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Publisher: Comics Magazine Company

- Attribution History

Years in Operation: 1936 - 1937

Detail

Country:

United States Web Site: Brands: 0 Indicia Publishers: 1 Series: 7 Printings: 35 (33 Issues) Disclose

Notes: The Comics Magazine Company is the earliest predecessor of the Centaur Group, and is often lumped in with Centaur and its other predecessors. In fact it was a distinct company, formed by William H. Cook and John F. Mahon. Cook and Mahon had been the managing editor and business manager, respectively, of National Allied Newspaper Syndicate and More Fun Magazines (Maj. Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's second batch of companies, and early predecessors of DC Comics).

They left after only three months, and started The Comics Magazine which included many features from National drawn by the original artists. Exactly what happened is not clear. A common story has been that they took the finished artwork in lieu of payment, but that does not explain why some artists moved over with them and continued to produce their features for several months. Many of these were also continued at National by different artists and re-named characters. Other features, make a single appearance and then return to National. And some artists continued to produce work for both companies.

Writer Lee Boyette asserted the features were purchased by Cook and Mahon from the creators.

“Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, friends from Wheeler-Nicholson’s company,” Boyette wrote, “provided a single two-page installment of 'Dr. Mystic'…. Other contributors included Ellis Edwards, Matt Curzon, William Alliston, John Patterson, future All-American Publications and DC editor Sheldon Mayer, and future Pogo creator Walt Kelly. … (The course of comic book history would have been changed… had Cook and Mahon purchased 'Superman' from Siegel and Shuster… rather than a single installment of 'Dr. Mystic.'"

However, Douglas Wheeler-Nicholson, son of the Major, said he believes the work was stolen.

“I think they were just pinched,” Douglas said. “I think those issues, they just sort-of said, ‘Here some stuff we can use,' and they changed the name and used it.

Clarifying he believes Siegel, Shuster and the Major were unaware, Douglas added, “I think the guys putting out that little comic book just stole it.”

The Comics Magazine Company published their last issues cover-dated June 1937. The two oldest titles were acquired by Ultem Publications and resumed with volume 2 three months later. Ultem's titles were in turn acquired by Centaur half a year later.

Essay built on research by Bob Hughes, Steven Rowe, Frank Motler, Henry Andrews and many others.

Additional sources:

Boyette, Lee. “Centaur Spread: The Amazing, Keen, and Funny Story of the Centaur Comics Group.” Alter Ego, vol. 3. no. 85, May 2009, p. 25)

Amash, Jim. “’His Goal Was the Graphic Novel’: Douglas Wheeler-Nicholson, Son of the Major, Reveals Startling Facts About the Early Days of the DC -- and Superman!.” Alter Ego, vol. 3, no. 88, August 2009, pp. 27)

For further information, see the entry for Centaur:
http://www.comics.org/publisher/58/ Does this data need corrections? Become an editor.

Series: 1 to 7 of 7 found.

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Series Name	Years in Print	Issues (Printings)
The Comics Magazine {Comic Books} Note: The cover logo of #2 is The Comics Magazine Funny Pages, presaging the official name change with #3.	1936 - 1936	2
The Comics Magazine (Funny Pages) {Comic Books} Note: The title is listed in the indicia of all three issues as The Comics Magazine (Funny Pages). The cover title is The Comics Magazine Funny Pages, with the latter two words much more prominent, anticipating the title change to just Funny Pages.	1936 - 1936	3
Detective Picture Stories {Comic Books}	1936 - 1937	5
Funny Pages {Comic Books}	1936 - 1937	6
Funny Picture Stories {Comic Books}	1936 - 1937	7
Weekly Supplement [Book-Comics] {Comic Books} Note: Weekly Sunday comic book newspaper supplement with reprinted different stories and features from Funny Picture Stories. Each book was eight pages, reprinting a seven page story with a colored blank area on the final page for the subscribing newspaper to print their own content. Issues were numbered on the final page above a next issue box. The series is not listed in Overstreet, but is listed by Heritage Auctions as "Funny Picture Stories Supplement." The books however, are only marked "WEEKLY SUPPLEMENT TO," with a blank for the subscribing paper's name and date. The secondary title of the series, "Book-Comics," comes from ads, which clearly name it as such, leading up to its publication in the Deadwood Pioneer-Times. It is likely that the ads, and name, came from the publisher, or distributor, but that cannot be certain without further documentation. The Pioneer-Times is one of the two known subscribing papers, along with the Lake Charles American Press, which ran the first issue five days later than the Pioneer-Times. From Newspapers.com and Heritage Auctions, issues 1-4 and 11-12 are known to have been printed, and 1-4 are known to have been distributed in newspapers. Issues 11 and 12 have no printed newspaper masthead, blank final pages, and are not known to have been distributed.	1937 - 1937	6 (8)
Western Picture Stories {Comic Books}	1937 - 1937	4

Series: 1 to 7 of 7 found.

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