Comics Reviewed:More Fun Comics, Vol. 1: #7-12
More Fun Comics, Vol. 2: #1-4*
New Comics, Vol. 1: #2-11
Let's flash back to the first article I ever put up on this blog, a little information dump on what DC comics was like in its larval stages, that of the year 1935. I noted that the two monthly comics being published at that time were both fun little anthology magazines that, while interesting for viewing the mindset of America during that time, had little of actual value.
Unfortunately, the following year, innovation was not really on the minds of the creators involved with the two books. Their original title, New Fun Comics, had its title changed to More Fun Comics, and along with the second book New Comics, they continued to produce much of the same stories akin to newspaper funnies. Behind the scenes, however, was a different story entirely.
For a little while, things were looking good for the higher ups at National Allied Magazines. They weren't making a ton of money, but the fact that they didn't pay quite a few of their artists led to a relatively significant profit. Of course, you can see how the artists themselves would have a problem with this!
And thus, about half-way through the year, a mass exodus of talent occurred at DC. Lesser known writer/artists like Matt Curson, R.H. Livingstone and William Allison, as well as more famous talent like Sheldon Mayer, all left the company in droves. Even two of the editors, William Cook and John Mahon, split off to form their own rival, the Comics Magazine Company.
Learn more about the Comics Magazine Company here.
Sweeping changes were in order for DC in order to survive. New talent like Homer Fleming and Bill Patrick were hired to come and take over on some of the more popular strips (with name changes for copyright purposes of course). And current artists Vincent Sullivan and Whitney Ellsworth were promoted to editor status, assisting big boss Wheeler-Nicholson.
New people were continuously hired, but damage had been done, and there were no where near as many writer/artists as previously. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because the current staff were forced to take on more stories, shoving them into the limelight. Namely the power-house team of Siegel and Shuster.
The appearance of Superman was still a couple years off, but even back in 1936 it was apparent these guys were going to make it big. They continued to write Dr. Occult for More Fun Comics and created two new police-story strips, Radio Squad & Federal Men, for New Comics. It was not long before their art style became DC's preferred "look" and they were considered the face of the Golden Age of comics.
The survival of DC Comics during this time is due in large part to them. Their innovation in turning Dr. Occult into a caped super-hero, albeit briefly, was a glimpse into the world that the comics industry would become in just a few short years. Along with that, their story Federal Men became the most popular strip at DC up to that point, leading to the formation of the "Junior Federal Men Club" and Steve Carson (the eponymous "Federal Man") headlined New Comics for a ages to come.
If you can get your hands on the early works of Siegel and Shuster, it is a sight to behold. Dr. Occult, Federal Men, and the later introduced Slam Bradley are all amazing stories for their time. No where else in comics could you find terrorists with tanks and giant robots invading Washington DC and laying waste to the city (Purportedly DC's first major "crisis").
Other than those strips though, there isn't much to be seen here. It's a lot of the same stories witnessed in the previous year, some stories even utilizing the same drawings over and over again. Not exactly what I would call "gold." I'd recomend seeking out Dr. Occult and Federal Men strips, and skipping the others.
Siegel and Shuster pulled DC out of the depths of cancellation. But they were no where near a good profit margin. Slowly but surely, the financial situation was slipping for dear old Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and his little comic company. There was hope at the end of the tunnel though. In New Comics #11, there is an advertisement for a new DC book to be released that next year. A title I'm sure any comic fan has heard of. The namesake of DC itself: Detective Comics. And with that, history is made.
*At the time, DC's policy was to re-launch the title after every twelve issues, indicating a one-year run. This lasted until 1938, when the titles were retroactively adjusted to their actual Vol. 1 numbers.
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