This is the 16th entry in this weekly series. (For an index of the series’ other published posts, click here.) The purpose is to provide a detailed chronology of the history of North American comic-book publishing. The comics will be presented in order of publication.
While in some instances I will only include key issues of significant titles, I will for the most part be presenting the entirety of the major bodies of work. For example, every comic book with an original Carl Barks Donald Duck story will be featured in the posts. One will get to see something of the context in which the comics were published. With the original Barks duck comics, they will, depending on the year, appear alongside the Walt Kelly Pogo books, the EC “New Trend” titles, and the 1960s Marvel superhero line. This should reflect the books’ presence on newsstands when they were originally on sale.
The publication dates are by and large the on-sale dates the publishers reported to the U. S. Copyright Office. Exceptions will be noted.
Only magazines and books will be featured. Newspaper material will be included only when it has been published in these formats.
If the comic appears to be in the public domain, and a copy is available online for reading at the Digital Comic Museum [www.digitalcomicmuseum.com] or elsewhere, a link will be included in the listing.
The series will give perhaps as good an idea as one can have as to the worthwhile comics a reader would have found at a retailer at a given point in time. If nothing else, the posts should prove a fun exercise in nostalgia.
This 16th post covers January 1947 to April 1947.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 7, No. 5 [#77].
Published on January 14, 1947. Edited by Alice Nielsen [Cobb]. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Going Buggy,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: February 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Animal Comics #25.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on January 15, 1947. Edited by Oskar Lebeck. The comic includes an untitled Albert and Pogo story by Walt Kelly. The primary cover illustration is by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: February-March 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Police Comics #64.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on January 15, 1947. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the Plastic Man story “Sweets to the Swindlers!” by Jack Cole. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: March 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Plastic Man #7.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on January 17, 1947. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes these stories: “One-Way Voyage of Villainy,” by Jack Cole, Joe Millard, and Alex Kotzky; “Prof. Rudge’s Mind-Training School,” by Jack Cole & Gwen Hansen; and “The Billboard’s Tale,” by Jack Cole & Joe Millard. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: Spring 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Sensation Comics #63.
Published on January 20, 1947. Edited by Sheldon Mayer. The comic includes the Wonder Woman story “The Wall of Doom,” by William Moulton Marston & Harry G. Peter. Cover illustration by Harry G. Peter. St. Louis: National [DC]. Cover/indicia date: March 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Note: This entry was added on September 21, 2015. Jill Lepore’s 2014 The Secret History of Wonder Woman attributes the scriptwriting in this story to William Moulton Marston. The Grand Comics Database listing at the time of my original research did not credit him.
Wonder Woman #22.
Published on January 27, 1947. Edited by Sheldon Mayer. The comic includes the stories “The Color Thief,” “The Island of Evil,” and “Jealousy Visits the Winged Women of Venus,” all by William Moulton Marston & Harry G. Peter. Cover illustration by Harry G. Peter. St. Louis: National [DC]. Cover/indicia date: March-April 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Note: This entry was added on September 21, 2015. Jill Lepore’s 2014 The Secret History of Wonder Woman attributes the scriptwriting in these stories to William Moulton Marston. The Grand Comics Database listing at the time of my original research did not credit him.
Marge’s Little Lulu.
Published on January 28, 1947. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “The Hooky Team,” “The Big Snow Fight,” and “Lulu and the Bean Soup,” all by John Stanley. Cover illustration by John Stanley. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: March 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Note: Also known as Four Color #139.
Captain Marvel Adventures #71.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on January 31, 1947. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Will Lieberson, and Ralph Daigh. The comic includes the stories “The Adventure in Time,” and “The End of the World,” both by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder, with Pete Costanza. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: April 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
The Marvel Family #10.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on February 7, 1946. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Will Lieberson, and Ralph Daigh. The comic includes the Marvel Family story “The Sivana Family Strikes at the Marvel Family,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder, with Pete Costanza, Jack Binder, and Bud Thompson. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck & Pete Costanza. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: April 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Comic Cavalcade #20.
Published on February 12, 1947. Edited by Sheldon Mayer. The comic includes the Wonder Woman story “The Buddha Wishing Ring,” by William Moulton Marston & Harry G. Peter. Cover illustration by Martin Naydel. St. Louis: DC. Cover/indicia date: April-May 1947. Cover price: 15¢.
Police Comics #65.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on February 14, 1947. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the Plastic Man story “The Apartment of Dr. Phobia,” by Jack Cole. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: April 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 7, No. 6 [#78].
Published on February 14, 1947. Edited by Alice Nielsen [Cobb]. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Jam Robbers,” by Carl Barks. The cover illustrator is believed to be either Walt Kelly or Carl Buettner. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: March 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Jingle Jangle Comics #25.
To read the issue online, click here.
