Tag Archives: Draut

It’s A Crime, Chapter 6, Forgotten Artists

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Posted in 2008/09, Artists, Draut, Bill, Kirby, Jack, Meskin, Mort, Periods, Prize, Robinson, Jerry, z Archive and tagged , , , , , ,

(Justice Traps the Guilty #3 – #5, Headline #29 – #31)

Jack Kirby remains the principal artist for the six crime issues discussed in this chapter. All 6 covers were drawn by Jack as well all the lead stories. Kirby’s did 10 stories with a total of 117 pages (including the covers). However Bill Draut now assumes a more important roll becoming the second principal artist. Bill supplied 11 stories, one more then Jack, but fewer pages (81 pages). The other three artists contributed much less then either Jack or Bill. The next most prolific (A. C. Hollingsworth) drew just 3 stories with 25 total pages.


Justice Traps the Guilty #4 (May 1948) “Queen of the Speed-Ball Mob”, art by Jack Kirby

The first story consistently uses the motif of a character introducing the story with the word balloon forming the title caption. I have noticed that when a story is being narrated, it is often by a woman. Almost certainly this was because male criminals generally have fatal endings (and therefore would not be able to tell their story) while females normally survive.


Justice Traps the Guilty #3 (March 1948) “Ask Eddie Green, Consultant to Crime”, art by Jack Kirby

A motif that would occur often in Kirby’s splashes at this time was having a cast of characters make a series of statements to introduce the story. Actually it was a return to an old technique as we have seen it as far back as in Captain America. When used in a splash covering two thirds of the page, this type of design did not leave much room but in “Ask Eddie Green” Jack makes effective use of what is available by supplying a small shoot out scene. The depth of field is so narrow that the results look like a frieze. Despite the small size everything is clear and the scene is filled with interest.


Headline #30 (June 1948) “Bullet-Proof Bad Man”, art by Jack Kirby

Perhaps it is just my tastes, but I feel that Kirby’s splashes are not as exciting as before. This may have been a result of Kirby’s declining use of full page splashes. Only 3 splashes out of his 10 stories received the full page treatment. “Bullet-Proof Bad Man” provides a typical Kirby dramatic shoot out. Well not so much as gun fight as one man has only drawn his knife although it turns out this is not as unwise as it seems. It is clear that the bullet has found its mark but note how Jack seems to downplay the actual hit. The story is about a gunfighter that uses a special vest to protect himself from bullets. However I have notice that Jack seems averse to showing the actually striking of a bullet even though that is a moment he often depicts. Generally Kirby hides the action in a cloud of gun smoke. When, because of layout, that is not possible, such as above, Kirby will simply not include any impact lines.


Justice Traps the Guilty #5 (July 1948) “A Fortune in Slugs” page 6, art by Bill Draut

Bill Draut did so much romance work for Simon and Kirby that it is nice to see his efforts for the crime genre. These comics gave Bill a chance to provide more action then he would normally use in romance comics. Draut was better at adding excitement then would be expected based on his work towards the end of his career. Here on one page we find a man running, being tackled and in the final panel bludgeoned with a blackjack. All of which Bill handled quite nicely. I particularly like his use of perspective in the second panel. Draut shows the tackler flying into the page whereas Kirby would have had the action coming out toward the reader, but otherwise it was well handled.


Headline #30 (June 1948) “Menace in the Making”, art by Bill Draut

Draut’s effective use of perspective is seen again in the splash for “Menace in the Making”. The low viewing angle allows the running figure to tower over all others without seeming to be unnatural. Action was not, however, the only outlet that Bill found in the crime genre. Crime stories allowed Draut to work, to extent that romance did not, in a more cartoony style. Note the caricature that Bill has provided the irate grocery man. Such interesting but fundamentally unrealistic depictions are found often in Bill Draut’s work in Headline and Justice Traps the Guilty but rarely in Young Romance or Young Love.


Justice Traps the Guilty #3 (March 1948) “My Strangest Crime Case”, art by Bill Draut

One story drawn by Bill Draut may not be exception as far as the art is concerned, but it is unusual in that the protagonist was a female private investigator. The story reads more like something from the hero genre then a true crime story. This is not the first time that Draut drew a story about a lady detective. In 1946 Draut worked on a feature called Calamity Jane originally for Boy Explorers Comics but when that title quickly failed (due to the comic glut after the war) subsequently published in Green Hornet Comics. It is likely that “My Strangest Crime Case” was left over material from that earlier effort that, with minor revisions such as to the detective’s name, was now put to use. The art style does seem to be a better match to Draut’s earlier work then to what he was doing at this time.


Headline #29 (April 1948) “The Night of the Freak Murder”, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

The team of Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin continue to appear in the crime issues covered by this chapter. The work is unsigned but the similarities to the signed works by Robinson and Meskin are numerous. “The Night of the Freak Murder” is unusual for Jerry and Mort in that it has a full page splash. Generally R&M’s splashes for Simon and Kirby productions are vertical with two story panels also arranged vertically. The composition is interesting in the way it plays off the grieving women with an almost mirror image of two detectives discussing the crime. The staircase might seem odd but it was introduced as part of a pattern that confines the eye in a circular composition. None of the other splashes that Robinson and Meskin supplied to Simon and Kirby were so well composed but as I said they did not normally use a full page splash.


Headline #29 (April 1948) “The Night of the Freak Murder” page 7, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I am not sure what Jerry Robinson’s contribution was because both the pencils and the art look very much like Meskin’s work. Mort was one of the best graphic story tellers and pages like the one above suggest why he had such an impact on artists like Steve Ditko. Here on this page the same diagonal is present in every panel. The page starts with close-up then switches to a distant show and then progressively comes closer. An increasing tension is formed by the combination of increased nearness, the diagonal design and off course the fear Meskin imparts to the criminal. Nothing really happens but the page is explosive nonetheless.


Justice Traps the Guilty #4 (May 1948) “Guilty Boys”, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

Not all of Robinson and Meskin’s splashes were vertically oriented; here is another case where they deviated from that pattern. This is a standard two thirds splash page with two story panels arrayed on the bottom. Nothing unusual in the design itself but it does allow Jerry and Mort to provide a memorable splash. Although the image seems cluttered, everything serves a purpose. Debris and damaged items abound and a row of buildings in the background all combine to show that this is a location in some slum. But the shabbily dressed musical boys are not the Newsboy Legion and this is not Suicide Slums. Here Robinson and Meskin convert the boy gang genre into crime. They are not saints and in the end are more in need of rescue then providing it.


