Centaur Comics 18 18

[PokerKid]

nice, Nice, NICE!

 

I recently got one on feebay, too!

 

That is a great book.

Finally a Centaur I can hunt for my collection. If any of you spot one in your hunts, please drop me a note.

[selegue]

Omigosh! I own a Centaur!

 

Liberty Scouts 2 (1st issue) from Jun-41. Nice reader copy of a Gerber 7 book from skypinkblu (thanks). Gustavson cover and Man of War story.

 

 

(Hard to capture the colors)

 

Liberty Scouts features an appearance by FD Roosevelt.

 

Origin of the Fire-Man by Maurice Filchock has a Fletcher Hanks look to it. Tanks of chemicals all over the place.

 

Origin of Vapo-Man by Steve Gilman is utterly wild! Here's a page.

 

 

(Yes, the white is enhanced)

 

Amazons running around in Lucky Lee.

 

Quite a funnybook!

 

Jack

 

 

 

 

[Point Five]

Origin of Vapo-Man by Steve Gilman is utterly wild! Here's a page.

 

"You will mix the two solutions, as I ordered--and not ask any questions!" (BOOM!)

Yeah, I've had jobs kinda like that...

 

Great pickup, Jack, congrats!

[Forbush-Man]

(thumbs u

[TheEyeSees]

Nice UNCLE JOE'S FUNNIES , kiddies!!

 

Any Everett art on the inside?

[sacentaur]

Nope

[Straw-Man]

[sacentaur]

I hate you Parker!

 

 

 

 

[Forbush-Man]

 

 

Now you have to to get # 1 & # 3.

[BB-Gun]

Origin of Vapo-Man by Steve Gilman is utterly wild! Here's a page.

 

"You will mix the two solutions, as I ordered--and not ask any questions!" (BOOM!)

Yeah, I've had jobs kinda like that...

 

Great pickup, Jack, congrats!

 

He must have been a graduate student! Slave labor!

bb

[Straw-Man]

 

 

Now you have to to get # 1 & # 3.

 

i know it; that realization was the thing that made me think hard about pulling the trigger on this one! a curse, i tell you.

[Bronty]

Hey Billy,

 

what are the arrow stories like anyways; are they good? I've always liked the arrow covers on funny pages a lot but I have never owned an Arrow book. They're not cheap so I'd like to know if the reading is halfway decent before putting them in mind as issues to one day acquire.

 

thanks,

Dan

[Bronty]

hmm, just did a gpa check and the prices are more reasonable than I would have thought! cool. (although I suspect they have gone up quite a bit from gpa).

[jbcomicbox]

Hey Billy,

 

what are the arrow stories like anyways; are they good? I've always liked the arrow covers on funny pages a lot but I have never owned an Arrow book. They're not cheap so I'd like to know if the reading is halfway decent before putting them in mind as issues to one day acquire.

 

thanks,

Dan

 

Here is part of an article I did years ago on "The Arrow" for CBM....jon

 

THE ARCHERS OF PAUL GUSTAVSON

With the advent of Superman in Action Comics, publishers were scrambling to jump on the costume hero bandwagon. From 1938-1941 there was an explosion of comicbook titles with a consequential explosion of brightly clad crimefighters. These took on various forms, as the search for another “Superman” was on. As one reviews this period of the “goldenage”, the road is strewn with also-rans. Occasionally, although a particular hero would not last more than a few years, his particular shtick would. Thus was it the case with “The Arrow” and “The Spider”, who were the first in a long list of arrow-toting heroes that have graced the pages of the comics. Both, as it turns out, were the creations of Paul Gustavson who provided work for some of the earliest comicbook companies such as Centaur, Timely, and Quality.

 

Paul Gustavson was one of the more enduring artists of the golden age. Born in Finland, Gustavson immigrated with his family to the United States at an early age. After working for the Chesler shop in the late 1930s, he worked for Funnies Inc. where he created a number of characters such as The Arrow, The Fantom of the Fair and Man of War for Centaur Publications. For Timely he created The Angel which appeared in the earliest issues of Marvel Mystery. Finally he went to work at Quality Publications where he created a number of characters such as The Human Bomb, The Jester and others. He also did work on Jack Cole’s Midnight.

