TIME BUBBLES: Conan the Barbarian #91 (1978)

Conan the Barbarian #91 

Marvel Comics, 35¢ ($1.27 in 2014 dollars), 32 pages

Cover Date: Oct. 1978 — Released: July 18, 1978

Story Grade: B+

Issue Score: 79.00

RAT-TASTICALLY RECOMMENDED

"Savage Doings in Shem!" 

(17 pages / 98 panels / 3,172 words / 17:45 read time)

Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas 

Penciller: John Buscema

Inker: Ernie Chan

Colorist: George Roussos

Letterer: Tom Orzachowski

Consulting Editor: Jim Shooter 

Ah,  1978, the most perfect year in comics. Yes, and I hope you will trust in my sincerity when I say this, I maintain the most perfect comics books ever made where published in 1977 and 1978! Of course, it possible that much of my love for the comics of this era is due to the fact that I was 10 years old when they came out (I'd turn 11 at the end of November), making them cherished parts of my childhood. 

Comic books changed a lot due to the infamous DC Implosion that happened this year. Within a few months, DC would invent the limited series in an attempt to use up material left unpublished by the Implosion, while the direct-sales market, still in something of a zygote stage in 1978, would soon become the primary distribution channel for our four-color wonders. Both developments would result in comic book companies — becoming more corporate and, I think, somewhat less creative around this time — playing to an increasingly narrow base of dedicated fans. 

And so, the 1977-78 period, which I think we can safely call the last great gasp of newsstand distribution, coincided with a time when I was beginning to make my own purchasing decisions, using my own money, albeit earned as an allowance. Prior to 1977, comics were purchased for me, with titles chosen sometimes with my input, sometimes despite it, and often in direct countermandance of it. 

However, Conan was not a book I chose to buy at the time. Although today I bemoan the market's focus on aging fanboys, and its near-total disregard for the casual reader, there's no questioning that I was part of the problem. Back in 1978, if it didn't wear a cape, or have super-powers, I wasn't interested. Still, regardless of genre, nothing sets my heart aflutter today quite like a comic book with the black "Marvel Comics Group" banner across the top and a "Still only 35¢" starburst in the upper-left corner . . .  even if it s Conan. 

Of course, part of that may be because we had a house fire in late August 1979, which cost us everything we had, including nearly 1,000 comics I'd collected to that point. Today I have more than 15,000 comics, but I still run across issue I've not seen since that fateful afternoon, and I love them most of all.

Anyway, as noted in my previous Time Bubble review, I recently scored a stack of nearly 100 Conans, ranging from #26 to #275. But, as you may by now guess, it was the issues from the era that this review covers that I dove for first. All had been passed over when new, but being from by Golden Age, I could hardly contain my excitement in reading them now.

This issue, is MUCH better than #26 — the first one reviewed here, if far from the first in the stack to be read. Part of that is likely due to the influence of Jim Shooter as "consulting editor." Here, Roy Thomas' script is less off-the-chart overboard with supercilious captions and more like his work as I loved it, in Invaders, All-Star Squadron, and other places. Of course, Thomas tends to the verbose, and he may not be to the tastes of all comics readers, especially newer ones. At the New 52 relaunch I actually overheard a fan at my local comics shop complain of George Perez' Superman that, "It has too many words." 

Still, this issue's story takes almost 18 minutes to read, while the whole book, with the letters page and Marvel Bullpen feature, will consume a good 25 minutes of your time. That's a fantastic entertainment value considering most new comics read in the 10-12 minute rage, for same money. Yes, a Near Mint copy of this particular issue, although 36 years old, will only cost you about $6. If you are willing to settle for something in the Very Fine-minus range, you can expect to pay less than a new Marvel comic, most of which retail for $3.99. 

Frankly, as the price of new comics continues to escalate, I expect the long-depressed market for mid-grade, non-key back issues to take off. When you can find comics from this era, often better drawn and better written than new comics, and in decent condition on your first eBay search, why buy new at all? One reason is that it can be a disjointed experience to read old comics one at a time, the serial story having become a staple of the industry by the early- to mid-1970s. Buying a reprint collection is often a more satisfying option. However, to my knowledge, Conan issues of this era have only ever been reprinted in Marvel's Conan Saga series form the 1990s. Given lower circulation, those reprints can actually be harder to find than the originals.

So, do yourself a favor, skip one new comic this week and buy an old 1978 Conan instead. Heck, this issue is worth it for the classic ads (X-Ray specs!) and Bullpen announcements of the immanent and recent Marvel debuts of Star-Lord and John Romita Jr. 

This issue is typical of the era. In addition to Roy Thomas' script (pretty super even when it goes sappy during Belit's love dance scene) there's John Buscema's art, which is leagues above just about everything on the stands today, even if it's not quite on par with his work in the last issue reviewed, #26. Marvel went from twice-up to the now-standard 11x17 dimension for original art in the late-1960. Still, looking at Buscema's work in #26 compared to this issue, I half wonder if he was still working twice-up in 1973. By this 1978 issue, his work looks slightly less dynamic, with more medium-length shots and close-ups that fill the panel while leaving the page feeling somewhat less expansive. Of course, it's worth noting that neither the coloring nor the production values of this issue are as good as they were five years earlier. 

Still, one issue with the art could be that Buscema was simply overworked at this point. The letters page  notes that he is back on board after missing a handful of issues to create a Conan newspaper comic strip for solicitation to syndicates as well as to crafting with Stan Lee the seminal How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. It's noted that the strip found a home and would launch in newspapers on September 4, so Buscema was undoubtedly pulling double-duty at this point. 

