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Jen Wolfe Collection of Female-Driven Comic Books Access and Restrictions: This collection is open for research. Digital Surrogates: Except where indicated, this document describes but does not reproduce the actual text, images and objects which make up this collection. Materials are available only in the Special Collections Department. Copyright: Please read The University of Iowa Libraries' statement on Property Rights, Copyright Law, and Permissions to Use Unpublished Materials. Use of Collections: The University of Iowa Libraries supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted by their fragile condition or by contractual agreement with donors, and it may not be possible at all times to provide appropriate machinery for reading, viewing or accessing non-paper-based materials. Please read our Use of Manuscripts Statement. Acquisition and Processing Information: This collection was donated by Jen Wolfe in June 2008. Photographs: None |
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Scope and Contents
This collection consists of comic books, written primarily during the 1960s and 1970s. The collection was not officially organized around a single theme; however, the vast majority of the comics in the collection are what might be termed "female-driven." That is, most were written with a female audience, or at least an audience with an interest in female characters or "traditionally female" situations, in mind. (Jen Wolfe points out that her chief collecting strategy was, actually, finding which issues and publications were cheapest.)
A significant proportion of the collection consists of so-called "romance comics", such as For Lovers Only, I Love You, Love Diary, Teen Confessions, and Young Romance. Romance comics flourished from the late 1940s through the mid-1970s, and were marketed to a female audience, especially teenage girls. They were soap opera-like in plot and dialogue, and noted for a large dependence on melodrama. Romance comics first arose in 1947 with the creation of Young Romance #1 by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby; they were born out of a postwar weariness with overblown heroics as portrayed in the superhero comics of the time. They reached a pinnacle of popularity in the 1950s.
Much of the collection is comprised of more traditional comic books centered around superheroes. Most of these either star a strong superheroine - i.e. Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Spider-Woman, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer - or are individual issues of other titles that feature a woman as a major character for that particular story. There are many issues of the DC title Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane, which manages to combine superhero and romantic comic themes with storylines centered around Lois Lane's love for Superman and her often outlandish attempts to manuever him into marriage.
There are a number of comics in the collection that are humor-based. Many of these are from the family of titles based around teenager Archie Andrews and his friends. (Jen Wolfe collected many of these because of the importance in the stories of Archie's girl friends Betty and Veronica.) Included are Archie spinoff comics with major female characters such as Josie (and the Pussycats) and Sabrina the Teenage Witch.
Most of the comics are from mainstream publishing companies such as DC, Marvel, and Charlton. However, there are a number of titles in the collection from smaller, independent companies. These tend to deal with more realistic and less fantastic plots and characters than do the more mainstream published comics.. A number of them, such as Action Girl Comics, are both written and drawn by women. This is a departure from the more mainstream companies and titles which are more often than not written and drawn by men.
Related Materials
WOLFE, SARAH AND JEN. Sarah and Jen Wolfe Collection of Riot Grrrl and Underground Music Zines, 1991-1998, 2003. 6 ft.
