Adventure Comics # 187, April, 1953

This issue's cover story's writer is unknown--to me at least--but the story of Superboy's visit to the 25th century is similar in some ways to the later tales of his visits to the Legion of Super Heroes' 30th century.

Adventure Comics # 186, March, 1953

Another generic cover. Note the date stamp indicating when this was received at a store or newsstand somewhere and verifying that the titles were still, at this time, dated two months ahead.

BINKY and BUZZY were already as popular as Superman and Superboy when it came to DC's in-house PSA's.

I'm including this issue's legally required (for postal reasons) text pages to show that some things really have remained the same. Superboy, Aquaman and Green Arrow are all still around but virtually unrecognizable from the classic versions seen here. Johnny Quick is long gone from the DCU. But that lady in that illustration, Queen Elizabeth II, is instantly recognizable as the now 60 years older woman still on the throne of England today. 

Adventure Comics # 185, February, 1953

This issue seems to pick up the pace a little offering atypical and good GREEN ARROW and AQUAMAN tales as well as a seasonal JOHNNY QUICK story, being on sale at the end of 1952.

Adventure Comics # 184, January,1953

If I didn't know better--and I don't--I'd think it possible that DC was going out of its way at this point to make their comics bland. Why? Because we're just about to begin 1953, arguably the year when some comics went TOO far which led to The Comics Code not far in the future.

Adventure Comics # 183, December, 1952

This issue's most interesting aspect is actually an ad for the SUPERMAN TV series.

Although I've never seen any statistics, one reason DC's flagship heroes survived the indifference of the early fifties as well as the purge of the mid-fifties could well be TV's ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, here premiering in syndication in the Fall of 1952. DC had been casting its lot with radio and TV tie-ins for a few years and now here, for the first time, they had their own built-in tie-in. The popularity of the series throughout the decade promoted the comics and the comics reciprocated by promoting the George Reeves series itself.