Headline #31 (August 1948) “Perfect for Murder”, art by Charles Nicholas

Only initials were used to sign “Perfect for Murder” (Headline #31, August 1948) but I am pretty certain it was Charles Nicholas. Originally Charles Nicholas was a house name used by Fox Comics for Blue Beetle stories. Over the years the work of many different artists appeared under that name, including Jack Kirby. However there were two individuals who continued to use the name outside of Fox and who claimed to be the creator of the Blue Beetle; Charles Wotjkowski and Chuck Cuidera. There is nothing I can add to that particular question here but it was the Wotjkowski version of Charles Nicholas who worked for Simon and Kirby at this time.


Headline #31 (August 1948) “Perfect for Murder” page 3, art by Charles Nicholas

While interesting, the splash page does not present a very good idea of Nicholas’ art so I have included an image of a story page as well. Nicholas does a good job drawing this story but he never achieved great success in his career as a comic book artist. Nicholas inked the art in a very individualistic style, as particularly seen in the form lines used in panels 6 and 7 and the swirling crosshatching in panel 7. (See my Inking Glossary for an explanation of my terms.) What is not found are any traits of the Studio style inking. While Nicholas is certainly a candidate for being one of Jack Kirby’s inkers, it is hard to understand how his name has become associated to the inking of particular pieces such as “Summer Song” (Young Romance #1, September 1947). “Perfect for Murder” was the only worked for Simon and Kirby signed or initialed by Charles Nicholas but other unsigned art by him surely remains to be identified.


Headline #30 (June 1948) “Pistol-Packin’ Playgirl”, art by Alvin C. Hollingsworth

Another artist that shows up working for Simon and Kirby during this period is Alvin Carl Hollingsworth. A search of the Internet indicates that Hollingsworth was an African-American artist from New York who was born in 1928 and died in 2000. Previously he worked for Holyoke Publishing Company working on Catman. Hollingsworth was also a talented fine arts painter. Joe Simon remembers Alvin and has a high opinion of him. Joe remarked that he thought he was the only African-American working in comics at that time. This is not truly accurate since there was also Matt Baker who played an important part in the early history of comics. But Matt Baker never worked for Simon and Kirby and so Joe was not aware of him, or at least of his background.


Justice Traps the Guilty #5 (July 1948) “Held For Ransom” page 5, art by Alvin C. Hollingsworth

Hollingsworth is another of those artists whose current reputation is much lower then warranted by his talent. This is largely because he left the comic book field in the late ’50s first for syndications strips and then the fine arts. It is a recurring pattern that I have noticed that comic book artists who did not take part in the superhero revival of the 60’s and later generally do not get much attention today. I have included a story page because it provides a better example of Alvin’s strengths. Note the use of varied and unusual viewing angles.


Headline #31 (August 1948) “A Gangster Dies”, art by Warren Broderick

The Jack Kirby Checklist includes “A Gangster Dies” among the art works by Kirby. This is a bit surprising because close to the center of the splash page is Warren Broderick’s signature. Before I sound too self righteous I should add that when working on this chapter I found I had listed this story in my database twice; once as done by Broderick and the second crediting it to Kirby. I have no idea how I made the mistake in my database, but it is easy to understand why anyone who failed to notice the signature might attribute this work to Jack. Warren has obviously made a careful study of Jack’s work and has adopted, at least for his work for the S&K studio, much of Kirby’s style. Warren was not, of course, as successfully as Jack himself and there are more then enough clues to properly attribute his work even without a signature. Note for instance how in the splash Broderick uses picket fence crosshatching where the rails are cloth folds. Besides simple lines, Kirby would use drop strings and wide lines for the rails but I do not recall him ever using cloth folds. Kirby would often make expressive eyebrows but Broderick’s versions were even more exaggerated.

This is the only signed work by Warren Broderick that I have found among Simon and Kirby productions. Frankly I have forgotten about it until I reviewed for this chapter. It turns out that we have seen some of Warren’s unsigned work previously. In just the last chapter I attributed “The Killer Thought He Was Satan” (Justice Traps the Guilty #2, January 1948) as Kirby layouts finished by an unidentified artist. A comparison between it and “A Gangster Dies” leaves little doubt that it also was by Broderick. In fact I no longer believe Kirby laid it out. Yes there are parts in both stories that look very much like Kirby but there are also parts that do not. Previously I failed to follow my own advice and only noted the similarities and neglected the differences. For instance there is a panel I provided from “The Killer Thought He Was Satan” that showed a boy being shot by the villain. While the scene and the boy in particular look very much like it was done by Jack, the artist shows the bullet actually striking the boy. That is something I have yet to find Kirby doing.

Another example of Broderick’s work was “Mother Said No” (Young Romance #7, September 1948) seen in Chapter 3 of the Art of Romance. There I attributed the pencils to Jack Kirby (correctly) and the inks questionably to Carmine Infantino. The primary reason for my earlier caution was that I was bothered by Carmine’s statement in an interview that he had never inked Kirby’s pencils. While in the work for Charlie Chan, Infantino was also providing expressive eyebrows some of the other brushwork found in “Mother Said No” is more like that in Broderick’s work. Although Broderick was very good at mimicking Kirby, I find the layouts in “Mother Said No” are much too consistently like Jack’s that I still believe that Kirby did the pencils.


Headline #31 (August 1948) “A Gangster Dies” page 3, art by Warren Broderick

Broderick could mimic Kirby quite well but occasionally, such as in the first panel shown above, the similarity to Kirby’s style is very striking. This was either due to Kirby stepping in his roll as art editor and fixing up the finished art or it was the result of a careful swipe by Broderick from some Kirby art. Without the original art it is hard to be sure but I suspect the latter explanation to be the case. Once again Broderick has drawn a scene where a man is clearly hit by a bullet, something that Kirby would hide in a cloud of gun smoke.


Justice Traps the Guilty #3 (March 1948) “The Capture of Night-Club Nick”, art by Warren Broderick

Broderick did not always so carefully mimic Jack Kirby’s style. In “The Capture of Night-Club Nick” Warren has abandoned the Studio style inking. Still the influence of Kirby is clearly discernable.

I have found little in my search for more information about Warren Broderick. I queried Joe Simon about him but he did not remember Warren at all. Joe does not remember all the artists who had worked for him over the many years, but in Broderick’s case this is surprising because the one thing I had found out was that he also was African-America. Joe was clear in his memory of A. C. Hollingsworth and that Hollingsworth was the only African-American to work for Simon and Kirby. How could Joe have failed to remember, even if not by name, one other African-American comic book artist? The answer maybe found in an interview given by comic artist, Harry Harrison:

After Wally and I broke up I was working mostly for Fawcett, and I had a friend by the name of Warren Broderick, who was also in school with me, doing my penciling. He was a black guy who didn’t want to get in there and push, didn’t want to face whitey in the office. We developed a nice clear style, no great shakes, but it worked.

