This is the 39th 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. There may also be a link if an online scan is available for copyrighted material, but only if that material is out of print.
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 38th post covers May 1952 to June 1952.
Captain Marvel Adventures #134.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on May 2, 1952. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Al Jetter, and Will Lieberson. The comic includes the story “Mr. Tawny’s Bouncing Shoes,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: July 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 12, No. 9 [#141].
Published on May 2, 1952. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “The Think Box Bollix,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Barks. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: June 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Frontline Combat #8.
To read the story illustrated by Alex Toth, click here.
Published on May 8, 1952. Edited by Harvey Kurtzman. The comic includes these stories: “Thunderjet!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Alex Toth; “Caesar!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Wallace Wood; “Chickamauga!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Jack Davis; and “Night Patrol!” by Harvey Kurtzman & John Severin, with Bill [Will] Elder. Cover illustration by Harvey Kurtzman. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Tiny Tot [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: September-October 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Comics Monthly #53.
Published on May 10, 1952. Edited by Leon Harvey. The comic features material originally published in Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy daily newspaper strip. Cover illustration by Chester Gould. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Harvey. Cover/indicia date: July 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu #48.
Published on May 13, 1952. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “Mr. McNabbem,” “I’ll Have a Little Time to Spare,” “That Awful Witch, Hazel,” and “…Now I’ll Mix a Couple of Drops,” all by John Stanley & Irving Tripp. Cover illustration by Irving Tripp. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: June 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Donald Duck and the Golden Helmet.
Published on May 20, 1952. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the story “The Golden Helmet,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Barks. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: 1952. Cover price: 10¢. Note: Also known as Four Color #408.
Tales from the Crypt #31.
Published on May 22, 1952. Edited by William M. Gaines. The comic includes these stories: “Survival… or Death!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Davis; “The Thing in the ‘Glades!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson; “Kamen’s Kalamity!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen, with Graham Ingels, Johnny Craig, and Jack Davis; and “Buried Treasure!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Graham Ingels. Cover illustration by Jack Davis. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: I. C. [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: August-September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Weird Fantasy #14.
Published on May 28, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “The Exile!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Wallace Wood; “The Expert!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Joe Orlando; “The Ad!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Joe Orlando; “Close Call!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; and “Mad Journey!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson, with Frank Frazetta and Roy G. Krenkel. Cover illustration by Albert B. Feldstein. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: I. C. [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: July-August 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Intimate Love #19.
To read the story illustrated by Alex Toth, click here.
Published on June 3, 1952. The comic includes the story “I Married in Haste,” illustrated by Alex Toth, with Mike Peppe. The cover photographer and actors are unknown. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. Meridien, CT: Standard. Cover/indicia date: August 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
The Spirit #2.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on June 3, 1952. Edited by J. F. Byrne. The comic features stories originally published in Will Eisner’s The Spirit Sunday-newspaper comic-book insert. The stories include: “The Amazing Affair of the First Man on Mars,” by Jules Feiffer & Jim Dixon, first published on January 27, 1952; “Contraband Wueen” [also known as “The 7th Husband”], by Will Eisner & Jules Feiffer, first published on May 20, 1951; “The Case of the Baleful Buddah,” by Jules Feiffer & Jim Dixon, first published on November 18, 1951; and “The $50,000 Flim-Flam” [also known as “Time Bomb”], illustrated by Klaus Nordling, first published on April 15, 1951. The cover illustrator is unknown. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Real Adventures [Fiction House]. Cover/indicia date: 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
The Vault of Horror #26.
Published on June 3, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Two of a Kind!” by Johnny Craig; “Graft in Concrete!” illustrated by Jack Davis; “Half-Way Horrible!” illustrated by Sid Check; and “Hook, Line, and Stinker!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Graham Ingels, with William M. Gaines. Cover illustration by Johnny Craig. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: L. L. [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: August-September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 12, No. 10 [#142].