As an aside, the comic strip, which reportedly appeared in about 100 newspapers nationwide, only lasted until April 12, 1981. It was reprinted in various issues of Conan Saga, while Dark Horse Comics issued a collection in 2010 which, although titled "Volume One" apparently contains the entire run.

The story in this issue — you were probably wondering when I'd get to that — has Conan, Belit and Zula hooking up with the Black Corsairs. Then, after Conan beds Belit — because he's Conan dammit and that's what Conan does — they plot to invade Belit's kingdom Asgalun when M'Gora returns to the Corsairs with news of his recent spying mission. Recounting of that mission is a bit to wade through, as are efforts to re-enter the city by stealth, the invading force for some reason limited to Conan, Belit, Zula and M'Gora, the latter of whom quickly and quite mysteriously turns on his compatriots. 

That traitorous turn comes thanks to "master mage" Thoth-Amon. Although Thomas takes pains to mention Zula's powers of hypnotism, it's Thoth-Amon who takes over M'Gora's mind, forcing him to attack the others against his will. Zula's ability, for what its worth, is limited to making a Corsair flap his arms and squawk like a seagull. 

Finally, in the issue's cliffhanger, Thoth-Amon decides to make all four of our heroes fight each other.

On the letter's page, Thomas apologizes if this issues seems disjointed with all the new character names and whatnot. That's not a new thing. One of the letters complains about the constant comings and goings of people and places in the mag, each with nom-de-geurres hard to pronounce, much less remember.  The letter writer pleads with Thomas to have Zula, at least, stick around for a while. In a sidebar on the letter's page, Thomas says Marvel has been hobbled by rights issues over which of Robert E. Howard's characters they can and can't use, particularly as related to Belit. However, all that has since been resolved, Thomas says, terming this particular comic something of a transition issue as he tries to work out discrepancies between the Conan books and Marvel Comics chronology of the Cimmerian's adventures. 

Interestingly, and apparently partly due to the trouble of working out these conflicts, Thomas announces next issue (#92) will be a fill-in flashback to Conan's younger days, leaving the cliffhanger to wait until #93 for a resolution.

As a final, passing thought, I will say this issue's cover made me laugh out loud. After all, it's hard to see an image like this and not be immediately reminded of The Princess Bride, especially given that Conan's expression practically screams, "By Crom! Now that is a rodent of unusual size." Fortunately, Conan makes far shorter work of the offending beasts that the Dread Pirate Wesley, possibly due to feeling energized from having just given Belit something slightly more than the perfect kiss.

[COVER: 7.50 — PLOT: 7.75 — SCRIPT: 8.25 — LAYOUT: 9.75 — ARTWORK: 9.50 — EDITING: 7.0 — COLORS/PRODUCTION: 6.25 — DOLLAR VALUE: 8.0 — COLLECTIBILITY: 8.25 —GOSH-WOW FACTOR: 6.75] 

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Conan, John Buscema, Marvel Comics, Roy Thomas, Time Bubbles,

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TIME BUBBLES: Conan the Barbarian #26 (1973)

Conan the Barbarian #26 

Marvel Comics, 20¢ ($1.07 in 2014 dollars), 32 pages

Cover Date: May 1973 — Released: Feb. 20, 1973

Story Grade: B

Issue Score: 75.0

ARTFULLY RECOMMENDED

"The Hour of the Griffin!" 

(20 pages / 125 panels / 3,172 words / 21:00 read time)

Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas 

Artist: John Buscema

Inker: Ernie Chan (as Ernie Chua)

Colorist: Glynnis Wein

Letterer: John Costanza 

I was never much into Conan as a kid. Yup, it was all about super-heroes for me in my halcyon youth. In fact, you might say I'm the reason there's so little diversity in the comic book market today.

But I happened to score a batch of Conan's recently. I placed an ad in Uncle Henry's soliciting for someone to cut trees on my property to make room for a garden. The deal was you-cut, you-keep, but my ad did say that anyone who brought me comic books might get to harvest a couple of extra poplars, maybe a birch, even. Two people replied to the ad, one of whom offered half a long box of comics, including about 90 Conans. Needles to say, he got the gig. Now, they were mostly reading copies, Very Good to Very Fine, but what the heck, I've always been a reader, not an investor.

The earliest issue in the bunch was #26, notable in that it was only John Buscema's second issue of what would eventually be a 135-issue run, lasting until #190, cover dated January 1987. For that alone, this issue has HIGH collectibilty, in my eyes. In fact, this issue is worth having just for Buscema's beautiful, beautiful art. Hey kids, there's a reason it's Jolly John, and not Kirby, or Ditko, or any of the other founders who's the star of How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. The layout here is practically perfect, with Buscema at the top of his form, and the delineation is a delight to behold as well.

This book currently goes for about $22 in Near Mint condition. A slabbed 9.0 actually sold for exactly that price on eBay less than a month ago. But if you are, like me, less fussy and willing to take a lesser-condition copy, you can actually have one for about the price of a new Marvel comic. Per some of the online price guides, a Very Fine condition copy will set you back $18.50, a Fine issue $6.50, and a Very Good copy just $3.30. But a quick search of recent eBay sales shows copies in Very Fine condition going for about $5, and Fine+ for around $4, which just goes to show you how the bottom has dropped out of the back issue market for anything other than high grade key issues. Why Buscema's early efforts on Conan are not considered key is beyond me.