This suggests that Broderick may have been reluctant to deal with Simon and Kirby directly and used someone, either an agent or another artist, as a go between. Joe may never have known about Warren’s ethnicity. The irony is that, considering their dealings with Hollingsworth, Joe and Jack probably would not have cared about Warren’s background, all that was important was that he could do the work.

The GCD only has three entries for pencils attributed to Broderick and three more for inking work. Atlas Tales has about a dozen works attributed to Warren. To that I can now add three further pencils and another inking job. Now that I have a small body of work to go by, I am sure I will find more work by Broderick as I continue to review Simon and Kirby productions. Warren Broderick is truly one of the forgotten comic book artists and it is rewarding to shed a little light on his career.

Chapter 1, Promoting Crime
Chapter 2, A Revitalized Title
Chapter 3, Competing Against Themselves
Chapter 4, Crime Gets Real
Chapter 5, Making a Commitment

Chapter 7, A Studio With Many Artists
Chapter 8, The Chinese Detective
Chapter 9, Not The Same
Chapter 10, The Master and His Protege
Chapter 11, The New Team

The Art of Romance, Chapter 9, More Romance

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Posted in 2008/08, 5 Studio, Art of Romance, Artists, Belfi, John, Brewster, Ann, Donahue, Vic, Draut, Bill, Eadeh, Gregg, George, Kirby, Jack, Meskin, Mort, Premiani, Bruno, Prize, Stallman, Manny, z Archive and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

(Young Romance #13 – #16, Young Love #5 – #6)


Chart of the number of romance titles from September 1947 to December 1950 with the period covered in this chapter marked in blue.

My discussions of Young Romance and Young Love were left off in Chapter 5 after which I then spent the next three chapters on Simon and Kirby’s two western romances titles Real West Romance and Western Love. Returning to Simon and Kirby’s purer romance titles, Young Romance was starting its third year. Previously Young Romance and the newer Young Love were both bimonthlies on an alternating schedule so that one would appear on the stands each month. With the Young Romance #13 issue (September 1949) that title would now become a monthly. The house ad announcing this new schedule declared there were three and a half million readers. An exaggeration? Perhaps, but this was the golden age of comics and readerships were much larger then found today. Taking Young Romance to monthly schedule clearly indicates that Prize was doing quite well with that title. Since the deal with Prize provided Simon and Kirby with a percentage of the sales, the creative duo were receiving great financial benefits. There was competition, however, as September 1949 was well into the start of the love glut.


Young Romance #15 (November 1949) “Back Door Love”, art by Jack Kirby

For whatever reason, Jack Kirby was not that prolific during the period covered in this chapter (September to December 1949). The covers for YR and YL were all photographs and so Jack would not be providing any covers. Kirby would supply a single story for YR #13 to #15, two for YR #16, and none for YL #5 or #6. His diminished presence in YR and YL was also true for the other Simon and Kirby titles (Headline, Justice Traps the Guilty, Real West Romance and Western Love). While Jack may not have been his usual prolific self he still was an important contributor to the two romance titles. Kirby would provide the lead story for Young Romance and while these stories may not have been as long as some from the past they still had the highest page count compared to any others in the same issue. So while there were two artists that provided more stories then Jack only one of them actually drew more pages. For the record Jack did 5 stories and 58 pages for the 6 issues. Unlike the case found in previous chapters of “The Art of Romance”, or even “Its A Crime”, I conclude that Kirby did not provide layouts to any of the other artists in these issues.

Jack provided great splashes for all the lead stories for YR #13 to #16. All made use of the motif of a character introducing the story with the word balloon forming the title. All lead stories were meant to suggest provocative themes as can be seen by their titles alone (“Sailor’s Girl”, “Runaway Bride”, “Back Door Love” and “Dance Hall Pick-Up”). Today they might seem tame but in the late ’40s they would be considered risque. I have chosen two of them as examples not only because they are the best but also because of their contrasting nature. The splash for “Back Door Love” shows a couple on one side, a large word balloon/title, and three overlapping panels crowded into another corner. The panels are not the beginning of the story, but rather provide examples of the shameful love and its emotional price the woman has to pay. The couple was inked in the standard Studio style with abundant picket fence crosshatching and drop strings (see my Inking Glossary for explanations of my terms to describe inking techniques). This was overlaid with much relatively fine simple and more complicated crosshatching; techniques not commonly found in Simon and Kirby art. The inking is meant to provide the couple with a nighttime setting which is enhanced by the colorist blocking them out in a light blue. While the woman’s face turned to the viewer (I do not understand why many do not find Kirby’s woman beautiful) the man’s remains concealed in the shadows; all in keeping with the mystery of their relationship. Not much in the way of action, but one of Kirby’s more interesting splashes nonetheless. However there is a “but”; while some like comic art with a lot of detail work, I generally do not. I find all the crosshatching in this splash gives the figures a hard edge, almost like they were carved out of stone and are not flesh and blood. A small detraction from what was otherwise a masterpiece.


Young Romance #16 (December 1949) “Dance Hall Pickup”, art by Jack Kirby

Shame was the theme for the splash of “Dance Hall Pickup” as well, but its similarity to the “Back Door Love” splash pretty much ends there. This time it is the man’s turn to be found in a shameful relationship. Nothing mysterious here, everything is in full lighting. The woman’s low cut dress, fake flowers on her belt, costume jewelry, and false eyelashes clearly mark her as the type of woman a gentleman would be uncomfortable with bringing home to meet his mother. Of course the story will reveal that the somewhat trashy appearance of the woman really hides a warm and loving heart. The inking for this splash is truly a text book example of Studio style inking. It has all the typical hallmarks; lots of picket fence crosshatching and drop strings along with an abstract arch shadow and shoulder blots for the man. No fastidious brushwork here, each stroke is boldly marked; straddling the boundary between working with others for indicating the shadows and maintaining an independent existence. Most fans are attracted to his action scenes but for me this is Kirby at his best; telling a complete story with just some simple gestures and some abstract marks.

I cannot leave this splash without pointing out the hanging curtain in the top corner. It serves no logical purpose. The windows in the back are complete bare, so why is that drapery hanging from the ceiling in the middle of a dance floor in front of a pillar? It is a mistake to look at Kirby art, or any comic book art, as if it was an attempt at rendering a truly realistic image. Elements are added for their suggestive power and how they provide visual interest. The hanging curtain is a motif that Jack will use often.


