PEP COMICS #2

(On Newsstands in January 1940)

The cover of Pep Comics #2 featured another exciting Irv Novick cover, and the popularity of the character would continue to help the success of the comic. The Shield was essentially Superman, somewhat underplayed as an everyday man superhero. But he could (as he does in this issue, repel bullets, swim fearlessly with sharks, and even take a flame thrower head on!)

He showed up, kicked butt and left!

(from Pep Comics #2 - January 1940, artwork by Irv Novick)

Again, of much more interest to me was Jack Cole’s ‘The Comet’, not only because it seemed like a much more interesting character, but also for Cole’s layout and design.

(from Pep Comics #2 - January 1940, artwork by Jack Cole)

Noted Pulp writer Manly Wade Wellman continued his Rocket and the Queen of Diamonds feature (Buck Rogers takeoff), but with some interesting twists! He also continued his Fu Chang (‘The Tiger-Devil Cult) and Bentley of Scotland Yard (The Terror of Rocky Pool)

(from Pep Comics #2 - January 1940, artwork by Lin Streeter)

2013 Will Eisner Hall of Fame Inductee Mort Meskin says he was influenced by the film ‘Citizen Kane’(1941), but here we can see he had an eye for visual flair even before that movie came out!

(from Pep Comics #2 - January 1940, artwork by Mort Meskin)

BLUE RIBBON COMICS #4

(On Newsstands in January 1940)

Another great Corporal Collins cover by the amazing Charles Biro! Charlie, obviously had a future in gritty realistic comics!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #4 - on newsstands January 1940, artwork by Charles Biro)

Ed Smalle would take over the artwork for Rang-A-Tang with issue #4 and stay on it for over a year… a top notch sequential story teller, he’d later go on to do the long running Congo Bill back up in Action Comics!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #4 - on newsstands January 1940, AND from Action Comics #191 on newsstands April 1954, artwork by Ed Smalle)

Blue Ribbon Comics #4 featured a greater emphasis on action-adventure and the start of a number of new strips, including Hercules (fighting modern day gangsters!), the Doc Savage-like Doc Strong (set 100 years in the future!), and the medieval adventurer Green Falcon drawn by female artist Ramone Patenaude.

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #4 - on newsstands January 1940, Hercules artwork by

 Elmer Weller, Doc Strong artwork by Sam Cooper, Green Falcon artwork by Edd Ashe, Green Falcon art by Ramone Patenaude)

Also introduced in this issue was… the Fox! Who had his own interesting bad guys to deal with!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #4 - on newsstands January 1940, story by Joe Blair, artwork by Irwin Hasen)

And of course, there was Ty-Gor, Son of the Jungle - featuring an Undercover Archie moment!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #4 - on newsstands January 1940, artwork by Mort Meskin)

Books published by MLJ Publishing (Archie Comics) and on the stands in January of 1940

PEP COMICS #2

ZIP COMICS #1
ZIP COMICS #2

TOP NOTCH COMICS #3

Part 2 coming up!

BLUE RIBBON COMICS #3

(On Newsstands in December 1939)

I guess they decided to take some time off for the holiday’s and only produce one book for December, Blue Ribbon Comics #3! Featuring a Corporal Collins cover (who made his first appearance last issue) by Charles Biro! Pretty nifty drawing for the cover here and, hey, what’s that thing in his hand? Read on!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - on newsstands December 1939, artwork by

 Charles Biro)

Man, did they sell a lot of cool stuff in comics back in the day…I remember ordering some of it, and usually being disappointed in what they sent.. how in the world did we trust sending money in the mail back then?

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - on newsstands December 1939, artwork by

 Charles Biro)

Rang-A-Tang the Wonder Dog, his stories always full of excitement, gets a full page, beautifully rendered splash, that had to produce some awe back in the day…. and yes, he gets rid of the dynamite in time!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - on newsstands December 1939, artwork by

 Charles Biro?)

There’s a neat device Corporal Collins has - a flexible magnetic ‘repeller’? Sounds plausible!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - on newsstands December 1939, artwork by

 Charles Biro?)

What? First and last appearance? How’d this NOT succeed? “Red Dugan, Vicious Captain of a PIRATE SHIP, forces Dr. Cardo to CREATE a MONSTER to help him become MASTER of the HIGH SEAS.”