To my knowledge, this particular issue has only been reprinted twice, in Marvel's Conan Saga #63 in 1992 and, in 2004, in Dark Horse Comics' The Chronicles of Conan Vol. 4. In my estimation, you'll probably have less trouble tracking down a copy of the original comic than either reprint.

And why not start the hunt? The art here is so far above anything on the stands today, and the coloring moody and evocative despite the limitations of the era, it's worth having just to look at.

Actually reading it, however, could be a bit of a struggle. On his short-lived blog, Jim Shooter railed against the early-1970s practice of having writer/editors at Marvel. No writer, no matter how good, should be his own editor, Shooter said, and I wholeheartedly agree. After all, any decent editor would have kicked Thomas until his balls were as purple as the prose in this story. 

Don't get me wrong, Roy Thomas is one of my comics heroes. His Invaders and pre-Crisis All-Star Squadrons, just to pick a couple of his titles off the top of my head, will always be among my very favorite comics of all time. But he sure proved Shooter right with this issue. There's a saying that writers should hunt down adjectives in their work, and kill them. But Thomas apparently was not in a particularly murderous mood when he wrote this story. Today, the typical 20-page comic book story will average 1,300 words. Here, Thomas pounds out 3,172. Thomas was always wordy, of course, and some of us love him for it. But this story is just an absolute chore to wade through, with adjectives aplenty choking up the panels like kudzu, describing in syrup-soaked detail every last thing Buscema draws.

For example, as enemy soldiers burst into an alter room and bear down on the barbarian, Thomas tells us:

"Instinctively, Conan crouches behind the massive, flame-lit alter . . ." he writes, in a panel showing Conan crouching behind a massive, flame-lit alter. "He braces mighty barbarian thews against finely-carved marble . . . begins to push . . . and slowly, ever so slowly -- or so it seems -- the alter begins to sway --"

This two-panel sequence is kind of funny in a way, as it stresses how long it takes Conan to topple the alter on top of his enemies. But, I suppose when you have a host of scimitar-swinging soldiers trying to hack you apart, easy-does-it is the way to go.

There's also a funny scene in which the invading horde descends into the city, Trojan War style, from the hollow underside of a giant statue depicting a winged horse. Presumably, this is the griffin of the title, although I always understood griffins to be a cross between an eagle and a lion — horses need not apply. Anyway, the invading army, from whatever kingdom Thomas says they're from in his tortuous "tableau" captions that introduce each setting, are told by a deserter about a secret cave entrance into — again, whatever kingdom Thomas says is being invaded — on the city's "nether side." This being 1973 and the Comics Code Authority in full effect, the cave has to be on the city's nether side, and not on its ass-end. You understand.

As the invading army begins to search for the cave, an incredibly convenient earthquake — which apparently does no damage and causes no panic inside the city — reveals its entrance. From there, the army eventually walks to "Troy."

"By Ishtar's girdle," one soldier says, "That cave-tunnel had more offshoots that the fabled labyrinth of Khora-Ja! Lucky for us one tunnel led into that horse's hollow belly."

What's funny, of course, is that in order to come down out of the giant horse's belly, the soldiers must have needed to climb up one of its legs, which I'd think would have created a fair bottleneck in the procession.

Meanwhile, Conan buddies-up with a captain of the guard who, apparently, was his enemy in the previous issue. This being the early '70s, we are getting into an era when it's helpful when attempting to read any comic book to have read the previous issue, at least, in that series. Even so, Thomas does a decent job of making this issue stand on its own. Unlike modern comics which frustrate the hell out of me, this issue leaves me less with the guessing-at-what's-going-on and more flush with the anticipation of wanting to track down and buy earlier issues. 

Anyway, Conan and the captain happen across the city's queen and try to squirrel her away to safety. But first, Conan tries to distract their pursuers, leading them a merry chase until he happens upon a room housing the Living Tarim, or, as Conan notes, "The one this war is all about!" But our barbarian soon learns that Mr. Holy of Holys is not just some robed recluse, he is the product of way, way, WAY too much royal inbreeding. Why the rulers of this city would keep their prized quasi-fugly in a room lined with mirrors is a mystery, but it does end up making for a nice visual when his face is revealed.

Unfortunately, despite waging war over who gets to host the Living Tarim, none of the soldiers, on either side, have ever seen him. So, when they bust in and start slinging arrows at Conan, its the outrageous fortune of the. Living Tarim to get slightly less living, though no less ugly. Also, burnt to the bone, which is what falling in a fire pit gets you.

Conan then lights out and quickly reconnects with Queen and captain, leading their way to freedom through giant saber-toothed possum and rear guard soldiers. Conan then considers making the queen his wench, since he's gone to the trouble of rescuing her, after all, but as it turns out, she's preggers, and the thought of instant fatherdom is enough for Conan to point her on her way stage right while he hightails it stage left.

Finally — no spoilers on a 41-year-old comic — the invading general, Yezdigerd (gesundheit!), finds the dead Living Tarim and, in an epilogue worthy of any EC Comics or Twilight Zone twist, drives its robed skeleton through the conquered city, his none-the-wiser soldiers cheering their victory.  After all, young Mr. Inbred was mute as well as being a hemophiliac, so who was going to talk to or touch him anyway? 

