Accomplished artist Louise Altson painted portraits for numerous important 20th century figures, and also did some Marvel covers.
golden age Archives
We recently talked about how Tessie is underappreciated as Marvel's earliest female star character during the Golden Age. She took over the covers of Joker Comics shortly after her debut in issue #2 of that series in 1942, and within two years was carrying three Marvel series at the same time, becoming the cover feature[...]
While June Tarpé Mills' Miss Fury can be considered the first female superhero published by Marvel/Timely in the Golden Age, and Millie the Model is undoubtedly the most famous female Marvel character to debut in that era, Tessie the Typist is arguably Marvel's first female star character. Years before Millie Collins, Patsy Walker & company[...]
The Blonde Phantom was one of Marvel's most popular female superheroes of the Golden Age. The character debuted in All Select Comics #11, cover-dated Fall 1946, and that series was retitled Blonde Phantom Comics beginning with the next issue. She made around 40 appearances across seven titles between late 1946 and early 1949, and had[...]
Perhaps the first superhero of the Atomic Age, Charles A. Vought's inventive Atomic Man had a brief run in Prize's Headline Comics.
The Edgar Church / Mile High comic book pedigree is a collection of almost 15,000 comic books 1937 to 1957 amassed by Denver, Colorado commercial illustrator Edgar Church. The collection, much of which has been preserved in incredible high grade, has become the stuff of legend since it was discovered by longtime retailer Chuck Rozanski (also known as[...]
Dan DeCarlo is best remembered for his work on Archie Comics, but he played a significant role in 1950s Marvel like Millie the Model as well.
The incredibly obscure Star Studded Comics from Cambridge House Publishers features Ghost Woman plus work by Carmine Infantino.
Alex Schomburg is one of the most widely-collected cover artists of the Golden Age, with many focusing on his WWII-era work His cover of Wonder Comics #3 (cover-dated November 1944), with Standard/Better/Nedor character the Grim Reaper punching a Nazi is a classic Schomburg example. Featuring an early Grim Reaper story and the origin of the[...]
This issue has recently attracted some attention among serious vintage comic book collectors, as high grade copies have been virtually unheard of on the public marketplace in the CGC era. Last year, a CGC 5.5 copy went for $3960 at Heritage Auctions. Whitman is an underappreciated superstar of the late Golden Age, and this Summer[...]
Beck make these early Whiz Comics #4's Captain Marvel tale a fascinating reflection of this particular moment in history. Formative issues of a historic comic book series, there are several early issues of Whiz Comics available in the 2023 March 26-28 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122313 at Heritage Auctions.
Whiz Comics 3[...]
But now we have returned to his earlier form.
But it's not just Geoff Johns' Golden Age obsessions being warmed over here Todd Nauck also gets a go with Greta Hayes, also known as Secret She appeared in a one-shot comic, part of the Girlfrenzy event from DC Comics in 1998 by Todd Dezago and Todd[...]
With Captain Marvel riding high as one of the top characters in comics with a popularity that rivaled Superman throughout much of the Golden Age, in 1941-1942 and again in 1947-1952 Fawcett Publications produced a number of giant, squarebound annual editions targeting the holiday and otherwise gift-giving market. Gift Comics and Xmas Comics both topped[...]
There were a lot of strange superheroes created during the Golden Age of comic books, but Volton might be in a class all his own. Volton was apparently the creation of Charles Quinlan, perhaps in collaboration with Cyclone Comics series editor Worth Carnahan. A distinctive stylist who is also known for some unusual and inventive[...]
One of the low-key best science fiction titles of the Cold War era, Charlton's Space Adventures contains many underappreciated gems.
Debuting in a larger-than-standard 10.5" x 14" format, it originally featured the superstrong and invulnerable character Master Man among others, but after settling down to a standard Golden Age comic book size with Master Comics #7, the series came to include the likes of Bulletman, Bulletgirl, and patriotic hero Minute-Man. Captain Marvel Jr was then[...]
Tawny Tawky, the anthropomorphic talking tiger who debuted in Captain Marvel Adventures #79, became a beloved part of the Shazam pantheon soon after his 1947 debut, but he was not Fawcett Publications' first talking feline hero. That distinction belongs to Eric the Talking Lion, who debuted as a sidekick of sorts to the character Lee[...]
Richard E. Hughes and Ken Bald's science fiction saga Time Travelers hits the spotlight in Operation: Peril #4 with cover by Ogden Whitney.
Bulletman is one of those golden age heroes that deserves a renaissance Debuting in Nickel Comics to some controversy at the time since the cost of that comic was 5 cents and 32 pages, at a time when most comics were 10 cents and 64 pages, he was one of the stars of the Fawcett[...]
Cow Puncher Comics does not contain any actual cow punching, but features art and covers by Jack Kamen, Joe Kubert, Walter Johnson and more
1953 Star Publications Pre-Code Horror release Spook #26 features a lurid cover by L.B. Cole for Jay Disbrow's interior tale "Face of Death".
The newspaper strip saga of the adventures of an entertainer named Claire Voyant was published as a comic book by the founder of The Hill.
Heritage Auctions is hiring comic book graders to work at their Dallas, TX location near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. They are looking for candidates knowledgeable about Golden Age, Silver Age and later comic books, preferably with experience in comic book grading. In addition to grading comic books, other duties will include researching and estimating[...]
Hughes the next year. Pines' own experience with college humor magazines beginning in 1925. These and other elements all came together with the comic line we've come to refer to as Standard/Better/Nedor with the launch of Best Comics in 1939. While plenty of obscurities exist in the comic book publishing history of the Golden Age,[...]
While Standard/Better/Nedor's art director, Graham Ingels created standout covers there before being hired by Al Feldstein for EC Comics.
There's a Black Terror #23 (Nedor, 1948) Condition: GD/VG and Black Terror #24 (Nedor Publications, 1948) CGC FN- 5.5 Off-white to white pages in the 2023 February 23 The Thrillingly Exciting Heroes of Nedor Comics Showcase Auction #40219 at Heritage Auctions.
Black Terror #24 (Nedor Publications, 1948) featuring Lady Serpent.
Continued stories were the exception rather than the[...]
Manhattan of Watchmen fame. But this is actually the origin of American Crusader, who debuted in Thrilling Comics #19 in 1941. There's a CGC FN- 5.5 copy of Thrilling Comics #19 (Better Publications, 1941) up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions.
Thilling Comics[...]
A Golden Age comic book with a WWII-themed cover and an interior story to match, there's a copy of Startling Comics #20 up for auction in the 2023 February 23 The Thrillingly Exciting Heroes of Nedor Comics Showcase Auction #40219 at Heritage Auctions If you're new to Heritage Auctions, check out their FAQ on the[...]
This issue features a "Xela" cover by Schomburg, a Black Terror science fiction story by Moldoff, and another Black Terror story with inks by Frazetta. An underappreciated late Golden Age issue with appeal for a wide range of collectors, there's a copy of Black Terror #22 (Nedor Publications, 1948) CGC FN- 5.5 Off-white to white[...]
This CGC VG+ 4.5 copy of Thrilling Comics #2 (Better Publications, 1940) is up for auction in the 2024 September 26 – 27 Heroes of the Golden Age Comics Showcase Auction #40265 at Heritage Auctions There are several other issues of Thrilling Comics featuring the character available as well.
Thrilling Comics #3 (Better Publications, 1940) with[...]