Posted in: Comics, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Promise Collection, superboy

Promise Collection 1949: Looks Like a Job for Superboy

"A once-loyal army of 4 1/2 million readers has dwindled to 700,000 and these survivors soon are to have their supplies cut off," At the time of this April 1949 statement widely reported in newspapers, the fan who was assembling the Promise Collection was one such "survivor" who was reading some of Street & Smith's comic books. "In the next few weeks the last four pulp magazines and five comic books published by Street & Smith will disappear from the drug store counters and newsstands.  Where they will find their high adventure and happy-ending stories when the current press runs are over is something that probably worries many of the 700,000.  The Street & Smith trend that was climaxed recently by the announcement of the abandonment of its last pulps and comics can be traced to 1938. It was in that year that Allen L. Grammer, silver-haired former member of the Curtis Publishing company's staff, took over the direction of Street & Smith. He decided the pulps, founded in 1855 by Francis S. Street and Francis S. Smith, weren't profitable enough for the energy expended in putting them out."

"Detective Story is the oldest of the four magazines abandoned, having made its first appearance in 1915. The scrapped comic books include Buffalo Bill Picture Stories, Top Secrets, True Sports, Supersnipe and The Shadow (this a picture version). In addition to Mademoiselle, Charm and Mademoiselle's Living, the company will have something left for the men to read in Astounding Science Fiction, Air Trails Pictorial and Pic Sports Quarterly, the last two of which are printed on slick paper."

Welcome to Part 20 of the Promise Collection series, which is meant to serve as liner notes of sorts for the comic books in the collection. The Promise Collection is a set of nearly 5,000 comic books, 95% of which are blisteringly high grade, that were published from 1939 to 1952 and purchased by one young comic book fan.  The name of the Promise Collection was inspired by the reason that it was saved and kept in such amazing condition since that time. An avid comic book fan named Junie and his older brother Robert went to war in Korea.  Robert Promised Junie that he would take care of his brother's beloved comic book collection should anything happen to him. Junie was killed during the Korean War, and Robert kept his promise.  There are more details about that background in a previous post regarding this incredible collection of comic books.  And over the course of a few dozen articles in this new series of posts, we will also be revealing the complete listing of the collection.  You can always catch up with posts about this collection at this link, which will become a hub of sorts regarding these comic books over time.

January Through April 1949 in the Promise Collection

There are only a handful of Street & Smith comic books in the Promise Collection — Junie sampled titles including Shadow Comics, Top Secrets, and Buffalo Bill Picture Stories during 1948/1949.  Ironically, the decision to halt the line completely may have been more abrupt than the news reports imply, as Buffalo Bill Picture Stories #1 (which is present in the Promise Collection) had hit the newsstand just days before the Street & Smith announcement hit newspapers.

And while Junie was apparently not the biggest fan of Street & Smith comic books in the world (there are only eight issues from the publisher in the Promise Collection), the collection had reached its peak in terms of volume of issues in 1948, and the changes coming in 1949 would become very apparent.  Several of Junie's favorite long-running superhero titles would soon come to an end.  In this January-April 1949 period, Flash Comics #104 would be the final issue of that important series, for example.  While Good Girl comics were also slowly giving way to other genres like westerns and romance, there are still some important examples from these months — including Phantom Lady #23 CGC 9.6 which sold on June 18, 2021 for $108,000.  Among new series launches from this period, Superboy #1 is the most important #1 on the list:

• Gunsmoke #1
• Kaanga Comics #1
• Real West Romances #1
• Romantic Adventures #1
• Slave Girl Comics #1
• Smash Hit Sports Comics #1
• Superboy #1
• Teen-Age Romances #1
• Young Love #1
• Pride of the Yankees #1

The Last Flash (For Now)

Within a period of a few months between mid-1948 and early 1949, DC Comics updated and expanded the origins of three of its most important characters — Batman, Superman, and the Flash. Batman #47 and Superman #53 expand the original origins of these characters with significant new detail. Both of these comics are highly sought after by collectors for that reason. Flash Comics #104 is well-regarded as well, but is mainly known for a very different reason: it's the last issue of the title. The series was rebooted with #105 in the Silver Age, a decade after #104.

