Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Al Rucker, canadian comics, Gus Ricca

Gus Ricca's Iconic Dr Doom Cover on Rucker's The Weekender, at Auction

Gus Ricca's iconic Dr. Doom piece from the cover of Dynamic Comics #11 was also used for Canadian comic The Weekender v2 #1 from Rucker.

World War II-era Canadian pulp and comic book publisher Rucker Publications might be best known to collectors today for its series the Weekender, but the title itself has a long history before Rucker rebooted it as a comic book.  Al Rucker launched the Week Ender as a tabloid in 1934, which explains quite a bit about the contents of the comic book itself. Perhaps the best-known issue of the series, The Weekender V2#1 (Rucker Publications, 1946) is up for auction in the 2025 March 13 Canadian Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40290 at Heritage Auctions.

The Weekender comic book series is a mix of newspaper-style content and photos, along with reprints of Chesler and other material, and original comic book material in at least one issue.  The first two issues of the series have the title Comic Section of Illustrated Weekender News Reviews which is perhaps an indication that it was meant as part of a reboot of Rucker's original tabloid.  Al Rucker handed over management of the Week Ender tabloid to others when he joined the service in 1939, but without him, it had ceased publication by around 1941.  Rucker died in August 1945, which may have ended any possible plans to relaunch the tabloid itself.

Of course, the cover to the Weekender v2 #1 is Gus Ricca's now-famous piece from the cover of Dynamic Comics #11, which features the scientist character named Dr. Doom from the Echo series in that title. The Echo featured the crime-fighting exploits of a family of two brothers and their sister who were urged into a mission of fighting the underworld by the ghost of their murdered father.  The Echo himself was a ventriloquist who wore an invisibility belt created by his super-scientist brother, who goes by the name of Dr. Doom (after the family's ancestral home, Doom Hall).  It's clear from the title page of the first appearance and origin of this team in Yankee Comics #1 that the scientist figure on the cover of Dynamic Comics #11 is indeed Dr. Doom. The figure in the test tube on the far right is likely sister Cora, and the sleuth with the spyglass in the center test tube is likely the Echo himself.  The team has foiled the plot of a clever thief who stole a valuable chemical formula in the story.

Like many Golden Age Canadian comic books, The Weekender v2 #1 is tough to get, with only two copies in the CGC Census, and none in true high grade. The Weekender V2#1 (Rucker Publications, 1946) is up for auction right now, and we will have much more about Al Rucker in posts to come.

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