Published on June 3, 1952. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “The Think Box Bollix,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Barks. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: July 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Comics Monthly #54.
Published on June 10, 1952. Edited by Leon Harvey. The comic features material originally published in Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy daily newspaper strip. Cover illustration by Chester Gould. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Harvey. Cover/indicia date: August 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu #49.
Published on June 10, 1952. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “The Case of the Pilfered Popcorn,” “The Working Girls,” “Hi, Alvin! What Are Looking So Sad About?” “Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea,” and “The Evil Owl,” all by John Stanley & Irving Tripp, with Al Owens and Gordon Rose. Cover illustration by John Stanley. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: July 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Pogo Possum #10.
Published on June 10, 1952. Edited by Chase Craig. The comic includes the stories “Lulu Red Ridey Hoops,” “Down with the Sea in Ships,” “The Epic Cure,” “Beared Fangs,” and “Mother’s Gooseberry Rinds,” all by Walt Kelly. Cover illustration by Walt Kelly. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 52 pages. New York: Dell. Cover-indicia date: July-August 1952. Cover price: 15¢.
Shock SuspenStories #4.
Published on June 12, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Split Second!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen, with William M. Gaines; “Confession,” by Albert B. Feldstein & Wallace Wood, with William M. Gaines; “Strictly Business!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Joe Orlando, with William M. Gaines; and “Uppercut!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Davis, with William M. Gaines. Cover illustration by Wallace Wood. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Tiny Tot [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: August-September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Two-Fisted Tales #29.
Published on June 13, 1952. Edited by Harvey Kurtzman. The comic includes these stories: “Korea!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Jack Davis; “Red Knight!” by Harvey Kurtzman & John Severin; “Washington!” by Harvey Kurtzman & John Severin, with Bill [Will] Elder; and “Fire Mission!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Davy [Dave] Berg. Cover illustration by Harvey Kurtzman. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Fables [E. C.] Cover/indicia date: September-October 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
The Haunt of Fear #14.
Published on June 19, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “A Little Stranger!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Graham Ingels, with William M. Gaines; “Take Your Pick!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; “Ship-Shape!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Sid Check; and “This Little Piggy…” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Davis. Cover illustration by Graham Ingels. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Fables [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: May-June 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Al Capp’s Li’l Abner #89.
Published on June 20, 1952. Edited by Mell Lazarus. The comic features material originally published in Al Capp’s Li’l Abner daily newspaper strip. Cover illustration by Al Capp. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Toby. Cover/indicia date: July 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
The Marvel Family #74.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on June 20, 1952. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Al Jetter, and Will Lieberson. The comic features the story “The Marvel Family Battles the Hissing Horror,” by C. C. Beck & Otto Binder. Cover illustration by C. C. Beck, with Pete Costanza. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. Greenwich, CT: Fawcett. Cover/indicia date: August 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Weird Science #15.
Published on June 20, 1952. Edited by William M. Gaines. The comic includes these stories: “The Martians!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Wallace Wood; “Captivity,” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson; “Miscalculation!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; and “Bum Steer!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Joe Orlando. Cover illustration by Wallace Wood. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Fables [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: September-October 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Crime SuspenStories #13.
Published on June 25, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Hear No Evil!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen, with Johnny Craig; “First Impulse!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Sid Check; “Second Chance?” by Albert B. Feldstein & Sid Check; “A Question of Time!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson, with Angelo Torres; and “Forty Whacks!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen. Cover illustration by Johnny Craig. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: L. L. [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: October-November 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Frontline Combat #9.
Published on June 26, 1952. Edited by Harvey Kurtzman. The comic includes these stories: “Abe Lincoln!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Jack Davis; “First Shot!” by Harvey Kurtzman & John Severin, with Bill [Will] Elder; “Choose Sides!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Wallace Wood; and “Bull Run!” by Harvey Kurtzman & John Severin. Cover illustration by Harvey Kurtzman. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Tiny Tot [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: November-December 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Next: July 1952 to August 1952.