MLJ Archives

The character may not be the best known of the pre-Archie MLJ Magazines superheroes, but he is definitely one of the most fascinating Created by writer Joe Blair and artist Sam Cooper, Mr Justice was very obviously MLJ's answer to the Spectre He is essentially a spirit who hauntingly enacts justice on those who have[...]

He was the earliest cover star of Top-Notch Comics series, the second title launched by MLJ Magazines, the publisher who would eventually become known for Archie The Wizard was created by Will Harr and Edd Ashe, Jr and is the decedent of a long line of men who have fought for America in wartime He[...]

MLJ Magazines' superhero lineup tended towards horror-themed stories during the Golden Age, and the nature of the Hangman character lent itself to horrific themes more than most In a story by stand-out artist Bob Fujitani, Hangman Comics #7 tells the saga of a disgruntled scientist who teams up with a gangster to unleash a pandemic[...]

Best known as the publisher who debuted Archie and the rest of the gang of Riverdale during the Golden Age, MLJ Magazines was better than most publishers at navigating the rapidly evolving industry of that era The character the Scarlet Avenger was a good example of that Zip Comics #17 featured the end of the[...]

Jackpot Comics was an early anthology comic book series published by MLJ Magazines during the Golden Age, which featured some of the publisher's most popular characters from other titles While the series would perhaps best become known for the addition of Archie beginning in issue #4, the first issue featured Steel Sterling, Black Hood, Sergeant[...]

Publisher MLJ Magazines was far better than most at navigating the changing tides of the comic book business throughout the Golden Age, and the Top Notch Comics title is an excellent example of that.  The series launched as a relatively basic adventure title featuring the magician The Wizard and then shifted hard into superheroics when[...]

One of publisher MLJ's pre-Archie superheroes, the Black Hood first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #9, cover-dated October 1940 Title editor Harry Shorten created the character with writer Abner Sundell and artist Al Camy The Black Hood's real name is Kip Burland, a former police officer framed for grand larceny by a costumed supervillain known as[...]

Blue Ribbon Comics was the debut comic book title from MLJ Magazines, the publisher which would soon become known as Archie Comics But MLJ's earliest star was a wonder dog named Rang-A-Tang Created by Norman Danberg and Will Harr, Rang-A-Tang was a German Shepherd who ran away from a small-time carnival after being abused by[...]

For obvious reasons, MLJ, the publisher which would rebrand itself as Archie may have had less confidence in the staying power of the superhero genre than most comic book publishers.  The Golden Age lifespan of one of its most famous superhero characters, the Black Hood, provides us with another fascinating example of how the publisher[...]

Before Archie was a blip in Bob Montana's eye, MLJ was publishing superhero comics Pep, Jackpot, and Shield Wizard were just some of the comic books kids could find at their local newsstand These books featured timely patriotic heroes — in fact, one of the heroes pre-dates Captain America, which would result in a fun[...]

Credit: MLJ Comics. The rest of the comic features the continuing adventures of Fu Chang, Sergeant Boyle, Lee Sampson Midshipman, The Rocket, and the Queen of Diamonds, When Satan Played Saint, Kayo Ward, and Bentley of Scotland Yard I've grown to appreciate Bentley's supernatural adventures more MLJ/Archie likes to flirt with the supernatural (and as we[...]

What started as a superhero comic under the MLJ publishing name, our iconic redhead, didn't make his first appearance until two years into the publisher's life Archie initially served as a backup story to MLJ's superhero comics, starting with Pep Comics #22 in December of 1941 Yet Archie proved to be a hit, and the[...]

MLJ had used racist imagery to depict people of color throughout WWII This was sadly the norm at the time, but I do not feel it reflects on the Archie Comics of today If you are looking to re-read these issues, it's important for you to be aware that you will see people of color[...]

Welcome back to another episode of Diving Into the Comics Vault! We're now five issues into MLJ's flagship title, Pep Comics. This issue of Pep Comics features a rather striking cover The Shield is underwater, fighting enemy subs Artist Irv Novick did an exceptional job with making Shield look like he really was fighting underwater[...]

In this issue, she's on an adventure with Rocket, which raises the question — who is watching her planet and her people? Bently of Scotland Yard also takes a turn in horror, as MLJ parodies The Hunchback of Notre Dame in this issue. This whole issue is a huge improvement over the previous Even the art[...]

Pre-Archie MLJ is an absolute joy, and I can't wait to go through the rest with all of you. Welcome back to Diving Into the Comic Vault! If you haven't read this series yet, no worries Check out our first post here! Today we'll be focusing on Pep Comics #3, with its signature hero —[...]

Pep Comics #2 is an eye catching comic. Featuring The Shield going against some bad guys, kids can see immediately that Shield is bulletproof, and ready

MLJ was one such company What soon would become Archie Comics, MLJ created many superheros under their umbrella, as well as a number of comic anthologies One of their most popular — and long time standing — anthologies was Pep Comics. Pep Comics #1 has a cover date of January 1940, but came out in November[...]

Looking for some Golden Age Archie Comics? From February 22-24, Heritage Auction House will have a number of early and key Archie books up for sale. These books are already going above what Overstreet has them listed as, so needless to say Archie books are still hot!

On the MLJ Comics side, prices were strong MLJ books have become highly sought after recently, due to Riverdale, and people possibly being priced out of the other big books, resulting in a focus on Archie I, for one, welcome this with open arms Prices can be seen below. Archie #1s were a big hit in[...]