MLJ/Archie Comics

M. L. J. Magazines, Inc. 1939-present (as Archie Comics) --- Founded in 1939 by Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John L. Goldwater as M.L.J. Magazines, Inc., which primarily published superhero comics but today are best known for their teen humour character Archie and his gang. The initial Archie characters were created in 1941 by publisher John L. Goldwater and artist Bob Montana, in collaboration with writer Vic Bloom. They first appeared in Pep Comics #22 (cover-dated Dec. 1941). With the creation of Archie, publisher John Goldwater hoped to appeal to fans of the Andy Hardy films starring Mickey Rooney. Archie was a huge hit which led to the company changing its name to Archie Comic Publications in 1946. Archie Comics the title of the company's longest-running publication, the first issue appearing with a cover date of Winter 1942. Starting with issue #70, the title was shortened to simply Archie. The flagship series was relaunched from issue #1 in July 2015 with a new look and design suited for a new generation of readers, although after #32 it reverted to its historic numbering with #699. Archie Comics characters and concepts have also appeared in numerous films, television programs, cartoons, and video games. In November 1939 (with a January 1940 cover date), Pep Comics #1 debuted with the Shield, the first USA patriotic comic book hero, created by writer and managing editor Harry Shorten and designed by artist Irv Novick. The Shield was a forerunner for Simon's and Kirby's Captain America, being published 13 months earlier. Archie would flirt with superheroes over the decades but their fame will always be for their Archie line of books still being published today. -From Wikipedia