Farrell Publicationsis the name of a series of Americancomic bookpublishingcompanies founded and operated byRobert W. Farrellin the 1940s and 1950s, includingElliot Publishing Company,Farrell Comic Group,andExcellent Publications.Farrell is particularly known for its pre-Comics Codehorror comics,mostly produced by theS. M. Iger Studio.[1]Farrell also publishedromance,Western,adventure,superhero,and talking animal comics. Farrell acted as editor throughout. In addition to packaging art for Farrell from the beginning,Jerry Igerwas the company's art director from 1955–1957.
| Parent company | Elliot Publishing Company (1940–1945) Excellent Publications (1951–c. 1954) Dearfield Publishing (1955–1958) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1940 |
| Founder | Robert W. Farrell |
| Defunct | 1958 |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | New York City |
| Key people | Robert W. Farrell,Jerry Iger |
| Publication types | Comic books |
| Fiction genres | Horror,romance,Western,adventure,superhero,funny animals |
| Imprints | Ajax America's Best Decker Publications Four Star Publications Red Top Comics |
History
editRobert Farrell
editRobert W. Farrell (bornIzzy Katz)[2]entered the comics field in the late 1930s after a decade spent as an attorney.[2]He wrote for the syndicated newspaper stripScorchy Smith,and wrote comics stories for the packagersEisner & Iger(sometimes using the namesBob FarrowandBob Lerraf.) Farrell wrote many comics throughout the 1940s,[2]though usually without attribution, as most stories produced during the period didn't contain credits.
In 1940, Farrell worked as an editor forFox Comics.Together, Farrell and Fox publisherVictor S. Foxdeveloped theComicscope,a cheaply producedcomic stripprojector sold in the pages of Fox Comics.[2]
Farrell Publications
editFarrell beganFarrell Publicationsin 1940, operating until 1948. From 1940–1945, he was co-owner of theElliot Publishing Company,(known for their imprintGilberton,which became independent during that period). Some of Farrell's imprints and brands from this era wereAmerican Feature Syndicate,Four Star Publications,andKiddie Kapers Company.Probably the most notable title produced during this period wasCaptain Flight Comics,published under the Four Star brand.
Farrell Comic Group
editAfter a short hiatus, Farrell founded theFarrell Comic Groupin 1951 with the financial backing of Excellent Publications. Imprints includedAmerica's Best,Ajax Publications,Ajax-Farrell,Decker Publications,Red Top Comics,Steinway Comics,andWorld Famous.[2][3]No matter the imprint, most titles had the words "A Farrell Publication."
Contributors to Farrell titles from this period includedKen Battefield,L. B. Cole(who had previously contributed covers toCaptain Flight),Matt Baker,Bruce Hamilton, andSteve Ditko.(The company published Ditko's first professional comics work. He had illustrated writer Bruce Hamilton'sscience fictionstory "Stretching Things" for theKey PublicationsimprintStanmor Publications,which sold the story to Farrell, where it finally found publication inFantastic Fears#5 [Feb. 1954].)[4][5]
Farrell's horror line consisted ofFantastic Fears,Haunted Thrills,Strange Fantasy,andVoodoo.All four books were produced by the Iger Studio and featured a consistent "house style."[1]Like many horror comics, all four titles fell victim of theSenate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquencyand were cancelled by the end of 1954.
In 1954 Farrell acquired the rights to thePhantom Ladycomic strip series, previously owned byFox Feature Syndicateand before that,Quality Comics.Farrell published four issues of the short-lived title from January to June 1954. The company also published Phantom Lady backup stories in two issues of its comicWonder Boy.Phantom Lady as well fell under the baleful gaze of anti-comics crusaderFredric Wertham,who objected to the character's titillating costume. Changes were consequently made so that her cleavage was covered and shorts replaced her skirt.
