Power Records

Power Record Ad - 1978

2010-12-21T16:43:00.002-05:00

I found this ad--one I'd never seen before--in an old issue of Marvel's Pizzazz magazine (which I'm currently surveying over on another one of my blogs, All In Black & White For 75 Cents). And even though I've never updated this blog since ending it in 2008, I felt like I couldn't just ignore this!

Obviously Peter Pan Records did not create custom ads for wherever they were supposed to run; if they had, I think wouldn't see so many DC heroes here!

Of all my blogs that I've formally ended, Power Records still generates reader comments; in fact, it generates more comments than any of my other non-ongoing blogs, and for that I am very grateful. So if you want to occasionally see some more new material on here, keep commenting!

Superman En Espanol LP - 1981

2008-06-27T00:14:00.002-04:00

I knew the end of Power Records blog was coming soon, but I didn't know how I wanted to send it off.

Then I saw this, something I had no idea existed--an entirely Spanish-language Superman Power Record! Wow!

As you can see, the front cover is a re-colored version of one of the American LPs, but the cover strangely enough is specific to this version. And the audio tracks are also entirely in Spanish. Good to know that Spanish-speaking kids were not denied the fun and excitement that were Power Records.

Like I said, today is last post for Power Records, for the conceivable future, at least. I had no idea when I started it just how many variant editions there were, and what a huge undertaking it was.

There are a few Power Records here and there I haven't indexed here yet, all of them (to my knowledge) variants, except for one Six Million Dollar Man LP that I could never quite find for the price I was willing to pay. The fine folks over at Power Records Plaza have it for download, as well as some other PR oddities like the Ghostly Sounds LP; I don't have to tell any of you to head over there and check out what they've been doing; it's good stuff.

Maybe at some point I will pick that stuff up; if I do I'll promote it over at my other blogs. Ever since ending my Digest Comics blog last year, I've done at least two or three week-long updates, so you never know! But, for now, I'm putting a period on this sentence.

Its been a lot of fun--the Power Records were an essential element to my childhood love of comics, these characters, and, in some ways, even graphic design. And its been fun re-presenting this material on the web. Some of you have written me telling me you've introduced your own children to the Power Records this way, which is enormously rewarding. I thank everyone who took the time to come here and check out what I was doing.

Spider-Man / Hulk 45s

2008-06-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

As I've said repeatedly here, Power Records could re-purpose with the best of 'em. Audio tracks appeared on 45s, LPs, and any multitude of combinations thereof.

Here are four Marvel ones, all of which featuring stories we've talked about here before. Those bottom two look like art by John Romita or Ross Andru traced over by someone else(s).

Tomorrow: we lift the arm on Power Records, with a very unusual item! Be here!

Star Trek LP - 1975

2008-06-25T00:01:00.001-04:00

The last of the Star Trek LPs Power Records released, with very nifty Neal Adams sleeve art and at least partial Adams pencils on the inside.

Unfortunately, I don't have scans of the "Time Stealer" comic book portion of this Book and Record set, where the crew of the Enterprise met...Conan the Barbarian, essentially. Heck, they even got John Buscema to draw it, proving Power Records was only barely trying to conceal the crossover:

Green Lantern - "In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night!"

2008-06-24T15:46:00.003-04:00

Great Guardians!

We had a tie for the second Power Records poll, both Green Lantern and the Teen Titans racking up five votes each.

So I had to break the tie and decide which faux-Power Record cover to mock up. As you can see, I went for Green Lantern, because I think he would have been a more likely choice for Power Records, with his outer space setting (giving them the chance to have all sorts of alien voices) and the fact that it would star one hero, as opposed to a whole team of them.

I had a tough time finding the right piece of Green Lantern art to use for this mock-up; when of course Power would've hired Neal Adams to do the honors.

Star Trek - To Starve a Fleaver / The Time Stealer

2008-06-23T00:03:00.001-04:00

Tracks:

To Starve a Fleaver

The Time Stealer

Since these are just 45" sleeves, I thought I'd post two of these Star Treks together.

As I've said before, Power Records did a pretty good Trek, by my estimation--the stories were fast-paced, exciting, and had a lot of humor.

When I was a kid, and before I had a chance to hear "The Time Stealer", I was like "When did the crew of the Enterprise meet Conan?!?"

Superman LP - 1975

2008-06-22T00:26:00.000-04:00

Tracks:

The Best Cop in the World

Tomorrow The World

The last of the four Superman LPs Power Records released, with Neal Adams sleeve art and Ross Andru on the insides.

As a kid, I found the "Tomorrow the World" story a bit disturbing--the idea of an uncontrolled Superman wreaking havoc was unsettling to my young mind. And the audio portion of the sequence where Superman starts melting Lex's mask as he's wearing it I still find difficult to listen to. In a good way.

Superman LP - 1978

2008-06-21T00:10:00.001-04:00

Tracks:

The Mxyzptlk-Up Menace

Alien Creatures

Superman held the record as the DC star who headlined the most Power Records LP--a total of four, each with their own spiffy sleeve art, this time by Neal Adams (front) and Dick Giordano (back).

"Alien Creatures" was released as its own Book and Record 45" set, "Mxyzptlk-Up Menace" was only released as 45" record, I believe.

Power Record LP Ad - 1978

2008-06-20T15:17:00.002-04:00

You didn't see many ads for Power Records outside of their regular inside-sleeve list of titles; this half-pager ran in a 1978 Superman LP (which we'll post here shortly).

I guess Power Records had a half-page of space and no story to fill it, so they put this together. A nice looking ad, whatever the reason!

The Amazing Spiderman Vol. II LP - 1974

2008-06-14T17:11:00.002-04:00

Tracks:

Invasion of the Dragon Men

Return of the Conquistador

Mad Hatter of Manhattan

The Abominable Showman

The Bells of Doom

The ridiculously abbreviated stories on the back cover are a nice metaphor for this record, where Power Records crammed five Spidey stories onto one LP.

Some of the Spidey poses are clearly lifted from panels by John Romita and Gil Kane; the rest of the artwork is funky in the extreme.