[COVER: 8.50 — PLOT: 7.50 — SCRIPT: 4.75 — LAYOUT: 10.0 — ARTWORK: 9.75 — EDITING: 5.50 — COLORS/PRODUCTION: 7.25 — DOLLAR VALUE: 7.50 — COLLECTIBILITY: 9.25 —GOSH-WOW FACTOR: 5.0] 

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Conan, John Buscema, Marvel Comics, Roy Thomas, Time Bubbles,

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TIME BUBBLES: The comic books of April 1939

Well, here it is boys and girls, the 75th anniversary of the first appearance of Batman (or, "Bat-Man," as he was initially known) this month in 1939.

There has been some debate as to the precise on-sale date for Detective Comics #27. Over on Bleeding Cook, Mark Seifert recently touted March 30, 1939, as the date of the darknight detective's dazzling debut. And dazzling it must have been. The nascent comic book industry produced just 24 titles in April 1939 (five times that come out in a single week these days) and, for my money, Detective 27 was the most stunning of the lot. Anyway, Seifert bases his claim on the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright for Periodicals. Of course, of the listing is correct, in means DC put out two issues of Detective Comics in March 1939 and none in April. It is possible that the company, reportedly having specifically commissioned the creation of a new super-hero following the boffo success of Superman, rushed Batman's debut to secure copyright. However, as Seifert himself notes, actual copies of the comic book are known to be stamped by retailers with an April arrival date.

I tend to believe the March 30 date given by the Library of Congress is a print date, or maybe the date of an ash-can can or limited distribution run. I favor the April 18 date listed in the database at Mike's Amazing World of Comics. In fact, almost all of the release dates I use in these reviews from from Mike Voiles research, when not based on my own, or better information available form other sources.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at what your grandfather just might have buried in a trunk in the attic. Since it's just 24 books this month, we'll take a tour of them all. Future editions of this feature will necessarily me limited to the highlights.

On-sale, Saturday, April 1

All-American Comics #2
All-American Comics (DC Comics), 10¢, 64 pages

Although though of today as a DC comic, All-American Comics was the flagship title of a separate company, founded in 1938 by Max Gaines, purported to have invented of the comic book format five years earlier. All-American had separate editorial offices from DC, but was founded on funds provided by DC publisher Harry Donenfeld, while the two companies shared the services of numbers man Jack Liebowitz. The Flash, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and the Justice Society were all published by Gaines' company, until he sold out to Donenfeld in 1946,  just as the Golden Age of comics was waning.

There isn't a ton to recommend from this issue, which was mostly reprints of newspaper strips, including Mutt & Jeff, Toonerville Folks and Reg'lar Fellas, although in truth I have yet to find a copy to review online. The lead and longest feature, at 10 pages, was Red, White and Blue, a comedy/adventure strip about a trio or military men created by Jerry Siegel. There's also a four-page story of Hop Harrigan, largely unknown today, but popular enough at one time to warrant a radio show, a movie serial and a fan club. Frankly, I'm surprised DC has not tried a New 52 version of Hop. He'd have found that missing Malaysian airliner in about three seconds!

Comics on Parade #14
United Features Syndicate, 10¢, 64 pages

A title dedicated to reprints of the syndicate's newspaper strips, including the cover-featured Abbie and Slats, as well as Tarzan, the Captain and the Kids, Ella Cinders, Nancy, Broncho Bill, Little Mary Mixup, Dynamite Dunn, Grin and Bear It and Roads of Romance, along with "many others."

Of all the features, modern readers are probably familiar with Tarzan (although likely not from his newspaper strip) and Nancy. Abbie and Slates, a   soap opera strip about a pair of small town cousins, was created in 1937 and written through 1946 by Al Capp of L'il Abner fame and featured fantastic art by magazine illustrator Raeburn Van Buren. It ran in newspapers as late as 1971. The Captain and the Kids continues today under its original title The Katzenjammer Kids, but the Captain and . . . version was one featuring the same characters by series creator Rudolph Dirks, following a legal battle between the Hearst and Pulitzer newspaper chains. It ran in newspapers until 1979. Ella Cinders, a variation on Cinderalla, ran in papers from 1925 to 1961. Broncho Bill, a western strip created in 1928 and went through a few name changes before settling down in 1932, ran in papers until 1950. Little Mary Mixup started in 1917 as a one-panel gag-a-day feature starring a mischievous nine year old, but by World War II, with Mary as a teen, had morphed into an adventure strip. It ended in 1956. Dynamite Dunn was a boxer who, in Popeye fashion, took over an existing strip, in this case, that of Joe Jinks, who served as Dunn's promoter, only to share billing with him from 1934-1936. Grin and Bear It, a gag panel created by George Lichty in 1932, still runs today. Finally, whatever Roads of Romance was, Google couldn't find it.


Single Series #5
United Features, 10¢, 64 pages

Speaking of Dynamite Dunn and Popeye, Fritzi Ritz suffered a fate similar to Joe Jinks and Castor Oyl, losing her long-running strip to a Nancy-come-lately. Launched in 1922 as a brunette Blondie, Fritzi was a free-wheeling flapper who took in her niece Nancy in 1933, losing title billing to the plump and precocious preteen five years later. Her popularity having given way to Nancy on the newspaper page, it's somewhat surprising to me that United Features chose to issue a complete Fritzi comic. Single Series was, as the name implies, a showcase for individual features, as opposed to the anthology books otherwise published by United Features. This particular issue was apparently popular enough, even without Nancy no the cover, that it went though a second edition. Fritzi still appears in the Nancy strip to this day, albeit as a big-bosomed billboard for music acts thanks to her career as a concert promoter and purveyor of quality t-shirts.

