Standard Comicswas acomic bookimprintofAmericanpublisherNed Pines,who also publishedpulp magazines(under avariety of company namesthat he also used for the comics) andpaperbackbooks (under thePopular Libraryname). Standard[1]in turn was the parent company of two comic-book lines:Better Publications[2]andNedor Publishing[3](/ˈniːdɔːr/[4]). Collectors and historians sometimes refer to them collectively as "Standard/Better/Nedor".[5][6]
 | |
| Parent company | Pines Publications |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1936 |
| Defunct | 1956 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Publication types | Comic books |
| Fiction genres | Superhero |
| Imprints | Better Publications Nedor Publishing Pines Comics |
History
editIn business from 1939 to 1956, Standard was a prolific publisher during theGolden Age of comic books.Its best-known character, initially published under the Better imprint, is theBlack Terror.In June 1949, the Better and Nedor imprints were consolidated as the Standard Comics line, with a "Standard Comics" flag-like cover logo. The titles previously had no publisher logo. In 1956, Standard ended, and only three titles continued, published byPines Comics.This last venture also incorporated several titles from the defunctSt. John Publications.Most titles went to other publishers after the company folded in 1959.
Beginning in the 1980s, Standard/Better/Nedor characters have been revived by other publishers. PublisherBill Blackused many of them in his 1980s imprintAmericomics(later shortened toAC Comics). Many of the female heroes are members of the AC Comicssuperhero teamFemforce.[7]In the 2000s, Standard/Better/Nedor characters have appeared in writerAlan Moore's comic book seriesTom Strongand its spin-offTerra Obscura.Marvel Comicsused the names American Eagle, Grim Reaper, and Wonder Man for its own, different characters.
The eight-issuecomic bookminiseriesProject Superpowers#0–7 (Jan.–Oct. 2008), published byDynamite Entertainment,[8]resurrected a number of Golden Age superheroes, including those originally published byFox Feature Syndicate,Crestwood Publications,and Standard/Better/Nedor, many of which are assumed to be in the public domain but may not be.[9]
Titles
editSuperheroes
edit- American Crusader
- American Eagle
- Black Terror
- Captain Future(not to be confused with the pulp hero)
- Cavalier
- Doc Strange(Tom Strange)
- Fighting Yank
- Four Comrades
- Ghost(also known as Green Ghost)
- Grim Reaper
- Judy of the Jungle
- Kara the Jungle Princess
- Lance Lewis, Space Detective
- Liberator
- Lone Eagle
- Magnet
- Major Mars
- Mask (based on the Black Bat)
- Masked Rider
- Mechano
- Miss Masque
- Mystico
- The Oracle
- Phantom Detective (based on the pulp hero)
- Phantom Soldier
- Princess Pantha
- Pyroman
- Red Mask
- Rick Howard, Mystery Rider
- Scarab
- Silver Knight
- Spectro
- Supermouse[10]
- Thesson (Nedor)
- The Woman in Red
- Wonder Man
References
edit- ^Standardat theGrand Comics Database.
- ^Betterat the Grand Comics Database.
- ^Nedor Publishingat the Grand Comics Database.
- ^"Will Meugniot, Creator of N.E.D.O.R. Agents"
- ^"Standard/Better/Nedor".AC Comics. 2001. Archived fromthe originalon September 28, 2007.
- ^"Standard / Better / Nedor".An International Catalogue of Superheroes. Archived fromthe originalon July 19, 2010.
- ^"Golden Age Reprints Intro".AC Comics.Archived fromthe originalon November 16, 2010.RetrievedJune 26,2018.
- ^Project Superpowersat theGrand Comics Database.Retrieved on June 26, 2018.
- ^Gorman, Cash."Copyrights and Comics of 1940s".Golden-Age Comic Book Superheroes & Villains Encyclopedia.Cash Gorman.RetrievedOctober 12,2011.
- ^Supermouse, The Big CheeseatDon Markstein's Toonopedia.Archivedfrom the original on January 1, 2018.
External links
edit
- Nolan, Michelle."Exciting, Startling and Thrilling Comics","Nolan's Niche" (column),CGC E-Newslettervol. 2, #5, May 2003.WebCitation archive.
- Nolan, Michelle."The 'Other' Nedors","Nolan's Niche" (column),CGC E-Newslettervol. 3, #10, October 20034.WebCitation archive.