Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Bell Features, canadian comics, Namora

Namora Covers Comic Toons #37 from Bell Features, Up for Auction

Marvel's Namora shows up unexpectedly on the cover of Bell Features' Comics Toons #37, in a cover by Ken Bald from Namora #2.

Published Thu, 06 Mar 2025 17:58:08 -0600

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Sat, 08 Mar 2025 00:10:57 -0600

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Article Summary

Marvel's iconic Namora unexpectedly appears on Bell Features Comic Toons #37, showcasing Ken Bald's witty cover art from Namora #2.
Humorous Namora exterior meets Rusty Comics #20 teen humor interiors, with creative storytelling by Stan Lee and Al Jaffee.
Canadian Golden Age reprints reimagine U.S. comic materials amid evolving import laws during the wartime era.
Prized for its artistic flair and rarity, the issue captures the vintage Marvel legacy and collectors’ passion.

As we've noticed recently with comics like Rocket Man Comics, Weekender v2 #1 and Active Comics #29, Golden Age Canadian comics which used U.S. reprint material sometimes had covers that seemed to have little to do with their contents. Those three examples came in the wake of the ending of the War Exchange Conservation Act (WECA) Schedule One on August 1, 1944, allowing U.S. comic books and the materials necessary to reprint them back into the Canadian market even before the end of World War II. But the passage of the Foreign Exchange Conservation Act on November 17, 1947 gave rise to a whole new era of such reprints. FECA prohibited the import of U.S. comic books while allowing reprint materials. Bell Features' 1949 release Comic Toons #37 with its Namora cover is an example of one of the unusual items that were published during this era.

Unlike the case of 4most #22, where Bell pulled an interior Jack Kamen splash panel to use for the cover, Comic Toons #37 features Ken Bald's cover from Namora #2 but interiors from Rusty Comics #20. This includes the lead Rusty story One Woman Too Many! by Stan Lee and Al Jaffee. Comic Toons ran for three issues numbered #37-39, probably in 1949. If there's any logic behind the numbering of some of these short-lived series, it's possible that Comic Toons takes over the numbering from Bell's All True Crime Cases Comics. Overall, Bell published 256 comic book series 1941-1953, with an average series length of just over four issues. 19 of these series lasted for 10 issues or more.

Ken Bald's Namora #2 cover was probably chosen here for its humorous nature as a sort-of fit for the Rusty teen humor interiors. An interesting and tough-to-get item for serious Golden Age Marvel collectors as well as Canadian comic book collectors, there's a Comic Toons #37 (Bell Features, 1949) Condition: GD copy up for auction at the 2025 March 13 Canadian Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40290.