Young Romance #16 (December 1949) “The Wolves of the City”, art by Bill Draut

The largest contributor to YR #13 – #16 and YL #5 and #6 was Bill Draut. Bill did twice as many stories compared to Kirby (10 vs. 5) and 10 more pages (68 vs. 58). Bill’s strength was his clear visual story telling and his effective use of body language. The simplicity of faces drawn by Bill did not lend itself to a wide range of emotions. Perhaps that is why Draut was very careful in the poses he provided his characters. Upturn faces could portray admiration or wonderment. Thrusting the head forward and providing clenched fists would reveal a person’s anger. In the splash for “The Wolves of the City” you do not need to read the story to realize how demure and proper the lady on our right is. Hands folded on her lap and eyes cast down tell it all. Her friend has her hand on her hip, the way her head pushed forward, and even the way she holds her cigarette shows she has a harsh and sharp personality. Despite the similar profiles, she presents quite a contrast to the mother figure from the second story panel.


Young Love #6 (December 1949) “For Handsome Men Only”, art by Bruno Premiani?

The third most prolific artist for the issues cover in this chapter was possibly Bruno Premiani. I say possibly because none of the work this artist did for Simon and Kirby was signed and none of it compares well with work done for DC that has been credited to Premiani. Either the attribution of this work to Premiani is wrong or he adopted a different style for romance compared to his superhero comic book art. Whoever the artist is, and for now I continue to refer to him as Premiani, he was one of the more talented individuals to have worked for Joe and Jack. Bruno first showed up in Young Love #4 (August 1949) and would provide work to the S&K studio until December 1950). During that period of a little over a year, Simon and Kirby would include about 25 stories by Premiani. For the issues covered in this chapter, Bruno did 6 stores (one more then Kirby) for a total of 48 pages (much less then Jack’s 58 pages). One of the stories supplied by Bruno was even used for the all importing lead story (the “For Handsome Men Only” shown above). It is easy to see why Premiani was used so often. Although his woman are perhaps a little plainer then some other studio artists, they (and the men as well) seem to radiate an emotional energy. Like Draut, Premiani could make effective use of body language as well. The hands on the hip and face in profile as superficially similar to Draut’s pose in “The Wolves of the City”. But by pulling the head back and thrusting one leg forward, Bruno makes his protagonist much more alluring. In the second panel the lady ostensibly uses her hand to keep her scarf in place but the gesture is actually part of a physical withdrawal from a disappointing blind date.


Young Romance #14 (October 1949) “Nancy Hale’s Problem Clinic” page 2, art by Vic Donahue

There were a number of other artists who contributed to these issues of YR and YL but nowhere nearly as much as Draut, Kirby or Premiani. One was Vic Donahue who we have seen in previous chapters of “The Art of Romance” both for the standard romance as well as the western love titles. Vic’s work for the issues covered her has diminished and is restricted to three “Nancy Hale’s Problem Clinic” features. These are all short work of 2 or 3 pages long. There is no more I can add to my previous discussions of Donahue; his woman are attractive and Vic often provided them with a tilt to the head. Vic was careful in the inking of hair and he sometimes filled shadows with fine simple hatching. Aspects of the Studio style inking also show up in his work. The page above shows drop strings (panel 1 and 3), shoulder blots (panel 3), an abstract arch shadow (panel 6) and picket fence crosshatching (panels 4, 6 and 7). I am still undecided whether this was Joe or Jack stepping in as art editor to strengthen up the work. Alternatively is may have been Vic adopting portions of the Studio style. Joe Simon has described the inking of Kirby’s pencils as being like a factory line involving many different inkers. Although I cannot point to any specific work by Kirby that Donahue could have inked, as one of the more minor but still talented artists continually employed by S&K Vic certainly was a candidate to help in inking.


Young Love #5 (October 1949) “For Sale: One Dream”, art by Al Eadeh and John Belfi?

Another minor contributor, or rather an artist team, that we have seen before was Al Eadeh and John Belfi. The work is unsigned and my attribution provisionally, but I believe Eadeh and Belfi did “For Sale: One Dream”. While talented, Eadeh and Belfi were still among the lesser lights of the S&K studio.


Young Love #5 (October 1949) “The Love I Didn’t Want”, art by George Gregg

Signatures found in three comics (Young Love #4 and Justice Traps the Guilty #17 and 19) have allowed me to identify one of Simon and Kirby’s studio artists, George Gregg. Since then I have spotted an unsigned work in Western Love #1 and here I can add two more. Even without a signature, Gregg’s style still stands out. His art has a sort of stylized cartoony edge to it and frankly a touch of primitivism. Gregg’s often provides his characters with distinctive, but varied eyebrows. The leading ladies frequently have a pinched look to their faces. While “The Love I Didn’t Want” is no masterpiece, it is still nice to be able to assign a name to some of work produced by the Simon and Kirby studio.

Young Love #6
Young Love #6 (December 1949) “My Promise”, art by George Gregg with help from Jack Kirby in splash panel

“My Promise” is another unsigned work by George Gregg. The Jack Kirby Checklist includes the splash as being done by Kirby. While it is true man was clearly done by Jack, the rest of the splash and the story panels were by Gregg alone. This is another example of Kirby acting as art editor stepping in to help the all important splash. I believe the man in the splash was inked by Jack as well, but he is deliberately working in a simpler manner to blend in better with Gregg’s inking. Careful examination, however, will show that Jack’s brush has a subtlety that was beyond Gregg’s capabilities. The over sized ear in the second story panel was a mannerism that Kirby often fell into, particularly on work done before he went into military service (for Timely and DC). This suggests that Gregg may have been using old Simon and Kirby comics as source material for swiping.

Young Love #5
Young Love #5 (October 1949) “Too Many Boy Friends”, art by Ann Brewster

New to Simon and Kirby production is the artist Ann Brewster. S&K must have like her work because they used her first submission, “Too Many Boy Friends”, as the lead story for Young Love #5. I am not sure that “first” is the proper description. I do not believe there were any earlier works for Simon and Kirby but I am unaware of any other works by Ann from this period either. In 1955 Ann would provide a number of stories for the Prize romance titles during the time when Joe and Jack were trying to get their own publishing company, Mainline, going.

When I previously discussed this splash, I thought that this might have been delivered as pencils and inked in the S&K studio. That conclusion was largely due to the presence of Studio style inking throughout the story. However, I no longer hold that viewpoint. There appears to be at least two inkers involved. One, Ann herself, working with a fine brush and another inker, probably Joe or Jack) working with a broader, more loaded, brush. The Studio style inking was probably added later to strengthen the art.


