SupermanHawaii.com

by Napua Ahina

Comic-Con 2006 started with a very special celebration of legendary superheroes and great comicbook artists. On July 20th, USPS debuted the DC Comics Super Heroes commemorative stamps at Comic-Con one day earlier than the rest of the nation. And in true Comic-Con spirit, there was even a SDCC exclulsive (a special cancellation postmark only available for convention-goers).

The kick-off began Thursday morning in the lobby at the San Diego Convention Center and followed with a panel discussion in an upstairs meeting room. It was a truly star-studded event with Neal Adams, Joe Giella, Carmine Infantino, Elizabeth Sanders Kane (Bob Kane's widow), Lisa Kirby (Jack Kirby's granddaughter), Adam Kubert (Joe Kubert's son), Jim Lee, Edgar May (from the family of William Moulton Marston), Sheldon Moldoff, George Perez, Mike Royer, and Scott Williams in attendance.

The idea had started with USPS Art Director Carl Herrman who thought superhero stamps would be fun. (Herrman had also worked on an earlier commemorative stamp featuring Dr. Seuss and his colorful creations.) Originally, superheroes from multiple publishers were supposed to be featured together...but legal difficulties had forced USPS to change that plan. An unconfirmed rumor is that Marvel superheroes will be featured next.

President of DC, Paul Levitz, said that some of the superheroes (like the big three: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman) were a natural choice. Others were more difficult to choose. With over sixty years of history filled with hundreds of heroes, DC faced questions like, "do you do Aquaman or do you do Shazam (Captain Marvel)? You could argue either side of that." In the end ten superheroes were selected: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, Aquaman, Green Arrow, Plastic Man, Supergirl, Green Lantern and the Flash.

Originally Herrman had wanted to feature only Golden Age art to focus on the early days of DC's heroes...but Levitz wanted to "mix a broad selection of the great artists who were part of DC's history". The end result highlights art from Golden to modern and all the years in-between. Each superhero is featured twice (in a classic comicbook cover and a portrait) for a total of twenty stamps per sheet. In addition to the commemorative stamps, USPS also sold books, matted prints, tote bags, and postcards. Many items sold-out within the first hour and not much was left by the end of the convention.

At the dedication, USPS Judidical Officer William Campbell gave a small speech that all fans can relate to: "I am talking about that age when the heroes of comicbooks were our personal friends. When their battles were our battles. When their victories made us cheer and their defeats made us sad. When their values helped strenghen our own understanding of right and wrong. Today, our heroes are back in all their glory and in some of their finest moments."

Artwork Credits:

Aquaman (Jim Aparo)
Aquaman #5 (Curt Swan & Al Vey)

Batman (Jim Lee & Scott Williams)
Batman #1 (Bob Kane)

The Flash (Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson)
The Flash #111 (Carmine Infantino & Joe Giella)

Green Arrow (Jack Kirby & Mike Royer)
Green Arrow #15 (Matt Wagner)

Green Lantern (Neal Adams)
Green Lantern #4 (Gil Kane & Joe Giella)

Hawkman (Murphy Anderson)
The Brave And The Bold #36 (Joe Kubert)

Plastic Man (Dick Giordano)
Plastic Man #4 (Jack Cole)

Supergirl (Curt Swan & Stan Kaye)
The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1 (Rich Buckler & Dick Giordano)

Superman (Curt Swan & Sheldon Moldoff)
Superman #11 (Fred Ray)

Wonder Woman (Ross Andru & Mike Esposito)
Wonder Woman #22 (George P�rez)

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