Davy Crockett

2008-06-10T00:11:00.000-04:00

The last of the "Literary Classics" line, Davy Crockett is a natural choice for a kids' record, what with all of Davy's feats of derring-do.

The art--at least some of it--ooks like it was done by Rich Buckler, at least the pencils. I love how it ends: "Oh, by the way, my name's Andrew Jackson."

Like yesterday's Little Women book and record set, I have not been able to find an audio track for this book anywhere, so for now just the book will have to do. If I ever come across it somewhere (or get it made myself), I'll come back and put it up here!

I don't own this one, so the scans for Davy Crockett (and yesterday's Huckleberry Finn) were generously supplied by the ultimate Power Records site, Power Records Plaza. Thanks Shawn!

Huckleberry Finn

2008-06-09T00:03:00.000-04:00

Another unusual choice of literary classics to adapt into book and record form was this, Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.

Not that the story isn't a classic of course, but it lacks the kind of slam-bang action others in the series, like Robin Hood and 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, provided. But its obvious that Power Records was trying to get a wider audience with their "Literary Classics" line, and Finn is in the public domain, so...

I don't recognize the art, although the cover figure looks Carmine Infantino-ish to me, and on the insides some of it looks like the work of master illustrator Dan Speigle, especially in some of the faces. But I can't be sure.

Like yesterday's Little Women book and record set, I have not been able to find an audio track for this book anywhere, so for now just the book will have to do. If I ever come across it somewhere (or get it made myself), I'll come back and put it up here!

Little Women

2008-06-08T00:04:00.001-04:00

If yesterday's 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea was an obvious choice of story for Power Records to adapt into Book and Record form, you'd have to say Little Women was about as far away from "obvious" as possible.

For a series so centered on action and excitement, adapting Louisa May Alcott's character-driven classic seems to be an odd fit, yet I found this to be one of their best adaptations.

First off, hiring Dick Giordano to do the art was the perfect choice--Giordano could do action hero-style fisticuffs as well as anybody, but was also capable of rendering other kinds of material, and I think his work here is very effective.

Like yesterday's 20,000 Leagues book and record set, I have not been able to find an audio track for this book anywhere, so for now just the book will have to do. If I ever come across it somewhere (or get it made myself), I'll come back and put it up here!

One final note: On the inside back cover, we can see the person who first owned this set made notations, presumably concerning which Power Record sets they had and needed.

If the "-----" sign meant Had Already, and the circle meant To Get, that meant this goal went unfulfilled, since as far as we know, Moby Dick, Gulliver's Travels, and Last of the Mohicans were never released.

If the opposite is true, then it means they were released, which means the hunt continues...

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea

2008-06-07T00:03:00.001-04:00

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea was surely a no-brainer choice for Power Records when they chose to do literary adaptations--Jules Verne's classic tale has all kinds of amazing visuals that work perfectly in comic book form.

The cover is supposedly by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, though I don't see much Adams here. The insides are by Rich Buckler, though I don't know if he did pencils and inks both.

Like yesterday's Robinson Crusoe book and record set, I have not been able to find an audio track for this book anywhere, so for now just the book will have to do. If I ever come across it somewhere (or get it made myself), I'll come back and put it up here!

Robinson Crusoe

2008-06-06T00:05:00.001-04:00

Another fine choice for Power Records "Literary Classics" series, drawn by an uncredited artist or artists, though it looks quite bit like Tom Mandrake's work to me.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to find an audio track for this book anywhere, so for now just the book will have to do. If I ever come across it somewhere (or get it made myself), I'll come back and put it up here. Like yesterday's Robin Hood, its a solid--if a little dull--telling of the classic story.

Robin Hood

2008-06-05T00:06:00.001-04:00

Robin Hood Audio Tracks

I had never even heard of this "Literary Classics" line put out by Power Records/Peter Pan until I started working on this blog. Amazing what you learn.

Of course, if you're going to start adapting literary works (what, isn't Man-Bat literary enough?), it makes total sense to start with Robin Hood, which straddles the literary/superhero chasm quite nicely.

Released some time around 1979/1980, Neal Adams lists this on his website's checklist as having done the cover. I don't see much Adams in there myself, so it's probably an Adams layout with other Continuity Studios' people doing the penciling and inking. I have no idea who drew or wrote the inside comic, and I couldn't turn up any info on the web.

As you can see from the back cover, there are seven other titles in the series listed. In addition, there's one more--Little Women--that is not listed here at all. Even more confusingly, Little Women is listed as PR 47, while the numbering on this back cover ends at PR 44. Apparently PR 45 and PR 46 are Star Trek titles. Wha?

And if you want to get even more confused, no one seems to be able to find any physical examples of Moby Dick, Last of the Mohicans, or Gulliver's Travels. So who knows if they ever actually got released?

Somebody needs to write a definitive book on Power Records, that's all I know...

Superman - Weatherspoon's Catalyst

2008-06-04T00:25:00.001-04:00

If yesterday's cover was gentle and relaxed, this one is what Superman is most famous for--punching bad guys, and smiling while he does it!

This story also appeared on one the 1975 Superman LPs.

Superman - P.O. Box 65

2008-06-03T00:26:00.000-04:00

Proving it didn't always need to be slam-bang action, Neal Adams offers us a more relaxed, almost quizzical Superman for the cover to this 45", which also appeared on one the 1975 Superman LPs.

In fact, it reminds me a bit of those Superman covers from the late 1940s, when Superman didn't have any more Nazis to fight, so DC had him doing lots of gofy stuff, like juggling elephants or watching a barber break his scissors giving him a haircut.

Iron Man - Birth of A Hero

2008-06-02T00:10:00.000-04:00

No, this isn't a recently-discovered, heretofore unknown Power Record book and record set!

The Invincible Iron Man was the narrow winner of our first Power Records poll, asking which Marvel hero who never got the Book and Record treatment should have. His nearest competitor were his fellow movie stars, the Uncanny X-Men.

So I thought I'd put together a cover of what an Iron Man 45" Book and Record set might look like, the results of which you see before you.

Thanks to everyone who voted!

The Werewolf - 1975

2008-06-01T00:08:00.001-04:00

The last of the three solo monster 45s, pulled from the A Story About Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Werewolf LP.

