Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: fiction house, maurice whitman, sheena

The Overlooked Fiction House Artistry of Maurice Whitman, at Auction

Underappreciated comic book artist Maurice Whitman created dozens of covers for Fiction House during 1950-1954, most of them stand-outs.

Published Wed, 18 Oct 2023 18:22:10 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Sat, 28 Oct 2023 12:53:43 -0500

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Article Summary

Maurice Whitman, an underappreciated comic book artist of the Golden Age, extensively contributed to Fiction House, producing standout covers between 1950 and 1954.
Whitman began his career post-WWII and worked for renowned names like Harry Chesler, Lloyd Jacquet and Jerry Iger before leaving a mark with Fiction House.
Whitman's work for Fiction House until Summer 1954 is considered his peak, producing interior stories and covers for titles such as Wings Comics, Planet Comics, and Jungle Comics.
A collection of Fiction House comics featuring Maurice Whitman's art and covers is up for auction at the 2023 October 19 The Fiction House Comics & Comic Art Showcase Auction #40235 at Heritage Auctions.

We recently singled out the short-lived but the highly-collected Ghost Comics series from Fiction House, with its covers by an underappreciated artist of the Golden Age, Maurice Whitman. But Whitman's work graced a large number of comics of the mid-1940s through the early 1950s that are undeservedly overlooked. After serving in WWII, Whitman entered the comics industry in the mid-1940s working for the likes of Harry Chesler, Lloyd Jacquet, and Jerry Iger. But in 1947, he began working for the publisher with which he would make his mark: Fiction House. Whitman worked on interior stories for titles such as Wings Comics, Planet Comics, Jungle Comics, and other Fiction House titles from 1947-1950 before starting to get cover work as well. Maurice Whitman created dozens of covers for Fiction House 1950-1954, most of which are stand-outs. There are a bunch of Fiction House comics with Maurice Whitman covers or art up for auction in the 2023 October 19 The Fiction House Comics & Comic Art Showcase Auction #40235 at Heritage Auctions.

Maurice Whitman cover for Kaanga Comics #9, Sheena #13 (Fiction House, 1951)

Maurice Whitman worked for Fiction House until Summer 1954, and the company ceased operations shortly thereafter, becoming a victim of the anti-comics moral panic of the mid-1950s. He then moved onto a wide range of work for Charlton, Warren Publications, and others. But his Fiction House work is Whitman at the peak of his abilities. There are a bunch of Fiction House comics with Maurice Whitman covers or art up for auction in the 2023 October 19 The Fiction House Comics & Comic Art Showcase Auction #40235 at Heritage Auctions. New to collecting Fiction House or want to learn more? Bleeding Cool is doing an ongoing deep dive into the history behind Fiction House in the run-up to this auction. If you've never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.