This is the 40th 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 40th post covers July 1952 to August 1952.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 12, No. 11 [#143].
Published on July 1, 1952. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Gemstone Hunters,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Barks. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 52 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: August 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Captain Marvel Adventures #136.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on July 2, 1952. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Al Jetter, and Will Lieberson. The comic includes the stories “Captain Marvel Battles Hallucination,” “Television Trickery,” and “The Witch of Haven Street,” all 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: September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Tales from the Crypt #32.
Published on July 3, 1952. Edited by William M. Gaines. The comic includes these stories: “’Taint the Meat… It’s the Humanity!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Davis; “Roped In!” by Albert B. Feldstein & George Evans; “Cutting Cards!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Fred Peters; and “Squash… Anyone?” by Albert B. Feldstein & Graham Ingels, with William M. Gaines. Cover illustration by Jack Davis. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: I. C. [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: October-November 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Weird Fantasy #15.
Published on July 7, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Revulsion!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Joe Orlando; “The Quick Trip!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson; “The Long Trip!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson; “He Who Waits!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; and “By George!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson, with Jack Hearne. Cover illustration by Albert B. Feldstein. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: I. C. [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: September-October 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Comics Monthly #55.
Published on July 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: September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Mad #1.
Published on July 10, 1952. Edited by Harvey Kurtzman. The comic includes these stories: “Hoohah!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Jack Davis; “Blobs!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Wallace Wood; “Ganefs!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Bill [Will] Elder; and “Varmint!” by Harvey Kurtzman & John Severin. Cover illustration by Harvey Kurtzman. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Educational [E. C.] Cover/indicia date: October-November 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Donald Duck and the Gilded Man.
Published on July 15, 1952. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the story “The Gilded Man,” 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 #422.
The Vault of Horror #27.
Published on July 15, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Silver Threads Among the Mold!” by Johnny Craig; “People Who Live in Brass Hearses…” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Davis, with William M. Gaines; “Strictly from Hunger!” illustrated by George Evans; and “A Grim Fairy Tale!” 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: October-November 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Shock SuspenStories #5.
Published on July 17, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Well Traveled!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen, with William M. Gaines; “Hate!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Wallace Wood; “What Fur?” by Albert B. Feldstein & Joe Orlando; and “Cold Cuts!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Davis. Cover illustration by Wallace Wood. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Tiny Tot [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: October-November 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Two-Fisted Tales #30.
Published on July 21, 1952. Edited by Harvey Kurtzman. The comic includes these stories: “Bunker!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Ric Estrada; “Knights!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Wallace Wood; “Wake!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Gene Colan; and “Fledgeling!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Jack Davis. Cover illustration by Jack Davis. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Fables [E. C.] Cover/indicia date: November-December 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
The Haunt of Fear #15.
Published on July 31, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Chatter-Boxed!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Graham Ingels, with William M. Gaines; “All Washed Up!” by Albert B. Feldstein & George Evans; “Marriage Vows!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; and “Death of Some Salesmen!” 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: September-October 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Peanuts, Charles M. Schulz.
Published on July 31, 1952. The book collects material from Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts daily newspaper strip. Cover illustration by Charles M. Schulz. Mass-market paperback book. Black-and-white interiors. 128 pages. New York: Rinehart. Cover/indicia date: 1952. Cover price: $1.00.
Note
This is the first book collection of Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts newspaper strip.
Captain Marvel Adventures #137.
To read the issue online, click here.
Published on August 1, 1952. Edited by Wendell Crowley, Al Jetter, and Will Lieberson. The comic includes the stories “King Kull and the Seven Sins,” “Mr. Tawny’s Culture Craze,” and “The Royal Riddle,” all 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: October 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, Vol. 12, No. 12 [#144].
Published on August 5, 1952. Edited by Alice Nielsen Cobb. The comic includes the Donald Duck story “Spending Money,” by Carl Barks. Cover illustration by Carl Barks. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 52 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Dick Tracy Comics Monthly #56.
Published on August 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: October 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Marge’s Little Lulu #51.
Published on August 12, 1952. Edited by Helen Meyer. The comic includes the stories “The Ghost in the Bottle,” “The Peacemaker,” “A Dog’s Lifesaver,” “Guessing Game,” “The Stone Age Kid,” and “The Avengers,” all by John Stanley, with Irving Tripp. Cover illustration by John Stanley, with Irving Tripp. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 52 pages. New York: Dell. Cover/indicia date: September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Weird Science #16.
Published on August 14, 1952. Edited by William M. Gaines. The comic includes these stories: “Down to Earth,” by Albert B. Feldstein & Wallace Wood; “Space-Borne!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Al Williamson; “Given the Heir!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; and “The People’s Choice!” 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: November-December 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Al Capp’s Li’l Abner #90.
Published on August 19, 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: September 1952. Cover price: 10¢.
Crime SuspenStories #14.
Published on August 21, 1952. Edited by Albert B. Feldstein. The comic includes these stories: “Sweet Dreams!” by Johnny Craig; “The Perfect Place!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; “The Electric Chair,” by Albert B. Feldstein & Fred Peters; “The Hangman’s Noose,” by Albert B. Feldstein & Fred Peters; “The Guillotine!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Fred Peters; and “Private Performance!” 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: December 1952-January 1953. Cover price: 10¢.
Frontline Combat #10.
Published on August 22, 1952. Edited by Harvey Kurtzman. The comic includes these stories: “A Baby!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Wallace Wood; “Geronimo!” by Harvey Kurtzman & John Severin, with Bill [Will] Elder; “Napoleon!” by Harvey Kurtzman & George Evans; and “Anzio!” by Harvey Kurtzman & Jack Davis. Cover illustration by John Severin, with Bill [Will] Elder. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: Tiny Tot [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: January-February 1953. Cover price: 10¢.
Tales from the Crypt #33.
Published on August 28, 1952. Edited by William M. Gaines. The comic includes these stories: “Lower Berth!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Davis; “This Trick’ll Kill You!” by Albert B. Feldstein & George Evans, with Jack Kamen; “The Funeral” by Albert B. Feldstein & Jack Kamen; and “None But the Lonely Heart!” by Albert B. Feldstein & Graham Ingels, with William M. Gaines. Cover illustration by Jack Davis. Standard-format comic book. Color interiors. 36 pages. New York: I. C. [E. C.]. Cover/indicia date: December 1952-January 1953. Cover price: 10¢.
Next: September 1952 to October 1952.