Large Feature Comic #2
Dell, 10¢, 64 pages

According to the Grand Comics Database, this book reprinting Milton Caniff's Terry and the Pirates strips from 1935-1936 is actually called Large Feature Comic, which was Dell Publishing's version of United Features' Single Series, I guess. The series lasted through issue 30 in 1942 and, a few Disney titles excepted, largely featured adventure strips, such as Dick Tracy, Tarzan, the Lone Ranger and Smilin' Jack. Terry and his gang again appeared in issues 6 and 27. I'm not all that familiar with Caniff's strip, so I don't know how the yellow menace is, although I expect he's the pidgin-speaking comic relief, from an era when such stereotypes were acceptable.

Tip-Top Comics #37
United Features Syndicate, 10¢, 64 pages

Another anthology of newspaper strips, this issue sporting a very pulp mag cover, I must say, Tip-Top was one of the first comic books series, launching in 1936. It actually had quite a long run, lasting until issue #225, cover-dated July 1961, well after such Silver Age debuts as The Flash (Oct. 1956), the Legion of Super-Heroes (April 1958), Supergirl (May 1959), Green Lantern (Oct. 1959), the Justice League of America (March 1960), and just a few months shy of the Fantastic Four (Nov. 1961). The title did change hands a few times in later years, from United Features, to St. John, to Dell, by which time it was largely a Nancy and Sluggo comic, but Tarzan appears to have been the sustaining cover feature through much of the Golden Age.

Tip-Top featured many of the same strips as Comics on Parade, with the addition here of L'il Abner, Jim Hardy, an early strip by Dick Moores, better known for his work on Gasoline Alley, that ran from 1936-1942, and Frankie Doodle, a short-lived strip (1934-1938) often described as a male Orphan Annie. Note that Fritzi Ritz and not Nancy is also featured here, despite having already lost her newspaper strip to her the young usurper. My guess is that the strips that ran in books like Tip-Top were all at least a couple of years old.

Tuesday, April 4

Action Comics #12 
DC Comics, 10¢, 64 pages

Just one comic this week, and it's a beut, with Zatara the magician making his first of two cover appearances, the other being #14, before Superman begins hogging the space to himself beginning with #19. Far more interesting, however, is what goes on inside, as Zatara witnesses during his 12-page tale what is thought to be the first gay kiss in comics as he works to unite two warring nations of the fourth dimension!

The 13-page Superman story is typical of the characters early years as a social crusader. In it, Supes declares war on reckless drivers, using his powers to evade police while he scares drunk drivers, "haunts" hit-and-run drivers, destroys a factory where "unsafe" cars are built, and shows a reckless-driving mayor the product of his errant ways at the local morgue. You can read this story in 2006's Superman Chronicles Vol. 1 trade paperback.

Rounding out this issue are stories featuring reporter Scoop Scanlon (one of the few characters to ever defect DC, appearing in the mid-'40s in Holyoke comics titles Terrific Comics and Cat-Man), athlete Pep Morgan (who pre-dates the title, having debuted in 1936 in More Fun Comics #12), historic explorer Marco Polo, cowboy Chuck Dawson and adventurer Tex Thompson, all largely forgettable, although Thompson would go on to a lengthy Golden Age career as the whip-wielding super-hero Mr. America.

Thursday, April 6

Jumbo Comics #8
Fiction House, 10¢, 48 pages

Something of a misnomer, "Jumbo" comics range in at 48 pages, a sparse offering compared to the 64-page comics kids could get elsewhere for their Depression Era dime. However, the book really was "jumbo" in length and width, if not thickness, running at the size of a tabloid newspaper through this issue, before shrinking to 8.5x10.5-inches with #9 and then settling down to standard Golden Age dimensions with #10. According to Peter Hansen as quoted by Ken Quattro Jumbo was, at least initially, a direct reprint of the U.K. comic book Wags, for which Will Eisner supplied material. Apparently Eisner and his business partner Jerry Igar produced the first comic books for pulp magazine publisher Fiction House by buying back the printing plates from Wags to save money over creating new plates and the standard comics size. 

Interestingly, this title touts the New York World's Fair, which really must have been a big deal back in the day, and not just a local event. This particular issue also boasts four strips by Lou Fine (The Count of Monte Cristo, Ken Hammond, Wilton of the West, and The Diary of Dr. Hayward), two by Bob Kane (Peter Pupp and Jest Laffs), and three by Eisner (Hawks of the Sea, Heroes of Sport, and Uncle Otto), along with The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Dick Briefer and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, by Bob Powell. There's also a three-page strip called Spencer Steel by an unknown artist the Grand Comics Database calls "very sophisticated." Detective #27 may have the most historical importance, but this comic was probably the best looking issue put out by any publisher this month.

For what it's worth, Jumbo lasted until issue #167, cover-dated March 1953.

Movie Comics #2
DC Comics, 10¢, 64 pages


Ah, the infamous first failure of DC Comics (published by in-name-only subsidiary Picture Publications Inc.), canceled after six issues. The book largely featured fumetti, comics stories made by patching together movie stills photos that are then airbrushed and lettered. Is that as horrible as it sounds? Judge for yourself by casting your peepers on these pages from the adaption of Stagecoach, in this issue. Instead of Movie Comics, this clunker should have been titles Really-Bad-Acid-Trip Comics.