Collection of amateur publications arising primarily from the feminist riot grrrl movement of the 1990s, together with numerous zines documenting various independent/underground music scenes. MsC 878. (Finding Aid)
Box Contents List
Box 1 |
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| Folder | Title |
Action Comics [DC Comics] |
|
| 1 | #289 (June 1962) |
| 2 | #446 (April 1975) |
Action Girl Comics [Slave Labor Graphics] |
|
| 3 | #3 - 4 (April 1995, July 1995) |
| 4 | #5 - 6 (October 1995, January 1996) |
| 5 | #7 - 8 (April 1996, July 1996) |
| 6 | #9 - 10 (October 1996, January 1997) |
| 7 | #11, #13 (May 1997, October 1997) |
| 8 | #14 - 15 (July 1998, August 1998) |
| 9 | #16 - 18 (October 1998, February 1999, June 1999) |
| 10 | Adventure Comics #303 (December 1962) [DC Comics] |
Adventure Comics Starring Supergirl [DC Comics] |
|
| 11 | #383 (August 1969) |
| 12 | #386 (November 1969) |
| 13 | #392 (April 1970) |
Adventure Comics Presents Supergirl [DC Comics] |
|
| 14 | #397 - 398, #401 (September 1970, October 1970, January 1971) |
| 15 | #405 - 406 (April 1971, May 1971) |
| 16 | #408 (July 1971) |
Adventure Comics Featuring Supergirl [DC Comics] |
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| 17 | #410 (September 1971) |
| 18 | #419 (May 1972) |
| 19 | Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld #3 (March 1985) [DC Comics] |
Archie [Archie Comics] |
|
| 20 | #132 (November 1962) |
| 21 | #160 (December 1965) |
| 22 | #168 (November 1966) |
| 23 | #179 (February 1968) |
| 24 | #354 (January 1988) |
Archie Annual [Archie Comics] |
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| 25 | #18 - 19 (1966/1967, 1967/1968) |
| 26 | #22 (1970/1971) |
Archie's Girls Betty and Veronica [Archie Comics] |
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| 27 | #91 (July 1963) |
| 28 | #106 (October 1964) |
| 29 | #112 (April 1965) |
| 30 | #120 (December 1965) |
| 31 | #122 (February 1966) |
| 32 | #160 (April 1969) |
| 33 | #203 (November 1972) |
| 34 | #230 (February 1975) |
| Archie Giant Series Magazine Presents... [Archie Comics] |
|
| 35 | Betty and Veronica Summer Fun #140 (August 1966) |
| 36 | Betty and Veronica Christmas Spectacular #465 (December 1977) |
| 37 | Archie's Mad House #56 (September 1967) [Archie Comics] |
| 38 | Archie's Pals 'N Gals, issue and date unknown [Archie Comics] |
| 39 | Archie's T.V. Laugh-out Starring Sabrina the Teenage Witch #23 (December 1973) [Archie Comics] |
| 40 | Archie and Me #9 (August 1966) [Archie Comics] |
| 41 | Arm's Length #1(July 2000) [Third Wind Press] |
Artbabe |
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| 42 | Volume 1, #5 (1996) [Jessica Abel] |
| 43 | Volume 2, #1 - 3 (1997 - 1998) [Fantagraphic Books] |
| 44 | Bathroom Girls #1 (1998) [Modern] |
The Batman Family [DC Comics] |
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| 45 | #7 (September-October 1976) |
| 46 | #9 (January-February 1977) |
| 47 | #16 (February-March 1978) |
| 48 | Berlin #4 (February 1998) [Black Eye Books] |
Betty and Me [Archie Comics] |
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| 49 | #55 (September 1974) |
| 50 | #72 (February 1976) |
| 51 | #90 (February 1978) |
| 52 | Betty and Veronica Spectacular #28 (March 1998) [Archie Comics] |
| 53 | Big Shot #88 (April 1948) [Columbia Comic Corporation] |
| 54 | Black Cat #65 (April 1963) [Harvey Comics] |
| 55 | Boy Loves Girl #39 (October 1963) [Lev Gleason Publications] |
| 56 | Breakfast After Noon #1 - 2 (May 2000, August 2000) [Oni Press] |
| 57 | Buffy The Vampire Slayer #1 (1998) [Dark Horse Comics] |
| 58 | Buzzy #45 (September/October 1952) [DC Comics] |
Career Girl Romances [Charlton Comics] |
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| 59 | #42 - 43 (October 1967, December 1967) |
| 60 | #44 (December 1963) |
| 61 | #55 (February 1970) |
| 62 | Casual Heroes #1 (April 1996) [Image] |
| 63 | The Cat #1 (November 1972) [Marvel Comics] |
| 64 | Catwoman: Secret Files and Legends #1 (November 2002) [DC Comics] |
| 65 | Chili #4 (August 1969) [Marvel Comics] |
| 66 | The Close Shaves of Pauline Peril #4 (March 1971) [Gold Key Comics] |
| 67 | Confessions of the Lovelorn #109 (November 1959) [American Comics Group] |