This one's a tad more atmospheric than the first two, and the dripping blood is a surprising detail for what's supposed to be a children's record.

Too bad Power Records (presumably) didn't want to pay Universal for the specific rights to their versions of the classic monsters; I would've loved to have seen Power Records' versions of The Invisible Man, The Mummy, and The Creature From the Black Lagoon.

Frankenstein - 1975

2008-05-31T00:01:00.000-04:00

Again, Power Records makes an unusual choice of sleeve art for their Frankenstein 45", pulled from the A Story About Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Werewolf LP.

That Neal Adams back cover is downright spooky, like its supposed to be!

Dracula - 1975

2008-05-30T00:07:00.001-04:00

One of the odder re-releases in the Power Records catalog, this Dracula 45" is just the Dracula-related segment from the A Story About Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Werewolf LP.

The re-purposing is not the odd thing, of course, its that they used such weak art for the front of the sleeve, when they had all kinds of nifty Neal Adams Dracula stuff already on hand (or even hiring him to do something new).

But, as we'll see, this wasn't the only time Power Records did this.

Flash/Aquaman - 1975

2008-05-29T00:05:00.000-04:00

Aquaman - "The Defeat of the Dehydrator":

The Flash - The Three Faces of Mr.Big":

The other spin-off release from the JLA LP, this one is obviously one of my favorites, because of the Sea King's presence and the--as always--awesome Neal Adams sleeve art.

Plastic Man/Metamorpho - 1975

2008-05-28T00:05:00.001-04:00

Plastic Man - "The Invasion of the Plastic Men":

Metamorpho - "Fumo The Fire Giant":

One of the oddest solo 45s Power Records ever put out--Plastic Man and Metamorpho!

Considering that the Aquaman and Flash stories from the Songs & Stories About the Justice League of America LP were also repurposed on a 45, I'm a little surprised they didn't pair them up a little differently--i.e., Flash and Plastic Man, Aquaman and Metamorpho, etc.

Of course, Neal Adams provides the awesome, bizarre sleeve art.

G.I. Joe LP - 1975

2008-05-27T00:21:00.000-04:00

Peter Pan repurposed three of the four G.I. Joe book and record sets for this LP, squeezing four original pages onto every one of the LP.

The stock art used is clearly aimed at a, er, more family-oriented audience, what with the pictures of castles and birds and fair maidens. No murderous commies or conniving mummies here!

G.I. Joe - The Secret Mission to Spy Island

2008-05-26T00:07:00.003-04:00

Track:

The Secret Mission to Spy Island

The last of the four G.I. Joe 45" book and record sets, where Joe takes on what looks like a bunch of commies! And cartoony, bufoonish commies at that.

Like with the other three books, the art by Carl Pfeuefer is loose to the point of abstraction, occasionally yielding some interesting results--that silhouette on page 25 is striking in its simplicity.

G.I. Joe - The Search For The Stolen Idol

2008-05-25T00:08:00.000-04:00

Track:

The Search For The Stolen Idol

"Over here, you crummy cobra!"

...that just about says it all, doesn't it?

For whatever reason, the record sleeve is flipped here. Instead of being on the inside back, this time its on the inside front.

Like I mentioned on the first two G.I. Joe book and record sets, the art, by Carl Pfeuefer, is loose--really loose. But sometimes the looseness approaches some sort of abstract coolness, like on the bottom of page 22.

G.I. Joe - The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb

2008-05-24T00:26:00.001-04:00

Track:

The Secret of the Mummy's Tomb

Probably the goofiest of the G.I. Joe records, where our hero takes on a balding, fraidy-cat mummy.

G.I. Joe - The Rescue From Adventure Team Headquarters

2008-05-23T00:16:00.000-04:00

Track:

Rescue From Adventure Team Headquarters

One of the odder series of Peter Pan records, this is one of four rock 'em sock'em adventures starring everyone's favorite bearded hero (sorry, Green Arrow), G.I. Joe!

These were not part of the "Power Records" imprint, but Joe is closer to the spirit of the superhero and sci-fi stars of that line then he is to other Peter Pan Book and Record subjects like Pinocchio, Bugs Bunny, and Little Brave Sambo (??), so we'll be giving Joe some attention here.

The art for this story is...well, it ain't quite Neal Adams, but I think it has a looseness that's kind of fun, and I imagine this is the kind of art style that looks boffo when shrunk down a bit. Heck, there are moments when the art looks downright hip--check out that full page (pg 24) of the natives running away from the crazy music. I bet you could pass that off as a page of Paul Pope art, and most people wouldn't contradict you.

These G.I. Joe stories run longer than any of the Power Records--24 pages--I guess Peter Pan just couldn't contain America's #1 Adventure Hero in any story shorter than that. Yo Joe!

Superman LP - 1975

2008-05-22T00:12:00.002-04:00

Tracks:

Alien Creatures

Weatherspoon's Catalyst

P.O. Box 65

Mystery of the Mad Minnows

Maybe Neal Adams best sleeve design (and that's saying something). Both shots of Supes are so iconic, so perfectly executed, so exciting, that either of them could've been the front cover.

These four stories are also some of the best Power Records ever did--they're weird and silly and fast-moving and they feature a very confident, powerful-sounding Man of Steel. Sadly, of the four tales, only "Alien Creatures" was ever given the Book and Record treatment (sorry, Rockie Bee).

Again, no producer credits, but Arthur Korb is, as usual, a safe bet. And I have no idea who "A.Rsenick" and "S.Murray" are, but--fine job, fellas.

Up, up, and away!

Wonder Woman LP - 1977

2008-05-21T10:01:00.003-04:00

Tracks:

Wonder Woman Vs. The War God

Amazons From Space

A solid collection of two Wonder Woman stories, featuring some superb art by Neal Adams and his Continuity Studios crew.

The art for this collection is a lot more detailed than a lot of of the other Power Records' sets, and a little eye-opening--the Amazon on page 3 of the "Amazons From Space" story is pretty bodacious for what's supposed to be a kids' record!

No producer credits, but your friend and mine, Arthur Korb, seems like a safe bet.

