golden age Archives

Super Magic Comics #1 (Street & Smith, 1941)
Popper & Co.-published items, Vital Publications published at least two Blackstone comic book giveaways, in 1948 and 1949, one of which also includes Timely-published material.  Proskauer was in the Blackstone publishing business throughout this entire period. Meanwhile, Street & Smith's Super-Magician Comics lasted for nine issues after Blackstone's departure.  Two of the final three issues also[...]
Marvel Mystery Comics #9 (Timely, 1940)
As one of the most important Golden Age Marvel/Timely issues featuring Namor, demand for this issue seems destined to increase as Namor joins the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The foundational Marvel character will be played by Tenoch Huerta, beginning in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever With high-grade unrestored copies virtually impossible on the public market, this very[...]
Miss Fury #8 (Timely, 1946)
"Like some fantastic creation, Black Fury relentlessly fights crime in all its phases, in the distorted minds of ruthless men.  A beautiful girl, like a phantom crusader for what is right…"  So began a March 29, 1941 teaser for a new comic strip which included the first image the public ever saw of this early[...]
Headline Comics #70 (Prize, 1955)
We've recently covered its overlooked Simon & Kirby material and its historic debut of the first atomic-age hero, but overall, Headline Comics might be one of the most underappreciated series of its era.  This Prize Comics Group series lasted for 77 issues from February 1943 to September-October 1956, comfortably transitioning from the Golden Age, to[...]
Headline Comics #18 (Prize, 1946) featuring Atomic Man.
Voight, was the first of these, with a debut in Headline Comics #16.  Perhaps the first hero of the atomic age, there are copies of several issues of Headline Comics featuring Atomic Man up for auction in the 2024 August 1 – 2 Rarities of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40259 at Heritage Auctions. Headline[...]
Speed Comics #44 (Harvey, 1947)
The post-World War II era was a time of transition for all American comic book publishers.  Many were pulling back on their superhero titles, and experimenting with a wide variety of other types of material to see what might be the next big thing.  In 1946, Harvey launched a number of new series including Stuntman,[...]
Speed Comics #22 (Harvey, 1942)
Some experts believe the pencils are by Jack Kirby." Mendryk elaborates on the "Glaven" pseudonym on the Simon & Kirby blog, noting that this was a nickname of sorts for one of Simon's childhood friends. Is there anything to be learned about this cover in the context of Speed Comics #17-23?  The Speed Comics #17 cover is[...]
Speed Comics #13 (1941)
'Go put out a comic book,' she told him, and he did." But Greenwald's brief association with Speed Comics seems pretty hands-on and savvy.  In issue #12, he made an obvious reboot to Shock Gibson, the Human Dynamo, by giving him a new costume and expanded electricity-based powers, bringing his abilities more into alignment with his[...]
Mars Mason in Speed Comics #9 (Brookwood, 1940)
Imagine a sort of early 1970s psychedelic concert poster art style somehow transported through time to 1940.  Further imagine that this retro-futuristic style is used to illustrate the comic book adventures of an interplanetary mail carrier.  This gives you some tiny glimmer of a notion of the wonder that is Mars Mason of the Interplanetary[...]
Feature Funnies #19 (Quality Comics, 1939)
Some definitive moments of Golden Age comic book history took place in and around courtrooms and law offices.  Detective Comics, Inc Against Bruns Publications, Inc., Kable News Company, and Interborough News Co (aka the Superman vs Wonder Man lawsuit) and National Comics Publications v Fawcett Publications (aka the Superman vs Captain Marvel lawsuit) come to[...]
Feature Funnies #3 featuring The Clock (Quality Comics, 1937)
The Clock was the first masked hero of the Golden Age of American comic books The character was created by George Brenner and first appeared from publisher Comics Magazine Company in Funny Pages #v1#6 and Funny Picture Stories #1, both cover-dated November 1936.  These issues hit newsstands 18 months before Superman's debut in Action Comics[...]
Speed Comics #6 (Brookwood, 1940)
There are several issues of the early Golden Age Speed Comics title from publisher Brookwood up for auction in the 2022 August 14-15 Sunday & Monday Comic Books Select Auction #122233 at Heritage Auctions. Speed Comics #6 (Brookwood, 1940)   Speed Comics star Shock Gibson was a pretty typical superhero in the Superman mold.  An experiment involving chemistry[...]
Yankee Comics #1 (Chesler, 1941)
There are at least a couple of Golden Age characters named Dr Doom.  One of them is a super-science supervillain who debuted in Fox Feature Syndicate's Science Comics #1.  The other is a heroic mad scientist made famous by Gus Ricca's wild and iconic cover of Dynamic Comics #11, published by Harry A Chesler.  The Chesler[...]
Silver Streak Comics #18 (Lev Gleason, 1942)
Written by Leslie Charteris himself, The Saint comes to you right out of the movies — to perform here exclusively his terrific adventures and clever detective work that have made him world famous." Gleason's expensive gamble didn't pay off.  The Saint had started in Silver Streak Comics #18, and three issues later (and one issue after[...]
Captain Battle Comics #2 (New Friday, 1941)
was the original's son, a WWII fighter pilot who also worked for Army Intelligence. Whatever actually happened there with the missing #4, the Chesler involvement, and all the rest, Captain Battle is a classic patriotic hero from one of the most editorially interesting publishers of the Golden Age, and you can get all of them up[...]