Like Batman #47 and Superman #53, Flash Comics #104's "origin retold" moment is in large measure a rewrite for a comics-reading audience that had gotten a lot more sophisticated since Superman was introduced in Action Comics #1 in 1938.  Batman #47 and Superman #53 can be considered baby steps towards the continuity that became the hallmark of the Silver Age, and it's likely that Flash Comics #104 would be regarded in the same light if the title had survived.

That aside, this issue contains a clever pointer towards the inspiration behind the origins of the Flash.  In his Jay Garrick alter-ego, Flash is reunited with the chemistry professor who oversaw the experiments that led to the "hard water" accident that gave the Flash his super-speed powers.  This professor, Doctor Clariss, would become the Flash's super-speed rival and villain.  But when they meet in their civilian identities, Jay tells him, "I'm anxious to hear more about your work with Uranium 235." This clinches the notion that the "hard water" that gave the Flash his powers was actually inspired by "heavy water". As for the connection between heavy water and Uranium 235:

In its natural state, common uranium (U-238) can't generate destructive nuclear explosions. It either must be enriched—made more concentrated in a rare form of uranium (U-235)—or converted into plutonium (Pu-239). Heavy water can play a role in breeding weapons-grade plutonium from common uranium. In a heavy-water nuclear reactor, when neutrons bombard U-238, some uranium atoms absorb an additional neutron and are transformed into Pu-239.

Heavy water was popularly (and wildly) speculated to have a wide range of effects on living beings when Flash Comics #1 was written in 1939 — including significantly increasing the human lifespan.  Given this in combination which its actual use in nuclear processes, it was a short leap for the scientifically-minded Gardner Fox to transmute such inspirations into super-speed abilities after Jay Garrick's accident at "Midwestern University".  The addition of a device called an "atomic bombarder" into the plotline of Flash Comics #1 completes this picture.  Around the time that Flash Comics #1 was being produced, scientists at the University of Illinois (certainly a Midwestern University) had produced an "electric atomic gun" to bombard heavy water with countless "atomic bullets". The bullet-catching scene in the Flash Comics #1 story (and on its cover) could be viewed as a rather neat analogy for this development.  And the introduction of Doctor Clariss in Flash Comics #104 ties this all together in a rather remarkable way.

A Job for Superboy

Superheroes were not coming to a complete end at DC Comics, but the times were certainly changing.  Of course, Superboy had enjoyed success in Adventure Comics after his debut in More Fun Comics, and at this time got his own series even as his Adventure Comics tenure continued. Based on trade journal advertising that DC Comics did in the wake of launching the Superboy title, it appears they intended to use the character to help combat the perception that comics encouraged juvenile delinquency.  As a kid himself, Superboy even in his young Clark Kent form was frequently shown as a good, helpful citizen of Smallville, and DC Comics promoted the idea that he was a positive influence on kids.  For example, as the text of an ad in Advertising Age that discusses the genesis of a story involving safe behavior which appeared in Superboy #4 explained:

"A couple of months ago The National Safety Council working in cooperation with the Advertising Council began a new drive on a couple of bad eggs, Accident and Carelessness. I guess these swell people figured that starting with the kids would be ideal, 'cause they catch on fast. So, they called on my publisher, The National Comics Group, to enlist their aid. Well editor-in-chief Ellsworth, a fast man with good ideas, latches on, draws up this 8-page feature for our books, and tosses the ball my way Of course, I was happy to help. "We took a typical group of American kids and had us go through some adventurous paces. I show the readers, and the kids in the story, the wastefulness and stupidity in unsafe street behavior, home carelessness, dangerous games, and even man-made forest fires. And, the important thing is that being safe isn't being a sissy. "And because of this eight-pager. I think we'll be rounding up a lot of new members for the many local Junior Safety Councils. "Y'know… I'm pretty proud of this feature, too!"

No Johnny-come-lately to shouldering the responsibilities that accompany the publishing of newsstand magazines em-braced by America's younger people, over the years National Comics has consistently packed their magazines with a wealth of information and inspiration.

Subtly blending high adventure and stepped-up action with lofty ideals and seal.of-the–pants instruction…all of National Comies titles and characters have played and will continue to play, their part… from safety to tolerance, juvenile delinquency to religion, War Bond drives to proper dental care.

As ever, it's National Comics for information, inspiration, and entertainment.

It was perhaps a persuasive pitch to both advertisers and readers, and Audit Bureau of Circulation data shows that National Comics Group numbers held steady through this period, even as publishers like Street & Smith decided that it was time to exit the comics business.

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