Colossal Comic # 20: The Amos Superman Style

I think it’s fair to say the Hart Amos Superman was scarcely a power fantasy. For the most part he was a bulky, soft-edged, pudgy figure – I think of him as an idiosyncratic synthesis of elements found in Wayne Boring, Kurt Schaffenberger and Al Plastino. He resembled the leaner ‘modern’ Curt Swan Superman the least of all the Weisinger-era Superman artists. And of course this Superman was no stranger to a bit of light-hearted buffoonery. It's as if Amos only caught him at leisure, on holidays.

Amos was adept at a more ‘mature adventure’ style as evidenced by his Devil Doone work, but on the basis of his Colossal-style covers, I believe he would have been perfectly suited to rendering C.C. Beck’s Captain Marvel. DC has long struggled to integrate Captain Marvel into the DCU, and it never quite gels. However, he would be right at home on these covers!


To the contents:

Colossal Comic #20, February 1962
Cover artist: Hart Amos

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: Superboy For A Day
Otto Binder/Curt Swan/Ray Burnley
(Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #8, October 1955)

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: The Grown-Up Boy Wonder
Bill Finger/Sheldon Moldoff/Stan Kaye
(Batman #107, April 1957)

Tommy Tomorrow: The Boy Planeteer
Otto Binder/Jim Mooney
(Action Comics #250, March 1959)

Superboy The Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy: The Three Who Defied Death!
Otto Binder/Curt Swan
(Superboy #37, December 1954)
Note: Original is 10 pages. This version has some crudely enlarged panels, extending the story by 2 pages.

Aquaman: The Showoff of the Seven Seas
Ramona Fradon/Charles Paris
(Adventure Comics #226, July 1956)

The Imp on the Flying Trapeze
Bill Ely
(House of Mystery #43, October 1955)

Tommy Tomorrow: The Most Wanted Man in Space
Otto Binder/Jim Mooney
(Action Comics #214, March 1956)

Superboy The Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy: Public Chimp Number One!
Curt Swan/Creig Flessel
(Superboy #38, January 1955)

I Had a Date with Doom
(My Greatest Adventure #4, July-August 1955)

Aquaman: Aquaman Walks The Plank!
Ramona Fradon
(Adventure Comics #197, February 1954)

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: The Boy Superman
Otto Binder/Curt Swan/Ray Burnley
(Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #14, August 1956)

Batman with Robin The Boy Wonder: The Mysterious Bat-Missile
Arnold Drake/Sheldon Moldoff/Charles Paris
(Batman #105, February 1957)

I Raced Death Around The World
Bill Ely
(My Greatest Adventure #6, November-December 1955)

Tommy Tomorrow: The Tom Thumb Tommy Tomorrow
Otto Binder/Jim Mooney
(Action Comics #219, August 1956)

Superboy The Adventures of Superman When He Was a Boy: The Amazing Elephant Boy from Smallville!
Curt Swan/Creig Flessel
(Superboy #31, March 1954)

Secret of the Phantom Indian
Jim McArdle
(House of Mystery #39, June 1955)

Aquaman: Under the Sea for Life!
George Kashdan/John Daly
(Adventure Comics #162, March 1951)

Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen: Jimmy Olsen, Speed Demon
Otto Binder/Curt Swan/Ray Burnley
(Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #15, September 1956)

Dinosaur Island
Bill Ely
(House of Mystery #41, August 1955)

Green Arrow: The Case of the Taunting Targets!
George Papp/Jack Schiff
(World's Finest Comics #55, December 1951-January 1952)

The Statue That Came To Life
John Prentice
(House of Mystery #37, April 1955)

Plus the following fillers: Little Pete, Varsity Vic