Superman LP - 1978

2008-05-20T00:15:00.001-04:00

Tracks:

The Man From Krypton

City Under Siege

The Killer Bees

Star of Bangalore

Power Records' final Superman LP, this is a sweet collection of stories, well produced by Arthur Korb and written by Bill Wells.

The music especially is nice--check out the jazzy, Latin-sounding intro music for the Rio di Janeiro-set "The Killer Bees" and the classic 1950's heist film music for "The Star of Bangalore." Good on you, Mr. Korb!

The sleeve art is, at the very least, penciled by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez (although the fourth rear panel, "The Man From Krypton", looks like it may be by someone else), a fine replacement for Neal Adams.

Star Trek LP - 1975

2008-05-19T00:10:00.001-04:00

Tracks:

A Mirror For Futility

The Time Stealer

The Logistics of Stampede

To Starve A Fleaver

This album, produced by Arthur Korb and written by sci-fi author Alan Dean Foster, as well as Cary Bates and Neal Adams, might be the best adaptation Power Records ever did, in terms of being true to the source material.

I mean, just look at those egghead story titles--"The Logistics of Stampede"? That's the kind of title that would probably make a little kid's head hurt, but it's perfect for your die-hard Trek fan, starved for new content in between the end of the TV series and the first movie.

The covers by Neal Adams are, of course, awesome--in particular, that back cover makes Star Trek look about as exciting as it ever was, with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy looking like they're about to leap tall spaceships in a single bound.

Star Trek - The Crier in Emptiness

2008-05-18T00:28:00.000-04:00

Track:

The Crier in Emptiness

The most head-trippiest Star Trek adventure ever!

These Power Records stories were pretty true to the feel of the original Trek, except of course for the fact that no one at Power Records seems to have ever seen Uhura or Sulu.

Wonderful cover by Neal Adams--simultaneously exciting and goofy. That Shatner likeness is spot on, and the silly look on Spock's face is priceless.

No producer or book credits.

A Story of Dracula, The Wolfman, and Frankenstein LP - 1975

2008-05-17T22:10:00.005-04:00

Track:

A Story of Dracula, The Wolfman, and Frankenstein

One of the strangest and, not coincidentally, coolest, of all the Power Records!

The ungainly named A Story of Dracula, The Wolfman, and Frankenstein is a straightforward horror story, drawn with real flair by Neal Adams, merging all three characters into one seventeen-page story.

Like the Marvel Monsters series, this story's horror content is only barely scaled back for the benefit of a young audience. I especially enjoy the picture on the front sleeve, of Mom sitting down with little Timmy and little Susie, to enjoy a story about a blood-sucking vampire, a killer werewolf, and a zombie-man assembled from the parts of corpses. Perfect Sunday afternoon family fun!

This was never released in Power Records' more traditional book and 45" record format, and as far as I know it was never repurposed anywhere.

Wonder Woman LP - 1975

2008-05-16T12:38:00.004-04:00

Ok, I have decided to continue Power Records, and instead of posting the actual audio files, I'll be posting links to where you can hear them. Thanks to everyone who wrote me to say they'd still like to see this blog continue, even without the accompanying audio files.

Tracks:

Wonder Woman Vs. The War-God

The Secret of the Magic Tiara

The Amazons From Space

Overall, three decent Wonder Woman adventures--I think playing up the Amazon Princesses' mythological background is a good idea (here and in the comics, and even in any future WW movie), since it helps distinguish her from Superman and Batman, who have a much richer Rogues Gallery to tackle.

According to Neal Adams' own checklist, he did not draw either of the covers here. The front cover looks like pure Dick Giordano to me, but the back cover looks like Adams pencils, at least--but I'm sure Neal is a better authority on what he's drawn than I am.

No producer or writer credits.

The End of Power Records?

2008-05-13T20:03:00.002-04:00

Ok, time for a little chat...

When I first mentioned (on my approximately seventeen other blogs) my idea for a Power Records blog, I was generously offered audio files of the records by two different people.

Since I don't really have the ability or the time to try and make my own mp3s of the audio recordings, I figured this was a perfect combo--since I own all (or nearly all) of the Power Records, I would provide the scans while the audio files were sent to me.

Unfortunately, one of the two people who made this generous offer to me never followed through, so after about a half-dozen mp3s from the first benefactor, I was left without any audio content. Now what?

I then decided to download the audio files from the Power Records Plaza blog, which is exhaustingly complete. I didn't know whether this is bad internet form or not, but I ultimately figured that since I was providing all the scans, and then hosting the downloaded files, it was ok.

That worked for a few months, and now I have run into another problem--there are few dozen audio files not yet posted here that are only available to listen to over at PRP, not as downloads. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for this, and I tried to find some technical workarounds, but none of it worked.

So today, for the Gemini Man LP, I figured I'll just link to the mp3s hosted by PRP along with my scans. That felt a little less jake, but for the moment I didn't know what else to do.

Now I see, for some reason, the three Gemini Man mp3s that I'm linking to at PRP don't work. I don't know if that's because of some technical glitch, or they're being blocked to stop people from doing what I'm doing, I don't know.

All I do know is, I have lots of scans at the ready, but no matching audio files.

So I'm writing this to ask those of you who visit this site and/or care enough to leave a comment what to do next.

One idea is to simply stop here--end the updates, and leave the blog an unfinished project. I'd leave up what's here, but there wouldn't be anything else new coming up, at least until I find some new way of getting the audio files.

The other idea is to continue posting the scans I have--I still have many LP sleeves and comic book sets to go, and I definitely could still post them here, but without the accompanying audio, or possibly just adding a link to PRP or other audio sites where you could listen to the files from there.

So those of you reading this, let me know. Do you want Power Records to continue in a very diminished form, or should I just put the whole blog on extended hiatus? Please share your thoughts, Power Records fans!

Gemini Man LP - 1975

2008-05-13T15:44:00.004-04:00

Double Jeopardy:

This LP was probably the single biggest surprise since I started this blog, and did research into the entire Power Records line.

In fact, when I saw "Gemini Man" listed as a Power Record, I thought it must be an original creation, not the TV show--there's no way they licensed that turkey to be a children's record!

