The original art by Neal Adams for the wraparound cover for Superman (vol. 1) #252, June 1972.

This issue was a 100-Page Super Spectacular that contained reprint stories of Superman (the original Powerstone story from the Golden Age), as well as Golden Age stories featuring Dr. Fate, Hawkman, Black Condor, the Spectre, Starman, and the Ray.

I guess Adams decided to include more of DC’s flying superheroes to fill-out the cover.  It’s lknd of deceptive advertising, as Kid Eternity, Lightly, Black Racer, Shining Knight, the Silver Age Green Lantern, the Golden Age Green Lantern, the Silver Age Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, Supergirl, and the Shining Knight aren’t inside the book.  But it’s an awesome Neal Adams cover, so the court will allow it.

That image of Superman is arguably the DC Comics used the most for merchandizing and ads throughout the 1970s and early 1980s; mores than the running Superman image I posted yesterday.  DC used the image on the covers of Superman, right over the logo, for a brief time.

He's like Freddy in a lot of ways. He's headstrong, and always roots for the underdog in a situation.

He's nosy, and likes to offer help to strangers.

He's controlling and wants to do things his way, which often gets him in trouble with Mr. Keeper.

Keep taking away Kid's powers is often a plot point.

Kid Eternity has a habit of appearing at random. It's confusing for the people around him.

*Note: This post applies to the characterization of Golden Age/Pre-Crisis Kid Eternity. However, Grant Morrison's Kid also has a god complex.

Wonder Girl: What happened?

Kid Eternity: Well...

Neal Adams’ cover for a DC 100-Page Super Spectacular in the 1970s featuring most of DC’s flying superheroes.  I think it’s bending the rules a bit to include the Shining Knight here; his horse is the one that flies, not him.

This image has been re-used several times over the years, with many of the background characters getting swapped out with new ones.

The Superman image in the middle was an unofficial masthead for DC Comics during the 1970s.  It was plastered many times on the top of the covers for both Superman and Action Comics andwas used in advertising DC books and merchandise.

I’m curious as to why Hawkman and Hawkgirl (she didn’t call herself Hawkwoman yet at that point) are on the cover twice.  It’s been decades since I’ve read this book, but I don’t recall there being a Golden Age Hawkman story in the book.  Besides, the Earth-2 Hawkgirl’s shirt was red.

More sketchy character design work- this time for Mr. Keeper, the Kid's mentor and guardian in the Suspiciously Non-Denominational Afterlife.

I'm a little nervous about how I want to portray this character. The original Hit Comics writers definitely leaned into the "fat = lazy" trope, and in reworking the panels from the older comics, I'm going to have to deal with that. I think I can make it work, especially if I add recurring characters-- but I don't want to do anything fucked up.

The original character designs under the cut:

Kind of a followup to this post.

Kid Eternity is one salty ghost(?) child. But he’s also a sweetheart, so, who knows, man.