I’m pretty sure that this ad ran on and off for years in Marvel’s titles, but I never noticed until now just how borderline racist it is. Did the dude Jim meets on a street corner have to be a black guy with an afro with the greeting of “What’s happenin?” To top that off, Jim’s talking about being unable to “score” proper employment. I’m probably reading far too much into an ad that was produced in simpler times, but it’s kind of hard not to view it at least a little bit through modern eyes.

That said, it’s also important to note that it’s probably a good thing Electroman wasn’t in the Marvel or DC universes. Dude is so powerful, he’s able to break the dotted line of the sign up form!

Spread the word!