 

The Arrow first appeared in Funny Pages Vol. 2/10 cover dated September 1938, a mere three months after the appearance of Superman. At this time Funny Pages was published by Centaur Publications. Centaur had consolidated the titles of Comic Magazine, Inc. and Chesler Publications, two of the earliest companies producing original material. As of March 1938 all the titles were published under the Centaur banner. The Arrow was the first foray of Centaur into the world of costume heroes. Other Centaur heroes would soon join The Arrow, including Amazing Man, The Iron Skull, The Shark, The Masked Marvel, The Fantom of the Fair and Man of War. Much of the early work was performed by Funnies Inc. which was run by Lloyd Jacquet. This shop also produced comics for Timely which accounts for the overlap of artists such as Burgos and Everett who would gain greater fame for the creation of the Human Torch and the Submariner. Centaur itself died in 1942 despite the fact that the comic marketplace continued to grow.

 

To say The Arrow was a mysterious character would be an understatement. It was not until Funny Pages #38 (June 1940) that the reader actually obtains a glimpse of his face which is perpetually hidden by his monk-like hooded top. It is not until his final apperarance in The Arrow #3 (October 1941) that it is revealed (by subsequent artist Bob Lubbers) that The Arrow’s secret idenity is Ralph Payne. His own man servant remarks (Funny Pages 3/2 March 1939) as The Arrow takes off after escaped convicts: “ ‘e’s a strange man- comes an’ goes in the night- never saying when or where he’s going! I’ve worked for ‘im for fifteen years an’ I know nothing about him”.

 

The Arrow is described as a “modern ‘Robin Hood’ who fights crime with all his might--and a bow and arrow”. The plots generally were thin. Most of the early adventures involved encounters with criminals (every crime boss seemed to be named “Dutch”), escaped convicts, threatened heirs, etc. The Arrow was a little hard to warm up to. He was a sullen and taciturn character that dealt with wrong-doers in a straightforward and, often, deadly fashion. When he did speak, his words were as cold as his shafts of steel: “Don’t anyone move or I’ll seal your doom forever”. (Funny Pages 3/3 April 1939) When you are nearly seven feet tall and can tear manacles out of walls with your bare hands people tended to listen. He had no compunction to pin his adversary’s wrist to the wall with one of his steel-shafted arrows. These were his lucky foes. Often the end for his unlucky foes was a quick arrow in their chest or a severe beating. As one police officer observed (Funny Pages 3/1 February 1939): The Arrow is the “only guy that can straighten things out that we can’t touch! The underworld fears him more than they do us.” One simply did not mess with The Arrow.

 

The Arrow, beside the deadly accuracy of his shafts of “flying death”, was incredibly strong. One story has him take on a whole mob of thugs by himself, another has him climbing up a rugged wall with his bare hands, diving out of a building, hooking onto a powerboat and breaking the steering chain with his hands. In one story (Funny Pages #39 July 1940) he stops a submarine from blowing up shipping by jumping from a plane and redirecting a torpedo shot from the sub!

 

In Funny Pages 37 (May 1940) The Arrow commences to take on terrorists that began to invade the American shores. In this issue after foiling the terrorists he accepts the offer of U.S. Intelligence to fight for Uncle Sam. Interestingly, the thrust of these stories is to avoid having the United States dragged into the war. (Remember this is still eighteen months before Pearl Habor.) Certainly stories such as this reflect the split of public opinion on the U.S. getting involved in the European conflict. (Compare the stories in the Timely publications which had its heroes fighting Nazis months before the U.S. entry into the war.)

 

The Arrow appeared in Funny Pages from September 1938 until October 1940. (The final issue of this title). At this time The Arrow appeared in his own short-lived title, The Arrow, in October and November 1940 and October 1941. The first issue reprinted the Funny Pages stories appearing in issue 3/1 (February 1939) and issue 3/3 (April 1939). The second issue contained one new Arrow story by Bob Lubbers and reprinted stories from Funny Pages 3/4 (June 1939) and 3/5 (July 1939). The final issue contained two all new Arrow stories.

 

Before turning to the other archer of Gustavson, it should be noted that while some of the interior art for The Arrow was uninspired, the covers which featured The Arrow were impressive. All were quietly dramatic. The cover to 4/1 (January 1940), with its simple but dynamic composition, is one of the most underrated classic covers of the golden age.

 

....then I go onto comment on "Alias the Spider"......

 

 

[Straw-Man]

Hey Billy,

 

what are the arrow stories like anyways; are they good? I've always liked the arrow covers on funny pages a lot but I have never owned an Arrow book. They're not cheap so I'd like to know if the reading is halfway decent before putting them in mind as issues to one day acquire.

 

thanks,

Dan

 

dan, i am punting this q to jon and gator; this is the first one i've ever owned, and it is of course encapsulated. never read one. bought it for the cover.

[G.A.tor]

here is the first Arrow Story, that Jon mentions above, that I scanned from my FP 2/10:

 

[G.A.tor]

[G.A.tor]

[G.A.tor]

[G.A.tor]