BLUE RIBBON COMICS #9

(On Newsstands in November 1940)

Superheroes were everywhere and MLJ continued to climb on board, DC's the Spectre had been out for about a year, and the Spirit had hit newspapers back in the summer...

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #9 - on newsstands November 1940, artwork by Sam Cooper)

Sam Cooper really got a chance to shine on this lead feature, sending Rang-A-Tang to second tier status!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #9 - on newsstands November 1940, artwork by Sam Cooper)

Before Eisner's Spirit was getting creative with layouts, other artists were experimenting with design as well...

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #9 - on newsstands November 1940, artwork by Irwin Hansen)

PEP COMICS #11

(On Newsstands in November 1940)

Not only did we get a new feature superhero in Blue Ribbon this month, but... the Shield got a new sidekick! Dusty the Boy Detective. Man, who could the influence be for that?

(from Pep Comics #11 - November 1940, artwork by Irv Novick)

What could make a kid give up his simple life of fun and playing to go and want to hunt criminals...ohhh...

(from Pep Comics #11 - November 1940, artwork by Irv Novick)

As simple as that!

(from Pep Comics #11 - November 1940, artwork by Irv Novick)

More cool Sam Cooper layouts from Bentley of Scotland Yard... this is why he got chosen to do Mr. Justice!

(from Pep Comics #11 - November 1940, artwork by Sam Cooper)

TOP NOTCH COMICS #11

(On Newsstands in November 1940)

The Wizard and HIS boy wonder make the cover with the Black Hood, showing off MLJ's growing stable of super heroes!

(from Top Notch Comics #11 - on newsstands November 1940, artwork by Al Camy)

The Skull would go to any lengths to get what he wants!

(from Top Notch Comics #11 - on newsstands November 1940, artwork by Al Camy)

And his plans were always diabolical...

(from Top Notch Comics #11 - on newsstands November 1940, artwork by Al Camy)

ZIP COMICS #10

(On Newsstands in November 1940)

Cover of the month has to go to Biro's Zip Comics #10. He had to be proud of that, even if MLJ was more excited about Dicky in the Magic Forest!

(from Zip Comics #10 - November 1940, artwork by Charles Biro)

And yes, we're occasionally reminded of the times...

(from Zip Comics #10 - November 1940, artwork by Charles Biro)

Inez gets in a bind in the Scarlet Avenger!

(from Zip Comics #10 - November 1940, artwork by Mort Meskin)

PEP COMICS #10

(On Newsstands in October 1940)

Man, if only some of the interior art could be as good as some of these covers...

(from Pep Comics #10 - October 1940, artwork by Irv Novick)

The Shield had to 'shield' his eyes on occasion to get to a bad guy!

(from Pep Comics #10 - October 1940, artwork by Irv Novick)

Mort Meskin continued to im'press' with his Press Guardian strip... square jawed heroes, creepy bad guys and sexy dames in distress!

(from Pep Comics #10 - October 1940, artwork by Mort Meskin)

Joe Blair and Sam Cooper's Bentley of Scotland Yard deserves some credit... for being the last feature in the book they came up with some really off beat bad guys!

(from Pep Comics #10 - October 1940, artwork by Sam Cooper)

TOP NOTCH COMICS #10

(On Newsstands in October 1940)

Al Camy's cover puts Black Hood and the Skull right up in our faces... this had to be quite a sight on the stands back in October of 1940!

(from Top Notch Comics #10 - on newsstands October 1940, artwork by Al Camy)

He did a great job of keeping it good and moody on the inside to... to keep readers hanging around!

(from Top Notch Comics #10 - on newsstands October 1940, artwork by Al Camy)

BLUE RIBBON COMICS #8

(On Newsstands in October 1940)

I don't think they ever had Rang-A-Tang ever face off against any aliens, but it made for a great cover!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #8 - on newsstands October 1940, artwork by Ed Smalle)

Mort Meskin brought his sensibilities to Hercules as well!

(from Blue Ribbon Comics #8 - on newsstands October 1940, artwork by Mort Meskin)

ARCHIE's SHEET MUSIC

Here's a rarity for you that I didn't even realize existed...Sheet music for the Archie's musical group that included a comic! Looks like it was drawn by Harry Lucey... here's a special treat for you today!

BETTY & VERONICA #3

(On Newsstands in July 1951)

Let's start the process of getting caught up with Betty and Veronica!

