This is the 22nd 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 22nd post covers January 1949 to April 1949.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 9, No. 5 [#101].
Published on January 4, 1949. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Donald Duck’s Worst Nightmare,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: February 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Monthly #14.
Published on January 11, 1949. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy daily newspaper strip. The cover illustrator is unknown. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: February 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu #8.
Published on January 11, 1949. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “Happy Birthday,” “43-44-45-”, “Beautiful Lulu,” “Pleasant Dreams”, and “Tough Guy,” all by John Stanley & Charles Hedinger with Irving Tripp. Cover illustration by John Stanley. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: February 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Police Comics #88.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on January 12, 1949. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the Plastic Man story “The Seer,” by Jack Cole. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: March 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Captain Marvel Adventures #95.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on January 28, 1949. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Will Lieberson, and Ralph Daigh. The comic includes the stories “The Man Who Wanted to Be Poor” and “History Goes Wild,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Li’l Abner Comics #68. [#8]
Edited by Leon Harvey. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Al Capp’s Li’l Abner daily newpaper strip. Cover illustration by Al Capp. New York: Harvey. Cover/indicia date: January 1949. Cover price: 10¢. Notes: The exact publication date is unknown. While the strips are under copyright to the United Feature Syndicate, no copyright registration was filed for this publication.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 9, No. 6 [#102].
Published on February 8, 1949. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Pizen Spring Dude Ranch,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: March 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Police Comics #89.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on February 11, 1949. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the Plastic Man story “No One Can Stop the Vanishers,” by Jack Cole & Joe Millard. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Monthly #15.
Published on February 15, 1949. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy daily newspaper strip. The cover illustrator is unknown. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: March 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu #9.
Published on February 15, 1949. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “A Wrong Move,” “The Cloud That Ran Away,” “Pot of Gold,” and “Tubby Meets a Ghost,” all by John Stanley & Charles Hedinger with Irving Tripp. Cover illustration by John Stanley. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: March 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Plastic Man #17.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on February 18, 1949. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes these stories: “Uno, the Last Man on Earth,” by Jack Cole & William Woolfolk; “Salteen’s Art Gallery,” by Jack Cole; and “Plastic Man Products,” by Jack Cole & Joe Millard. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Donald Duck in “Lost in the Andes”.
Published on February 22, 1949. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the story “Lost in the Andes,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Barks. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢. Note: Also known as Four Color #223.
The Marvel Family #34.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on February 25, 1949. Edited by Wendell Crowley & Will Lieberson. The comic includes the Captain Marvel story “The Duel of Inventions,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck & Pete Costanza. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Jingle Jangle Comics #37.
To read the issue online, click here.
The comic includes the Jingle Jangle Tales story “The Extra Snappy Musketeer and the Brave Little Gingersnap” and an untitled episode of “The Pie-Face Prince of Old Pretzleburg,” both by George Carlson. Cover illustration by Dave Tendlar. New York: Famous Funnies [Eastern Color]. Cover/indicia date: February 1949. 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.
Li’l Abner Comics, Vol. 2, No. 9 [#69].
Edited by Leon Harvey. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Al Capp’s Li’l Abner daily newpaper strip. Cover illustration by Al Capp. New York: Harvey. Cover/indicia date: February 1949. Cover price: 10¢. Notes: The exact publication date is unknown. While the strips are under copyright to the United Feature Syndicate, no copyright registration was filed for this publication.
Terry and the Pirates Comics #14.
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 newpaper strip. Cover illustration by Milton Caniff. New York: Harvey. Cover/indicia date: February 1949. Cover price: 10¢. Notes: Those who click to read the online scan should be aware the stories feature racist caricatures. 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.
Captain Marvel Adventures #96.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on March 2, 1949. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Will Lieberson, and Ralph Daigh. The comic includes the story “Mr. Tawny Loses Faith in Mankind,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 9, No. 7 [#103].
Published on March 8, 1949. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Rival Beachcombers,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Police Comics #90.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on March 11, 1949. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes the Plastic Man story “Captain Rivers,” by Jack Cole & Gwen Hansen. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Monthly #16.
Published on March 15, 1949. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy daily newspaper strip. The cover illustrator is unknown. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu #10.
Published on March 15, 1949. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “Snowmen,” “Bank Robbery,” “Story in a Barrel,” and “The Musician,” all by John Stanley & Charles Hedinger with Irving Tripp. Cover illustration by John Stanley. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Al Capp’s Li’l Abner #70.
Published on March 18, 1949. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Al Capp’s Li’l Abner daily newspaper strip. Cover illustration by Al Capp. New York: Toby. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
The Marvel Family #35.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on March 25, 1949. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Will Lieberson, and Ralph Daigh. The comic includes the Captain Marvel story “Captain Marvel Trains Another Captain Marvel,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder, with Pete Costanza. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck & Pete Costanza. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Captain Marvel Adventures #97.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on April 1, 1949. Edited by Wendell Crowley & Will Lieberson. The comic includes the story “The World Without Water,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder. It also features the stories “The Ownerless Diamond” and “Captain Marvel Is Wiped Out,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder, with Pete Costanza. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: June 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 9, No. 8 [#104].
Published on April 5, 1949. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “The Sunken Yacht,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Barks. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Monthly #17.
Published on April 12, 1949. The comic features color versions of stories from cartoonist Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy daily newspaper strip. The cover illustrator is unknown. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu #11.
Published on April 12, 1949. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “Housekeeper Wanted,” “A Clothes Call,” “The Prince in the Pool,” and “Tubby’s Uncle,” all by John Stanley & Charles Hedinger with Irving Tripp. Cover illustration by John Stanley. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: May 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Plastic Man #18.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on April 20, 1949. Edited by George E. Brenner. The comic includes these stories: “Down on the Farm,” by Jack Cole & Gwen Hansen; and “The Hot Dog Caper” and “Z. Newgate Popskull,” both by Jack Cole. Cover illustration by Jack Cole. Buffalo: Comic Magazines [Quality]. Cover/indicia date: July 1949. Cover price: 10¢.
Jingle Jangle Comics #38.
To read the issue online, click here.
The comic includes the Jingle Jangle Tales story “The Half-Champion Archer and the Double-Dipped Arrow” and an untitled episode of “The Pie-Face Prince of Old Pretzleburg,” both by George Carlson. Cover illustration by Allen Ulmer. New York: Famous Funnies [Eastern Color]. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. 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 #15.
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 newpaper strip. The cover illustrator is unknown [see notes]. New York: Harvey. Cover/indicia date: April 1949. Cover price: 10¢. Notes: Those who click to read the online scan should be aware the stories feature racist caricatures. 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. The GCD credits Milton Caniff with the cover art. But there is no signature, and to my eye, this looks like an artist imitating Caniff rather than Caniff himself.
Next: May 1949 to August 1949.