Friday, April 7

Super Comics #12
Dell, 10¢, 64 pages

Another anthology reprint of newspaper comics, Super cover-featured Dick Tracy for most of its 121-issue run, which ended in 1949. This issue features Dick, Little Orphan Annie, Smokey Stover, Smilin' Jack, Gasoline Alley, the Gumps and Winnie Winkle, along with Terry and the Pirates. Basically, if you were a kid in 1939, there was no shortage of places to get years-old reprints of your favorite Sunday funnies.




Monday, April 10

Amazing Mystery Funnies Vol. 2 #5
Centaur, 10¢, 48 pages

Lasting just 24 issues, AMF was, like most Centaur titles, pretty schizo about its numbering system, employing a mix of volume numbers and whole numbers, even repeating a few along the way, just for shits and giggles.

It's sort of easy to dismiss Centaur as the Charlton Comics of its day, but like Charlton it published work by some quality creators, including, in this issue, Bill Everett (creator of the Sub-Mariner), Fred Guardineer (creator of Zatara), Paul Gustavson (creator of the Human Bomb and Marvel's Golden Age Angel), Tarpe Mills (one of the first female comics artists, best known for Miss Fury) and Carl Burgos (creator of the Human Torch).  Most of the characters these creators originated  for Centaur, including Amazing Man, The Arrow, Phantom of the Fair, and others, eventually fell into the public domain, where they were eventually resurrected by Malibu Comics in 1992 as the super-hero team, The Protectors.

The Digital Comics Museum does not have a copy of this particular AMF issue, but you can read Burgos' Air-Sub 'DX' feature from the following issue, here.

Star Comics Vol. 2 #4
Centaur, 10¢, 48 pages

Unlike AMF above, this issue of Star Comics has no name creators. In fact, the Grand Comics Database entry is simply a series of question marks. The title itself, which was gone by August, 1939, was picked up by Centaur from an outfit called Ultem Publications, which in turn acquired it from the Harry "A" Chesler studio.

The Digital Comics Museum also is missing this issue, but here is Star Comics #16, from Dec. 1938, to give you an idea of what the title was like. This issue was 52 pages, while v.2 #4 (whole #20) was 48. I suspect Centaur, sensing the end was near, was trimming pages in an ultimately futile effort to boost profits.

Thursday, April 13

More Fun Comics #43
DC, 10¢, 64 pages

A fun cover, because, honestly, what's more fun than a crocodile zeroing in on some kid's crotch! Early issues of this title might just as well have been titled Kitchen Sink Comics. There's a little bit of everything in here, with Siegel and Shuster's Radio Squad being the apparent high point. There really isn't much to say about More Fun during this stage, between Dr. Occult and the Spectre, it's mostly generic features under a generic cover. Those covers however, of the are-we-having-fun-yet mode of imminent peril, probably kept this title moving off the racks super-heroes came along.

Friday, April 14

The Funnies #31
Dell, 10¢, 64 pages

Primarily a place for NEA Syndicate newspaper strips including Alley Oop and Captain Easy, The Funnies was, by this point, tossing in original material based on familiar concepts such as, in this issue, John Carter of Mars, The Wizard of Oz and cowboy hero Gene Autry.

The Funnies converted to funny animals and became New Funnies with #65 cover-dated July 1942. That gave way to a particular group of funny animals and a name-change to Walter Lantz New Funnies with #109 in March, 1946. The title lasted into the Silver Age, until #288, April 1962.

Saturday, April 15

Famous Funnies #58
Eastern Color Press, 10¢, 64 pages

Ah, Famous Funnies, the granddaddy of them all, the first genuine comic book. This issue reprints newspaper strips including Somebody's Stenog, Butty and Fatty, Roy Powers, Nipper, Skyroads, Hairbreadth Harry, Buck Rogers, War on Crime, Jitter, Big Chief Wahoo, Dicky Dare, Adventures of Patsy, High Lights of History, Napoleon, Oaky Doaks, Olly of the Movies, Scorchy Smith, Above the Crowd, Mescal Ike, Babe Bunting, Connie, and Homer Hoopee. Or, with few exceptions, every comic strip you never heard of. You can sample them here, minus Buck Rogers, removed I presume over copyright issues. 

My favorite strips in this issue are Eagle Scout and Skyroads (love the flying tips giving to all the little junior pilots in the reading audience!), while I find the "Indian Lingo" in Big Chief Wahoo fairly offensive.

Beyond that, modern-day party poopers will no doubt tut-tut at the fireworks ads. I can't even begin to tell you the trouble I could have gotten into had I been able to buy fireworks out of the comic books when I was a kid in the 1970s! But I guess it was a different age. Can you image a magazine printing the names, ages and full addresses of kids soliciting random letters from pen pals. Those two pages in this issue look like a pedophile's shopping list! 

Tuesday, April 18

Detective Comics #27
DC, 10¢, 64 pages

Well, there it is, big daddy, the first appearance of Batman. Also, the first example of a what-the-hell-is-that-batline-supposed-to-be-attached-to?! cover. Still, there could not have been a more striking cover to capture the hearts and minds of any kid with a dime. A dime in 1939, by the way, had the buying power of $1.67 today, so I don't think those little silver tokens were as hard to come by as we might thing.

For my money, the best way to get a feel for what this comic was like is the Millennium Edition, published in Feb. 2000, which even reprints two of the features in this issue, Buck Marshall, Range Detective, and Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise, in two colors, red and black, as done in the original edition.