And yet they did, which just makes me scratch my head. Gemini Man lasted all of eleven episodes in 1976, and even if you argue, well, Power Records was guessing it might be a hit, you have to wonder why they thought a show about a guy who turns invisible would be all that impressive as an audio recording.

As far as I know, there was a never a book and record edition for Gemini Man; it was released as an LP only, with the usual spiffy Neal Adams sleeve. Neal actually manages to make Gemini Man look exciting.

I have only seen this album for sale once--on eBay, when I was doing my semi-regular, sure-to-be-a-failure search for it. I was practically knocked out of my chair when I saw it (I'm easily surprised), and for only five bucks! I BINed it as fast as the internet could carry me.

And while I goof on Gemini Man, Power Records did their best with it--the audio stories are hardly their best, but they actually work fairly well, considering the thinness of the source material.

Written by David Dann, produced by the George Martin of Power Records, Arthur Korb.

Superman - The Man From Krypton

2008-05-11T13:21:00.003-04:00

Produced by Arthur Korb, this is a fine retelling of the Superman origin story.

Drawn by what looks like Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano (with a cover at least penciled by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez), there is some especially nice sequences here--I love how scary Jor-El looks in the first panel of page 9, as Krypton crumbles around him.

This was later re-purposed (of course!) on a LP with three other Superman stories.

The Amazing Spider-Man and Friends LP - 1978

2008-05-03T17:04:00.003-04:00

Spider-Man - Mark of The Man-Wolf:

The Fantastic Four - The Way It Began:

Captain America and The Falcon - ...And A Phoenix Shall Arise:

Power Records could repurpose stuff with the best of 'em, this record being a collection of three of their four Marvel superhero 45s.

This record came out in 1978, so by then the Hulk was popular enough to earn a solo record, but since that one didn't re-use The Hulk: At Bay!, you'd think they would've put it on here instead of Cap or the FF.

Experimentin' with Issuu

2008-04-29T06:25:00.000-04:00

Superman LP - 1975

2008-04-27T15:49:00.002-04:00

The Best Cop in The World:

The Mxyzptik-Up Menace:

Tomorrow The World:

One of the most popular of the Power Records, if this album's ubiquity on eBay is any indication.

No producer credits, but these are three fine audio adventures. The actor playing Superman in particular is spot-on; sounding commanding and powerful yet friendly and intelligent.

And--does this even need to be said?--Neal Adams' cover art is phenomenal. I love how mean and angry Luthor looks (this Luthor doen't need some silly battlesuit to fight Supes!) and Mxyzptik looks odd and creepy (the voice of Mxy on the record matches the look, as well).

Planet of the Apes LP - 1974

2008-04-23T08:50:00.002-04:00

Planet of the Apes:

Beneath The Planet of the Apes:

Escape From the Planet of the Apes:

Battle For the Planet of the Apes:

Power Records never met a reissue they didn't like, but in this case it makes total sense--collecting all four of the Planet of the Apes audio adventures onto one record.

Produced by Arthur Korb, this LP features a spiffy Ernie Chan front cover (an unusual choice for them), and a back cover by no one whose style I recognize.

Oh, if only Power Records had decided to finish off the Apes story...

Planet Comic Book Radio - 4/22/08

2008-04-16T17:54:00.001-04:00

Shameless Plug Department: I will be the guest on my pal Javier "El Muerto" Hernandez's swell online radio show Planet Comic Book Radio next Tuesday, April 22nd!

I will be the guest for the whole hour, and we will talk about my various blogging endeavors, and Power Records are sure to come up.

The show airs every week live at 8pm Eastern/5pm Pacific Time, and of course available for Podcast afterwards. Please check it out and tell Javier Power Records sent you!

The Six Million Dollar Man LP - 1975

2008-04-02T14:14:00.002-04:00

Birth of the Bionic Man:

Bionic Berserker:

The Man From the Future:

The Iron Heart:

A perfectly sensible choice to market as a comic book and Power Record, The Six Million Dollar Man never quite caught on, oddly enough.

It certainly wasn't for a lack of trying--this Neal Adams sleeve art is, of course, phenomenal.

Produced by Arthur Korb.

Batman LP - 1976

2008-03-29T10:24:00.003-04:00

No producer credits, but Arthur Korb seems like a good bet.

The sleeve art is by Neal Adams, with the inside art by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, which means you simply couldn't do any better.

The stories are both a lot of fun, I like how Batman is a real detective in these stories, and seems almost a duly-designated member of the the Gotham P.D.

Kojak LP - 1977

2008-03-24T08:59:00.004-04:00

One of the oddest choices possible for a kids' record. In fact, when I saw this in a vintage toy store, I couldn't believe it--Kojak?!?

Produced by Arthur Korb, the script is by David Dann(?), with not-bad art by Mel Keefer.

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit how I put this particular post together:

Normally, I scan every page of the book part of the record(or, in the case of LPs, the front and back). Then, having worked my way through all the audio files sent to me by friends early on, I use the ones provided for download by the great Power Records Plaza website(listed on the right). That way I feel like I'm at least doing my part and not just copying everything from that site.

But, since Kojak was only available in comic form at the LP size, that meant I was going to have to scan every page four times each (to get the whole image). That meant doing eighty scans and, frankly, that seemed like way too much work, so I took the comic download from them as well.

The PRP download did not, however, include the swell inside wraparound covers, so I did scan them, for the sake of obsessive completeness. Which is, of course, mostly what my blogs are about.

Who loves ya, baby?

Star Trek - Passage to Moauv

2008-03-16T13:16:00.002-04:00

I haven't gotten to any of the Star Treks yet, which is a crime, so today is the crew of the Enterprise in "Passage to Moauv."

No record credits, but these adventures were fairly consistent with the TV show and the more recent(at the time) animated one.

The cover and back cover are by Neal Adams, with the interior art by Russ Heath(!), with inks by Dick Giordano and Adams.

Clearly someone lost the character reference file along the way, since Sulu is drawn as African-American, and Uhura is colored caucasion. Anybody over at Peter Pan ever seen Star Trek?

The Amazing Spider-Man LP

2008-03-01T15:47:00.003-05:00

Invasion of the Dragon Men:

The Mark of the Man-Wolf:

I know this LP doesn't feature any audio tracks that haven't been posted before, but Power Records was an early master of the fine art of Repurposing--endlessly repackaging previously released material.

