Here’s a classic Goofy cover from Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories #5 (1941). Happy Valentine’s Day!
Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #5 (1941)
Fawcett’s Golden Age “X-Mas Comics” – Merry Christmas!
Like most people who celebrate Christmas, I prefer “Christmas” over the abbreviated “X-Mas”. Nevertheless, Fawcett published some very cool Christmas themed comics in the Golden Age with the title, X-Mas Comics. These comics featured stories with Fawcett’s stars, Captain Marvel, Bulletman, Spy Smasher, Ibis the Invincible and many others. Of course, Santa was also featured prominently on most of these covers.
The series began in 1941 (#1) and the first issue was a whopping 324 pages! It carried an equally impressive 50 cent price tag. The contents are the same as Whiz Comics #21, Captain Marvel Adventures #3, Bulletman #2, Wow Comics #3 and Master Comics #18.
X-Mas Comics (1941)
The following year, Fawcett did not disappoint and produced another 324 page issue of X-Mas Comics (#2) with a 50 cent cover price. This is my favorite cover of the series. Captain Marvel, Bulletman, Spy Smasher and others were back for this issue.
X-Mas Comics (1942)
The first two issues of the series were the last of the war years. I don’t know why Fawcett temporarily stopped publication of the title with the 1942 issue, but the title did not reappear until 1947. It’s possible that the efforts to conserve paper during the war led Fawcett to stop publishing this title. It’s also possible that the 50 cent cover price was simply too much. In any event, Fawcett relaunched the series in 1947. Unlike the previous two issues, this version was only 132 pages and featured Fawcett’s funny animal stars on the cover and in the stories. This comic book was half the price of the previous issues. This comic is numbered “7″ (for calendar year 1947?) and issues three through six were never published between 1942 and 1947.
X-Mas Comics (1947)
After another year passed without an issue of X-Mas Comics, Fawcett brought back the series in 1949. With this iteration of the title (which lasted until 1952), Fawcett again featured Captain Marvel and other Fawcett stars on the cover of each issue (the 1952 issue only featured Captain Marvel on the cover), including many of their western stars not featured in these comics before. They also added a gimmick. Each cover contained green or red felt covering Santa’s suit (1949 & 1951)), the Christmas Tree (1950) and the stocking (1952). A very cool effect! These comics were also smaller than the original two issues, and topped out at 196 pages. The cover price was back to 50 cents. Curiously, the 1949 issue is numbered “4″ and the following issues are sequentially numbered through #7. This fits with the total number of issues printed between 1941 and 1952, but does not explain the number “7″ assigned to the 1947 comic.
Here are the cover for the final four issues of the series.
X-Mas Comics (1949)
X-Mas Comics (1950)
X-Mas Comics (1951)
X-Mas Comics (1952)
I hope you have enjoyed this look back at Fawcett’s X-Mas Comics series from the Golden Age of Comic Books. Merry Christmas!
Joe Simon – Another Great One is Gone
Just a few days ago I wrote about the passing of Jerry Robinson. Today, I am again saddened to report the death of another one of the greats of the Golden Age of Comic Books, Joe Simon at age 98. Joe was, of course, half of the famous team of Simon & Kirby who brought us Captain America, The Sandman & Sandy, the Boy Commandos and many other wonderful features in the Golden Age.
Joe was going to be a guest at Heroes Con 2011 this past June, but his health prevented his attendance. Nevertheless, his book about his ”life in comics” was introduced at the show, and I was fortunate enough to get an autographed copy. For those of you interested in Joe’s contributions to the Golden Age of Comic Books, check out Joe’s Book – Joe Simon: My Life in Comics. It provides a great glimpse into the life of this comic book pioneer.
Joe Simon: My Life in Comics
Here are some of the great covers from the Golden Age of Comic Books that Joe had a hand in creating.
Captain America #1
- Boy Commandos #1
- Adventure Comics 74
Rest in Peace, Joe.
This Month in the Golden Age of Comic Books
Here’s another look at a number of the comics that were on the stands at various times in the month of December during the Golden Age of Comic Books.
December 1937 – 74 Years Ago
Feature Funnies #3
DC did not have any offerings in December of 1937. Quality Comics published Feature Funnies #3 and Western Publishing was selling Mickey Mouse Magazine #27 (volume 3, #3).
December 1942 - 69 Years Ago
Zip Comics #32
The comic book explosion continued in 1942. There were many titles to choose from during the peak of the Golden Age.
