COMIC #1: New Fun #1
DATE: January 11, 1935 (on sale); February 1935 (cover)
PUBLISHER: National Allied Publications, Inc.
CONTENTS: Introductory essay, maybe by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, illustrated by Dick Loederer; "Sandra of the Secret Service" by Charles Flanders; "Jigger And Ginger", drawn by Shus; "Barry O'Neill" by Lawrence Lariar; "Magic Crystal Of History" by Adolphe Barreaux; "Wing Brady" by Henry Kiefer; "Ivanhoe" by Raymond Perry; "Judge Perkins" by Bert Salg; "Don Drake", written by Ken Fitch, drawn by Clem Gretter; "Loco Luke" by Jack A. Warren; "Jack Woods" (text story) by Roger Furlong; "Scrub Hardy" by Joe Archibald; "Jack Andrews" by Lyman Anderson; "Bathysphere, A Martian Dream" (text story); "Sports" (article) by Joe Archibald, illustrated by Joe Archibald; "In The Movies" (article); "On The Radio" (article); "Model Aircraft" (activity); "Aviation" article; "How To Build A Model Of Hendrik Hudson's Half Moon" (article); "Cap'n Erik" by Robert Weinstein; "Buckskin Jim" by Tom Cooper; "Popular Science" (article); "Stamps And Coins" (article); "Young Homemaker" (article); "After School" by Tom McNamara; "Caveman Capers" by Dick Loederer; "1st Episode: Tad Among The Pirates" (Fun Films activity) by Alphonse Barreaux; "Bubby And Beezil" by Dick Loederer; "Pelion And Ossa" by John Lindermayer; "2023: Super Police", written by Ken Fitch, drawn by Clem Gretter; "Oswald The Rabbit" by John Lindermayer. Cover by Lyman Anderson. Editor: Lloyd Jacquet. Art editor: Dick Loederer. Cartoon editor: Sheldon H. Stark.
CANONICAL STATUS: Non-canon.
Before Superman, before continuity, before anything that's even in print, the company that became DC gave us this: a hodgepodge of newspaper strip knockoffs, unrecognizable as a DC comic. New Fun #1 was 10 inches by 15 inches-- a non-standard format because standards didn't exist yet. Despite its historical importance, it has never been reprinted, and no scans are available, so I can't read it. What I can do is share information I found on the internet, and figure out what's in this and who the crew was that Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson assembled. Who do you hire to work on your comic when comics barely even exist?
The information on the contents is incomplete. The stories in New Fun were single pages, but were usually surrounded by filler material, not all of which has been cataloged. This list is what I could find.
There's one familiar name in there: Lloyd Jacquet, the editor. After editing the first few issues, Jacquet will become the art director for Centaur Publications and then found Funnies Inc., the studio that would create the first Timely/Marvel comics. So there's a trivia fact for you: the first Marvel comic and the first DC comic were put together by the same guy.
Working with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jacquet was Dick Loederer, the art director. A veteran of the advertising industry, Loederer would work here for about a year. He drew "Caveman Capers" and "Bubby And Beezil", a couple of humor strips that would be recurring features.
One more person on the editorial staff: Sheldon H. Stark, cartoon editor. As far as I can tell, he's best known for his later career, writing for radio and TV.
Lyman Anderson drew the cover and an adventure strip about Jack Andrews, who will be a recurring character. Anderson, a pulp illustrator, will end up as a magazine illustrator.
Comic strip artist Charles Flanders contributed Sandra of the Secret Service, a detective feature which will also recur. Flanders had bounced around on several comic strips, but will achieve his greatest success later on when he draws the Lone Ranger strip for over 30 years.
Jigger and Ginger is a detective strip by someone identified only as Shus (supposedly not Joe Shuster). I know nothing.
Barry O'Neill is a recurring adventure feature by Lawrence Lariar, a cartoonist who actually has comic book experience in Famous Funnies. Lariar will later be known for his Best Cartoons Of The Year books.
Adolphe Barreaux drew the adventure strip Magic Crystal Of History and illustrated the Fun Films activity, both of which will recur. He'll become best-known for creating Sally the Sleuth for Spicy Detective Stories.
Illustrator Henry Kiefer drew Wing Brady, a recurring adventure strip (in this issue, Wing fights Bedouins). Kiefer will go on to have a long career in comics, notably drawing Classics Illustrated.
Raymond Perry drew part of an adaptation of the novel Ivanhoe. This will also be a recurring feature, and Perry will stick around at DC for a while, eventually getting to draw the superheroes.
Bert Salg, primarily a book illustrator, drew Judge Perkins, a gag strip that will recur for one more issue. These two strips will be his only known comic book work.
The writer/artist team of Ken Fitch and Clem Gretter gave us a pair of sci-fi strips, Don Drake and 2023: Super Police, both of which will recur. In the 2023 story, according to the Grand Comics Database, "Rex and friends leave for the Galapagos Islands in Professor Shanley's new invention, the Hi-Lo (a stratoplane-submarine), to investigate the disappearance of five U.S. ships." Gretter is an illustrator with comic strip experience and I don't know Fitch's background, but they'll stick around for a while, with Fitch eventually co-creating Hourman.
Loco Luke is a recurring Western-themed humor strip from Jack A. Warren, creator of the Pecos Bill newspaper strip. Known for his Western art, Warren will stick around for a bit and then move on to other comics.
Roger Furlong will be writing the obligatory text stories. Don't know his deal.
Joe Archibald, who's drawn comic strips and illustrated pulps, contributed the humor strip Scrub Hardy and a text article about sports, both of which will recur. Archibald will stick around here for a bit, then move on to Better Publications.
Robert Weinstein contributed Cap'n Erik, which will return next issue. He has one other comic credit on something called Cap'n Cloud, and that's all I know about him.
Tom Cooper contributed Buckskin Jim, a recurring western strip. Don't know his background.
Tom McNamara contributed After School, a recurring strip about characters named Lefty and Slimsy. McNamara had previously created the long-running newspaper strip Us Boys, and is also notable for having directed several Our Gang shorts.
John Lindermayer contributed a pair of recurring funny-animal filler strips with Pelion And Ossa and Oswald The Rabbit. Oswald is a Walt Disney creation, sort of a Mickey Mouse prototype, that was actually owned by Universal at this point and has since reverted to Disney. This may be the reason DC hasn't reprinted these early comics.
And that covers it. I hope this was interesting? Lots of weird trivia about how comics got started? A glimpse into the forgotten underbelly of 1935 cartoonists? I don't know. This blog will get better once I've actually started reading things and having opinions on them-- which will happen with issue #2 of this monthly series. What happens when a 21st-century adult reads a Bubby and Beezil comic? I'll bet my next post is grouchy.
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