So, in my effort to make this blog as complete as possible, I'm posting this. Plus, the sleeve art--front and back--is just so nifty!

Batman LP - 1975

2008-02-24T15:16:00.003-05:00

Batman Theme:

Stacked Cards:

The Scarecrow's Mirage:

Challenge of the Catwoman:

If Music Be The Food of Death:

One of the most--if not the most--popular Power Records LP, if its ubiquitous appearance on eBay is any indication.

The label lists Cornel Tanassy as producer, and for the first time writing credits are given: Joey Lapidos wrote "Stacked Cards", Joan Wile wrote "If Music Be The Food of Death", and DC Keeper of the Flame E.Nelson Bridwell wrote "The Scarecrow's Mirage" and "Challenge of the Catwoman."

I simply adore this Neal Adams cover--Adams makes The Riddler and especially The Scarecrow look so darn creepy.

Between that and the muffled sound they gave his voice on the record(like he was being heard through a burlap hood) it cemented the Scarecrow in my young mind as one of Batman's most disturbing bad guys.

Laurel and Hardy: This Is Your Laff LP

2008-02-15T13:05:00.004-05:00

Chiller Thriller Diller:

On The Move Movers:

Flip-Top Tip-Top Secret:

Lucky Duck Buckeroos:

Whipper-Snapper Snoopers:

Super Duper Sleuths:

Closing Theme:

One of the weirdest Peter Pan releases, I didn't even know it existed until I started researching the label for this blog.

Larry Harmon was a guy who, mid-1960s, bought the rights to produce cartoons and merchandise based on the legendary comedians(see here for more info on the man)--there was even a DC comic book!

Never having been a L&H fan(Mark Evanier forgive me), this whole thing induces no more than an indifferent shrug from me, but I do wish they had done an Abbott & Costello one--now that's something I would've loved to have heard!

Technically, this isn't a "Power Record", which was Peter Pan's umbrella title for the comic book/action-oriented adventure stories, but it simply too odd an item to pass up.

This was, in my mind, tied with The Gemini Man for hardest to find Peter Pan record, since for the longest time I could not find a copy of either one. Now I guess Gemini Man takes the title. Someday...

Wonder Woman - The Secret of the Magic Tiara

2008-02-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

No credits anywhere on here--Arthur Korb again?

The cover is by Neal Adams, with inside art by Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano. A fun little adventure, Buckler really gives the story dynamic heft with his exciting layouts.

Wonder Woman has always been a bigger seller in merchandising than in the comics, so I bet more kids read this Wonder Woman story than any of her comics from this time.

Power Records Display Box - 1976

2008-02-01T21:05:00.001-05:00

My pal Brian "Plaid Stallions" Heiler sent me this article, featuring a shot of the sweet, sweet display box Peter Pan sold their Power Records in.

Finding display/promo material like this is next to impossible nowadays--after all, who would've thought to keep stuff like that?--but I'm determined to keep looking for this baby until I find one.

Batman - Stacked Cards

2008-01-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

It credits Davidson/Saunders on the back, but I'm betting that's a mistake. Arthur Korb again?

Cover by and inside art by Neal Adams, featuring one of the best Batman covers ever, in or out of the comics. The final panel features Batman wondering aloud if "society" should give the Joker a forced lobotomy. And this was a kid's record?

Other than Spider-Man: Mark of the Man-Wolf, I'd say this is the most famous of the Power Records, the one most people seem to be familiar with and you see the most on eBay.

My copy of this set features a phone number written on the back--314-794-2526. I wonder whose number that was?

Superman - Alien Creatures

2008-01-19T12:36:00.000-05:00

No producer credits, and a completely wrong back cover.

Cover by Curt Swan and Neal Adams, inside art by Swan what looks like to me at least a couple different inkers.

Space: 1999 - Return To The Beginning

2008-01-13T00:09:00.000-05:00

Still no producer credits, dang it--though these records are recommended by Dr.Wernher Von Braun, president of the National Space Institute, so there's that.

I notice these two Space: 1999 book and record sets are by far the most wordy of any of the Power Records.

Space: 1999 - Breakaway

2008-01-08T15:31:00.000-05:00

No producer credits. Arthur Korb?

Pretty solid adventure, with nice art, and a mushroom cloud as a bonus!

The mostly black-and-white cover is also very spiffy--I like how the Power Records logo is sans color, too--nice touch.

The Amazing Adventures of Holo-Man

2007-12-29T12:42:00.000-05:00

Or "What Happens When a Licensor Thinks They Can Create Super-Heroes, too."

Holo-Man was a Power Records original, created by Vincent Fusco and Donald Kasen, written by Fusco and Kasen(plus, according to the credits, five more people!) and drawn by long-time comics pro Joe Giella.

I guess I shouldn't be too hard on ol' Holo-Man; Power Records' heart was clearly in the right place, it wasn't all their fault the end product came out so ridiculously goofy. I bet if this story had been written as a Superman tale most comics fans wouldn't bat an eye.

I do love how they keep saying the word "hologram" in excited and/or hushed tones, as if its the most exciting technological development since the microchip.

Clearly, they intended to do more of these, since the story ends with a cliffhanger(oh, excuse me, a superiffic cliffhanger)...but as far as I've ever seen or heard, this was Holo-Man's one shot at comic book glory.

Christmas Superheroes

2007-12-25T00:23:00.000-05:00

Light Up The Tree, Mr. President:

Christmas Carol Caper:

The Prisoner of Christmas Island:

Written and produced by Arthur Korb, sleeve art by--of course--Neal Adams. Batman sure is getting into the holiday spirit!

Merry Christmas, everybody!

Battle For The Planet of the Apes

2007-12-22T00:38:00.001-05:00

Produced by Arvid Knudson and Associates.

I guess cooler heads prevailed at Power when it came time to adapt the most violent film in the series, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes.

Now, of course, I'd give my MOC Mego Ursus doll* to hear how they would've handled it, but it makes total sense that they didn't even bother releasing a hacked-up version and skipped the film entirely, going straight to the final movie, Battle For The Planet of the Apes.