Young Love #6 (December 1949) “The Life of the Party”, art by John Guinta and Manny Stallman

Another new team to appear was John Guinta and Manny Stallman. Fortunately the work is signed because I am completely unfamiliar with John Guinta’s work. Manny Stallman has done his own penciling for Simon and Kirby primarily in the crime titles (not yet covered by my serial post “It’s A Crime”) but also in Western Love #1 (July 1949). “The Life of the Party” is the only story that I know that they did for S&K but perhaps more will show up.

The art for Guinta and Stallman’s “The Life of the Party” is good, but I am particularly impressed by the splash panel. It actually is two splash panels as neither of the top panels belong to the story proper. Floating heads are not used often by Simon and Kirby but they do occur. However I do not recall any of theirs approaching the avalanche of heads as produced here by Guinta and Stallman. I particularly like the way they spill from the right panel into the left with the gutter bisecting two heads. While I attribute most of this to work to John and Manny, I wonder about the single head at the center bottom of the panel. It is the only head without hair and the uppermost contour looks decidedly unnatural; almost as if it was cut from some other work. I cannot help but wonder if that one head was actually done by Jack Kirby. Perhaps, though, this is due to the inking with its aspects of Studio style. This was probably done by either Joe or Jack as most of the story is inked in a different style. Again the presence of places with Studio style inking in the story probably is due to Joe or Jack stepping in to strengthen the art.


Young Romance #16 (December 1949) “His Engagement Ring”, art by Mort Meskin

Young Romance #16 marked the return of an important artist Mort Meskin. Perhaps return is not the proper word as a little over a year ago he had appeared teamed up with Jerry Robinson. In the same month of December 1949 Mort also appeared in Real West Romance #5. Joe Simon has described in his book “The Comic Book Makers” the difficulties Meskin faced overcoming the artist’s equivalent of the writer’s block. However once this problem was passed, Mort became the most prolific of the Simon and Kirby studio artists. There were periods when he out produced Jack Kirby (no small feat) despite the fact that Mort would do all his own inking while Kirby often was inked by others. During his career, Mort was much admired by many of his fellow artists including Jerry Robinson, Joe Simon and Steve Ditko. Unfortunately today he is largely overlooked among comic book fans failing even to be voted into the Will Eisner Awards’ Hall of Fame. Partly this is due to the stylized drawing that Meskin adopted. Also a lot of his later work was done for Simon and Kirby romance titles; a genre not much appreciated among today’s fans. Perhaps the most important reason was that Meskin dropped out of comics in the late ’50s and afterwards avoided any contact with fans. However Mort was one of the best graphic story tellers from the golden age of comics. Meskin’s skill in presenting a story is easy to overlook due to the unobtrusive methods he used. Probably the only thing I can say against Meskin as an artist was that his work sometimes suffered from his efforts to produce lots of work.

The splash page for “His Engagement Ring” uses a layout that Meskin typically preferred; two thirds of the page for the splash panel with two or three story panels at the bottom of the page. It is a common layout used by many artists but different from the layout most frequently used when teamed up with Robinson which had a vertical splash panel with two story panels on the right side of the page.

The December issue of Young Romance was released just a few months prior to the peak of the love glut. The rise in the number of romance titles in such a short period was nothing short of dramatic. The decline following the peak was almost as rapid when publishers found that there just was not enough room on comic racks for all the new titles.

Chapter 1, A New Genre (YR #1 – #4)
Chapter 2, Early Artists (YR #1 – #4)
Chapter 3, The Field No Longer Their’s Alone (YR #5 – #8)
Chapter 4, An Explosion of Romance (YR #9 – #12, YL #1 – #4)
Chapter 5, New Talent (YR #9 – 12, YL #1 – #4)
Chapter 6, Love on the Range (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 7, More Love on the Range (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 8, Kirby on the Range? (RWR #1 – #7, WL #1 – #6)
Chapter 9, More Romance (YR #13 – #16, YL #5 – #6)
Chapter 10, The Peak of the Love Glut (YR #17 – #20, YL #7 – #8)
Chapter 11, After the Glut (YR #21 – #23, YL #9 – #10)
Chapter 12, A Smaller Studio (YR #24 – #26, YL #12 – #14)
Chapter 13, Romance Bottoms Out (YR #27 – #29, YL #15 – #17)
Chapter 14, The Third Suspect (YR #30 – #32, YL #18 – #20)
Chapter 15, The Action of Romance (YR #33 – #35, YL #21 – #23)
Chapter 16, Someone Old and Someone New (YR #36 – #38, YL #24 – #26)
Chapter 17, The Assistant (YR #39 – #41, YL #27 – #29)
Chapter 18, Meskin Takes Over (YR #42 – #44, YL #30 – #32)
Chapter 19, More Artists (YR #45 – #47, YL #33 – #35)
Chapter 20, Romance Still Matters (YR #48 – #50, YL #36 – #38, YB #1)
Chapter 21, Roussos Messes Up (YR #51 – #53, YL #39 – #41, YB #2 – 3)
Chapter 22, He’s the Man (YR #54 – #56, YL #42 – #44, YB #4)
Chapter 23, New Ways of Doing Things (YR #57 – #59, YL #45 – #47, YB #5 – #6)
Chapter 24, A New Artist (YR #60 – #62, YL #48 – #50, YB #7 – #8)
Chapter 25, More New Faces (YR #63 – #65, YLe #51 – #53, YB #9 – #11)
Chapter 26, Goodbye Jack (YR #66 – #68, YL #54 – #56, YB #12 – #14)
Chapter 27, The Return of Mort (YR #69 – #71, YL #57 – #59, YB #15 – #17)
Chapter 28, A Glut of Artists (YR #72 – #74, YL #60 – #62, YB #18 & #19, IL #1 & #2)
Chapter 29, Trouble Begins (YR #75 – #77, YL #63 – #65, YB #20 – #22, IL #3 – #5)
Chapter 30, Transition (YR #78 – #80, YL #66 – #68, YBs #23 – #25, IL #6, ILY #7)
Chapter 30, Appendix (YB #23)
Chapter 31, Kirby, Kirby and More Kirby (YR #81 – #82, YL #69 – #70, YB #26 – #27)
Chapter 32, The Kirby Beat Goes On (YR #83 – #84, YL #71 – #72, YB #28 – #29)
Chapter 33, End of an Era (YR #85 – #87, YL #73, YB #30, AFL #1)
Chapter 34, A New Prize Title (YR #88 – #91, AFL #2 – #5, PL #1 – #2)
Chapter 35, Settling In ( YR #92 – #94, AFL #6 – #8, PL #3 – #5)
Appendix, J.O. Is Joe Orlando
Chapter 36, More Kirby (YR #95 – #97, AFL #9 – #11, PL #6 – #8)
Chapter 37, Some Surprises (YR #98 – #100, AFL #12 – #14, PL #9 – #11)
Chapter 38, All Things Must End (YR #101 – #103, AFL #15 – #17, PL #12 – #14)

