Double Half-Page Ads

Back in 1971 Marvel Comics went out on a limb for a month or so and printed two half-pages of story artwork along the top tier of the centerspread of their comics with paid advertisements filling out the bottom tier of those pages. Above you can see some great John and Marie Severin artwork from Kull #2, and below is some Jack Kirby and Joe Sinnott splendor from Fantastic Four #101. This was back when the story pages of comics were numbered and the double half-pagers gave the illusion of there being a 20-page story when there in fact were just nineteen pages of artwork. (I think I possibly recall that Marvel did another round of this formatting in 1973 or 1974, but I gave the Hayfamzone Research Department the afternoon off so we'll let that one go for now.)

Fast forward a few decades to last month and, wouldn't you know it, everything old is new again! This time it's DC Comics playing the double half-page card, apparently at the behest of the advertiser as you can tell from the coordination of the ads in the below pages from the latest issue of Secret Six.

Of all the things from the comics of yesteryear that could be brought back, I doubt that double half-page ads would even crack my top ten. But still it was a little fun to see them again.