*which I don't own.

Escape From the Planet of the Apes

2007-12-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

Produced by Arvid Knudson and Associates.

When Power Records bought the license to adapt the Apes series, did how dark the series got ever concern anybody? This film starts out light and goofy, and then ends in a hail of bullets, including the harmless Zira!

Beneath The Planet of the Apes

2007-12-20T00:11:00.000-05:00

Produced by Arvid Knudson and Associates.

If you didn't think the Marvel records were downbeat enough, this one ends with the destruction of planet Earth! Chew on that, kids!

Planet of the Apes

2007-12-19T00:03:00.001-05:00

Produced by Arvid Knudson and Associates, as it proudly proclaims on the opening page.

Like Mego, Power Records put a lot of money and effort into the Apes franchise, dramatizing four of the films(though oddly not the last!).

It's not a bad version of the story, except the ending, which I think is a little botched. The final moments of the film end with the sound of the crashing surf, which obviously could've been replicated here; instead we get Taylor's awkward exposition. Oh well.

Planet of the Apes Article - 1975

2007-12-18T13:52:00.001-05:00

Courtesy PowerPal Brian Heiler comes this article on Peter Pan Records' newest license, Planet of the Apes! Thanks Brian!

This is from the Feb. 1975 issue of Playthings (which always sounded like a porno magazine to me, but was actually about children's toys).

"Attractive counter and floor displays"? Be still my beating heart!

Conan The Barbarian - Untitled LP

2007-12-17T11:18:00.000-05:00

The Jewel of the Ages:

Shadow of the Stolen City:

The Thunder Dust:

The Crawler in the Mists:

Produced by Cornel Tanassy, even though I believe the 45" of "Crawler in the Mists" was produced by Arthur Korb. Huh?

Whoever produced it, this is another one of Power Records' best efforts. All four stories are pretty true to the Conan character, and feature solid voice acting and sound effects.

And the kick-ass Neal Adams sleeve art doesn't hurt!

The Incredible Hulk - Untitled LP

2007-12-15T00:38:00.000-05:00

Black Chasm:

Monster From The Deep:

The Assassin:

Blind Alley:

Produced by Arthur Korb, written by someone named W.K. Wells who was apparently big enough to get his/her name on the record.

Not a bad set of stories, but nothing here is as compelling or memorable as The Hulk: At Bay. Maybe that's because that was taken from an actual Hulk comic, and this LP appears to be all-new stories.

The sleeve art is uncredited, but it looks very Rich Buckler/Dick Giordano to me.

Jaws of the Shark

2007-12-12T00:31:00.000-05:00

Jaws of the Shark:

The Sacred Killer Shark:

Treasure of the Sharks:

Like the Shazam! 45", I never knew this one existed until I saw it on eBay.

How Peter Pan Records escaped a lawsuit from Universal I don't know, I would say the cover art does its best to tie this record in with the hit film, wouldn't you?

Unlike the superhero and monster records, which are really goofy yet a total blast, these stories are, well, just pretty bad. The stories are ridiculously contrived, and the characterizations are silly beyond belief.

Pretty much nothing could've lived up to Neal Adams' cover in terms of excitement, but the gulf between cover art and inside contents has never been greater on a Power Record.

The producer is listed as Arvid Knudsen, and the actors are the "Goldstar Repertory Group." Since none of these people are familar names to the rest of the Power Records' line, I wonder, were these stories(and maybe the even the unusual, educational-style back cover) done for some other purpose, years ago, and Power Records grabbed them up, slapped a new cover on it, and called it a day?

By the way--despite what the sleeve says, there is no story called "Worshippers of the Sharks." Sheesh!

Spider-Man - Invasion of the Dragon Men

2007-12-11T11:22:00.000-05:00

Produced by Arthur Korb, even though it says Davidson and Saunders on the back cover.

As far as I can tell, this is an original story done for Power Records. Written by ?, the art looks like some combination of Dick Giordano and other artists.

There are some Spidey poses here, though, that look like either Ditko or Marvel stock art at the very least, they look so familiar.

Oh, one last thing--even as a kid, I found the character of Jimmy to be so annoying that I wished the Dragon Men had eaten him, or at the very least fried him to a crisp. And this girl went off into the woods to neck with this loser? What's her deal?

Songs & Stories About The Justice League of America

2007-12-09T00:05:00.000-05:00

JLA song:

Wonder Woman - "The Return of Brunhilde":

Plastic Man - "The Invasion of the Plastic Men":

Metamorpho - "Fumo The Fire Giant":

Aquaman - "The Defeat of the Dehydrator":

The Flash - The Three Faces of Mr.Big":

My all-time favorite Power Record, guess why.

It features Aquaman, of course, but that's not the only reason:
A)It's a Justice League record, not just Superman or Batman, which as a kid I found unbearably cool
B)It features the goofiest, catchiest songs this side of Lennon/McCartney
C)It co-stars Plastic Man and Metamorpho, two very bizarre choices
D)The Neal Adams cover rocks

It wasn't until just a few years ago that I learned this record's content is taken from the 1968 Tilton record of the same name; that record also featured theme songs for Flash and Aquaman, which were omitted here(for running time?).

The stories are interesting, well-acted, and weird as all get out--the villainous Mr.Big is revealed(Spoiler Alert!) to be a little kid, whose whiny voice at the end still creeps me out.

...one thing, though; why does Wonder Woman get the whole back cover to herself?

Conan The Barbarian - The Crawler In The Mists!

2007-12-08T16:35:00.000-05:00

Uncredited producers, still Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders, who did all the other Marvel ones?

This is the same story from Conan The Barbarian #116, yet this recording was done in 1976, and the comic in 1980. I thought the Marvel records were always adaptations of pre-existing comics...?

Written by Len Wein and J.M.De Matteis, with art by the sensational team of Big John Buscema and Neal Adams, with a new cover by Adams(the cover to the comic is this book's opening splash page).

I think this is one of the best Book and Records Marvel ever did--the sound effects are superb, the guy playing Conan is spot-on perfect, and when he enters the haunted city of Kamalla the aural mood set is genuinely spooky.

