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Mail-Order Mysteries: Real Stuff from Old Comic Book Ads!
Rediscover your sense of wonder!
Generations of comic book readers remember the tantalizing promises of vintage novelty advertisements that offered authentic laser-gun plans, x-ray specs, and even 7-foot-tall monsters (with glow-in-the-dark eyes!). But what would you really get if you entrusted your hard-earned $1.69 to the post office?
Mail-Order Mysteries answers this ques
...moreHardcover, 156 pages
Published
October 11th 2011
by Insight Editions
(first published September 20th 2011)
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MAIL ORDER MYSTERIES is an easy read; it's mostly a fun pictorial survey of the mail order ads that filled the back pages of comic books in 60s, 70s and 80s America. Kirk Demarais doesn't exactly stretch his prose-slinging talent on the material; ads are grouped into loose categories and then he provides (if he can) a picture of the ad and a photograph of what exactly one received if he were stupid enough to send away for the item in the ad. Some of the ads actually delivered (to a point) based...more
Cheesy ads promoting all sorts of questionable items have appeared throughout the history of comic books. In the lavish Mail-Order Mysteries, Demarais supplies a chronicle of the more popular and infamous products. Far more than just a mere listing, each item includes the original ad, a picture of the actual item, and exploratory text broken into three or four parts: WE IMAGINED, THEY SENT, BEHIND THE MYSTERY and CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. Demarais starts with an exploration of the classic X-Ray Spe...more
If you read a comic book anytime between the 1960s and 1980s you most likely encountered one of those advertising pages that was full of tiny text, intriguing images, and outlandish claims. If you were like me, your parents sagely advised you against ordering any of the impossible items they were selling (from entire phalanxes of army men for only $1.99 to x-ray glasses that let you actually see through skin and clothes). Of course the pull of their mystery was too great to ignore for some peopl...more
Disappointment has never been so wonderful! For decades, I have wondered what you would really get if you responded to all of those great ads in comic books from the '60s and '70s (especially the ones that appeared to promise a seven foot rubber Frankenstein). Apparently, I was not alone. This beautiful book reproduces those classic ads, and thanks to both eBay and a network of aficionados of pop culture ephemera, juxtaposes their promises with photographs of the elusive objects that my parents...more
1 like · like · see review
Sep 10, 2012
Jansen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Nostalgia buffs, pop culture buffs, Kids at heart
Recommended to Jansen by:
Mail order book club
Goddess bless Kirk Demarais! It's nice to have writers who investigate those mysterious corners of life we all know about but know little about. As a kid, I remember flipping through the pages of "Boy's Life" magazine and comic books to find these super low-budget ads for cheap but seemingly wonderful things. As I recall, it was my dad who actually ordered the stuff that he found interesting. One time we opened a box of black pellets that when lit with a cigarette lighter, created a long snake o...more
If you were a kid that was ever enticed by the promise of a comic book ad mail away goodness, this book is for you! This book unveils the secrets of what your hard earned money might have bought you.
Each ad is reprinted along with a description of what they were promising you, what you may have been expceting and what you would actually get. Also on the page is an image or photo of an original item.
This book is so much fun just to flip through the pages! I had forgotten that I'd owned some of th...more
Each ad is reprinted along with a description of what they were promising you, what you may have been expceting and what you would actually get. Also on the page is an image or photo of an original item.
This book is so much fun just to flip through the pages! I had forgotten that I'd owned some of th...more
If you're from my generation and read comics as a kid, then you saw the ads: x-ray glasses, 100 toy soldiers for a dollar, sneezing powder, and much more. Whether you always wondered what was really sold, or you ordered from some of them and want to relive the experience, then this book is for you.
The book features pictures of the original ads and the actual product advertised. I remember ordering one thing from one of those ads, a wargame that featured a plastic sheet as a board and tiny plasti...more
The book features pictures of the original ads and the actual product advertised. I remember ordering one thing from one of those ads, a wargame that featured a plastic sheet as a board and tiny plasti...more
If you’ve spent any time at all in your life with comics, get ready for some nostalgia. Mail-Order Mysteries presents original comic book ads alongside photos of what actually arrived in the mail, accompanied by some clever descriptions of what the purchaser imagined and what the manufacturers sent.
The opening and closing essays are insightful about why kids (and grown-ups) were motivated to buy this stuff, and how and why times have changed.
I clearly remember various relatives with subscription...more
The opening and closing essays are insightful about why kids (and grown-ups) were motivated to buy this stuff, and how and why times have changed.
