Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Eastern Color Printing, famous funnies

Eastern Color's Historic Famous Funnies #1, up for Auction

Eastern Color Printing's 1934 debut of Famous Funnies launched one of the most important series in American comic book history.

Published Sat, 24 Jun 2023 07:52:09 -0500

by Mark Seifert

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One of the most historically important series of the Golden Age, Eastern Color Printing Company's Famous Funnies series lasted 218 issues 1934-1955. This successful series was launched by Eastern Color after previous comic book efforts by Dell Publishing and Eastern Color themselves, as well as Jake Geller's brief American version of Comic Cuts. The Famous Funnies series largely featured comic strip reprints throughout its run, typically Sunday pages reformated for comic books, and its success was critical in leading toward the boom of the Golden Age. There's a copy of the series debut of this historic title with Famous Funnies #1 (Eastern Color, 1934) CGC Apparent VF- 7.5 Moderate (P) Cream pages up for auction in the 2023 June 22 – 25 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction #7340 at Heritage Auctions.

The debut of Famous Funnies as a series followed after previous efforts by Dell Publishing and Eastern Color from 1929-1930. Dell Publishing had launched the tabloid-sized, five-cent priced The Funnies in 1929 in what is considered an important precursor to the Golden Age. As an aside, the trademark application for The Funnies by The Funnies Publishing Co. via longtime magazine editor Ernest Heyn, with a claimed usage in 1928 is an unexplored historical connection here. Heyn did work for Dell on and off during this period, but the registration using what seems to be his own corporation deserves some scrutiny. Heyn's longtime associate (they had attended Princeton together) Harry Steeger was the editor of Dell's The Funnies.

Of course, Eastern Color joined this funnies fray with Funnies on Parade in 1933. This was an eight-page newsprint tabloid featuring comic strip reprints used as a promotional product for Procter & Gamble soap and toiletries. Eastern Color and Dell then collaborated on Famous Funnies A Carnival of Comics in 1933 and formed a joint venture for the one-shot Famous Funnies Series 1 in 1934.

Eastern Color subsequently launched the long-running Famous Funnies title on its own when Dell declined to continue. Even Variety was skeptical of the viability of Famous Funnies when the first issue hit newsstands in June 1934, noting Dell's short-lived earlier attempt with The Funnies. Of course, Famous Funnies became a success after a few issues, and Dell revived The Funnies title on its own in 1936. In the meantime, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson had founded National Allied Publications and published New Fun #1 in early 1935, launching what would become the DC Comics empire.

The debut of one of the most important series in American comic book history, there's a copy of the series debut of this historic title with Famous Funnies #1 (Eastern Color, 1934) CGC Apparent VF- 7.5 Moderate (P) Cream pages up for auction in the 2023 June 22 – 25 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction #7340 at Heritage Auctions.