Nice job, by Crom!

Batman - The Catwoman's Revenge

2007-12-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

Another super-cool Batman story that was never done in Book and Record form. This, like so many of the Power Record recordings, was repurposed onto LPs, along with a weird Batman TV show-style theme song.

And why is Wildcat so mad at Batman?

Batman - If Music Be The Food of Death

2007-12-04T00:00:00.000-05:00

Another one that didn't get the Book and Record treatment, this is nevertheless one of all-time favorite Power Records. The guy playing the Riddler is spot-on, sounding nerdy yet homicidal at the same time.

The moment when Batman figures out the policeman who absconded with the priceless violin "for safekeeping" is the Riddler crashes right into his mad cackle, a moment that has, for whatever reason, burned itself into my brain for all time.

The cover art is Neal Adams, of course, but the title is not "Batman vs. The Riddler" as the sleeve seems to suggest, rather the poetic yet sinister "If Music Be the Food of Death."

Shazam! - The Mighty Dr. Illusion

2007-12-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Holy Moley! I had never even heard of this until I saw it on eBay a few years ago. When I did, I couldn't believe my eyes!

This 45" is such an anomaly; it's the only Shazam! one they ever did, and(as far as I know) they never did a Book and Record version of it, nor did it ever get included in any collection of other DC hero stories. Plus, I've never even seen it listed as part of the collection on any of the other Power Records.

The cover looks like Dick Giordano channeling C.C.Beck!

Batman - Robin Meets Man-Bat!

2007-12-02T14:32:00.000-05:00

Uncredited producers, still Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders?

Neal Adams' checklist lists this as being a reprint from Detective Comics #402(story by Frank Robbins, art by Neal and Dick Giordano), but I had always thought the DC/Power Record stories were all original.

Not having a copy of 'Tec #402, I can't check, but from what I've been able to look up, the story in that issue is listed at fifteen pages, but the story here is twenty pages long. Anybody out there have an answer?

Love that back cover!

Superman - City Under Siege

2007-12-01T00:15:00.000-05:00

Uncredited producers, still Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders?

The DC/Power Record comics were done especially for them, and I have yet to find any credits for this book. Neal Adams' website lists him as the cover artist and Ross Andru and Dick Giordano as the back cover artists.

The interior pencils are surely also Andru, but the inks seem to look different on various pages...Vince Colletta? Jose Delbo? Giordano?

Dracula - Terror In The Snow!

2007-11-30T18:38:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Marv Wolfman, art Gene Colan and Tom Palmer,cover by Gil Kane and Palmer. Reprinted from Tomb of Dracula #19.

One of my favorites; a particularly good issue to adapt with its very dramatic, stand-alone setting.

Next: we show DC some love!

The Monster of Frankenstein

2007-11-26T16:56:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Gary Friedrich, art and cover by Mike Ploog. Reprinted from Frankenstein #1.

Ah, a children's record that ends with the main character finally getting the sweet embrace of death!

The Curse of the Werewolf!

2007-11-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Roy and Jean Thomas and Gerry Conway, art by Mike Ploog, cover by Neal Adams and Tom Palmer. Reprinted from Marvel Spotlight #2.

I know the credits on the GCBD list Ploog only, but it looks a lot like there was some Gene Colan here, too, especially the last couple of pages(the ones mostly featuring Dracula...coincidence?)

Power Record Ad - 1977

2007-11-23T10:53:00.001-05:00

I found this awesome, drool-inducing ad in an old issue of Justice League of America.

I don't remember there being too many ads for Power Records in the comics(at least compared to Megos or other superhero toys), which is surprising, considering it had to be the exact same audience.

Two of them for $3.50? I'll take 'em all!

The Man-Thing - Night of the Laughing Dead!

2007-11-19T21:55:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Steve Gerber, art by Mike Ploog and Frank Chiaramonte.

I guess the superhero records weren't quite depressing enough, so they decided to dramatize a story about a suicidal clown.

I've said it before, I'll say it again--the 70s were awesome.

The Fantastic Four - The Way It Began!

2007-11-17T15:25:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Roy Thomas, art by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.

Man, these Marvel stories that Power Records chose to dramatize sure are downbeat. And it only gets worse with our next selection...The Man-Thing!

The Incredible Hulk - At Bay!

2007-11-14T19:59:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Steve Englehart and Gerry Conway, art by Herb Trimpe and Jack Abel.

Captain America - And A Pheonix Shall Arise

2007-11-11T10:33:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Tony Isabella, art by Sal Buscema, John Tartaglione, and George Roussos.

Spider-Man - The Mark of the Man-Wolf

2007-11-10T14:05:00.000-05:00

Produced by Herb Davidson and Charlotte Saunders. Written by Gerry Conway, art by Gil Kane, Ross Andru, John Romita, and Tony Mortellaro.

Welcome!

2007-11-10T13:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my approximately five-hundredth blog, PowerRecord.blogspot.com(someone else has already claimed, and done nothing with, PowerRecords.blogspot.com--hmph)!

As anyone whose read any my blogs knows, I have a passion for all the various comic-related stuff I grew up with that knows no bounds, whether it be Aquaman, b/w magazines, digest comics, treasury comics; all of it. The wonderfully fun and exciting Power Records--both the book and record ones and just the record ones--were really the last big part of my collection that I had yet do anything blog-related with. I had thought about it, but not having the audio element made the whole thing seem a tad pointless.

Luckily, my BFF(Blogging Friend Forever) Neal Snow told me he had about ten of the Power Records audio tracks converted to mp3s, so if I ever wanted to do it...

Of course, that did it. So I opened this blog, for anyone who loves these things as much as I do, and if they want they can sit back, hit the "Play" button, and read along like I used to, Sunday afternoons next to our record player, pile of comics and Slurpee by my side. I hope you have as much fun listening as I do putting these things up here.

Since scanning every page of these books is fairly time and labor intensive, I don't have any set schedule for this blog; stuff will get posted whenever I can get another one done! I don't know yet if I can get audio files for some of the other, more obscure Power Records(Holo-Man? Jaws of the Shark?) but at the very least I will post the superb jacket art they always had.

And now, enter a world where the action comes alive...as you read!