Pre-Golden Age (1933-38) - The Birth of the Modern Comic Book 0

[esquirecomics]

Jon, there are just simply no words to properly react to your last post so I will simply say

[ciorac]

Jon, the only thing more amazing than the books you shared with us, is the fact that the mailer label is addressed to a scientist at Area 51! That is killer!!

[ciorac]

Jon, the only thing more amazing than the books you shared with us, is the fact that the mailer label is addressed to a scientist at Area 51! That is killer!!

 

Just kidding. He is a Dentist who attended New Mexico Military Institute as a child.

[PUNYHUMAN]

Jon, just read your post this morning. I think I soiled my pants!!

Just incredible stuff , you have posted. Seriously, Thanks for sharing as always.

I've learned so much from the Golden threads.

[selegue]

Okay....let me see if i can get this time machine working.....We start with New Fun---we will do number 3 since that has been mentioned.....

 

...and it was thought for the longest time that Standard Oil was just a wannabe with its A and B series....

 

 

....

 

But as we end today's history lesson, I can hear the deathening silence...and then the sudden ejaculation of disdain ......."Who cares! They ain't got no staples!"

 

I guess that is where I will have to leave it......jb

 

Holy fudd! No ejaculation from me, even though this is one of the most stimulating CGC posts I've ever read. Let me congratulate you before the That's-not-a-comic-book League shows up to derail the thread with gremlins and insults.

 

I especially like that Goofus McVittie page -- "Green Acres" prototype. The lead character reminds me a little of Happy Hooligan. Is that a signature at the bottom of the last main panel? Who drew it? Was it original or a strip reprint?

 

This is the kind of comic collecting I'd like to do if I had the time and money.

 

Thanks,

Jack

[jbcomicbox]

 

....

 

But as we end today's history lesson, I can hear the deathening silence...and then the sudden ejaculation of disdain ......."Who cares! They ain't got no staples!"

 

I guess that is where I will have to leave it......jb

 

Holy fudd! No ejaculation from me, even though this is one of the most stimulating CGC posts I've ever read. Let me congratulate you before the That's-not-a-comic-book League shows up to derail the thread with gremlins and insults.

 

I especially like that Goofus McVittie page -- "Green Acres" prototype. The lead character reminds me a little of Happy Hooligan. Is that a signature at the bottom of the last main panel? Who drew it? Was it original or a strip reprint?

 

This is the kind of comic collecting I'd like to do if I had the time and money.

 

Thanks,

Jack

 

 

 

.....and mostly, a whole lot of luck....

 

One more ....this book is so important on so many levels that it would make my hair hurt if I had any.....No pre-hero DC collector should not be without this break away Comic Magazine Co ex-employees of DC comicbook (or many of the first five issues which had alot of National comics features which were just renamed for Funny Pages).....or anyone interested while S & S pushed the Superman prototype or any true comicbook history nut......or those interested in this chestnut that went to Ultem and Centaur as Funny Pages.....

[selegue]

 

I especially like that Goofus McVittie page -- "Green Acres" prototype. The lead character reminds me a little of Happy Hooligan. Is that a signature at the bottom of the last main panel? Who drew it? Was it original or a strip reprint?

 

This is the kind of comic collecting I'd like to do if I had the time and money.

 

.....and mostly, a whole lot of luck....

 

 

That too.

You know how the song goes. "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all."

 

 

One more ....this book is so important on so many levels that it would make my hair hurt if I had any.....No pre-hero DC collector should not be without this break away Comic Magazine Co ex-employees of DC comicbook

 

 

Somehow I don't think that you didn't type what you didn't mean there, no?

 

 

(or many of the first five issues which had alot of National comics features which were just renamed for Funny Pages).....or anyone interested while S & S pushed the Superman prototype or any true comicbook history nut......or those interested in this chestnut that went to Ultem and Centaur as Funny Pages.....

 

Wow. More amazing material. Keep it coming!

 

No info on the Goofus artist?

