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Post Your Promotional Comic Books Here!!!!
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Started by esquirecomics,

869 posts in this topic

BOOT

BOOT

Posted
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Bulb Magic! (1956)

 

Distributed by the Associated Bulb Growers of Holland and produced by ACG comics. Bulb Magic! shows how ornamental planting can enhance the look and value of a home. Drawn by one of the promo world's go-to artists: Kurt Schaffenberger. As if you needed to be told.

 

One thing about Kurt. It's all Lois and Clark, all the time. It's Kurt's world - we just get to live in it. Not that that's a bad thing.

 

BulbMagicfc100_zpsa94500c8.jpg

Here's Kurt doing a variety of lovely older ladies...

152130.jpg.52236fbb74cafe14a6a83aaaca8de75a.jpg

152131.jpg.4109d6c69593b41bc4554cc63159a190.jpg

152132.jpg.2b80a302b802454dd42b9932a057a037.jpg

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BOOT

BOOT

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Speaking of hard working...

 

Some guys got chewed up pretty bad by the Four Color world. It was rough and tumble, especially in the beginning. Others thrived. They made it up as they went along and everything they touched turned to gold.

 

Will Eisner was one of those. His life story is inspirational. After the war, instead of going back to comics or strips, he founded American Visuals Corp. AVC produced comics for the business world (Fram Motors, RCA, a number of utility companies, Remington, Baltimore Colts) as well as holding onto a sole source contract with the Army for PS Magazine for 20 years.

 

To me this cover is iconic Eisner. It demonstrates in a simple straightforward way his mastery of a term he coined: "sequential art". It also strikes me as a self-portrait. Eisner, moving forward with determination, head down, stiff arm, the competition far behind or left clutching their heads: who was that truck that run me down?

 

Baltimore Colts (1950)

 

baltcoltsf_zps1aac6a9f.jpg

 

 

 

Yo, DL, didn't know you collected these!!! That's an awesome commentary about Eisner. I'm bookmarking this thread just cuz of that cool write-up!

 

One impossibly cool book after another!

 

You got me hooked on Bakers and now this! :cry:

 

Wait, is that other promo about me? hm

At one convention I talked with Eisner about his educational comics. He told a story of how he tried to sell his comic book services to the Saudi Arabian army for training their truck drivers. He described giving his pitch to a skeptical captain.

 

The captain said, "You think your comic books will help me train men to drive? Watch." He got a new recruit and showed him how to drive a truck. The man started the truck and then stalled it. WHACK! The captain hit the man upside the head with his baton.

 

The man started the truck and stalled it again. WHACK! The captain stuck the man again, harder. His face was red and bleeding where the baton struck.

 

The dazed man pulled himself together. He started the truck again, and this time, he drove off perfectly, without stalling. "There," the captain said to Eisner. "What do I need your comic books for?"

 

Eisner said he had no comeback.

 

 

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Dr. Love

Dr. Love

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Posted (edited)
Here's Kurt doing a variety of lovely older ladies...

 

Fantastic. Kurt! Boot! Older ladies!!

Dang, never seen this one, never even knew it existed. That's the thing about promos, right? They're bigger than you, bigger than me, bigger even then...Overstreet

 

Sorry bro I thought you were done. I'll shutup now, just keep posting.

Edited by Dr. Love
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Dr. Love

Dr. Love

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The tie in between comics and merchandising was established early on with a character who has had multi-generational success: Buster Brown.

 

Making its first appearance in 1902, Buster Brown was Richard F. Outcault's follow-up to his breakthrough strip, Hogan's Alley, starring the Yellow Kid. Buster Brown quickly acquired a national following, and in 1904 Outcault went to the Saint Louis World's Fair to market his hot new strip. Reportedly he signed 200 licensing deals in all, but the one that lasted the longest was the one with Brown Shoes, which saw the coincidence of the names as too good to pass up.

 

I had posted earlier about the Superman Py-Co-Pay promo. In that case, the comic was used to entice the purchase of a specific product: the comic was about Superman and about tooth care. The Buster Brown comics, on the other hand, were meant to hook kids into a store to get a free comic that had nothing much to do with either Buster Brown or shoes. The themes were either adventure or humor.

 

There were 43 issues of Buster Brown Comics from 1945-1956. Early in the run were some sweet covers by Fred Kida and Dan Barry.

 

Buster Brown Comic Book 1 (1945)

 

BusterBrown01fc100_zps4236a483.jpg

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vaillant

vaillant

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Hey Vailant! more info - if you smoke pot, you'll end up doing heroin. You'll soon start stealing from your girlfriend to keep your habit going. Eventually she will get hooked as well and start prostituting herself so you can both get your heroin. This miserable life will continue until one day she overdoses and dies. This is known.

 

Now if you're looking for more info on the artist or maybe the publisher...well, this is not known. The only other thing I can tell you for sure is this book was not meant as a joke, it was actually distributed in methadon clinics in New York briefly in 1966. There are a couple of slabs out there, and one copy with a split spine on Ebay.

 

Ciao, buddy!

 

 

Thank you… I like the drama of the expressions within the relaxed composition, and the great artwork. You can tell for sure it was serious… Ah and I like the horizontal format as well.

Sometimes the artwork in the promo comics is not that great, and when it’s good it’s a welcome addition. I was pleasantly surprised to see the arwork was great on the Cardinal Mindszenty giveaway, considered it’s rather poor on "Is this tomorrow", for example. :)

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MrBedrock

MrBedrock

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1943 Red Ryder Victory Patrol Club Kit

 

Front Cover...(The outer wrap is heavier card stock)...

redryderpic1.jpg

Back Cover...

redryderpic2.jpg

Inner Cover Flap...

redryderpic3.jpg

Inside...

redryderpic4.jpg

redryderpic6.jpg

redryderpic5.jpg

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