After the cancellation of its popular horror titles in early 1955, Farrell received a cash infusion from Dearfield Publishing, which became a key investor.[2]The company switched focus toromance,Western,andtalking animalcomics. In 1957, Farrell and former Iger studio-mateMyron Fassattempted to re-enter the horror/fantasy field with a quartet of Comics Code-approved titles made up of pre-Code material with the goriest panels excised. This resulted in incoherent stories and flat sales.[1]
The company continued publishing until 1958, but never with the same success.
Robert Farrell's later career
editFarrell left the comics field and went into magazine and newspaper publishing.
In 1958, he started the humor magazinePanic(published by Health Publications).[1][2]
In 1960, he acquired theBrooklyn Eagle's assets inbankruptcy court,[6]publishing five Sunday editions of the paper in 1960. In 1962–1963, under the corporate nameNewspaper Consolidated Corporation,Farrell and his partner Philip Enciso briefly revived the paper as a daily.[7](TheBrooklyn Eaglehas since been revived again, publishing from 1996 to the present.)
From 1969–1981, Farrell worked forMyron Fass,as publisher of the schlockyblack-and-whitehorrormagazine publisherEerie Publications.[2]During this time, he briefly revived the defunctNew York Daily Mirror(in name only), publishing it from 1971–1972.[8]
Titles include
edit- All True Romance(13 issues, 1955–1958) — acquired fromComic Media;Ajax imprint
- Bride's Secrets(19 issues, 1954–1958) — Ajax imprint
- Captain Flight Comics(11 issues, 1944–1947) — Four Star Publications imprint
- Fantastic Fears(9 issues, 1953–1954) — Farrell/Ajax imprint
- Haunted Thrills(18 issues, 1952–1954) — Farrell/Ajax imprint
- The Lone Rider(26 issues, 1951 - 1955) — Farrell/Ajax imprint
- Phantom Lady(4 issues, 1954–1955) — originally published byQuality Comics,Fox Features Syndicate,andStar Publications;Ajax imprint
- Samson(3 issues, 1955) — originally published byFox Features Syndicate;Ajax imprint
- Strange Fantasy(13 issues, 1952–1954) — Farrell/Ajax imprint
- Voodoo(19 issues, 1952–1955) — Farrell/Ajax imprint
- Wonder Boy(2 issues, 1955) — originally published byQuality Comics;Ajax imprint
Notes
edit- ^abcdHowlett, Mike.The Weird World of Eerie Publications: Comic Gore That Warped Millions of Young Minds(Feral House, 2010).
- ^abcdefghFarrell entryWho's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
- ^The company's comics usually bear an Ajax logo on the top left corner of the cover, and the words "A Farrell Publication" on the top right. Because of this, most comics historians tend to list Ajax-Farrell as a publisher rather than an imprint. Based upon a survey of theindiciaof a number of comics bearing the Ajax logo, however, it seems clear that Ajax was an imprint of Excellent Publications, Inc., all overseen by founder/editor Robert W. Farrell.
- ^Bell,Strange and Stranger: The World of Steve Ditko(Fantagraphics Books, Seattle, Washington, 2008), p. 20.ISBN978-1-56097-921-0.
- ^Fantastic Fears#5at theGrand Comics Database
- ^"Brooklyn Eagle Scheduled to be Revived on Monday,"New York Times(Oct. 13, 1962).
- ^"About Brooklyn Eagle. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) 1938-1963,"Library of Congress. Accessed Sept. 21, 2011.
- ^"533 F.2d 53: Daily Mirror, Inc., Plaintiff-appellant, v. New York News, Inc., et al., Defendants-appellees; United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit. - 533 F.2d 53,"Archived2016-03-04 at theWayback MachineJustia. Accessed Sept. 20, 2011.
References
edit- Ajax; Farrellat theGrand Comics Database
- Farrellat the Comic Book DB (archived fromthe original)
- Elliotat theGrand Comics Database
- Deckerat theGrand Comics Database
- Four Star Publicationsat theGrand Comics Database
- Great American Comics; Peter George Four Star Publication; American Features Syndicateat theGrand Comics Database
- Kiddie Kapers Companyat theGrand Comics Database