 

Thanks,

Jack

 

[jbcomicbox]

 

I especially like that Goofus McVittie page -- "Green Acres" prototype. The lead character reminds me a little of Happy Hooligan. Is that a signature at the bottom of the last main panel? Who drew it? Was it original or a strip reprint?

 

This is the kind of comic collecting I'd like to do if I had the time and money.

 

.....and mostly, a whole lot of luck....

 

 

That too.

You know how the song goes. "If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all."

 

 

One more ....this book is so important on so many levels that it would make my hair hurt if I had any.....No pre-hero DC collector should not be without this break away Comic Magazine Co ex-employees of DC comicbook

 

 

Somehow I don't think that you didn't type what you didn't mean there, no?

 

 

(or many of the first five issues which had alot of National comics features which were just renamed for Funny Pages).....or anyone interested while S & S pushed the Superman prototype or any true comicbook history nut......or those interested in this chestnut that went to Ultem and Centaur as Funny Pages.....

 

Wow. More amazing material. Keep it coming!

 

No info on the Goofus artist?

 

Thanks,

Jack

 

 

 

 

Correct Translation---"Great and important book"...I tend to misspeak when my keys stick.....

 

As to the artist, I will have to check it out....jb

[adamstrange]

He didn't mis-type. Jon's follicly-challenged regarding his head.. Now go back and re-read his post.

[selegue]

He didn't mis-type. Jon's follicly-challenged regarding his head.. Now go back and re-read his post.

 

It looked to me like he had nots on his head.

 

Jack

[ciorac]

 

....

 

But as we end today's history lesson, I can hear the deathening silence...and then the sudden ejaculation of disdain ......."Who cares! They ain't got no staples!"

 

I guess that is where I will have to leave it......jb

 

Holy fudd! No ejaculation from me, even though this is one of the most stimulating CGC posts I've ever read. Let me congratulate you before the That's-not-a-comic-book League shows up to derail the thread with gremlins and insults.

 

I especially like that Goofus McVittie page -- "Green Acres" prototype. The lead character reminds me a little of Happy Hooligan. Is that a signature at the bottom of the last main panel? Who drew it? Was it original or a strip reprint?

 

This is the kind of comic collecting I'd like to do if I had the time and money.

 

Thanks,

Jack

 

 

 

.....and mostly, a whole lot of luck....

 

One more ....this book is so important on so many levels that it would make my hair hurt if I had any.....No pre-hero DC collector should not be without this break away Comic Magazine Co ex-employees of DC comicbook (or many of the first five issues which had alot of National comics features which were just renamed for Funny Pages).....or anyone interested while S & S pushed the Superman prototype or any true comicbook history nut......or those interested in this chestnut that went to Ultem and Centaur as Funny Pages.....

 

[innocuous]

 

Awesome. Everyone, thank you for sharing.

[Theagenes]

[The book has 36 pages including it's cover. There are 5 - 7 different stories about 5 pages long each...all featuring Detective Dan in a different adventure/story. Norman Marsh signed a panel on every page...he obviously wanted everyone to know this was his baby. These 1st 2 pics include interiors, and the last pic is of the inside of the back cover. This issue has fantastic original art throughout..some of the best! Enjoy

 

Steve, I had intended to comment on this earlier, but I got a little distracted by Jon's post. I would imagine that the reason that Marsh signed each page was not due to vanity, but rather because he originally conceived DD as a newspaper strip. Each of these pages would have been designed as an individual sunday page. Like I mentioned in my first post in this thread, these early original comic magazines were often just springboards for creators that were trying to get their work in the newspapers where the real money was at. This definately seems to be the case with Marsh and Detective Dan/Dan Dunn. This book would have made the perfect portfolio for Marsh to shop around to syndicate execs -- 30+ sundays ready to go with sales figures to point to as well. Apparently it worked as NEA picked it up and Dan Dunn started running in fall of 1933. If, as Bob B. suggests, Marsh was also the publisher of the Humor books, in addition to being a contributor, then the fact that Humor closed it's doors that fall may have been due not to a lack of funds, but to the fact that Marsh had accomplished his real goal -- a syndicated newspaper strip -- and there was no longer any need to bother with stand-alone original comic books anymore. It would be very interesting to see some of the eariest Dann Dunn sundays -- are any of them reprints of these stories in Detective Dan or did he start over fresh? I believe Wu Fang did appear as a villain in the Dan Dunn strips -- Was his his first appearance in the strips a reprint of the preview page on the inside BC of Detective Dan? These would interesting things to follow up on. Who here has a run of Crackajack Funnies they don't mind flipping through?

