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1939 NEWSSTAND PIC TIME MACHINE JOURNEY INTO THE PAST
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2,385 posts in this topic

On 9/18/2021 at 5:46 PM, catman76 said:

I found this photo searching around and I don't think it's been posted here before

April 1940. Popcorn stand in Globe, ArizonaSHORPY-8b24474a.thumb.jpg.f6785a5d340348f0c15ada548297e561.jpgSHORPY-8b24474a.thumb.jpg.9dab874b3811aa34192f629698120254.jpg

Cool photo. Are those used comics/mags for 5 cents? If so, please get that rock off that Tec 35 so I can buy that one too. 

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On 2/24/2021 at 10:36 AM, woowoo said:

 

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What's most shocking to me in this photo, is looking at the edges of all the books and how bright and crisp they look.  Which is exactly what it was like when I used to open cases of books 30 years ago at the comic shop.  But to see ECs, Fights, Pre-Code Horror, etc. like that is pretty thrilling to look at.  2c

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On 11/27/2021 at 8:36 PM, Randall Dowling said:

What's most shocking to me in this photo, is looking at the edges of all the books and how bright and crisp they look.  Which is exactly what it was like when I used to open cases of books 30 years ago at the comic shop.  But to see ECs, Fights, Pre-Code Horror, etc. like that is pretty thrilling to look at.  2c

That is only because we treasure those books so much now. And the majority of them no longer exist. Back then, they were just the common monthly stuff on the racks.

You want to tell that kid to put back that Daredevil and grab some of that PCH instead...

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On 3/18/2021 at 12:31 AM, jpepx78 said:

1954 Iowa Drugstore Photo

 

I found this interesting photo in a popular auction site but the seller put a rubber band on the photo to protect the image. However Ivan Ivanstein was kind enough to share his intact picture for us to see in another thread in the General section recently. This photo might seem like an ordinary 1950s drugstore photo with comic racks but I will try to explain the photo’s signifigance.


This Des Moines Iowa drugstore photo was taken around Nov 1954 based on the appearance and on-sale date of the Weird Science Fantasy 27 (11/1/54). This was an interesting period in comics history because comic publishers formed the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA) to regulate the content of comics after the scrutiny of the comics industry during the Senate Hearings on Juvenile Delinquency which attributed the lurid and unsavory content of comics as one of the main causes of juvenile delinquency. To stem negative publicity and to save the comic industry, publishers adopted the Comics Code on Oct 26 1954 and the Comics Code Authority office was under the direction of Judge Charles Murphy. All comic book content had to be submitted to the code enforcement arm of the CMAA for review and approval before publication and be entitled to publish the “Seal of Approval” on the cover.


In the photo, you see the pharmacist named Harold holding 2 EC books (WSF 27 and Haunt of Fear 28) and I believe he is removing those EC books from the racks since those books could not be sold under comics code. It is notable that was the final issue of Haunt of Fear. Those EC books appear to be the most interesting comics on the racks compared to all the other bland books like all those Classics Illustrated, humor and westerns. Even the DC books like Batman and Worlds Finest had bland stories in that period. There was an interim period lasting until around March 1955 where there were still some comics on the newsstands without the “Seal of Approval” code on the cover due the publishing cycle.


Adoption of the Comics Code shut down the crime and horror titles of Bill Gaines EC Comics which were the major money makers of the company. Gaines tried to adapt to the code with his New Trend titles but but was unsuccessful and shut down comic publishing in 1955 except for Mad magazine which was not subject to the code. Many other comic publishers also shut down due to code restrictions and most importantly the refusal of magazine distributors to distribute their unapproved titles.

The comic publishers had appointed Judge Murphy to head the comics code authority to be independent from other operations of the CMAA in order to give their comics czar credibility. He was paid by the publishers and it was understood that he could work free from interference from association members. The publishers intended for him to to ignore all but the most obvious code violations but Murphy had his staff review material carefully and demand any changes for any infraction of the code, however minor. It was believed that Murphy did not have to be that strict and there was little oversight from the public as to how well the code was to be enforced. Most critics see the code as a cut and dried document but the code required a lot of interpretation. Murphy did not understand that all the publishers required was the appearance of self-regulation to appease most critics. His zeal in strict interpretation of the code set him against the publishers and was one of the reasons why his contract was not renewed by the association at the end of his 2 year term.
from Seal of Approval by Amy Kiste Nyberg

The third picture is Murphy in front of a comic page where the art was made less horrific to pass the comics code.

comics on racks

  Reveal hidden contents

Peter Porkchops 33, Porky Pig 37, My Friend Irma 47, Adventures of Martin & Lewis 17, Flippity Flop 19, Bob Hope 30, Tex Ritter Western 26, Batman 88, Western 48, Rudolph 5, Joe Palooka 86, World’s Finest 73

 

iowa54-1.jpg

des moines ds54.jpg

murphy code.jpg

Boy! Were they sure trying to push those wholesome yucky CI comics :bigsmile:

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On 11/28/2021 at 10:42 PM, Courageous Cat said:

Boy! Were they sure trying to push those wholesome yucky CI comics :bigsmile:

Classics is under appreciated; especially the earlier issues. Some fun artwork, great stories and the endless source of book reports! I buy them on the cheap to read.

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On 12/3/2021 at 11:14 PM, catman76 said:

here's one that I don't think has been posted before, from december 1964...

dec1964.thumb.jpg.def9ee9541d540492733b4125260c6e4.jpg

dec19642.jpg.f8f76b458cf2d9bd7de91a2d8622ba42.jpg

I see a Blue Beetle #4 in there and I haven't tried to figure out the rest...

BLUE-BEETLE-V2-4-comic-book-1964-Praying.jpg.c418c42dfbd7c32d1bdfea5b0d9805c9.jpg

Batman 169 January 1965, so its Christmas 1964. I think those are sleds up top the photo and it looks like they've already had some snow. 

Edited by Professor K
spelling correction
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On 2/24/2021 at 12:34 PM, Robot Man said:

Wow! That rack to the right of the kid looks like my collection. I probably have most of those books. You rarely see much PCH displayed on racks like that. 

That was from the Amityville Pharmacy :insane: GOD BLESS ...

-jimbo(a friend of jesus)(thumbsu

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On 12/3/2021 at 10:04 PM, Professor K said:

Batman 169 January 1965, so its Christmas 1964. I think those are sleds up top the photo and it looks like they've already had some snow. 

Looks like a great pile of Flexible Flyers up there; best snow sleds of my kid hood! We beat them to death but they still kept on going! NIce variety of comics; looks like almost every publisher including ACG!.

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On 12/5/2021 at 6:35 AM, 50YrsCollctngCmcs said:

Looks like a great pile of Flexible Flyers up there; best snow sleds of my kid hood! We beat them to death but they still kept on going! NIce variety of comics; looks like almost every publisher including ACG!.

Great memories there Frank. There wasn't a lot of use for snow sleds growing up in Australia. In fact the landscape at Christmas was much more like the one on the Uncle Scrooge 55 I think I see in that photo - McDuck of Arabia!

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