It’s A Crime, Chapter 5, Making a Commitment

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Posted in 2008/08, 5 Studio, Artists, Draut, Bill, Kirby, Jack, Meskin, Mort, Periods, Prize, Robinson, Jerry, z Archive and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

(Headline #26 – #28, Justice Traps the Guilty #1 – #1)

September 1947 (cover date) was the release of Simon and Kirby’s Young Romance. This marked a milestone for the creative duo. Previously Joe and Jack had not signed any of the work that they provided for publishers Prize or Hillman with the exception of Hillman’s My Date. Starting in September Simon and Kirby signatures would appear not only in Young Romance but in Headline Comics as well. Jack Kirby drew four stories of Headline #26 and three of those were signed. From this point on Simon and Kirby signatures would frequently be found on Kirby’s drawings for Prize Comics. Despite all the work that S&K provided to Hillman, in the end it was Prize that got Joe and Jack’s commitment. Right from the start the crime version of Headline was produced by Simon and Kirby while they never seem to have the same influence with Hillman. Surely whatever deal that Joe and Jack made with Prize must have reflected their greater control over Headline while at Hillman they had remained only marginally better then just work for hire. In the end Simon and Kirby were businessmen and it was all about the money. By early next year Simon and Kirby’s work for Hillman would end.

The crime version of Headline Comics must have been a very successful seller. After just the first four bimonthly issues Prize introduced a new crime title Justice Traps the Guilty. Simon and Kirby produced JTTG as well and there really was no difference in the contents between Headline and JTTG. Since both were bimonthly titles, effectively there would be a crime comic released by Prize each month. There must have been some difficulty because JTTG #2 should have been scheduled for December but was released in January instead; while Headline #28’s normal January release was pushed back to February.

Jack Kirby would still be the main contributor to Headline Comics and the new Justice Traps The Guilty. Jack drew 4 out of 6 stories for Headline #26 (September), but would only draw two stories each for issues #27 (November) and #28 (February). The first issue of Justice Traps the Guilty followed the Simon & Kirby’s modus operandi of starting a title with lots of Kirby; Jack penciled 6 out of the 8 stories. However with the second issue Jack returns to supplying a more modest 2 stories. Still no other artist appeared more often then Jack in these issues.


Headline #26 (September 1947) “The Life and Death of Public Enemy Number One”, art by Jack Kirby

The splash for “The Life and Death of Public Enemy Number One” uses a silhouette. There seemed to have been a flurry of the use of this device because we have seen it previously. However it would be pretty much dropped by Simon and Kirby and this may be its last use. While making the overall design of the splash more interesting, the use of silhouette diminished the impact as well.


Headline #26 (September 1947) “Bullets for The Bogus G-Man”, art by Jack Kirby

Another device used by Simon and Kirby in the early Prize crime comics was having “Red” (or “Red-Hot”) Blaze introduce the stories. While I suspect that Simon and Kirby found it a useful idea when they were promoting the idea of crime comics to Prize and for the initial in-house advertisements, in the end it just took up story panels that would had been better served for telling the actual story. “Bullets for the Bogus G-Man” may have been the last use of “Red” Blaze and even there he is only mentioned in the caption at the bottom of the splash page and never makes an actual appearance in the story.


Headline #28 (February 1948) “I Worked For the Fence”, art by Jack Kirby

One motif Simon and Kirby sometimes used for the first story was adopted from previous use in Young Romance. That is having a character introducing the story and using the word balloon as the title caption. Simon and Kirby did not use this design technique as frequently in the crime titles as they would in Young Romance but it still was an effective part of their repertoire.


Headline #27 (November 1947) “Spirit Swindlers” page 7, art by Jack Kirby

I have remarked before that circular panels was largely limited to an occasional splash page for the work that Simon and Kirby did for Hillman. For the Prize issues discussed in this chapter, Joe and Jack continued to use circular panels. What was new is that while previously almost all the Prize comic stories used circular panels in Headline #26 to #28 and JTTG #1 and #2 about half of the stories did not use round panels at all. For the stories that still featured circular panels they are used in lower proportions. For Headline #23 to #25 ratios of rounded panels to all the panels was over 16% and in one story reached 20%. Remember for a story done in the standard 6 panels per page, this would work out to an average of a semi-circular panel for each page (although they rarely were distributed so evenly). For Headline #26 to #28 and JTTG #1 and #2, when rounded panels were used they were generally used in the range of 14% to 10%. This is only a small decrease, but it seems to be consistent. In one story (“The True Life Story of Alvin Karpis” it drops to 4%. The last issue covered in this chapter (Headline #28, February 1948) did not have any rounded panels.

I have also been trying to track the evolution of the inking techniques used. Previously in Headline drop strings and abstract arch shadows, typical Studio style mannerisms, had become commonly used. Picket fence crosshatching and shoulder blots were still rare and when found are not typical in execution. (See my Inking Glossary for explanations of the terms I use to describe these techniques). In the last chapter we saw those final typical Studio style techniques show up suddenly in the Hillman crime title. The same thing happened at Prize. The earliest typical picket fence brush work for Prize that I have noticed was in “Spirit Swindlers” (see above image, particularly panels 4 and 6. There seems to be no gradual conversion of previous simple crosshatching to picket fence crosshatching; picket fence just suddenly appears. The picket fence inking shows up elsewhere in the story as well. Not every story in the same issue, however, shows the use of this most distinctive inking. Also note the shoulder blot in panels 1 and 2.


Headline #26 (September 1947) “Beyond the Law”, by unidentified artist

As mentioned above, Kirby drew 4 of the 6 stories for Headline #26. The other two stories (“Test of Death” and “Beyond the Law”) were done by the same artist. I have not been able to identify him but he also did “Murder’s Reward” and “Blind Man’s Death” from Headline #25. Ger Apeldoorn has suggested that it might be Bob McCarty. I am most familiar with McCarty’s work for S&K’s Mainline titles. The Mainline material does not resemble these four stories but that could be explained by the seven years separating the two groups of work. In any case the work in Headline #25 and #26 was done by a talented artist who played an important part in the early Headline issues. After issue #26 the artist stopped providing work to Simon and Kirby.