| 68 | Cookie #23 (February/March 1949) [American Comics Group] |
| 69 | Cynthia Doyle, Nurse in Love, volume 2, #72 (October 1963) [Charlton Comics] |
| 70 | Dark Horse Presents #118 (Hectic Planet/Monkeyman O'Brien] (February 1997) [Dark Horse Comics] |
| 71 | A Date with Millie #4 (April 1960) [Male Publishing] |
Dazzler [Marvel Comics] |
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| 72 | #1 - 2 (March 1981, April 1981) |
| 73 | #5 - 6 (July 1981, August 1981) |
| 74 | #7 - 8 (September 1981, October 1981) |
| 75 | #13 (March 1972) |
| 76 | #16 - 17 (June 1982, July 1982) |
77 |
DC 100-Page Super Spectacular: Love Stories Replica Edition (2000) [DC Comics] |
| 78 | DC Super-Stars #17 (November/December 1977) [DC Comics] |
| 79 | Dirty Plotte #11 (September 1997) [Drawn & Quarterly] |
A Distant Soil [Aria Press] |
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| 80 | #1 - 3 (June 1991, February 1992, January 1993) |
| 81 | #4 - 6 (February 1993, June 1993, 1993) |
| 82 | #17 - 18 (December 1996, February 1997) |
Dork [Slave Labor Graphics] |
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| 83 | #4 - 6 (March 1997, January 1998, May 1998) |
| 84 | #10 (September 2002) |
| 85 | Dotty Dripple Comics #11 (April 1950) [Harvey Comics] |
| 86 | Eightball #19 (May 1998) [Fantagraphics Books] |
Falling In Love [DC Comics] |
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| 87 | #89 (February 1969) |
| 88 | #121 (February 1971) |
| 89 | First Love #8 (1950) [Harvey Publications] |
For Lovers Only [Charlton Comics] |
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| 90 | #73 (September 1973) |
| 91 | #76 (November 1974) |
| 92 | #80 - 81 (August 1975, October 1975) |
| 93 | Forbidden Tales of Dark Mansion #10 (March/April 1973) [DC Comics] |
| 94 | Forty Winks #1 (November 1997) [Oddjob, Limited] |
| 95 | Four-Star Spectacular #1 (March-April 1976) [DC Comics] |
Box 2 |
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| 1 | Geisha #1 - 4 (September 1998, October 1998, November 1998, December 1998) [Oni Press] |
| 2 | Generation X Underground #1 (May 1998) [Marvel Comics] |
| 3 | Girl Comics #9 (July 1951) [Cornell Publishing Group] |
| 4 | Girl Talk #4 (Summer 1996) [Fantagraphics Books] |
Girl's Love [National Romance Group] |
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| 5 | #73 (September 1960) |
| 6 | #114 (October 1965) |
| 7 | #127 (May 1967) |
| 8 | #143 (May 1969) |
Girls' Romances [DC Comics] |
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| 9 | #131 (March 1968) |
| 10 | #137 (December 1968) |
| 11 | #139 (March 1969) |
| 12 | #155 (March 1971) |
| 13 | Go-Go And Animal #11 (November 1968) [Tower Comics] |
| 14 | High School Confidential Diary #3 (October 1960) [Charlton Comics] |
| 15 | House of Secrets #89 (December 1970/January 1971) [DC Comics] |
| 16 | How To Draw Comics (1994) [Longmeadow Press] |
I Love You [Charlton Comics] |
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| 17 | #29 (July 1960) |
| 18 | #84 (March 1970) |
| 19 | #109 (November 1974) |
| 20 | #120 - 121 (October 1976, December 1976) |
| 21 | #123 (June 1979) |
| 22 | #128 (February 1980) |
| 23 | I Love You Special #1 (1998) [Avalon Communications] |
Josie [Archie Comics] |
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| 24 | #9 (October 1964) |
| 25 | #17 (December 1965) |
| 26 | #23, #25 (October 1966, February 1967) |
| 27 | #38 - 39 (December 1968, February 1969) |
| 28 | Josie and the Pussycats #56 (August 1971) |
Just Married [Charlton Comics] |
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| 29 | #44, #53 (November 1965, July 1967) |
| 30 | #63, #67 (March 1969, October 1969) |
| 31 | #70 - 71 (April 1970, June 1970) |
| 32 | #114 (December 1976) |
| 33 | Kid Blastoff #1 (June 1996) [Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics] |
| 34 | King-Cat Comics and Stories #56 (December 1999) [John A. Porcellino] |
| 35 | Kiss & Tell #3: Artists on Parade (Winter 1997) [Patricia Breen] |
| 36 | Lady Cop #4 (July 1975) [DC Comics] |
Laugh [Archie Comics] |
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| 37 | #62, #96 (April 1954, March 1959) |
