Admit it, you get a thrill when you're watching a movie or a TV show and there comes the appearance of a much beloved comic, either on a rack or newstand, sitting on a table or the foot of a bed, or even in the hands of someone in the plot! Sometimes these are fleeting moments, others they are essential to the movie or TV show, but to comics fans such as us they're like little glints of gold at the bottom of a sifting pan. Sort of a "hey, look what I found!" moment that those around us surely find embarrassing.

If you'd like to contribute to this list, drop by THIS THREAD at the Message Boards and add your contribution. If you'd like to add commentary, keep it brief. Also, mention what name you'd like to be referred to on the site. Anonymous is okay, too! Also, if you wish to contradict or refine the information presented here, please feel free! This is merely an excercise in fun and idle amusement. So send in your comics sightings in TV or film!

1957

FILM: Public Pigeon #1

• Woody Woodpecker (issue unknown)

"Vivian Blaine, as a gangster's moll, reading an issue of Dell's 'Woody Woodpecker.' "-- greene

TV: Naked City- "Hold For Gloria Christmas"

• Amazing Fantasy #15
• Journey Into Mystery #83
• Dell's "Thirteen Going On Eighteen"

"There is a scene which takes place at a NYC sidewalk newstand. In totally clear view, you can see a copy of "Amazing Fantasy" no. 15 hanging above, for sale. A bright, fresh, new copy. Damned if you don't even see the gloss on it. Also spotted is "Journey into Mystery" no. 83, and (later on in the episode) an issue of Dell's "Thirteen Going on Eighteen." Anyway, it seemed quite an amazing thing to see the historic Spider-Man debut comic innocuously hanging there, especially considering all the other routine items that might have otherwise preoccupied that same spot, like a "Millie the Model" or whatnot."-- greene

TV: I Spy- "Crusade to Limbo", Air date 3/26/66

"In the episode entitled "Crusade to Limbo" (airdate 3-23-66), Robert Culp is briefly shown looking through an issue of Charlton's "Konga" title. Which is somewhat interesting in that the comic was a bit more than two years old at the time of the filming of that "I SPY" episode." - - greene

FILM: Midnight Cowboy

"The little girl in the bus holds up an issue of the mod Sekowsky 'Wonder Woman.' "-- greene

TV: M*A*S*H- "Henry Please Come Home", Air date 11/19/72
TV: M*A*S*H- "Tuttle", Air date 1/14/73

"In 'Henry, Please Come Home', Radar O'Reilly reads this comic while waiting in the OR for Henry to arrive. In 'Tuttle', Radar is once again leisurely reading this comic in his office. Side note: in 'Tuttle', Radar contacts Sparky for a favor, and Sparky is reading a comic (possibly Captain Savage?) and expressly thanks Radar for sending him a 'Captain Marvel Annual.' He then ends his conversation by saying 'Shazam!' "-- Gormuu

FILM: Paper Moon

"Tatum O'Neal's character is seen reading a copy of Famous Funnies."-- Moolah the Mystic

FILM: S*P*Y*S

"Donald Sutherland & Elliot Gould were playing detectives. They were waiting in the mens room to bust someone and one of them was sitting on the toilet reading an Ant-Man comic. He throw it on the floor just before they ran out of the room."-- Highland Ray

FILM: Superman

"Otis is seen with a copy of DC Special Series: The Original Swamp Thing Saga."-- Moolah the Mystic

FILM: Empire of the Sun

" Just watched Empire Of The Sun the other day. The boy has a copy of Wings Comics 67, but that wouldn't have come out for several years after the events of the movie. Of course, it wasn't the real cover anyway, so it was probably just a prop... but why go to all that trouble? Wouldn't it have been just as cost effective to buy a real one?"-- The Historian II

FILM: Lost Boys

• Web of Spider-Man Annual #2
• Action Comics #492
• Superman #319, 321, 419, 490
• Rom Annual #2
• Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #5
• many more!

"About fifteen minutes into "The Lost Boys", there's a comic shop. There are quite a few comics on the racks (including Action Comics, G.I. Joe, Doctor Who, Power Man & Iron Fist and loads of Fantastic Fours), but most of them are too blurry to make out the covers."-- Tom Wake

FILM: Predator

"I just saw Predator (1987) and there was a shot in the closing credits of Shane Black clutching a Sgt. Rock comic."-- Tom Wake

"In the 2-DVD Special Edition, there are a bunch of shots with Arnold and co-star Shane Black posing with the comic."-- Gormuu

TV: The Simpsons- "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", Air date 9/30/93

"At the Springfield Swap Meet, a copy of Action Comics #1 is one of the priceless items Homer rummages through in the five cent box."-- Tom Wake

TV: The Simpsons- "Homie the Clown", Air date 2/12/95

"Krusty the Clown lights a cigar with a copy of Action Comics #1 in an episode of The Simpsons."-- Queen of the Geeks

FILM: When We Were Kings

"In the documentary "When We Were Kings", about the Ali/Foreman fight in Africa, there's a very quick shot of James Brown on an airplane holding up a copy of Werewolf By Night to the camera. No explanation at all as to WHY he's holding it up, but it was kind of neat."-- eyes4u6666

FILM: Ice Storm

"The Ice Storm opens with Tobey Maguire reading Fantastic Four #141 and describing the story inside, drawing analogies with real life. The issue also reappears at later points during the film."-- Tom Wake

FILM: The Iron Giant

"Some Superman and The Spirit comics make their way into Brad Bird's animated film The Iron Giant. (In The Incredibles, Mr. Incredible goes "undercover" in a suit that looks identical to Denny Colt's. I'm guessing Bird's a fan of Will Eisner...)"-- Queen of the Geeks

TV: The Simpsons- "Homer vs. Dignity", Air date 11/26/00

"When Homer is employed as Mr. Burns' "prank monkey" he is paid to eat a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #1, much to the Comic Book Guy's horror."-- Tom Wake

FILM: Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

• Swamp Thing (issue unknown)
• Captain Marvel (?)

" It starred Jody Foster as a nun, and was about some kids growing up in the '70s who were big comics fans and drew their own comic. I remember one scene in the movie when they were reading some period correct comics, including an issue of Swamp Thing and I think a Capt. Marvel."-- GP

FILM: Catch Me If You Can

"In Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can, the FLASH COMICS feature prominently in the plot of the story."-- alizarin

TV: Lost

"Last week, the little boy found a copy of (I think) Justice Society (in Spanish!) amid the wreckage and read it." -- OwlzinDaBarn

"For the record, the comic the boy was reading was Green Lantern/Flash: Faster Friends #1--what's odd is the sequence in the comic the camera pans over has Kyle Rayner facing a polar bear, and then later in the episode a polar bear appears on the island! Whether this has any deeper meaning as regards to the TV show time will tell." -- Justin Fairfax

FILM: Blade: Trinity

"When the Nightstalkers are telling Blade about Dracula's return, they make their point by displaying Tomb of Dracula #55, the title in which Blade first appeared." -- Tom Wake

FILM: Million Dollar Baby

"There are multiple scenes where the character Eddie, played by Morgan Freeman, is seen reading Mystic Comics, the CrossGen publication. Couldn't tell what issues he was reading, so if an eagle-eye can spot it, let me know." -- Gormuu