Most of the features in this issue have a numbing sameness to them that makes the Batman feature really stand out as something far more polished. Of course, polishing, rather than creating from scratch, appears to be exactly what Kane was up to (and Bill Finger, too!) at least according to the three part expose on the ever-excellent Dial B for Blog. (Part I, Part II, Part III)

Cosmo, by Sven Elven, and the Crimson Avenger, by Jim Chambers, are to my mind the most interesting features visually, the latter having an appealing crudeness, while Elven's work has an almost hyper-kinetic energy to it. The two Siegel and Shuster features in this issue, Spy and Slam Brady, are worlds apart. Spy had individually numbered panels, making me wonder if, even at this comparatively late date, the due wasn't still using up work created years earlier with an eye to newspaper strips. Slam, complete with cartoon sidekick Shorty Morgan, not unlike the pairing of Captain Easy and Wash Tubbs, is far cruder in art style, and counter-intuitively, probably of more recent vintage that the Spy feature. Shuster got bogged down pretty quickly and his eyesight, never great, grew worse, making his later work far less appealing than his earlier stuff. Of course, all of Shuster's heroes look like Superman. Line Spy, Slam, Supes up in a row and just try to tell them apart!

Slam and the Crimson Avenger, both of whom pre-date Batman, had long tenures in Detective, the former through #152 (Oct. 1949) and the latter until #89 (July 1944).

Speed Saunders, Ace Investigator, the lead feature on Detective Comics #1 and the first character to get a cover shot (#4) was gone from the book by issue #58 (Dec. 1941). Buck Marshall, featured sporadically from #1 bailed by #36 (Feb. 1940). Siegel and Shuster's Spy, in the form of federal agent Bart Regan, only lasted until #34 (Dec. 19939). Adventurer and amateur sleuth Bruce Nelson, somewhat different in that each of his adventures spanned several issues, was gone by #36 (Feb. 1940).  Fun Manchu, though written by the character's creator, Sax Rhomer, wrapped his tenure in the next issue, #28 (May 1939). Cosmo's career was over by #37 (Mar. 1940). I don't seem to me able to fund much info on the features that rounded out this issue, cop character Plain Clothes Pete and one-page humor piece Flatfoot Flannigan. Regardless, their future was sealed the moment Batman swung into action.

Wednesday, April 19

King Comics #38 
David McKay, 10¢, 64 pages

Like United Features, the King Features Syndicate was an early player in the world of comics, recycling here its own line-up of newspaper stripes. King Comics was mostly full-page Sunday strips and, let's face it, mostly about Popeye. However, while United Features put out its own comics, King's content was published by David McKay, a book publisher who's main claim to fame was issuing in 1907 the first complete collection of Shakespeare's works published in the United States. McKay got out of the comic book game in 1950. His company, then run by his son Alexander, was absorbed by Random House in 1986.

Thursday, April 20

Adventure Comics #38
DC Comics, 10¢, 64 pages

We're still a couple of months away from the advent of super-heroes in this title  and, as such, it's mostly generic and forgettable stuff. There's adventurer Barry O'Neill (who bounced around several of DC's Platinum Era titles), Inspector Kent (making his last appearance here), Siegel and Shuster's Federal Men (which also bounced around several early titles, lasting in Adventure until #70 in Jan. 1942), Tod Hunter, Jungle Master and sailor Tom Brent (both by Crimson Avenger creator Jim Chambers), District Attorney Steve Malone (late of Detective Comics, by the great Gardner Fox. Malone would last until #59 in Jan. 1942), flying ace Captain Desmo (who would transfer to More Fun after #47, where he'd stay aloft until Oct. 1941), Army intelligence officer Skip Schuyler (who'd bow out by #46, Jan. 1940), and Anchors Aweigh!, about a pair of Navy pals (which weighed anchor in #52, July 1940).  There's also a pair of Bob Kane gag features, Rusty and His Pals and Professor Doolittle, as well as a two-age feature called Don Coyote, on which I can turn up little information.

Tuesday, April 25

All-American Comics #3 
All-American (DC), 10¢, 64 pages

Although I said earlier I doubted DC distributed two issues of Detective Comics in March, sister company All-American did apparently put out two issues of its eponymous comic in April. And our pal Hop gets the cover all to himself, too. One presumes it was too early at this point for Gaines to be getting letters showing that Hop, and not Red, White and Blue, as apparently intended, was the real star of this book. Maybe he just presumed, based on the fine artwork of artist/writer Jon L. Blummer?

Crackajack Funnies #12
Dell, 10¢, 64 pages

Another collection of strip reprints by Dell, or technically Whitman, which you can read here. There's Detective Dan Dunn, cowboy heroes Tom Mix, Buck Jones and Red Ryder, as well as the smoking hot Myra North, Special Nurse. The "special" part may refer to the fact that shes' a redhead on the logo but a brunette in the actual story. Rounding out the issue are Wash Tubbs, Clyde Beatty, Daredevil Lion Trainer, Speed Bolton Air Ace, The Nebbs, Don Winslow of the Navy, and G-Man Ed Tracer, as well as female leads "Boots," Annabelle, and Apple Mary.

Crackajack was fairly shortlived, ending with #43, cover-dated Jan. 1942. Interestingly, from issue #25 it featured Batman knock-off The Owl and (from #32) his sidekick Owl Girl. They dusky duo took flight for Dell's Popular Comics when Crackajack folded.