One great thing about going back a few months is... George Frese was still alive and working on his specialty title. Betty & Veronica! And talk about a classic cover.. how many times would we see a variation of this?

(from Betty & Veronica #3 - July 1951, artwork by George Frese)

And look at this... a French transfer student! Between the teachers and the students, France was sending half their country over in the pages of Archie Comics.... that;s ok, because it always makes for some fun hijinks!

(from Betty & Veronica #3 - July 1951, artwork by George Frese)

Jughead's reaction is priceless...

(from Betty & Veronica #3 - July 1951, artwork by George Frese)

Ah Betty... is she simply Archie in girl form?

(from Betty & Veronica #3 - July 1951, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

BETTY & VERONICA #4

(On Newsstands in September 1951)

For a special issue that gives us the traditionally believed first Archie art of Dan DeCarlo (it IS DeCarlo), we get a Bill Vigoda cover. Ah well...I have a pretty nice looking copy, don't I?

(from Betty & Veronica #4 - September 1951, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

Before we get to that though... we get some fun baseball playing from B&V as Archie tries to teach them a thing or two about how to play!

(from Betty & Veronica #4 - September 1951, artwork by Georeg Frese)

And there we have it... the start of a new era in Archie Comics. For the next decade we'd see basically DeCarlo on B&V, Harry Lucey on Archie and Samm Scwartz on Jughead...(though they'd all do stories for each)

(from Betty & Veronica #4 - September 1951, artwork by Dan DeCarlo)

ARCHIE COMICS #60

(On Newsstands in November 1952)

Not a bad double entendre cover... There's no signature, but I'm assuming it's Bill Vigoda, because of Archie's big beaver teeth and the female that looks like a cheap blow up doll. Not a criticism, it's just how I recognize some of his art...

(from Archie Comics #60 - November 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

Here was an angle we hadn't seen before... Reggie gets a monkey! 

(from Archie Comics #60 - November 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda?)

With the loss of George Frese, the primary workload for Archie again went back to Bill Vigoda...Samm Schwartz was doing stories in Suzy and Jughead; Harry Lucey would take over Ginger, John Edwards was on WIlbur, and newcomer named Dan DeCarlo was getting started on Betty and Veronica...

(from Archie Comics #60 - November 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda?)

But as much change as was going on.... some things stay the same!

(from Archie Comics #60 - November 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda?)

PEP COMICS #9

(On Newsstands in August 1940)

The sexual tension was gone, but Irv Novick's cover for Pep #9 still had plenty going on...

(from Pep Comics #9 - August 1940, artwork by Irv Novick)

NOT the kind of surprise party you want to get stuck at... The Claw makes more trouble for Mort Meskin's the 'Press Guardian"!

(from Pep Comics #9 - August 1940, artwork by Mort Meskin)

Insinuating some of the darker acts of war... from Biro's Sgt. Boyle!

(from Pep Comics #9 - August 1940, artwork by Charles Biro).

This month it's Charles Biro who finally out did Novick with a dark, violent, bondage cover featuring some headless, brain in a jar villains! 

(from Zip Comics #9 - August 1940, artwork by Charles Biro)

Biro's Steel Sterling was getting violent, and soon, scenes like this one would be common place on covers for the era!

(from Zip Comics #9 - August 1940, artwork by Charles Biro)

Zambini the Miracle Man, may have been last, but Lin Streeters art made it memorable!

(from Zip Comics #9 - August 1940, artwork by Lin Streeters)

ARCHIE COMICS #59

(On Newsstands in September 1952)

Arrival date right on the cover of September 27th!

(from Archie Comics #59 - September 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

It's all teenage boys think about....

(from Archie Comics #59 - September 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

For some reason that's one female Archie HASN'T given his 'little token of affection' to!

(from Archie Comics #59 - September 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

A funny ad because Wilbur is naked and his butt is getting scorched by the hot water! We'll have a review of the very under rated John Edwards work on Wilbur (and Archie) very soon!

(from Archie Comics #59 - September 1952, artwork by John Edwards)

Veronica plays a dummy for Jughead as a ventriloquist!

(from Archie Comics #59 - September 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda)

Bob Montana was really hitting his stride in the newspaper strip and so the Archie book artists' many times did a great job of keeping pace with it...

(from Archie Comics #59 - September 1952, artwork by Samm Schwartz)

Seems Moose is as big of a corndog as all the rest!

(from Archie Comics #59 - September 1952, artwork by Bill Vigoda)