Justice Traps the Guilty #1 (October 1947) “G-Man Trap”, art by Bill Draut

After the mystery artist last appearance in Headline #26, his place as the most important supporting artist (after Kirby) was taken by Bill Draut. Draut’s first returned to the Simon and Kirby productions in Young Romance #1 (September 1947). From that point on Bill would be a mainstay of the S&K studio until its breakup. Draut would provide two stories each issue for Headline #27 and #28 as well as JTTG #1. In those issues Draut’s contributions of stories equal that of Jack Kirby. It is interesting to see Draut’s take on crime since so much of his output for the Simon and Kirby studio was for romance titles. Bill could be surprisingly effective with action and he also did some interesting splashes. The one for “G-Man Trap” is a good example. The use of diagonal elements makes the splash visually stimulating. However, the placement of the gun smoke and the odd pose of the shooter in the background really did not work well and diminishes what should have been an interesting confrontation. Still you have to admire Draut for the attempt made even if it was not completely successful.


Justice Traps the Guilty #1 (October 1947) “Try an FBI Test” page 2, art by Bill Draut

As I have mentioned a number of times in the past, I am convinced that Kirby did not supply layouts for Draut as some experts have suggested. Bill’s means of telling a story and his splash designs (such as the one from “G-Man Trap” shown earlier) are often different from Jack’s. There is one story, “Try an FBI Test”, that might suggest otherwise. Note the use of circular panels. These appear throughout the story and are the same form that Kirby uses. While this might suggest that Kirby did the layouts, I am not convinced. In “Try an FBI Test” the captions and word balloons frequently extend beyond the border of the circular panels which is unlike Kirby’s use where both captions and work balloons invariable are confined within the circular boundary. Nor was there any real change in the way the story is graphically told compared to other work by Draut. I believe Draut has just trying a layout technique that he previously observed Kirby using. Whatever the reason for the use of circular panels, it was a one time occurrence as I do not believe Bill would ever used it again.


Headline #28 (February 1948) “Postage Stamp Swindle”, art by Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin

Young Romance #3 (January 1948) saw the first appearance of the Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin team working for the Simon and Kirby studio. “Postage Stamp Swindle” (Headline #28, February 1948) was the first crime work that they did for S&K. As a team, Robinson and Meskin would only work for Joe and Jack for about seven months and provide a total of ten pieces of work. Only two of the stories are signed but the unsigned work is very consistent with those bearing signatures. Jerry and Mort had a preference for splash pages with a vertically dominated splash panel with two story panels also vertically arranged. The first page of “Postage Stamp Swindle” exaggerates that motif by placing the title over the story panels in a caption shaped like a stamp. Otherwise the splash panel usually had the shape of an inverted ‘L’.

I have been assigning the pencils to Jerry and the inks to Mort. This was due to the order that their names appear in their signature. Further the inking does predominately look like Meskin’s. Recently I have been spending some time looking over some of Meskin’s work from 1946 and 1947. I find that the work Robinson and Meskin’s supplied for Simon and Kirby look very much like the early work that Mort did on his own. So much so that I wonder what Robinson’s contribution was? I am tempted to attribute all the early unsigned art for S&K as Meskin alone and only credit the last three stories, two of which are signed, to the Robinson and Meskin team. I have two reasons for not taking that course. One is the still great similarity of the signed and unsigned work. The second is Joe Simon’s story of when Mort came to work for the Simon and Kirby studio as described in his book “The Comic Book Makers”. Joe really makes it sound like that was the first time Mort had worked for them which would not be true if Meskin was solely responsible for the work from 1948.


Headline #27 (November 1947) “The Guns of Jesse James” page 5, art by Jack Kirby and an unidentified artist

“The Guns of Jesse James” is one of those stories that at a glance were obviously done by some artist other than Jack Kirby; the drawing is just too crude. There are some places where the art, although still crude, looks like Jack’s style. The second panel in the page above is a good example. This story even uses rounded panels like those that Jack would use for some of his own stories. While it is possible that the artist was trying to mimic Kirby’s techniques, I think it more likely that he is working from rough layouts provided by Jack.


Justice Traps the Guilty #2 (January 1948) “The Killer Thought He Was Satan” page 4, art by an unidentified artist (Jack Kirby layouts?)

The possibility of rough Kirby layouts may also apply to “The Killer Thought He Was Satan”. Note in particular the second panel from page 4 shown above. In many ways the graphic story telling is even more like typical Kirby mannerisms then “The Guns of Jesse James”. Both of these stories come from a period where Kirby’s contributions had diminished and the use of layouts may have been an effort to filling the titles without using too much of Jack’s time.


Justice Traps the Guilty #2 (January 1948) “The Murdering Bender Family”, art by an unidentified artist

As I precede in future chapters of this serial post I will certainly not try to cover every unidentified artist in these titles. While I would consider most, if not all, talented some were more deserving of recognition than others. Besides there will be too many artists that I have not identified yet. In these early issues of the crime titles, however, the number of artists appearing is much more limited. So I will close with the splash page of one of mystery artists. I sure wished more of them took advantage of Simon and Kirby’s willingness to allow artists to include their signatures.

Chapter 1, Promoting Crime
Chapter 2, A Revitalized Title
Chapter 3, Competing Against Themselves
Chapter 4, Crime Gets Real

Chapter 6, Forgotten Artists
Chapter 7, A Studio With Many Artists
Chapter 8, The Chinese Detective
Chapter 9, Not The Same
Chapter 10, The Master and His Protege
Chapter 11, The New Team

Bill Draut Checklist

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Posted in Artists, Checklist, Draut, Bill, Draut, Bill and tagged , , 

Last update: 1/2/2012

Codes:
    s:  = signed
    a:  = signed with alias
    &:  = signed Simon and Kirby
    ?:  = questionable attribution
    r:  = reprint

All For Love (Prize)
     1    (v.1, n1)  Apr  1957       [cover]
     1    (v.1, n1)  Apr  1957    6p "Dream Wedding"

Black Cat (Harvey)
   s 4    Feb  1947   10p "Double Trouble"
     5    Apr  1947   10p "The Man Who Didn't Know His Own Strength"
   s 6    July 1947   10p "The Midnight Killer"
     7    Sept 1947    8p "Too Cold For Crime"