Wednesday, April 27

Funny Pages Vol. 3 #4
Centaur, 10¢, 48 pages

Another comic featuring the New York World's Fair! Like Star Comics, this title was purchased from the short-lived Ultem Publications, which in turn bought it from Comics Magazine Company, founded by John Mahon and Bill Cook, employees of financially strapped Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who reportedly walked with some of the Major's inventory, including Dr. Occult pages, in lieu of payment. Funny Pages was be most renowned as home to The Arrow, comics' first masked archer, predating Green Arrow by more than three years. This particular issue is not online (at least that I can find). Still, this copy of Vol. 2 #11, from Nov. 1938, will give you some idea of what the Arrow and his accompanying Funny Pages co-stars were like.

Thursday, April 28

Feature Comics #21
Quality Comics, 10¢, 64 pages

The highlight of this issue is unquestionably Espionage, starring Black X, by Will Eisner. Although, it's worth noting that one of comics' first masked heroes, The Clock, fights crime this issue without ever bothering to don his mask, showing, I guess, just how new and unfamiliar the genre was at this point. You can read the full issue here.

Feature Comics began life as Feature Funnies, changing titles with this issue, about the time Quality founder Everett M. "Busy Arnold bought out two of his three newspaper syndicate partners in Comic Favorites Inc. to form Comic Magazines Inc., Quality's corporate parent. Initially, Arnold had his comics packaged by Harry "A" Chesler, but by this point the material was coming out of the Eisner & Iger shop.

Thanks to the Eisner-created Doll Man, who came along in issue #27, cover-dated Dec. 1939, Feature Comics would last until #124, dated May 1950. In 1956 DC Comics bought the trademarks to most of Quality's titles and characters, although copyrights to the original material was never renewed, putting it in the public domain.

Keen Detective Funnies Vol. 2 #6
Centaur, 10¢, 48 pages

As mentioned earlier, Centaur's comics dressed out at a comparatively paltry 48 pages. However, the company must have realized it was losing dimes from cost-conscious readers, as this issue clocks in at the industry-norm 64 pages, while trumpeting above the logo, "16 MORE pages."

You can read the book here. Many of the stories, it's worth noting, are reprints from Ultem's Funny Pages and Funny Picture Stories and Detective Picture Stories. New however is cover feature Dean Denton, a "scientific adventurer" whose shtick was, shades of Silver Age Superman, ventriloquism. He was in fact, "America's most famous ventriloquist, retired from stage, screen and radio."

Wonder Comics #2
Fox Features Syndicate, 10¢, 64 pages

If there is one cover this month to rival Batman's debut, it's this stunner by comics master Lou Fine. A little heavy on the magenta scale, perhaps, but wonderfully prescient of the Atom Age of sci-fi comics and giant gorillas to come.

Apparently having already been served a cease-and-desist on Wonder Man, the cover feature of issue #1 which prompted a March 15 1939 copyright infringement filing by DC, the hero was held back this issue in favor of Eisner's Yarko the Great, Master of Magic. Eisner is all over this book but in my humble opinion the real treat is the Patty O'Day story by Adolphe Barreaux. Be that as it may,  company founder Victor Fox, must have assumed he'd prevail in court, as an editor's note on Page 16 of this issue says, "Sorry there's not room enough in this issue for the Wonder Man, but he'll be back with you soon in bigger and better adventures."

However, it was not to be. Depsite Will Eisner's testimony that Wonder Man was an original creation, the court ruled in DC's favor. Wonder Man, who got his Superman-like powers from a magic ring, never returned and Wonder Comics became Wonderworld Comics with its third issue, which featured another Eisner creation, The Flame. Frankly, I doubt DC could prevail today as it did back when over Wonder Man and, later, Captain Marvel.

By now, you should be getting an idea, from all the companies and characters he was involved with, just how vital Eisner was to the creation of the comic book industry, although he is primarily known today for The Spirit.

Sunday, April 30

New York World's Fair Comics #1
DC Comics, 25¢, 96 pages [sold only at the fair]

With two other comics promoting the New York World's Fair, it's not surprising that some enterprising publisher, and Harry Donenfeld was nothing if not that, would fund a way to hawk their pulpy wares at the actual event.

Seemingly, the book did not sell as well as expected, as a second edition the following year was priced at 15¢. However, it has also been claimed that the second issue, the first to feature Superman and Batman together on one cover, was popular enough that it led directly to the creation of World's Finest Comics

Still, in this giant-sized book, we get a Superman who may or may not be Ray Middleton, as well as the first published appearance of the Sandman, two months before his official debut in Adventure Comics #40. Here's a good run-down of the special issue's line-up. Meanwhile, here is a video of Supermans' first appearance outside of comics at the fair, with a cameo b a young Jerry Siegel.


Well, that's it gang. We'll close with a little data errata, then be back later in the week to review comics published 70 years ago this month, with World War II in full swing, in April 1944.

APRIL 1939 INDEX

24 comics from nine publishers: DC (8), Centaur (4), Dell (4), United Features (3), Eastern Color (1), Fiction House (1), Fox (1), McKay (1), Quality (1).

Cover price: 

23 at 10¢ ($1.69 in 2014 dollars), one at 25¢ ($4.22)

Median cover price: 10¢

Average cover price: 10.6¢ ($1.79)

**Total retail value all comics: $2.55 ($43.07)**

Page count: 

Four at 48 pages, 19 at 64 pages, one at 96 pages.

Median page count: 64

Average page count: 58.5

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