| 38 | #153, #164 (December 1963, November 1964) |
| 39 | #198, #337 (September 1967, April 1979) |
| 40 | The Legend of Wonder Woman #1, #4 (May 1986, August 1986) [DC Comics] |
| 41 | Legends of the DC Universe: Batgirl #10 (November 1998) [DC Comics] |
| 42 | The Legion of Super-Heroes #301 (July 1983) [DC Comics] |
| 43 | Lenore #1 (February 1998) [Slave Labor Graphics] |
| 44 | Life with Archie #80 (December 1968) [Archie Comics] |
| 45 | Life With Millie #14 (December 1961) [Male Publishing] |
| 46 | Little Audrey and Melvin #28 (January 1967) [Harvey Comics] |
| 47 | Love and Romance #2 (November 1971) [Charlton Comics] |
Love Diary [Charlton Comics] |
|
| 48 | #51, #57 (October 1967, December 1968) |
| 49 | #58, #62 (February 1969, October 1969) |
| 50 | #54, #86 (January 1970, September 1973) |
| 51 | #89 (September 1974) |
| 52 | Mad About Millie #5 (November 1969) [Marvel Comics] |
| 53 | Maggie and Hopey Color Special #1 (May 1997) [Fantagraphics Books] |
| 54 | Magic Boy and the Word of God (1996) [James Kochalka] |
| 55 | Marge's Little Lulu #180 (June 1966) [Gold Key Comics] |
| 56 | Marvel Romance Redux #1 (April 2006) [Marvel Comics] |
| 57 | Mazie #13, no issue # (March 1954, n.d.) [Magazine Publishers, Inc.] |
| 58 | Measles #1, #4 (Christmas 1998, Summer 1999) [Fantagraphics Books] |
| 59 | Milk and Cheese #7 (1997) [Slave Labor Graphics] |
Millie The Model [Sphere Publications] |
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| 60 | #63, #95 - 96 (October 1955, March 1960, May 1960) |
| 61 | #178 (January 1970) [Marvel Comics] |
| 62 | Millenium Edition: Showcase #9 (January 2001, originally publoshed 1957) [DC Comics] |
| 63 | Millenium Edition: Wonder Woman #1 (August 2000, originally published 1942) [DC Comics] |
| 64 | Millenium Edition: Young Romance Comics #1 (April 2000, originally published 1947) [DC Comics] |
| 65 | Miss America #12, #25, #51 (July 1948, August 1949, April 1953) [Miss America Publishing] |
| 66 | Ms. Marvel #9 (September 1977) [Marvel Comics] |
| 67 | My Girl Pearl #10 (February 1961) [Atlas Magazines] |
| 68 | My Only Love #9 (November 1976) [Charlton Comics] |
| 69 | My Own Romance #75 (May 1960) [Zenith Publishing] |
| 70 | Nancy #150 (January 1958) [Dell Publishing] |
| 71 | Naughty Bits #15 (February 1995) [Fantagraphics Books] |
| 72 | Non #2, #4 (February 1998, June 1999) [Redink] |
| 73 | Nowhere #1 - 4 (October 1996, April 1997, October 1997, June 1998) [Drawn & Quarterly] |
| 74 | The Nurses #3 (October 1963) [Gold Key Comics] |
| 75 | Oni Press Summer Vacation Superstar Fun Special (July 2000) [Oni Press] |
| 76 | Optic Nerve #4 - 5, #7 (April 1997, February 1998, June 2000) [Drawn & Quarterly] |
| 77 | Optic Nerve (Mini-Size) #7 (Summer 1994) [Adrian Tomine] |
| 78 | Patsy and Hedy #30, #58, #73 (August 1954, June 1958, December 1960) [Gem Publications] |
| 79 | Peanut Butter and Jeremy #2 (2001) [Alternative Comics] |
| 80 | Penny Century #2 (March 1998) [Fantagraphics Books] |
Pep [Archie Comics] |
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| 81 | #139 (June 1960) |
| 82 | #144, #174 (January 1961, October 1964) |
| 83 | #195, #206 (July 1966, June 1967) |
| 84 | Playful Little Audrey #91 (October 1970) [Harvey Comics] |
| 85 | Ponytail #15 (March 1970) [Charlton Comics] |
| 86 | Private Secretary #1 (December 1962/February 1963) [Dell Publishing] |
| 87 | Reggie #15 (September 1963) [Archie Comics] |
| 88 | The Return of Lum: Urusei Yatsura #7 (1998) [Viz Select Comics] |
| 89 | Rhubarb the Millionaire Cat #563 (1954) [Dell Publishing] |
| 90 | Romantic Secrets #28 (August 1960) [Charlton Comics] |
| 91 | Romantic Story #88, #98, #103 (June 1967, January 1968, November 1969) [Charlton Comics] |
Box 3 |
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| 1 | Sabrina The Teenage Witch #14 (September 1973) [Archie Comics] |
| 2 | Secret Hearts #131 - 132 (October 1988, December 1988) [DC Comics] |
| 3 | Secret Romance #4, #41 (December 1969, November 1976) [Charlton Comics] |
| 4 | Secrets of Sinister House #14 (October 1973) [DC Comics] |
| 5 | The Sensational She-Hulk 37 (November 1989) [Marvel Comics] |