The comic includes the Jingle Jangle Tales story “The Rocketeering Doodlebug and the Self-Winding Horse-Fly,” and an untitled episode of “The Pie-Face Prince of Old Pretzleburg,” both by George Carlson. Cover illustration by Larz Bourne. New York: Famous Funnies [Eastern Color]. Cover/indicia date: February 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Notes: The exact publication date is unknown. A copyright registration does not appear to have been filed. There is no credited editor for the issue.
Animal Comics #26.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on March 14, 1947. Edited by Oskar Lebeck. The comic includes an untitled Albert & Pogo story by Walt Kelly. The primary cover illustration is by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: April-May 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Police Comics #66.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on March 14, 1947. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the Plastic Man story “Beauteous Bessie,” by Jack Cole. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: May 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 7, No. 7 [#79].
Published on March 14, 1947. Edited by Alice Nielsen [Cobb]. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Picnic Tricks,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: April 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Wonder Woman #23.
Published on March 26, 1947. Edited by Sheldon Mayer. The comic includes the stories “Siege of the Savage War Maidens,” “The Vanishing Mummy,” and “Wonder Woman and the Coming of the Kangas,” all by William Moulton Marston & Harry G. Peter. Cover illustration by Harry G. Peter. St. Louis: National [DC]. Cover/indicia date: May 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Note: This entry was added on September 21, 2015. Jill Lepore’s 2014 The Secret History of Wonder Woman attributes the scriptwriting in these stories to William Moulton Marston. The Grand Comics Database listing at the time of my original research did not credit him.
Captain Marvel Adventures #73.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on March 28, 1947. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Will Lieberson, and Ralph Daigh. The comic includes the stories “Captain Marvel Meets Billy Batson,” and “Captain Marvel Gets a Hobby,” both by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder, with Pete Costanza. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: June 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu.
Published on April 1, 1947. The comic includes the stories “The Kid Who Came to Dinner,” “Sunday Afternoon,” “Forbidden Fruit,” “Rainy Day,” and “Crybaby,” all by John Stanley & Irving Tripp. Cover illustration by John Stanley & Irving Tripp. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: May 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Note: Also known as Four Color #146.
Comic Cavalcade #21.
Published on April 9, 1947. Edited by Sheldon Mayer. The comic includes the Wonder Woman story “The Siege of the Flying Mermaids,” by William Moulton Marston & Harry G. Peter. Cover illustration by Everett E. Hibbard. St. Louis: DC. Cover/indicia date: June-July 1947. Cover price: 15¢.
Walt Disney’s Donald Duck in Volcano Valley.
Published on April 10, 1947. Edited by Eleanor Packer, Alice Nielsen [Cobb], and Tom McKimson. The comic includes the story “Volcano Valley,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Buettner. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: May 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Note: Also known as Four Color #147.
Albert the Alligator and Pogo Possum.
Published on April 15, 1947. The comic includes the stories “The Great Sam Widge Test,” “Rainy Daze,” “The Catfish Pirates,” “Mr. Owl and the Atomic Bomb,” and “East Lint with Albert and Pogo and an All-Star Cast in Person,” all by Walt Kelly. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. Cover/indicia date: May 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Note: Also known as Four Color #108.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 7, No. 8 [#80].
Published on April 15, 1947. Edited by Alice Nielsen [Cobb]. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Donald’s Posy Patch,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: May 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Plastic Man #8.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on April 18, 1947. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the stories “The Hot Rod” and “Concerto for Murder,” by Jack Cole & Gwen Hansen. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: Summer 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Sensation Comics #66.
Published on April 21, 1947. Edited by Sheldon Mayer. The comic includes the Wonder Woman story “Prisoners of Cops and Robbers,” by William Moulton Marston & Harry G. Peter. Cover illustration by Harry G. Peter. St. Louis: DC. Cover/indicia date: June 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Police Comics #67.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on April 23, 1947. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the Plastic Man story “The Gag Man,” by Jack Cole. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: June 1947. Cover price: 10¢.
Jingle Jangle Comics #26.
To read the issue online, click here.
The comic includes the Jingle Jangle Tales story “The Bargain-Plated Dummy and the Non-Skid Dicky” and an untitled episode of “The Pie-Face Prince of Old Pretzleburg,” both by George Carlson. Cover illustration by Larz Bourne. New York: Famous Funnies [Eastern Color]. Cover/indicia date: April 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Notes: The exact publication date is unknown. A copyright registration does not appear to have been filed. There is no credited editor for the issue.
Terry and the Pirates Comics #3.
To read the issue online, click here.
Edited by Leon Harvey. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Milton Caniff’s run on the Terry and the Pirates daily newspaper strip. Cover illustration by Milton Caniff. New York: Harvey. Cover/indicia date: April 1947. Cover price: 10¢. Notes: To those who click to read the online scan, please be aware the strip features offensive racial caricatures. This is the first issue of the series. The numbering takes over from the publisher’s Boy Explorers Comics. The exact publication date is unknown. While the strips are under copyright to the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate (now Tribune Media Services), no copyright registration was filed for this publication.
Next: May 1947 to July 1947.