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Introduction to Fawcett Fridays in June 2017
Yoc:
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/images/DCM banner46-Fawcett mini animated.gif
Hi Gang!
Welcome to our Fawcett Mini-Flood or Fawcett Fridays for June on DCM.
All this month on each Friday we hope to debut two or maybe even three Fawcett books for you to enjoy. And if we are lucky perhaps a few surprises might show up from other scanners out there when they see what we are up to here. ;)
As always I have to thank the scanners and editors out there for their support on this Fawcett Mini-Flood -
(in alphabetical order) a nonny moose, freddyfly, Dave Hayward, Richard Kahl, Kracalactaka, movielover, OtherEric, rangerhouse, Erwin K. Roberts, Soothsayr, and srca1941.
Erwin K. Roberts has provided us with a great intro to the event. He's likely one of the biggest Fawcett fans I've met so I reached out and here's what he sent.
Enjoy!
-Yoc
erwin-k:
Cap'N Billy's Legacy
some thoughts by
Erwin K. Roberts
Come June we're going to have this Fawcett Comics mini-flood. Yup, that's what Yoc told me. Would you be interested in writing an intro? You're a Fawcett Man.
You bet I am. But this isn't the first Fawcett intro I've done for DCM. See the Origin of Captain Marvel Jr. Archive [Rangerhouse Archives #1] for that.
According to the Grand Comics Database Fawcett Comics published 2253 issues. The Digital Comics Museum has 1867 Fawcett files, which includes an unknown number of "different version" scans. The new mini-flood, a/k/a Fawcett Fridays, will fill some holes and replace a few micro-fiche scans. Okay, roll 'em out!!
Prelude to Fawcett Comics
Or, Shocking Some of the Public
About a century ago Canadian born Wilford Hamilton Fawcett, long since of Minnesota, prepared to go off to war, for the second time. (He had served in the war, or insurrection, in the Philippines.) He returned to the U.S. Army for The Great War. The War To End All Wars. Mr. Fawcett served his time Over There. He returned as a Captain. (Just like Harry Truman.) He began to use the nickname 'Captain Billy' while working for the Army newspaper Stars & Stripes.
Back home, in 1919, Fawcett launched a humor magazine aimed at veterans titled Captain Billy's Whiz-Bang. Self described as an "explosion of pedigreed bunk" the monthly magazine soon sold at a rate just this side of half-a-million copies.
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/images/forum message pictures/Fawcett Intro Capt. Billyv01n13-01.jpg
Apparently Whiz-Bang's content turned out to be just a bit more adult than most of the pasteurized-homogenized white milk magazines of the day. Moral outrage, from the usual suspects, popped up. Just remember, publication began at about the same time alcohol became illegal in the United States. The Self-Ridiculous… er… the self-righteous probably felt that they were on the cusp of control of everything others might want to do.
Note the first: Today Whiz-Bang is barely remembered by the American public. If they know the name at all, it is from the reference in the play The Music Man, "Is he starting to memorize <evil> jokes from Captain Billy's Whiz-Bang?" That, in itself, is "pedigreed bunk." The Music Man is set before, not after, World War One.
Note the second: The Digital Comics Museum has eighteen issues of Whiz-Bang available HERE. )
Not resting on his laurels, for August 1922 Fawcett began issuing True Confessions. In 1922 the first cover alone must have been considered shocking.
http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/images/forum message pictures/Fawcett Intro True Confessions V1N1 [22.08]-cov.jpg
Being a Captain again became important in Fawcett's life in 1924. He competed and served as Captain of the U.S. Trap Shooting Team at the Paris Olympics.
Fawcett's Mechanix Illustrated also began in the 1920's. DCM readers of Fawcett Comics have seen ads for the magazine as early as in Whiz Comics #3. The mag now continues as Today's Homeowner.
Wikipdia's article on Fawcett Publications lists the following collection of pulp magazines and slick titles: "Battle Stories, Cavalier, Daring Detective, Dynamic Detective, Family Circle, Motion Picture, Movie Story, Rudder (later merged with Sea), Screen Secrets, Secrets, Triple-X Western and True." Then, in 1939, they decided to try their hand in the fast rising new comic book industry.
Wilford Hamilton Fawcett did not live to see the release of many Fawcett Comics. He died on February 7th, 1940, not long after Whiz Comics #2 hit the stands. How much, if any, real input 'Captain Billy' Fawcett had on the comics, I do not know. However, Whiz Comics and possibly Slam-Bang Comics are at least hat-tips to the company's founder.
erwin-k:
Fourteen Years of Fawcett Comics
Or, Seventy-Seven Years Later: Fawcett Fridays
Fawcett Comics began with Whiz Comics #2 dated February 1940. The final comics seem to have been dated January 1954. Like most of new comics publishers, Fawcett Comics had growing pains.
They even tried a different price-point with Nickel Comics. Half the pages, at half the price and twice as often. Master Comics, on the other hand, was over-sized at ten and a half by fourteen inches, but only fifty-two pages. Nickel Comics only lasted eight issues. Then 'Bulletman', the cover feature, moved over to the now regular sized, Master Comics. In fact, much like a British comic weekly, Master Comics #7 proclaimed "Combined with Nickel Comics."
Slam-Bang Comics, a regular sized book, lasted only seven issues. Some of the features, like 'Zoro, the Mystery Man', also moved to Master Comics. The first paper scans of Slam-Bang are included in DCM's Fawcett Fridays.