I’m all in on this one!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - on newsstands December 1939, artwork by

 Edd Ashe)

Maybe one of the coolest pages of the Golden Age. Tell me this didn’t inspire young underground cartoonists of the 60’s!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - on newsstands December 1939, artwork by

Edd Ashe)

So crime comics began in 1942 with Crime Does Not Pay #1, right?

Wrong. Heck, Dick Tracy was around since 1931, and here in Blue Ribbon Comics #3, Jack Cole gives us an early glimpse of the sensational new genre that would fit quite nicely in one of those Lev Gleason publications, THREE YEARS LATER!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #3 - on newsstands December 1939, artwork by

 Jack Cole)


Also of note this month: Captain Marvel would make his debut in Whiz Comics this month!

MOON GIRL #5 EC Comics (Fall 1948)

What is this, you say? I know I primarily review MLJ/Archie stuff, but I wanted to highlight what I think is a great project from our friends at Canton Street Products. They're making fully restored replica editions of Golden Age books, solicited through Diamond Comics (Ask your LCS or order some for your store or order direct: http://www.cantonstreetpress.com)

These are really fantastic looking replica's, that have been created to look as close to the originals as possible! They're the same size, with all of ads and editorial in place, and even though the art has been restored, they've gone to great effort to keep the look and feel of the original. No glossy paper and no garish colors!

This issue has been printed, and will be followed by Black Cat Mystery #50, Moon Girl #1, and Teen-Age Romances #14 (and Pep Comics?)

Check out http://www.cantonstreetpress.com to order direct and see some of the other great items they have (I have that Matt Baker Canteen Kate Collection - incredibly well done! Maybe we can get them to do a collection of Dan DeCarlo lesser known pre-Archie stuff like his Yardbirds and Wendy the WAF!)

Golden Age fans and Comic Historians should love these, so be sure to order your copies and let's help support these! 

This key issue is famous for being the first Johnny Craig Horror story and what is considered the start of the classic EC Horror reign.

Check it out!

ARCHIE’s PAL JUGHEAD #4

(On Newsstands in December 1950)

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Veronica? With the hots for Jughead?

It's interesting how quickly George Frese has become the go to guy for covers on books that Bob Montana doesn't do....

(from Archie’s Pal Jughead #4 - December 1950, artwork by George Frese)

Jughead had an answer for everything, and always in a cool way even under pressure...

(from Archie’s Pal Jughead #4 - December 1950, artwork by George Frese)

But here’s a good example of Jughead getting flirted with and NOT having a good comeback (and the printer plates missing the mark….)

(from Archie’s Pal Jughead #4 - December 1950, artwork by George Frese)

It appears Mr. Lodge hasn’t changed much since the 1950!

(from Archie’s Pal Jughead #4 - December 1950, artwork by George Frese)

LAUGH COMICS #42

(On Newsstands in October 1950)

As a fan of Betty and a fan of Bob Montana, I love this cover!

Try and ignore my horrible looking copy of it….

(from Laugh Comics #42 - October 1950, artwork by Bob Montana)

Wow! Jaimie Hernandez art style before he was even born! Who’d they teach to draw like this? What’d they go on to do? 

(from Laugh Comics #42 - October 1950, artwork by ?)

It’s usually Veronica’s kisses that throw Archie for a loop, but Betty can sometimes take him by surprise!

(from Laugh Comics #42 - October 1950, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

Ho-LEE Smokes! Some of these Undercover Archie moments can be few and far between, but right here in this little old Wilbur story… his Principal is in black face playing in Uncle Tom’s Cabin...

(I’m sure someone will correct me if I’m wrong, but this looks like early Joe Edwards art to me!)

(from Laugh Comics #42 - October 1950, artwork by Joe Edwards)

Bill Woggon’s Katy Keene… ‘nuff said!

(from Laugh Comics #42 - October 1950, artwork by Bill Woggon)

LAUGH COMICS #43

(On Newsstands in December 1950)

I know I don’t get overly technical with things on this blog, but what seems like a standard quality Bob Montana cover is, to me, a perfect example of his genius: Look at Veronica, and the way her shoulder is brought up with her head turned at a slight downward shy angle, and the positioning of her feet, with the slight outward thrust of her hips… this is superb rendering of body language and one of the reasons Montana is one of the greats!

