Aquaman, Hostess Pitchman

R.I.P. Hostess Foods, 1930-2012

Hostess Ad "Pirates' Gold" Original Art

A few weeks ago, F.O.A.M.er Jon Knutson sent me some cool scans of original art, all featuring Aquaman, none more unusual than this--an original Hostess Ad page!

I don't know how many of these Hostess ads have ever been conclusively credited, art-wise, but this one looks like a Curt Swan and Vince Colletta combo to me. Obviously, over time the paste-up of the Twinkies seen on the final version has since fallen off, leaving an ugly brown rubber cement stain, a blight many artists know well.

Thanks Jon!

Aquaman Shills For KFC

F.O.A.M.er Shag Matthews sent me a link to Comics Alliance, which features several classic Hostess ads (starring Batman, Spider-Man, Aquaman, and more!) shilling for KFC's new "Double Down" sandwich, an item so filled with grease, fat, and calories that eating it will probably fell anyone with a weaker heart than Metallo.

I still think DC and Marvel should do these kinds of ads again (just not for this). Thanks Shag!

The Flash Vs. Hostess Ads by Hembeck

This brilliant one-page strip first ran in Hembeck #1, Fred's first collection of his material, published in 1980 (click to see a bigger version).

Like I mentioned with yesterday's strip, I loved Fred's conceit that the various DC and Marvel heroes were just your average Working Joes, and even though they were superheroes didn't mean they didn't have annoying stuff to deal with.

Also, as a kid reading this strip for the first time, this idea of the Hostess ads being a sort of separate entity really blew my mind--and the idea that the villains were so lame that the heroes were worried they'd show up in the regular comics was equally revelatory.

Aquaman doesn't appear in this strip, but The Flash touches on some of the marital strife he suffered from making Mera do one of the Hostess ads without him.

I always did wonder why Mera did her own ad...


I hope you enjoyed Hembeck Week, as I did. I've always loved Fred's work, and kicking off the week with a brand-new Hembeck strip is one of the most fun things I've ever had the opportunity to run here.

And remember, you can buy the giant Hembeck Omnibus book here. Tell 'em The Aquaman Shrine sent you!

Hostess Ad - "Twinkies and Kelp"

This is the last of the Aquaman-centric Hostess ads I had yet to post; like the others it features a story so simple it borders on dada-ism, and is drawn by what looks, to me, like Curt Swan and Vince Colletta.

I like how generally pissy Aquaman is in this ad, but since he apologizes for it in the end, all is well.

Fun Fact: That top panel shot of Aquaman was re-purposed for an Aquaman sticker, but with a small addition:

Thanks, Aquaman! You bet!
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This Aqua-Riffic photo was posted yesterday over at my pal Swinebread's blog Atomic Romance.

Swinebread's family recently expanded by one--a healthy baby boy--so I enrolled the child in my Aquaman Baby Indoctrination Program, which consists of me sending the infant a brand-new Aquaman WB Store Beanie Doll, to hopefully instill a lifelong love of the Sea King. The next generation of F.O.A.M. members has to come from somewhere.

So I was glad to see Aqua-Beanie arrived safe and sound, and will soon be getting drooled on. Congrats Swinebread!

Hostess Ad - "Pirates' Gold"

We haven't run a Hostess ad in a long while, and right now I've got hankerin' for Hostess' golden delicious treat, so now's a good time.

Like the rest of the Aquaman Hostess ads, they were drawn by Curt Swan and most likely inked by Vince Colletta(Marvel experimented a bit more, artist-wise, with their Hostess ads).

Being able to tell any kind of story(even one where Aquaman and Aqualad don't really do anything) in just one page is amazing, and I would love to see DC or Marvel do stuff like this again...but maybe for something a little healthier.

Hostess Ad - "The Imperiled Sub"

As Summer 2007(and its accompanying weather) has given way to Fall, so does the time for super-sugary snacks. I find that Twinkies just taste better in the Spring or Summer, so I thought it'd be good to try and sneak one more Hostess ad in before it starts getting cold outside.

Aquaman uses his finny friends to help the save the sub, and as usual in these ads, Aqualad does nothing.

"I'll ride a tidal wave for these delicious cakes anytime!!"--Arthur was such a good sport in the seventies.

Hostess Ad - "Aquaman and The Space Capsule"

It's a Saturday, a perfect day for a Hostess Fruit Pie! Mmm-mmm!

(Note: Aqualad does absolutely nothing in this story)

Hostess Ad - "That Dirty Beach!"

Yesterday's Hostess ad prompted this comment from F.O.A.M.er Craig Wichman: "Do you have the Hostess ad titled, 'That Dirty Beach?' (TELL me the writer didn't know what he was doing...!)"

Ask and ye shall receive, Craig!

On a side note, Aquaman dabbles in some trash-talking in this ad("Two wrongs don't make a right--now try my right on for size!"), which is unusual for Arthur. Fortunately, it all ends well with him, the alien guy, and the surface dweller all sharing some delicious Hostess Twinkies at the end. Earth is saved!

Hostess Ad -"The Ice Age"

Mmm...it's a summer Saturday, and I'm in the mood for some Hostess Cupcakes! Who's hungry?

I certainly can't be the only one who would love to see ads like these again. They were goofy and utterly charming.

A lot of them were written by Bob Rozakis, and this looks like a Curt Swan-Vince Colletta combo to me. And since Hostess and/or DC had a rule that the star of a particular ad could not also appear in the comic itself, that means this ad ran could've run in any DC comic but Aquaman.

Which means, of course, that this version of Aquaman--the one happily shilling for Hostess--was a lot more widely read than the heroic version appearing in his own book.

Mera Hostess Ad - "Mera Meets The Manta Men"

According to the 1976 DC Comics Calendar (posted on Monday), today, January 31st, is Mera's birthday! Happy birthday, Mera!

That left me with a bit of a dilemma--there isn't much Mera-centric merchandise out there. There is, of course, the Ideal "Super Queen" Mera doll, and the Multiple Toys Aquaman playset, but those particular Holy Grails have still eluded my financial grasp (thanks for nothing, Santa). There's one other piece that features Mera that I do have, but I'm saving that for a once-a-yearly, perfectly-timed post.

But then I remembered that Mera, of all people, did star in her own Hostess ad, the ones that populated DC and Marvel comics from the mid-70s til the early 80s. Why the heck did Mera get her own ad? Beats me, it's something I'd love to know (anybody wanna write an in-depth Hostess Ads Companion book?). Why not Elongated Man? Lana Lang? Zatara?

In any case, Hostess and/or DC wasn't totally convinced Mera could carry her own ad, so they stuck an uncredited Aqualad in there, too, facing some of the goofiest villains ever seen (I'd say the goofiest, but there was the Ding-A-Ling Family). There are no art credits, but it looks to me like a Curt Swan-Vince Colletta collaboration.

(Sea culpa: I do have a comic that this ad appeared in, but it's buried in storage and I was too damn lazy to go dig it up. So I cribbed this image from Seanbaby.com's excellent, hilariously-foulmouthed Hostess page. Go check it out!)

(Note: This is the first Shrine post ever that does not mention Aquaman in any way, shape, or for--oops!)