DC Comics 1935-1949 Appreciation Thread 2020

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1940-1941:

Howard Sherman (More Fun Comics #61):



Bernard Baily (More Fun Comics #67):



Ed Moore (More Fun Comics #73):

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Artist highlights from New Comics (1936):

Serene Summerfield (New Comics #5):



Dick Ryan (New Comics #8):



Joe Shuster (New Comics #10):

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1937-1938:

Sven Elven (New Adventure Comics #13):



Munson Paddock (New Adventure Comics #24):



Tom Hickey (New Adventure Comics #30):

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Is this the period when capes started slowing down or is that more the 50s ?

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Is this the period when capes started slowing down or is that more the 50s ?

It’s pretty evident when one looks at More Fun Comics #108 (March, 1946), which is the first issue where Green Arrow, the Spectre, Doctor Fate, Aquaman, Johnny Quick, Dr. Occult, and Superboy aren’t present, and can reflect the overall shift in interest at the time. Some of them had moved into the following month’s April, 1946 issue of Adventure Comics #103, though that’s also when Superboy would start to be the superhero who would most consistently appear on the covers for awhile.

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1942-1946:

Creig Flessel (Adventure Comics #70):



Mort Meskin (Adventure Comics #81):



Gil Kane (Adventure Comics #102):

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In the fall of 1934, having seen the emergence of Famous Funnies and other oversize magazines reprinting comic strips, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications and published New Fun #1 (February 1935). A tabloid-sized, 10-inch by 15-inch, 36-page magazine with a card-stock, non-glossy cover, it was an anthology of humor features, such as the funny animal comic "Pelion and Ossa" and the college-set "Jigger and Ginger", mixed with such dramatic fare as the Western strip "Jack Woods" and the "yellow peril" adventure "Barry O'Neill", featuring a Fu Manchu-styled villain, Fang Gow.

Most significantly, however, whereas some of the existing publications had eventually included a small amount of original material, generally as filler, New Fun #1 was the first comic book containing all-original material.

The first four issues were edited by future Funnies, Inc. founder Lloyd Jacquet, the next by Wheeler-Nicholson himself. Issue #6 (October 1935) brought the comic-book debuts of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the future creators of Superman, who began their careers with the musketeer swashbuckler Henri Duval (doing the first two installments before turning it over to others) and, under the pseudonyms "Leger and Reuths", the supernatural adventurer Doctor Occult.

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In October 1935, Doctor Occult debuted in New Fun Comics #6; he would eventually become the longest-running character in DC comic history.

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New Fun became More Fun with issue #7 (January 1936).

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With issue #30 (March/April 1938) its covers began to lean more heavily toward adventure.

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In February 1940, More Fun Comics #52 introduced the Spectre.

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Three months later, Doctor Fate made his first appearance.

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With his first cover the very next issue, #56 (June 1940).

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The Spectre dominated the covers after that (with Doctor Fate a close second) and issue #73 (November 1941) introduced Green Arrow & Speedy and Aquaman.

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