The early Master Comics had problems. First, besides being a different size, much of the lineup seemed almost copied from the flagship Whiz Comics. You had 'The Devil's Dagger', a 'Green Hornet' style mystery-man, in place of 'Spy Smasher'. Then, instead of 'Golden Arrow', came 'Frontier Marshal'. 'Shipwreck Roberts' covered the oceans in place of 'Lance O'Casey'. 'El Carim' substituted for 'Ibis, the Invincible' magician. And then, there was 'Master Man'. So much like 'Superman' that legal action followed.
'Bulletman' prospered in Master Comics. The other transfers mostly used up their inventory stories and vanished. One exception was the 'Devil's Dagger'. He finally defeated the master crook he had been after and retired as a Masked Avenger.
Then along came 'Minute Man'. 'Buck Jones' remained for awhile. Then, in a multi-magazine/hero event, 'Captain Marvel Jr.' became the cover feature of Master. One Fawcett Friday will feature Master Comics #39. This World War Two issue is what most fans associate with Master. You got Junior on the cover, with Bulletman, Minute Man as the other big guns. (As the war wound down, 'Minute Man' departed in Master #49. In #50 both 'Nyoka, the Jungle Girl', and 'Radar, the International Policeman' debuted.)
After exiting the comic book end of publishing Fawcett sold much of its story inventory, licensed character rights, and some of the titles to Charlton Comics. Six-Gun Heroes and Hot Rod Comics lasted into the mid-1960's at Charlton. Romantic Stories almost made it to 1974.
From Other Sources
Licensed Comic Books
At one time, or another, Fawcett Comics licensed a number of characters, and real life western actors, for comic book features. These licensed properties are well represented in Fawcett Fridays. Don Winslow of the Navy was a syndicated newspaper comic strip. Two issues debut in the mini-flood. Captain Midnight, a kids radio show, moved over to Fawcett from Dell Comics. Of the many western actors, Fawcett Fridays includes an issue of Gabby Hays Western.
Near the end Fawcett even licensed three TV shows. None lasted long as comics. Maybe the TV shows didn't last long either. Captain Video, from the short lived Dumont TV network ran for six issues. Mike Barnett, Man Against Crime, also six issues. Maybe it was in the license agreement. Young Eagle did better with ten issues, plus he continued at Charlton. Young Eagle #5 debuts as a part of Fawcett Fridays.
https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/images/forum message pictures/Fawcett Intro Captain Video 01.jpg
erwin-k:
Time Changes Fawcett Comics
or, The War is Over. Back to the Home Front
All comic book lines hit some changes when World War Two ended. Many characters were re-purposed. Not all were successful, but some surprised readers with their staying powers.
At Fawcett 'Spy Smasher' abruptly became 'Crime Smasher'. What a mess! Alan Armstrong apparently got smacked on the head enough that he forgot all about his high-tech inventions. He forgot his family fortune to become a stereotypical always broke private-eye in a trench-coat. Crime Smasher did not last long in Whiz Comics.
On the other hand, over in Wow Comics #49, the 'Phantom Eagle' got tapped to be the Guardian of the World's Airways. He lasted until Wow folded with #69. Neither 'Mary Marvel' or 'Commando Yank' made it to the end. ( See issue #49 with a mystery guest at HERE! )
Fawcett jumped on the western bandwagon with a bunch of titles. They also dabbled in relatively mild horror, crime titles, and even licensed George Pal's Puppetoons. Plus, Hoppy, the Captain Marvel Bunny continued.
In the United States a lot of things began to change at the end of World War Two. In July of 1948, that other World War One Captain, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981 officially ending the segregation of U.S. military forces. This was the year following the integration of Major League Baseball by Jackie Robinson.
How does this relate to Fawcett Comics? A lot, in this writer's opinion.
At the beginnings of Fawcett Comics there were some number of racially stereotyped characters. Billy Batson's valet Steamboat is the best known example. That being said, few, if any, of those were as cringe-worthy as… say, Anthracite over in MLJ's early Hangman strips.
Now artist Mac Raboy, probably the most realistic artist at Fawcett, rarely, if ever, did offensive drawings of any human being. This included Hitler, Tojo, and Mussolini. At about the end of his time at Fawcett, the following story is often told.
Freddy Freeman (Captain Marvel Jr.) had a birthday party thrown for him in the rough neighborhood where he lived. Raboy included one African-American child in group at the party. An editor told him to remove the kid so as not to offend southern readers. (About ten years later the Comics Code told E.C. Comics the same thing.)
Somehow, the story appeared as Raboy drew it.
Something changed at Fawcett. From 1949 to 1952 Fawcett published six issues of Jackie Robinson comics. In 1950 came two issues about heavyweight champ Joe Lewis. In the same time frame they published a number of one-shots telling the stories of several of baseball stars like Yogi Berra and Don Newcome. Roy Campanella's one shot even told of how he played and coached in Central America before the Major League color barrier fell.
Now, you could argue that comics about star major leaguers were a safe bet. Just about guaranteed to sell. Maybe so. But for June 1950 Fawcett released Negro Romances #1. Three issues came out in 1950. Nothing pre-sold about that. (Watch for issue #1 in a future Fawcett Friday!)
https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/images/forum message pictures/Fawcett Intro Negro Romance.jpg
Something had changed at Fawcett. Too bad Fawcett got out of comics completely. I like to imagine what might have happened if they held on for a few more years.
-Erwin K. Roberts
Yoc:
Hi K,
Well, I had to change the old banner advertising the FTP access for donations banner on the first of June so yes, the Fawcett banner is early but hey, that give you plenty of time to read Erwin's great intro here alert other Fawcett owners to check their collections for anything they might have that haven't been scanned or could use an upgrade. There are lots of Fawcett books on the site that could use an upgrade!
Thanks again to everyone who is helping to bring this mini-flood to the site.
-Yoc
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