“It’s fun to READ as you HEAR!”
I was a lazy reader growing up and it was rare that I wanted to actually sit still and read a book. That was until I discovered the “Read Along Books” on vinyl! When my parents brought home my first Read Along book for “Star Wars”, my journey went from lazy reader to enthusiastic reader. The story being read to me with sounds from the movie, including Luke, Han, and Leia, inspired me to “read along.” Back in those days, read-along books were like the original iPads that some parents gave to their kids to keep them busy.
Recently, I found two superhero-themed read-along style books that are even older, featuring Superman and Spiderman from Peter Pan Records. Sadly, they were missing the vinyl albums, but I was able to find the recording on YouTube, and I was inspired to create this feature for Fandom Blast.
Released in the mid-1970s by Peter Pan Industries, each set consists of a 20-page illustrated comic book and included a 45 RPM vinyl record. Playing the record while reading the book brings the story to life with fantastic music and sound effects. Book and Record Set releases focused mostly on superheroes from the Marvel and DC universes, like Batman, Spider Man, Superman, Wonder Woman, and more. They also had titles in science fiction such as Star Trek, Space 1999, and Planet of the Apes. These book sets have an innocent silver age nostalgia feel that would appeal to any comic fan.
While I only own these two comics (so far), you can listen to the stories along with the comic from the Peter Pan Industries library. We’ve include some of our favorites in this article.
Superman: Alien Creatures (I own this!)
“Superman: Alien Creatures is mini book and record set PR-28 published by Power Records, an imprint of Peter Pan Records, by with art by Curt Swan, Dick Giordano, Terry Austin and Bob Wiacek. It was published in 1975.”
Batman: Stacked Cards
Spider Man – Invasion of the Dragon Men (I own this one too!)
“After a freak meteor shower, the Earth is invaded by a band of honest-to-goodness, fire-eating, smoke-breathing dragon men led by the gigantic Draco, king of the dragon men. As the invaders plot their conquest deep in the sewers of New York, Spider-Man senses that something isn’t quite right about these dragon men. Who is Draco really, and how can Spidey stop him before he carries out his plan to conquer the world?”
You may also like: Inspired to Read: Remembering the Classic “Read Along” Star Wars Books
The Hulk – The Assassin
“This story features the character of David Banner from the television series.”
Planet of the Apes
“This comic book is an adaptation of the 1968 Planet of the Apes film.”
Captain America: And A Phoenix Shall Arise
“This story is based on Captain America Vol 1, #168, published by Marvel Comics in December 1973”
Fantastic Four – “THE WAY IT BEGAN”
Check it out: Star Wars Book Review: Looking Back at “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye”
STAR TREK: A MIRROR FOR FUTILITY
“A Mirror for Futility was the seventh of 11 TOS stories produced by Peter Pan Records. It was initially released in 1975 as an audio production along with three other stories. It was subsequently released along with a seven-page comic book. This was the last of seven stories set during Captain James T. Kirk’s first five-year mission aboard the USS Enterprise and the fourth of six with an associated comic book. In this story, the Enterprise encounters two ancient warships.”
Do YOU remember these book sets? LEAVE A COMMENT!
