Calling All Boys #13 Variant Cover? Anyone know?

[iggy]

Link to cover pic

 

Hi all, just wondering if anyone knows anything about this book. I got it at an auction yesterday in my hometown. I researched through google to try to find a similar one but couldn't. Overstreet doesn't mention the variant cover which says "Tex Granger" instead of "Calling All Boys". I put a high starting and BIN price on it just to put it out there... I hope someone knows the story, and maybe an Overstreet advisor here can make a note to pass along for the guide if it's previously unknown.

Thanks,

Jim

[comicwiz]

That's an interesting one and I've taken note of the variation. This is the version of issue #13 with the Calling All Boys titling and banner:

 

[iggy]

A forum member asked me the page count and wondered if there were any Canadian ads... it's 36 pages with all American ads.

 

[mrchocholat]

I was guessing that myself, can you look at inside front and back cover to see publishing credits? Anglo american, bell features, are 2 typical publishers for the canadian variants.

[iggy]

The inside front cover has a Bing Crosby photo/text feature "Boy's' Hero Of The Month". The inside back cover has a full page Kodak Brownie Reflex camera ad. Page one has the indicia at the bottom which says Calling All Boys published by Calling All Boys, Inc. subsidiary of Parents Magazine Publication Office, Chicago/NY,NY. I would imagine the cover title is the only difference between the regular issue. ??

[rjpb]

It looks like Tex Granger became a regular feature in the comic starting with issue 11, and the title changed to Tex Granger with issue 18. A serial was made by Columbia in 1948 based on the character.

 

With western comics starting to become popular in 1947, I'm guessing this is a test issue to see if the title sold better if called "Tex Granger". It may well have, based on his taking over the cover completely within a couple issues, and the title 9 months later.

 

 

[iggy]

Thanks! That sounds like a very reasonable explanation. I wonder what the print run was and how wide the test market area was but I'm sure that info is lost in time...

[iggy]

On a side note, also in the collection was True Comics #80 which on the cover says "TRUE COMICS with which has been combined Tex Granger... Jack Armstrong and Calling All Kids". It's noted in Overstreet as being distributed by subscription only and the similar copies I see all have mailing labels affixed to the cover, but mine doesn't. I remember seeing a Jack Armstrong comic in the collection which I didn't get. I wonder if this collector was selected by the publisher for test marketing purposes and sent comics in an envelope with correspondence looking for feedback... but there is 2 years difference between these 2 issues.

 

Edit: Come to think of it, it seems like I remember a comic that did have a mailing label on it which I didn't get, can't remember what it was, but it may have been by the same publisher and that's how they had his mailing info.

[Comicdey]

Test covers....great find...thanks for sharing

[iggy]

Sure, kinda cool to be responsible for getting something new noted in Overstreet.

Thanks Comicwiz for passing it along!