Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Captain Flag, golden age, MLJ

The Tragedies and Triumphs of Blue Ribbon Comics, at Auction

Blue Ribbon Comics was the first comic title MLJ published, and it was also the first one they canceled, but not because of its contents.

Published Wed, 03 May 2023 14:57:11 -0500

by Mark Seifert

Last updated Thu, 26 Sep 2024 17:19:48 -0500

Comments

Article Summary

Blue Ribbon Comics debuted in 1939, marking MLJ's first comic title and was canceled shortly after.
Issue #21 featured patriotic hero Captain Flag, amidst branding challenges in a crowded market.
The series also included notable characters like Rang-A-Tang and Mr. Justice, evolving from pulp fiction roots.
Despite its brief run, Blue Ribbon Comics' rarity and significance make it a collector's gem today.

As the comic book market was undergoing significant expansion in late 1939, MLJ Magazines — the entity that would one day be known as Archie Comics — entered the industry with their debut title, Blue Ribbon Comics. During its short lifespan, Blue Ribbon Comics offered a variety of adventure fiction and, soon, some superhero stories, embodying an era where comics were in part transitioning from pulp-inspired adventure to comic book superheroes. Issue #21 of Blue Ribbon Comics, which featured the patriotic superhero Captain Flag, is a fascinating example of a series struggling to stand out in a crowded market, a case of a pulp-legacy branding misfire eventually leading to its cancellation with the next issue. It was the first comic book title that MLJ published, and the first title they canceled too, but probably not because of the content. One of several issues of the series with a very low census population, there's a CGC GD/VG 3.0 copy of Blue Ribbon Comics #21 (MLJ, 1942), plus copies of #19 (CGC VG 4.0) and the final issue #22 (CBCS FN+ 6.5) up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions.

Blue Ribbon Comics #19, #21 (MLJ, 1941-1942).

The second-to-last issue of this oft-overlooked series, Blue Ribbon Comics #21 features Captain Flag without his trusty eagle sidekick Yank — whose final appearance was in issue #20. Introduced with issue #16, Captain Flag was a direct response to the rising tide of patriotic heroes that MLJ themselves had started with the Shield in Pep Comics #1. Not really that late to the party, Captain Flag was launched roughly six months after Marvel/Timely introduced their star-spangled hero, Captain America. Before then, Blue Ribbon's cover-featured characters had included the wonder dog Rang-A-Tang, the virtually forgotten character Corporal Collins, and Spectre-inspired Mr. Justice.

Though the title seemed to have hit its stride editorially with the introduction of Mr. Justice and Captain Flag, it's clear that MLJ realized with Blue Ribbon Comics #19 that they might have a branding problem. Blue Ribbon started out as a brand name used by MLJ principals Louis Silberkleit and Maurice Coyne in pulps, as the imprint Blue Ribbon Magazines and the titles Blue Ribbon Western and Blue Ribbon Sports. In keeping with that strategy, the "Blue Ribbon" portion of the title logo soon became a tiny part of the cover, with the central focus being simply "COMICS." This might have seemed like a sound idea when it was dreamed up in mid-1939 as publishers didn't really know how the comics business was going to play out yet, but in the crowded market of late 1941-1942 it didn't really work. With issue #19, Captain Flag took up prominent space in the logo area. By issue #21, an editorial in the title was touting a shift to include "true life" stories in addition to adventure fiction.

Obviously, MLJ was not happy with the result, as the title ended just an issue later. It's probably under-discussed that the company's success was in part built on aggressively reacting to their market data. Four months after Blue Ribbon Comics ended, Top-Notch Comics became Top-Notch Laugh Comics. Soon after that, it was clear that Archie was becoming a monster hit, and their output shifted accordingly. Still later, they put the Black Hood through what might be the first significant comic book reboot.

They ended their first title on a high note, however, with several outstanding Captain Flag covers to end the run. Sadly, Captain Flagg, Mr. Justice, and many other Blue Ribbon Comics features would not be seen again anytime soon. The series is generally much rarer than one might think, and the title has that magic combination of rarity and importance that collectors tend to love. There's a CGC GD/VG 3.0 copy of Blue Ribbon Comics #21 (MLJ, 1942), plus copies of #19 (CGC VG 4.0) and the final issue #22 (CBCS FN+ 6.5) up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions.