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1979 was a banner year for DC Comics fans who liked Post Cereals. If you were a regular fan of Alpha-Bits, Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles, or several other sugary treats, you could have instantly won one of thousands of great prizes including superhero themed kites and flying discs, bicycles, or a trip to Hollywood California. But the thing every kid wanted in these boxes of cereal were the free mini-comics!
Post Cereals offered 4 different books. They starred Batman (with Robin, the Boy Wonder), Superman, Wonder Woman and a group adventure including Aquaman! Each book was 16 pages in length but they didn't look like comic books. Instead of looking like a tabloid, these books were oblong in shape. Measuring 4.5"x3.5", each page had only 2 panels going from left to right. They kinda resemble an old fashion map atlas.
As with most promotional giveaways of the day and age, no artist or writer credits are given. But the covers all look like the work of the amazing Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, who was DC's go-to promotional art guy during this time. It also could have been Dick Giordano who assisted with such projects when Garcia-Lopez was swamped, and had an art style that matched well with him. Giordano also inked a lot of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's promotional projects, so it could have been both!
As for the interior artwork, I just am not sure. The Superman story looks like it was taken from stills of the Super Friends cartoons that ran in various incarnations from 1973-85. Unfortunately, the story didn't match the quality of the artwork despite an assist from Lex Luthor as the issue's antagonist.
The best story was a rodeo romp pitting the Dynamic Duo versus the Penguin of all people! With nothing remotely bird related, this caper was very un-Pengy-like and quite refreshing. The Wonder Woman story pitted the Princess of Themyscira against her arch-enemy, the Cheetah in a typical cat-burglary story. Story #4 had the DC Trinity teaming up. Aquaman is also in the story. But in typical time period fashion, Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman have to save the king of Atlantis from a space alien who wants to make the underwater hero an exhibit at his planet's zoo.
I recently got to read all 4 books without having to pay an average of $30 per mini-book. And how was that possible you might ask? It's all thanks to Trident Studios. DC Super-Heroes Post Cereal Superheroes Collection, Vol. 1: 1979 is the Etsy seller's latest unauthorized collection of mini-books. Taken from the books of the seller's personal collection, there are a few blemishes related to the original print. But the colors are vibrant and rich and the images are ultra-clean. Once again, this collection is 50% larger than the originals, for minimum print requirements. Yet, this is actually not a bad thing for those adult readers who might need readers...
There are 3 sets in the entire Post Collection. The cereal company ran a second run of mini-books in 1980. A little later on, Canadian Post cereals offered a set of minis that included the likes of Supergirl and The Flash. Interested fans can purchase all 3 sets combined on Etsy and individually on eBay.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
Completing this review completes Task #37 (A Book You Didn't Know Existed) of the 2023 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.
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