO

SHAZAM! What a great cover featuring Batman! I love that his cowl here is the same gray as his bodysuit. And Robin’s color scheme gets a makeover as well, making him resemble Chuck Chandler, Crimebuster.

And finally, I don’t entirely know what Superman is doing with Lois Lane on this cover, but I do want to know more. Is he poised to catch her? Is he the one hurling her into the air? And why has Lois changed her first name to Mirian?