golden age Archives

Whiz Comics #155 is the beginning of the end of an important chapter in American comic book history.  The Fawcett Publications title had launched one of the most important and successful characters of the Golden Age 13 years earlier with the debut of Captain Marvel in Whiz Comics #2, and its end presaged the closure[...]

Jones was launched in Wonderworld Comics as the cover feature and quickly given his own series as well.  For V-Man, Fox took the unusual step of introducing the character in his own title straight away, something the publisher had never done before that time, previously preferring to elevate established characters from his anthology titles to[...]

According to a lawsuit over the creation of Ace Periodicals comic books during this era, the material in the publisher's earliest comics, including Sure-Fire Comics #1, was the creation of a comic production studio run by Patrick Lamar.  And it has also emerged that several of the stories in this issue were based on plots[...]

With a series of superweapons of his own invention, Sky Wizard defended mankind from a variety of threats.  This is a tough-to-get and often-overlooked series, but there are copies of the complete four-issue series of Miracle Comics, featuring the world's greatest scientist turned superhero Sky Wizard now up for auction in the 2024 August 1 –[...]

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are among the most famous creative teams in American comic book history.  They are the legendary creators of comic book titles and characters like Captain America and Bucky, Newsboy Legion, Boy Commandos, Manhunter, Boys' Ranch, Fighting American, and numerous others.  Every team starts somewhere, and the earliest collaborations of these[...]

The short-lived Scoop Comics series is unusual even by Chesler standards.  The title cycled through humor, adventure, and war covers in its first three issues 1941-1942.  The title initially lasted only 3 issues, with characters who debuted here like Master Key and Rocketman & Rocketgirl going on to appear in other Chesler titles such as[...]

Captain Battle debuted in Lev Gleason Publications' Silver Streak Comics #10, the creation of Carl Formes and Jack Binder.  Binder is well known as the founder of a major comics production studio active throughout the Golden Age and somewhat beyond, as well as being the older brother of Earl and Otto Binder.  On the other[...]

Fawcett Publications' Wow Comics series is best known for its regular feature Mary Marvel beginning in Wow Comics #9, but the first eight issues of the series are historically fascinating as well.  The cover star of many of these issues is Mister Scarlett, a fairly typical caped crusader based in Gotham City in these early[...]

With Lash Lightning captured in Lightning Comics v3 #1, he was able to transfer his powers to Isobel Blake, who became Lightning Girl.

Harry "A" Chesler's Dynamic Publications comic book publishing line would be paused in 1942 due to low sales (per War Production Board records).  In 1943, Chesler would package digest-sized comic books for publisher Remington Morse, but by 1944, the comic book industry vet was ready to jump into the business on his own again (Historian[...]

While not one of the best-remembered patriotic heroes of the era, The Flag, who first appeared in Our Flag Comics #2 from Ace Periodicals about seven months after the debut of Captain America, is an interesting example of how patriotism could be represented in WWII era comic books.  In addition to the prerequisite red, white[...]

Captain Courageous's origin and powers are vague.  He is super strong and durable, and appears to defend Democracy when needed — kind of a patriotic force of nature.  This sort of superheroic shorthand was not uncommon outside of major publishers like DC Comics, Marvel/Timely, and Fawcett.  After the Golden Age had progressed for a bit,[...]

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[...]

Doom" is universally associated with the Marvel Comics supervillain and nemesis of the Fantastic Four, the Golden Age of comic books featured the origins of not one, but two characters bearing the same name.  The first Dr Doom, a super-science supervillain, was introduced in Fox Feature Syndicate's Science Comics #1, intriguing readers with his sinister[...]

and its accompanying court testimony is a goldmine of historical information about the formative moments of the Golden Age comic book boom.  Filed by the company that would become known as DC Comics and asserting similarities between Superman and Fox's Wonderman, DC v Bruns is perhaps my favorite comic book history historical document, and a[...]

As we'll be discussing Baker's work a lot over the coming weeks, it should be noted that identifying Baker's art in comic books can sometimes be an inexact science.  This is true of the work of many comic book artists of the Golden Age (and beyond).  Unsigned work was commonplace and working in a studio/shop[...]

Matt Baker's first South Sea Girl cover for Seven Seas Comics #3 would lead to work on Phantom Lady, Rulah and beyond.

Matt Baker's handful of covers for the Quality Comics romance line came at an important turning point in his career.

In Seven Seas Comics #4, Matt Baker's South Sea Girl stars in a movie which seems to point to the character's film inspirations.

Hing's work on this series is an underappreciated moment from the Golden Age of comic books There are copies of three issues of Blazing Comics up for auction in the up for auction in the 2024 July 14-16 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122429 at Heritage Auctions. Blazing Comics #2 featuring the Green[...]

The title never did make it to the planned monthly release schedule.  That was just the beginning of what seems to have been a somewhat problematic production for the series, and that might help explain the mystery behind the cover of The Saint #4.  An iconic late Golden Age cover, there's a The Saint #4[...]

A very popular late-era Golden Age character, there's a Tiger Girl Group of 9 (Fiction House, 1947-52) Condition: Average GD- at the 2024 July 7-9 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122428 at Heritage Auctions. Fight Comics #32 is the first appearance of Tiger Girl, a long-running jungle girl character from publisher Fiction House[...]

The Werewolf Hunter feature in Rangers Comics was one of Golden Age artist Lily Renée's early assignments at Fiction House Professor Armand Broussard, the Werewolf Hunter, was an occult investigator whose adventures brought him up against a wild variety of supernatural creatures, exotic sorceresses, and artifacts of dark magic Lily Renée brought inventive and detailed[...]

Rip Regan, Power Man was an early Fiction House hero, Fight Comics #12 also features the earliest known comic book work by Reed Crandall.

A few months after beginning to work on Fiction House titles at Iger Studio, Matt Baker did his first covers for Crown Comics.

The obscure Atomic Comics #4 contains an eclectic mix of material including the boxing adventure Kid Kane by Matt Baker.

The creation of artist Frank Bolle, the masked hero Black Phantom had a classic villain-to-hero story arc in the pages of the Tim Holt comic.

The Ken Shannon story in Police Comics #104 appears to be influenced by a two Gorgeous George wrestling matches that took place in May 1950.

The publisher is… probably… unrelated to the Consolidated Magazines which published pulp-adjacent titles like Blue Book, Red Book, and Green Book in the 1920s and the likes of Peppy Stories and Paris Nights in the 1930s.  Like many publishers who quickly jumped in and out of comics in the 1944-1945 in a likely bid to[...]

Fiction House star artist Maurice Whitman covered Man O' Mars #1, an attempt by the publisher to survive the turmoil of the mid-1950s.