(from Laugh Comics #43 - December 1950, artwork by Bob Montana)

No, not YOU Archie!...

(from Laugh Comics #43 - December 1950, artwork by Samm Schwartz?)

Never mess with a barber (especially one where the writer’s give him a thick European accent…)

(from Laugh Comics #43 - December 1950, artwork by Samm Schwartz)

Because… well, here’s why! This is why Jughead is my favorite character! 

(from Laugh Comics #43 - December 1950, artwork by Samm Schwartz)

Man, no wonder a whole nation of kids grew up girl crazy! This is what they grew up reading!

I get the feeling I could do a whole blog just on Katy Keene pinups!

(from Laugh Comics #43 - December 1950, artwork by Bill Woggon)

Books published by MLJ Publishing (Archie Comics) and on the stands in December of 1950

Archie’s Pal Jughead #4

Laugh Comics #43

Super Duck #36

Suzie Comics #79

Wilbur Comics #35

PEP COMICS #1

(On Newsstands in November 1939)

More than a year before Captain America would come along, MLJ’s The Shield would explode onto the scene in Pep Comics #1

Created by Irv Novick and Harry Shorten, the Shield helped make Pep Comics an early success.

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Irv Novick)

Man, talk about summing things up and explaining it all before the first regular panel! 

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Irv Novick)

No worries…he’s only stunned…. no deaths yet! 

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Irv Novick)

The American introduction of Speed Lines? Irv Novick gets creative with the SHIELD!

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Irv Novick)

MLJ wasn’t kidding around with Superheroes: Also making his debut in Pep Comics #1 is The Comet, created by Jack Cole. The Comet, despite what the opening blurb says, can fly, and (one of my favorite superhero powers) shoot beams from his eyes!

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Jack Cole)

An early example of Jack Cole’s creative use of the panel space...

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Jack Cole)

Unlike the SHIELD, the COMET kills his bad guys! But that's not the only death going on in this issue...

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Jack Cole)

Charles Biro’s Sgt. Boyle...

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Charles Biro)

 Queen of Diamonds ‘The Rocket Lands’...

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Lin Streeter)

 We only hear about it in the Fu Chang story ‘Duel with the Dragon’...

(from Pep Comics #1 - November 1939, artwork by Lin Streeter)

That’s a lot of murder in issue #1!

TOP-NOTCH COMICS #2

(On Newsstands in November 1939)

Whoa! Was this the first comic book with a Swastika on the cover? 

(from Top Notch Comics #2 - November 1939, artwork by Edd Ashe)

Near the end of the Wizard story (taking on the Sybernians, who are preparing to attack us from north of Alaska), there’s an early first full page splash as a part of the story… HEY! That's a good idea... maybe it'll catch on... 

(from Top Notch Comics #2 - November 1939, artwork by Edd Ashe)

Yep. Here’s Irv Novick doing it in the same issue… from an Air Patrol story...

(from Top Notch Comics #2 - November 1939, artwork by Irv Novick)

Gotta love those thick accents that are written as they sound… from Swift of the Secret Service!  

(from Top Notch Comics #2 - November 1939, artwork by Charles Biro?)

In case you missed it from issue #1, Scott Rand and his group of time travelers includes the first appearance of ’Thor’ in comics… luckily for Thor that taxi missed him! 

(from Top Notch Comics #2 - November 1939, artwork by Jack Binder)

Talk about catching on... here's a full page story splash now from Jack Binder!

And I'll tell you what... this might be the coolest of them all!

(from Top Notch Comics #2 - November 1939, artwork by Jack Binder)

Jack Cole’s ‘California Kidnap Murder Mystery’ (True Story it claims) was pretty harsh for it’s time...this is why comic book artists often didn't talk about their profession to people outside of comics!

(from Top Notch Comics #2 - November 1939, artwork by Jack Cole)

Also in November of 1939, DC Comics would introduce the original Flash and the original Hawkman in the pages of Flash Comics #1

Books published by MLJ Publishing (Archie Comics) and on the stands in November of 1939

PEP COMICS #1

TOP-NOTCH COMICS #2