Jumbo Comicswas anadventureanthologycomic bookpublished byFiction Housefrom 1938 to 1953.Jumbo Comicswas Fiction House's first comics title; the publisher had previously specialized inpulp magazines.The lead feature forJumbo Comics' entire run wasSheena, Queen of the Jungle.
| Jumbo Comics | |
|---|---|
 Jumbo Comics #1 (Sept. 1938). Cover artist(s) unknown. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Fiction House |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Tabloid (issues #1-8); standard (issues #9–167) |
| Genre | Adventureanthology |
| Publication date | Sept. 1938–Mar. 1953 |
| No.of issues | 167 |
| Main character(s) | Sheena, Queen of the Jungle Inspector Dayton ZX-5, Spies in Action Ghost Gallery Sky Girl Long Bow |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Ruth Roche |
| Artist(s) | Jack Kirby,Bob Kane,Matt Baker,Mort Meskin,Lou Fine,Bob Powell,Mort Leav,Art Saaf,Dick Briefer,Lily Renée |
| Editor(s) | Malcolm Reiss (issues #1-35), John F. "Jack" Byrne (issues #49–77), Claude E. Lapham (issues #62–162) |
Notable creators who worked onJumbo ComicsincludeJack Kirby(working under a variety ofpseudonyms),Bob Kane,Matt Baker,Mort Meskin,Lou Fine,Bob Powell,Mort Leav,Art Saaf,Dick Briefer,Lily Renée,andRuth Roche.Jerry IgerwasJumbo Comics' art director for its entire run.
Publication history
editBy the late 1930s, Fiction House publisher Thurman T. Scott expanded the company frompulp magazinestocomic books,an emerging medium that began to seem a viable adjunct to the fading pulps. Receptive to a sales call byEisner & Iger,one of the prominent "packagers"of that time that produced complete comic books on demand for publishers looking to enter the field, Scott publishedJumbo Comics#1 (Sept. 1938),[1](just a couple months afterAction Comics#1) under Fiction House'sReal Adventures Publishing Companyimprint.[2]
Sheena, Queen of the Jungleappeared in that initial issue. The character had debuted in 1937 in theBritishmagazineWags.[3]Indeed, all the material Eisner & Iger prepared forJumbo Comics#1 (and the subsequent seven issues) had originally appeared inWags,which was atabloid-sized publication. For this reason,Jumbo Comics#1-8 were oversize (10-1/2 "x 14-1/2" ) and exclusively in black and white. (The name "Jumbo" wasderived fromthe oversized publication size.)[4]With issue #9, the title reverted to standard Golden Age comic size (8-1/2 "x 10-1/2" ) and was printed in color.[5]
Bob Powell's first published comic-book art is tentatively identified as the uncredited three-page story "A Letter of Introduction," featuring the famedventriloquistEdgar Bergenand his dummy,Charlie McCarthy,inJumbo Comics#2 (Oct. 1938).Lou Fine's first published comics art was the strip "Wilton of the West" inJumbo Comics#4 (Dec. 1938), signed with the housepen name"Fred Sande"[6](which strip originatorJack Kirbyhad used in previous issues).
Ultimately, Fiction House published 167 issues ofJumbo Comicsfrom September 1938 to March 1953.
Recurring features
editThree features inJumbo Comics#1 representingJack Kirby's first comic-book work following his debut inWild Boy Magazine:[7]
- "The Diary of Dr. Hayward" —science fictionstrip under the pseudonym "Curt Davis"; the strip was later continued by other artists until issue #9
- "Wilton of the West" — modern-West crimefighter strip as "Fred Sande"; the strip was later continued by other artists until c. issue #24
- Alexandre Dumas'sThe Count of Monte Cristo— serialized adaptation as "Jack Curtiss"
In addition,Dick Brieferproduced a serialized adaptation (in five-page installments) ofVictor Hugo's 1831 novelThe Hunchback of Notre-Damewhich ran in the first 8 issues.
Other recurring features:
Sheena, Queen of the Jungle— soon became the company's star character, and her adventures appeared in every issue ofJumbo Comics.Over the years the Sheena feature was worked on by notable creators likeBob Powell,Mort Meskin,andMatt Baker.
ZX-5 Spies in Action— ran for almost the entire run of the title.
Ghost Gallery— ran from issue #40 until the book was cancelled.
Inspector Dayton— another recurring feature that debuted in the first issue and ran until issue #60 (Feb. 1944).
Hawks of the Seas— period adventure continuing a story fromQuality Comics'Feature Funnies#12, after Eisner-Iger and Quality had had a falling out; the strip lasted about ten issues.
Peter Pupp— originally byBob Kane;ran for the first 25 issues.
Spencer Steel— ran for the first 12 issues; also appeared in Fiction House'sFight Comics.
Sky Girl— byMatt Baker;ran in issues #69-139 (November 1944–December 1952), with some of the later stories being reprints.
Long Bow—Westernfeature which ran in issues #141-160 (Nov. 1950–June 1952), roughly concurrent with Fiction House'sLong Bowseries (which ran nine issues from 1951–Winter 1952/1953).
References
editNotes
edit- ^Goldstein, Andrew (n.d.)."Fiction House: History and Influences".Connecticut Historical Society.Archived fromthe originalon September 8, 2008.
- ^Real Adventures Publishing Co., Inc.,Grand Comics Database. Accessed Mar. 10, 2017.
- ^Sheena, Queen of the JungleatDon Markstein's Toonopedia.Archivedfrom the original November 10, 2011
- ^Sergi, Joe."Tales From the Code: The Near Extinction of Sheena,"CBLDF website (January 25, 2013).
- ^Quattro, Ken."Return to Wonderful Wags of Oz,"The Comics Detective(Apr. 25, 2010).
- ^Berk, John (2004)."Lou Fine".Comicartville Library. Archived fromthe originalon May 19, 2011.
- ^Per Kirby's recollection in interview,The Nostalgia Journal#30 (Nov. 1976), reprinted inThe Comics Journal Library, Volume One: Jack Kirby(2002)ISBN1-56097-466-4,p. 3
Sources consulted
edit- Jumbo Comicsat theGrand Comics Database
- Jumbo Comicsat the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)