I clearly remember various relatives with subscription...more
"Rediscover your sense of wonder"
actually it killed my sense of wonder. there are a few things in here i still have fond memories of, sea monkeys for some reason and the magnetic dogs among them.
but the thing i most wanted and still think about when i pick up 60s/70s comics is the Polaris Submarine. i still want this. from the time i was eight wanted this to explore lafayette reservoir. there is a picture of it in the book (p45), just cardboard. even as i kid i couldn't totally believe in it, b...more
actually it killed my sense of wonder. there are a few things in here i still have fond memories of, sea monkeys for some reason and the magnetic dogs among them.
but the thing i most wanted and still think about when i pick up 60s/70s comics is the Polaris Submarine. i still want this. from the time i was eight wanted this to explore lafayette reservoir. there is a picture of it in the book (p45), just cardboard. even as i kid i couldn't totally believe in it, b...more
Marvelously deft, droll and terse style. The only thing I thought could've been eschewed were the "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION" tags, most of which didn't seem to add much to the proceedings. I also could've done without the symbolic afterword. But on the whole refreshingly free of the usual modern-day Right-Thinkers' conventions.
Looks like maybe Kirk's dad should've let him send away for some of this stuff...then he could've learned early on a valuable lesson about the real world. :) Indeed, the whol...more
Looks like maybe Kirk's dad should've let him send away for some of this stuff...then he could've learned early on a valuable lesson about the real world. :) Indeed, the whol...more
If you're old enough to remember when comic books contained ads for "100 army figures in a footlocker" for only $1, or "scary six-foot tall flying ghost!" or other such too-good-to-be-true mailorder opportunities, you probably either 1. wished your mom and dad would let you order these things, imagining how cool it would be to freak your friends out with your hand buzzer, or 2. bought a few of them and immediately understood the term "rip off." Either way, you might've forgotten about them for a...more
A guy tracked down all that weird cool stuff advertised in the back of comic books (x-ray specs, hypno coins, free one million in cash), so we can all finally see how badly we would have been ripped off. Fun to read, fantastic photos of the less-than-impressive treasures, and explanations of how the 'magic' you hoped was real actually worked (when it DID work).
But the best part, for me, was the afterword, where writer Jesse Thorn distills the sweet and sour sorrow of growing up. "Growing up is i...more
But the best part, for me, was the afterword, where writer Jesse Thorn distills the sweet and sour sorrow of growing up. "Growing up is i...more
1 like · like · see review
This is an easy sell - all the stink on comic book mail order treasures.
Why I picked it up: After 30+ years I still needed to know on such a base level what all those mail order treasure were really like. What did you really get?
Why I finished it: It is a browsing book. Pick and choose what to explore based on your preference. I loved the flat plastic figures. I am so glad to see them as they existed. I never got to own a set.
I'd give it to: My brother and sister who spent hours with me discussi...more
Why I picked it up: After 30+ years I still needed to know on such a base level what all those mail order treasure were really like. What did you really get?
Why I finished it: It is a browsing book. Pick and choose what to explore based on your preference. I loved the flat plastic figures. I am so glad to see them as they existed. I never got to own a set.
I'd give it to: My brother and sister who spent hours with me discussi...more
Do any of you remember the mail order novelty ads in comic books from the 70's and later? Especially the big ones from Johnson Smith, or Fun Factory? Did you ever wonder what the x-ray specs really were? Or sea monkeys? Demarais did, and with the advent of Ebay, he began tracking down as many of the things he coveted as a youth as he could. Eventually he wrote this book. Each page has a picture of the original ad, a picture of what you got, and a paragraph or two explaining the trick, if there w...more
A fun and informative read, with lots of photos that bring back memories. As a child of the late 70's and 80's, I recognized nearly all of the products mentioned in this book. I never bought them, but I read many a comic book ad. (Not true: I did try to sell Olympic greeting cards one summer.)
I deducted some stars because it's such a light book. It took about 45 minutes to read through it all and would probably not have been worth my money had I bought it. It might have benefited from more prod...more
I deducted some stars because it's such a light book. It took about 45 minutes to read through it all and would probably not have been worth my money had I bought it. It might have benefited from more prod...more
3 likes · like · see review
This is maybe the best idea for a book I've ever come across: Find all the stuff from those old mail-order ads in the backs of comic books and actually post a photo and description of the real thing next to the ad. Brilliant stuff!
Like the products it's describing, the actual contents of the book itself maybe can't hope to quite live up to an idea so ingenious, but it gives its best shot, and in the end we're left with an indispensable guide to a particular niche of ephemera, and the answer to a...more
Like the products it's describing, the actual contents of the book itself maybe can't hope to quite live up to an idea so ingenious, but it gives its best shot, and in the end we're left with an indispensable guide to a particular niche of ephemera, and the answer to a...more
A fun read. I read a lot of comics as a kid and also spent a lot of time trying to convince my parents to let me order many of the things featured in this book. Though most are obviously very disappointing in reality, a couple that I really, REALLY wanted actually kind of worked, like the hover craft car (though it's about 20 times smaller than what I was picturing in my head). I'd still take the Racquel Welch pillow even if it is vinyl and inflated with air.
