Point Five

Here's what I love about the early Fox comics: The artists. More than anything, Fox books still have a cult following today because of the incredible artists they had working for them. Unlike most GA comic companies, which favored more of a homogenous/”house style” look, the Fox artists (more on them to come) had incredibly diverse styles, and put them to work on an intriguingly diverse mix of stories. The stories. There's a bizarre, anything-goes quality to a lot of the Fox output. In those early months, when blueprints for successful comics were not as firmly in place, you really get the idea that the creators were trying out lots of different concepts to see what would catch on. The covers. Lou Fine is the clear star here, but even the later books have a distinctively bright (some would say garish) color palette and a certain nutty charm to them. The mythology. I have to admit, I really enjoy the stories about what a character Victor Fox was, the history of DC suing Fox, and the various changes that this comics line went through in the few years it was around.

Tough act to follow! Again, one of my goals here is to continue to learn more about the company and the artists who worked there. Here's a link to a terrific article by our own Jon Berk on some of the history of the company. Essential reading! History of Fox Comics

This has been long overdue...a thread devoted to Fox Comics and the incredible books the company put out during the Golden Age. Post 'em if you got 'em! I never get tired of seeing those wonderful and bizarre Fox covers. I'd also LOVE to see any interior art and ads when possible, and to learn much more about the artists who worked for Fox. I'll kick things off with Wonderworld #7, a Lou Fine masterpiece…a book I never thought I'd own and am thrilled to have in any condition. (I know some forum members have stunning copies of early Fox books, so don't let this one scare you…better covers are coming!)

More great books, Ryan! When time allows, you should scan your Marvel Mystery #27 and Human Torch #5 & #8 for the Timely thread...would love to see 'em. (No comment on CentaurMan's group shot because I can't even look at it...it's like staring into the sun.)

You should move to Alaska and just read your comics outside.

...or rather, Miller's linework looks awfully Harvey Kurtzman-esque! Great cover!

And finally, Startling Terror Tales #5! (Not common, but still somewhat easier to find than the two romance books.)

Popular Teenagers, Secrets of Love #16. Don't know if it comes across onscreen, but the color strike on this one is just incredible...that hot reddish-pink color almost looks fluorescent. I can only imagine how nice a high-grade copy would look....this is the only copy of this issue I've ever seen before. (Anyone else?)

Here's Popular Teenagers, Secrets of Love #15! I love the rich colors on this one, plus the cool snowflake pattern and unusual composition. The OS Guide also lists this book as having possible Wood art on one story, which was an added incentive for me to track the book down, but except for the lead Disbrow story the art inside is horrible. If Wood worked on one of these stories, he sure didn't stay up all night on it...

I'll post some fun group shots in the near future. I'm finally getting my act together to show some new books, after years of coasting on the same old scans. Looking forward to 'em!

Thanks guys!

Nice score, Harvey. Looks great!

We'll have plenty to chat about... Stay tuned.

And finally, here's my Fox Comics group shot! As with the LB Coles, the hot colors on these really make them look good together. Kindly take note of the extremely rare "red logo variant" Science #3...

Thanks again guys... FWIW I tried to post these as attachments, but they exceed the maximum size of files this site will let you attach. Probably true of most of these big group shots, I guess.

Will do! ...just give me a day or two. I think you'll really like that Secrets of Love book with the purple cover...it has a cool snowflake effect very similar to the one on your Catman 31, and beautiful colors. Took me quite a while to find that one.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. To answer your question, Brian, all of these early Actions are beaters by the standards here... #18 is missing first wrap & back cover (tho still one of my very favorite books!); #19 missing back cover; #33 is about G+ with tape on the spine; #40 is about Fair to Fair/Good.

Scrooge, that cover is an absolute riot. Who says post-code horror doesn't compare to pre-code?

Andy, this one's going out to you! My LB Coles:

Here are my Schomburg covers. Given that I actively collected his covers for so many years, it's actually kind of funny to me that I only have six of them! I guess the ones I still want are just too pricey.

Thank you, gents. I'm a big fan of the early Actions too. (I also have coverless copies of #15 & #16 with reproduction covers, but it seemed like "cheating" to include them!)

Finally getting around to posting some of my group shots. (More to follow!) Here's a display of most of my GA DCs. All are technically low-grade, but I love 'em! I hope to add another early Superman book (or two) in the months to come...

Nice book!! It is a fun run to collect , I just purchased a Fantastic # 3 about 2 weeks ago , still need a # 2 & # 7 to complete my run from #1 to # 8. I've been collecting this run for some years also. The Stardust & Space Smith art reminds me a little of Wolverton "bizzare". I also love the Kiefer art, underappreciated!!. again Congrats!! Thanks for the kind words! Sounds like we're totally on the same page with this title, as the Stardust & Space Smith features are the main reasons I collect it, and I much agree about the Wolverton similarity. But if you have #1, 3-6 & 8, you're WAY ahead of me...congrats right back at you!

Thanks very much for the synopsis, Ryan! You have a deal...I would love to see some photos of the interior, whatever you can easily do without damage to the book. It sounds like a great issue. Was this the first issue of a projected series that bombed (i.e. are there teasers for an issue #2), or do you think it was conceived as a one-shot? I'll aim to kick off a Fox thread sometime this week. Thanks again.

is right! Never seen that one before.