DC Comics – Action Comics #55, Adventure Comics #81, Detective Comics #70, Green Lantern #6, More Fun Comics #86, Sensation Comics #12, Star Spangled Comics #15
Archie Comics – Pep Comics #34, Top-Notch Laugh Comics #31, Zip Comics #32
Dell – Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Comics #14, Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories #27
Fawcett – America’s Greatest Comics #5, Bulletman #10, Captain Marvel Adventures #18, Captain Marvel, Jr. #2, Captain Midnight #3, Master Comics #33, Master Comics #34, Spy Smasher #9, Whiz Comics #38, Wow Comics #8
Timely/Marvel – Captain America Comics #21, Marvel Mystery Comics #38, Miss Fury #1, Sub-Mariner Comics #8,
Fiction House – Jumbo Comics #46, Jungle Comics #36, Sheena Queen of the Jungle #2, Wings Comics #28
Quality Comics – Feature Comics #63, Hit Comics #25, Military Comics #14, National Comics #27, Smash Comics #38, Uncle Sam Quarterly #5
Standard Comics – Startling Comics #18
December 1947 – 64 Years Ago
Moon Girl #2
DC Comics – Action Comics #115, All-Star Comics #38, Detective Comics ##130, Flash Comics #90, Funny Folks #11, Funny Stuff #28, Green Lantern #29, Real Fact Comics #11, Sensation Comics #72, Star Spangled Comics #75
Dell – Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies Comics #74, Our Gang With Tom and Jerry #41, Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories #87, Walter Lantz New Funnies #130
Fawcett – Captain Midnight #58, The Marvel Family #18, Mary Marvel #19, Master Comics #86,
Marvel – Miss America Magazine #38, Official True Crime Cases Comics #25
Fiction House – Jumbo Comics #106, Jungle Comics #96, Wings Comics #88
Archie – Archie Comics #29
EC – Fat and Slat #3, International Comics #5, The Land of Lost Comics #8, Moon Girl #2
Quality Comics – Blackhawk #17, Doll Man #15, Feature Comics #117, Modern Comics #68, National Comics #63, Plastic Man #10, Police Comics #73, Smash Comics #74
Fox – All Great Comics #13, Blue Beetle #51, Jo-Jo #9, Phantom Lady #15, Sunny #11, Zoot #11
Standard – America’s Best Comics #24, Thrilling Comics #63, Wonder Comics #15
December 1952 - 59 Years Ago
Wartime Romances #12
DC Comics – Action Comics #175, Adventure Comics #183, All-Star Western #68, Comic Cavalcade #54, Detective Comics #190, Gang Busters #31, Mystery in Space #11, Our Army at War #5, Strange Adventures #27
Marvel – Adventures Into Terror #14, Battlefront #7, Man Comics #21, War Comics #14, Wild Western #25
EC Comics – Crime SuspenStories #14, Shock SuspenStories #6, Tales from the Crypt #33, Vault of Horror #28
Dell – Bugs Bunny #28, Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies #134, Mickey Mouse #28, Tarzan #39, Tom and Jerry Comics #101, Tom and Jerry Winter Carnival #1, Walter Lantz New Funnies #190
American Comics Group – Adventures into the Unknown #38, Forbidden Worlds #12, Skeleton Hand in Secrets of the Supernatural #2,
Avon – Fighting Undersea Commandos #4, U.S. Marines in Action #3, Witchcraft #5
St. John – Wartime Romances #12, Weird Horrors #5
Fawcett – Captain Marvel Adventures #139, Captain Marvel, Jr. #116, The Marvel Family #78, Master Comics #131, Whiz Comics #152
Quality Comics – Blackhawk #59, Doll Man #43
Fiction House – Ghost Comics #5, Jumbo Comics #165, Jungle Comics #156, Wambi the Jungle Boy #18
A Tribute to Jerry Robinson – One of the Greats
I was particularly saddened to learn today that Jerry Robinson had passed away at age 89. There have already been dozens of posts on the internet about Jerry’s passing. He was one of the last of the great Golden Age artists. More than that, he was a preeminent comic book historian and a staunch advocate for the rights of comic book creators. He was a true gentleman and will be missed by everyone in the comic book community.
I had a rare and pleasurable opportunity to spend a little time with Jerry at the 2007 Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. In those days I was still producing the Golden Age of Comic Books Podcast, and Jerry was more than willing to sit with me and answer my questions, many of which I’m sure he had been asked many times before. He didn’t rush the time we had together and was genuinely interested in talking to me about the Golden Age. I had been a fan of Jerry for many years before that day, and he had always been my favorite Golden Age artist (despite never getting the credit he was due for many years). I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed spending time with Jerry that day, and he reenforced my love for the Golden Age.
Jerry Robinson and Bill Jourdain at Heroes Con 2007
Jerry’s unique perspective of having spent a lifetime in the comic book world (he started working for Bob Kane at age 17), no doubt led to his interest in the history of the medium. He worked hard over the years to chronicle the evolution of comic art, and his book, “The Comics” is a must read for any fan of the history of comics. His passion for the art form spilled over into his desire to protect the rights and interests of creators, and for years Jerry worked to ensure that every creator was treated fairly and with respect.
While Jerry’s presence will surely be missed, his contributions will endure for generations to come. His creation of The Joker and intimate involvement in the evolution of The Batman and all of his supporting characters will continue to influence popular culture for many years.
Thanks, Jerry.
Following are a few of my favorite Golden Age Batman covers by Jerry.
Batman #11
Detective Comics #69
Detective Comics #71