Ever wonder what would have come in the mail if you ordered those Revolutionary War soldiers, or knights, or the 100 Army Men set with the footlocker?
The life-size monster?
The smoking dog?
The x-ray glasses?
This book presents on facing pages the original ad from the comic book and what would have come in the mail for your dollar's purchasing power.
A super nostalgic look at advertising as it used to be in the books and periodicals we used to read.
The life-size monster?
The smoking dog?
The x-ray glasses?
This book presents on facing pages the original ad from the comic book and what would have come in the mail for your dollar's purchasing power.
A super nostalgic look at advertising as it used to be in the books and periodicals we used to read.
One of the things I loved about comics books were the ads for amazing toys, astonishing magic tricks, and high tech wonders. I dreamed of having x-ray specs or the power of ventriloquism. Now, decades later, I returned to the world of sea monkeys and magic and relived some happy childhood moments. "Mail-Order Mysteries" also shows what the ads really sold : from flat army men to balloon ghosts, they're all there.
I really enjoyed it.
I really enjoyed it.
A fun look at all the things I wanted to send away for from comic book ads. At last I get to see what these things were REALLY like. Luckily my mother interceded and saved me untold amounts of my allowance. I did get a set of the flat Cavalry vs Indians (which I kind of liked) and a friend had the giant cardboard spaceship which as 4th graders, we found completely awesome and far superior to a refrigerator box. (Though not much different.)
This was a very fun book. The presentation is absolutely wonderful, and as a graphic designer I really liked how they took full advantage of the crude, colorful nature of the mail-order ads from comics and the toys themselves. The end result is very handsome. I picked this up and read a few entries at a time over the space of about a month or so. It was a great book to pick up and peruse as time permits.
If I had one complaint, it'd be that some of the entries that included multiple objects seem...more
If I had one complaint, it'd be that some of the entries that included multiple objects seem...more
Thanks to eBay, Demarais was able to finally order all those things advertised in the back of his childhood comic books: from X-Ray Specs to Sea Monkeys and life-size monster movie replicas and more. Sadly, most of the actual mail-order goodies turned out to be duds. But his descriptions and the accompanying photos are pure quality. This hardcover could be a great gift for a kitchy collector or retro friend.
It's very hard to compare a book like this to an actual novel, so if you see me read a novelty book like this, I will rate it in terms of entertainment value, and this one was 4 stars. The book features ads often found in old comic books for the 80's that features little gadgets and toys. The book is very fun to read and features information about what the product promises and then what it delivers.
LOVE,LOVE,LOVE this book. Considering all the dissapointments I've had recently with some book, this book is EXACTLY what it says it contains inside. All the crazy, wonderful, wacky ads from the back pages of comic books from the 70's is here. This is must read for anyone who always wanted a pair of X-Ray spec or Sea Monkey's like I did when I was a kid. What a great blast from the past.
Always wondered what those back-of-comic-book products would really turn out to be. Never had the money to buy any (heck, I couldn't even buy the comic books, was forced to look at them in the store!) This is a really cool look at the truth behind those x-ray glasses, and about a hundred other mail-order products marketed to children.
Lots of fun here for those who, like me, pored over the ads in the back comic books as a kid. For the items I didn't send off for, I was glad to see that I didn't miss much. For the few items I did acquire, it was gratifying to see that others also felt ripped off! An enjoyable collection of nostalgia for this baby-boomer.
X-Ray Spex, Sea Monkeys, World's Deadliest Fighting Secrets ... all the tantalizing items advertised in comics of the 1970s have been acquired, photographed and tested. I'm glad I saved my money on all those items and used it to buy this book instead. Bonus: the front and back covers glow in the dark.
This is actually an incredibly funny collection of cheapo novelties. The author describes disappointment so well, in so many ways, over and over again, and it still never gets old. Okay okay I laughed out loud. The old graphics/packaging is pretty cool too, especially the floating King Tut!
I picked this up because it looked interesting, and put it down because it was exactly the opposite. It is basically a small coffee table book. There is really nothing to read in here. It is mainly picture, with descriptions that try to be funny but fail.
What a fun read or book to flip through. As someone who always wondered about the mysterious stuff you could order in the back of old magazines or comics, it was really neat to find out what you actually got.
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Nov 09, 2011 07:05am