Research help: Catman and Captain Aero statements of ownership

[gifflefunk]

I am interested in locating any statements of ownership that may have appeared in either Catman Comics or Captain Aero Comics during 1942 and 1943, specifically when the indicia gave "Holyoke Publishing Co." as the publisher (so after Helnit and before Et-Es-Go).

 

The statement or ownership for Blue Beetle during this period appeared in issue #20 (April 1943) on the inside front cover so I'm guessing it might appear on the inside front cover of the April 1942 issues of Capt. Aero or Catman.

 

There were no April 1943 issues for either Capt. Aero and Catman as there is a publishing gap for both titles after January 1943, so the most likely issues for a statement of ownership to appear would be Capt. Aero Sept. 1943 and Catman July 1943 or Sept. 1943.

 

If anyone owning these books could check for ownership statements and let me know the names listed in section 1 (publisher info) or section 2 (ownership info) I would greatly appreciate the effort.

[jbcomicbox]

Do not know if this will help a bit......part of an article i did......

 

http://www.comicartville.com/victorfox.htm

 

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

 

Just as America joined the war and the super heroes of America had super villains of the Axis to fight, Fox Publications joined a number of publishers that went under. Fox was forced into involuntary bankruptcy on March 6, 1942 by a number of his creditors including, Bulkley, Dunton & Co., Phelps Publishing, and Chemical Photo Engraving Inc. with monies owed in excess of $100,000. (This was due, probably, in no small part to the fact its distributor, Colonial News, Inc. went under, owing Fox Publishing $173,551.)

 

 

The last Fox issue was V…Comics #2 (March 1942), which hit the stands in January 1942. Blue Beetle Comics, after a short hiatus, was picked up by Holyoke Publishing and continued with issue 12 (June 1942).

 

On February 15, 1944 Fox filed a petition to emerge from involuntary bankruptcy by proposing to “pay creditors 33 1/3% of net proceeds of the magazine Blue Beetle.” Continuing as Fox Feature Syndicate, Inc., Fox started a

new line of comics and wrested Blue Beetle Comics back from Holyoke Publishing Co. with issue 31, cover dated June 1944.

 

Note that toward the end of the run of the titles that the Fox “publication” offices moved from Springfield to Holyoke, Massachusetts. Holyoke Publishing Co. began publication with Catman Comics, with its first issue being produced cover dated February 1942, just as the Fox titles went under. The Holyoke title Capt. Aero Comics started with issue 7, picking up the numbering from Samson Comics #6. The first Blue Beetle comic for Holyoke was cover dated June 1942 (#12). Although the editorial office address in New York City was different for each company, the “Office of publication” had the same address: 1 Appleton Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts. The link to Holyoke, as a “holding” company for the most popular of the Fox characters, has yet to be explored. See, for example, Fox Feature Syndicate, Inc. v. Holyoke Publishing Co. Inc., 56 N.Y.S.2d 395 (1945) as Fox Syndication, Inc. fought over debts and ownership with this company and the bankruptcy trustee for Fox Publications.

 

 

[gifflefunk]

It doesn't directly help, but perhaps it could...

 

Fox Feature Syndicate, Inc. v. Holyoke Publishing Co. Inc., 56 N.Y.S.2d 395 (1945) as Fox Syndication, Inc. fought over debts and ownership with this company and the bankruptcy trustee for Fox Publications.

 

Do you have the documents of this case? If so, does it list any names associated with Holyoke Publishing Co? (more specifically does it mention the name of the owner directly?).

[BB-Gun]

I checked in Catman 20 but I didn't see any Statement. I would probably be earlier as you suggested.

bb

[Limited66]

It doesn't directly help, but perhaps it could...

 

Fox Feature Syndicate, Inc. v. Holyoke Publishing Co. Inc., 56 N.Y.S.2d 395 (1945) as Fox Syndication, Inc. fought over debts and ownership with this company and the bankruptcy trustee for Fox Publications.

 

Do you have the documents of this case? If so, does it list any names associated with Holyoke Publishing Co? (more specifically does it mention the name of the owner directly?).

 

Since I have access to legal research tools, I looked up this case. All I could find was a summary disposition.

 

The disposition is:

 

Order, so far as appealed from, unanimously affirmed with $20 costs and disbursements. No opinion.

[gifflefunk]

According to Steven Rowe (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ComicBookPublishers/message/903?l=1) he's read the summary of the case before... so something must be recorded somewhere... any NY Lawyers in the house that have a slave, err.. associate, they can use (abuse?) for this trivial matter?