| 6 | Shazam! #12 (June 1974) [DC Comics] |
| 7 | Showcase #98 -- Presents Power Girt! (March 1978) [DC Comics] |
| 8 | Silly Daddy #10 (March 1996) [Joe Chiappetta] |
| 9 | Skeleton Key #14 (August 1996) [Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics] |
| 10 | Skeleton Key, volume 2 #2 (1999) [Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics] |
| 11 | Slow News Day #1 (July 2001) [Slave Labor Graphics] |
| 12 | Sparkle Comics #28 (April/May 1953) [United Features Syndicate] |
Spider-Woman [Marvel Comics] |
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| 13 | #1, #6, #17 (April 1978, September 1978, August 1979) |
| 14 | #41, #43, #50 (December 1981, April 1982, June 1983) |
| 15 | Starfire #1 (September 1976) [DC Comics] |
| 16 | Steven's Comics #3 (1996) [Yell Comics] |
| 17 | Strangers In Paradise #13 (March 1998) [Abstract Studio] |
| 18 | Stray Bullets #10 (August 1996) [El Capitan Books] |
| 19 | Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #232 (October 1977) [DC Comics] |
| 20 | Supergirl #3, #5, #10 (February 1973, June 1973, October 1974) [DC Comics] |
| 21 | Superman #256, #281, #336 (September 1972, November 1974, June 1979) [DC Comics] |
| 22 | Superman Adventures #21, #39 (July 1998, January 2000) [DC Comics] |
The Superman Family [DC Comics] |
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| 23 | #167, #174 (November 1974, December 1975/January 1976) |
| 24 | #181, #198 (January 1977, November/December 1979) |
Superman's Girlfriend Lois Lane [DC Comics] |
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| 25 | #35, #41, #50 (August 1962, May 1963, July 1964) |
| 26 | #76, #78, #81 (August 1967, October 1967, February 1968) |
| 27 | #82 - 83, #85 (April 1968, May 1968, August 1968) |
| 28 | #87 - 89 (October 1968, November 1968, January 1969) |
| 29 | #92, #94, #97 (May 1969, August 1969, November 1969) |
| 30 | #101, #103, #107 (May 1970, August 1970, January 1971) |
| 31 | #110, #113, #123 (May 1971, October 1971, June 1972) |
| 32 | #125, #136 (August 1972, January/February 1974) |
| 33 | Suzie #79 (February 1951) [Archie Comics] |
| 34 | Sweetheart Diary #53, #58 (July 1960, May 1961) [Charlton Comics] |
Sweethearts [Charlton Comics] |
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| 35 | #33, #104 (February 1956, June 1969)] |
| 36 | #111, #129, #136 (July 1970, November 1972, October 1973) |
| 37 | Swing With Scooter #13 (June/July 1968) [DC Comics] |
Teen-Age Love [Charlton Comics] |
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| 38 | #54 - 56 (July 1967, September 1967, November 1967) |
| 39 | #68, #71, #80 (January 1970, July 1970, December 1971) |
| 40 | Teen-In Spring Issue (1969) [Tower Comics] |
Teen Confessions [Charlton Comics] |
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| 41 | #6 (July 1960) |
| 42 | #56 - 57 (June 1969, August 1969) |
| 43 | #58, #60 - 61 (November 1969, February 1970, April 1970) |
| 44 | #63, #71, #77 (August 1970, December 1971, December 1972) |
| 45 | #96 - 97 (September 1976, November 1976) |
| 46 | That Wilkin Boy #15, #40 (October 1971, June 1977) [Archie Comics] |
| 47 | Thirteen Going On Eighteen #6, #11, #17 (February-April 1963, May-July 1964, January 1966) [Dell Publishing] |
| 48 | Tippy Teen #21 - 22 (November 1968, March 1969) [Tower Comics] |
| 49 | Walt Disney Scamp #32 (November 1976) [Western Publishing] |
Wonder Woman [DC Comics] |
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| 50 | #86 (November 1956) |
| 51 | #132, #178 (August 1962, September/October 1968) |
| 52 | #185, #191 (December 1969, December 1970) |
| 53 | #201 - 202 (August 1972, October 1972) |
| 54 | #203 - 204 (December 1972, February 1973) |
| 55 | #217 (May 1975) |
| 56 | #241 - 242 (March 1978, April 1978) |
| 57 | #244, #262 (June 1978, December 1979) |
| 58 | Yeah! #2 (November 1999) [DC Comics] |
| 59 | Young Love #109, #119, #123 (May 1974, January 1976, January 1977) [DC Comics] |
| 60 | Young Romance [DC Comics] #207 (October 1975) |
| 61 | Young Romance [Feature Publications] #5 (August/September 1960) |
| 62 | Zody, The Mod Rob #1 (July 1970) [Gold Key Comics] |