[CentaurMan]

Jon put together an excellent write-up of this series a while back, but until I got this copy recently, I didn't truly realize how cool it was. This book is really as much a magazine as it is a comic, with plenty of text features augmented by the occasional strip, plus some full page comics as well. Lots of early industry pioneers involved. Full magazine size.

 

[ciorac]

I know this is a few months outside the window of this thread, but I got in the mail today and enjoyed reading it.

 

[ciorac]

It is VERY cool Win! You are becoming Jon Berk Jr.!

[adamstrange]

Jon put together an excellent write-up of this series a while back, but until I got this copy recently, I didn't truly realize how cool it was. This book is really as much a magazine as it is a comic, with plenty of text features augmented by the occasional strip, plus some full page comics as well. Lots of early industry pioneers involved. Full magazine size.

 

 

Wonderful book, C-man. I saw the set last year at Jon's and was mightily impressed!

[showcase4]

These images were previously posted in "The Superman" thread a few months ago, and I'm posting again for those who may not have seen them yet. The birth of the modern comic book was heavily influenced by these 3 very rare comic books from Humor Publishing - 1933. To find any 1 book is a true accomplishment.....to find a complete set of all 3 is a borderline miracle. The miracle happened for me earlier this year...

 

 

 

 

[esquirecomics]

Purchased from a fellow forumite.

 

[BLBcomics-migration]

Back from NYC Big Apple and Columbus MidOhio, read thru this thread, and a few comments, of course, re Jon Berk's comments regarding my deduction from close up personal examining Comic Cuts #8 and #9 I own (last issue) side by side to NEW FUN #1 and #2,

 

plus a Lloyd Jacquet interview i came across from 1958 purporting to be an abstract Chapter One to a proposed history of American comic books he was supposedly working on at the time

 

this info (plus a lot more) is mostly in my Origin of the Modern Comic Book article in the newest Overstreet (as well as the last bunch going into the late 1990s, each version improving as we go along, with new data being uncovered, such as Jon B and i figuring out Standard Oil Comics was earlier than Gulf's comic giveaway effort

 

The distributor and printer are identical, key to understanding that they would have been the ones fronting the money to make such a project a reality, a common practice back in teh day for most comic book company start ups

 

there is a gap of just a couple months between Comic Cuts and New Fun

 

they are the same tabloid size, non comics features are

 

Comic Cuts is Brit reprint stuff, New Fun is original USA newspaper strip style wanna-be material - obviously they discovered Brit reprint material, from the long running Brit pub Comic Cuts, had no USA audience

 

Jacquet also wrote that the Brit Comic Cuts was the direct inspiration for New Fun, not the Eastern Color efforts - a smoking gun for that info

 

If one desires more info than what i scribe here, I refer the reader to the newest Overstreet Origin of the Modern Comic Book article

 

I most likely will not be up here very much as i am entering Deadline Time for the next Overstreet section with a few more new tid bits of data in the Modern Comics origin piece

 

PLUS, i have pushed back the "recurring comic strip character" in the USA of original USA drawn comic strips to 1852 and have also uncovered more comic strips from the 1860s using word balloons - and will have a couple new examples of these 1860s word balloon-using comic strips in the Victorian section of the next Guide

 

- new research i just accomplished during a few days between BYC Big Apple and MidOhio