Black Magic (Prize)
     1    (v.1, n1)  Oct  1950    6p "Don't Look Now"
     2    (v.1, n2)  Dec  1950    8p "Yesterday You Died"
     3    (v.1, n3)  Feb  1951    7p "Satan's Sister"
     4    (v.1, n4)  Apr  1951    7p "The Jonah"
     6    (v.1, n6)  Aug  1951    5p "The Moment Of Shadow"
     6    (v.1, n6)  Aug  1951    6p "Skull's Eyes Never Sleep"
     7    (v.2, n1)  Oct  1951    7p "Don't Ride The 5:20"
     9    (v.2, n3)  Feb  1952    7p "Mark Of Evil"
     12   (v.2, n6)  May  1952    7p "Contact"
     13   (v.2, n7)  June 1952    7p "When I Live Again"
     14   (v.2, n8)  July 1952    7p "The Voice Of The Dead"
     15   (v.2, n9)  Aug  1952    6p "Ashes To Ashes"
     17   (v.2, n11) Oct  1952    8p "The Soul Of A Man"
     20   (v.3, n2)  Jan  1953    5p "Hatchet Man"
     21   (v.3, n3)  Feb  1953    4p "The Practical Joker"
     22   (v.3, n4)  Mar  1953    2p "Barbados Burial Vault"
     23   (v.3, n5)  Apr  1953    6p "The Faces Of Death"
     24   (v.3, n6)  May  1953    6p "The Lady Is A Ghost"
     32   (v.5, n2)  Sept 1954    4p "The Monsters"

Black Magic (National/DC)
   r 6    (v.1, n6)  Nov  1974    7p "Satan's Sister"- (r B|M #3 Feb 1951)
   r 9    (v.1, n9)  May  1975    8p "Yesterday You Died"- (r BM #2 Dec 1950)

Boy Explorers (Harvey)
   s 1    May  1946    8p "The Case Of The Hapless Hackie"- (Ferguson letters first page only)

Charlie Chan (Prize)
     1    June 1948    8p "The Weasel Of Wall Street"

Double-Dare Adventures (Harvey)
   ? 1    Dec  1966    7p "Bee-Man"

First Love Illustrated (Harvey)
     31   Aug  1953    5p "Another Man's Kisses"
     34   Nov  1953    5p "Man-Starved"
     38   Mar  1954    5p "Strange Love"
     41   June 1954    5p "To Find My Love"
     43   Aug  1954    5p "True to My Love"
     44   Sept 1954    5p "The Right to Love"
     60   Jan  1956    5p "Dangerous Moment"
     64   May  1956    5p "Love Betrayed"
     67   Aug  1956    5p "Outsider"
     68   Sept 1956    5p "Forbidden To Love Him"
     69   Oct  1956    5p "Remember, I'm Your Girl"
     70   Nov  1956    5p "Strange Love"
     72   Jan  1957    5p "A Man For Nora"
     74   Mar  1957    5p "The Right to Love"
     75   Apr  1957    5p "No Promises For Me"

First Romance Magazine (Harvey)
     41   Aug  1956    5p "I Gambled On Love"

Foxhole (Mainline)
     1    Oct  1954    6p "Fruit Salad"
     2    Dec  1954    3p "Walkie-Talkie"
     2    Dec  1954    4p "Replacement"
   s 4    Apr  1955    4p "Find And Fire"

Foxhole (Charlton)
   s 5    July 1955    3p "Hip Pockets And The Paper Bullets"
     6    Sept 1955    3p "The 50th Man"

From Here to Insanity (Charlton)
     11   Aug  1955    6p "Old Love"

Green Hornet (Harvey)
   s 35   Sept 1947    8p "The Fat Tuesday"
   s 36   Nov  1947    8p "The Man Who Met Himself"
   s 37   Jan  1948    7p "The Smiling Salesman"
   r 38   Mar  1948    7p "The Furnished Room"

Headline (Prize)
   s 27   (v.3, n3)  Nov  1947    7p "The Death Of The Gambler King"
   s 27   (v.3, n3)  Nov  1947    4p "Bring Me His Corpse"
     28   (v.3, n4)  Feb  1948    8p "Trapping Chicago's Speed-Demon Mob"
   s 28   (v.3, n4)  Feb  1948    7p "Machine-Gun Kelly, Kidnapper"
   s 29   (v.3, n5)  Apr  1948    8p "Don't Let Wilber Squeal"
   s 29   (v.3, n5)  Apr  1948    8p "Sisters Of Satan"
     30   (v.3, n6)  June 1948    7p "The Witch Murders"
   s 30   (v.3, n6)  June 1948    7p "Menace In The Making"
     31   (v.4, n1)  Aug  1948    8p "The Kidnapped The Parole Board"
     32   (v.4, n2)  Oct  1948    8p "Terror Of The Everglades"
     74   (v.11, n2) Jan  1956    6p "Never See Morning"
     75   (v.11, n3) Mar  1956    6p "Hot Stuff"
     76   (v.11, n4) May  1956       [cover]
     76   (v.11, n4) May  1956    6p "Channel for Trouble"
     77   (v.11, n5) Sept 1956    6p "Hide and Seek"

Hi-School Romance (Harvey)
     19   Feb  1953    6p "I Went Too Far"
     25   Feb  1954    5p "Outsider"
     43   Sept 1955    6p "Broadway Lights"
     48   Feb  1956    5p "Outsider"
     49   Mar  1956    5p "My Shattered Love"
     59   Jan  1957    5p "To Find My Love"
     60   Feb  1957    5p "School Boy"

In Love (Mainline)
     2    Oct  1954       [cover]
     2    Oct  1954    6p "The Scandal"
     2    Oct  1954    6p "Set My Heart Free"
     4    Mar  1955       [cover]
     4    Mar  1955    6p "Wolf Bait"

In Love (Charlton)
     6    July 1955       [cover]
     6    July 1955    6p "Among Us Girls"

Jigsaw (Harvey)
     1    Sept 1966       [cover]

Justice Traps the Guilty (Prize)
   s 1    (v.1, n1)  Oct  1947    6p "G-Man Trap"
   s 1    (v.1, n1)  Oct  1947    4p "Try An FBI Test"
   s 2    (v.1, n2)  Dec  1947    6p "You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Trap A Criminal"
   s 3    (v.1, n3)  Mar  1948    8p "So Many Ways To Die"
     3    (v.1, n3)  Mar  1948    7p "My Strangest Crime Case"
     4    (v.1, n4)  May  1948    7p "The Lincoln Tomb Thieves"
     4    (v.1, n4)  May  1948    6p "The Half-Pint Killer"
     5    (v.1, n5)  July 1948    7p "Al Spencer, Last Of The Old West Bandits"
   s 5    (v.1, n5)  July 1948    8p "A Fortune In Slugs"
     6    (v.1, n6)  Sept 1948    8p "Gerald Woodworth, The Vanishing Bandit"
     7    (v.2, n1)  Nov  1948    6p "Paris Manhunt"
     9    (v.2, n3)  Apr  1949   10p "Willie The Actor"
     71   (v.8, n5)  Feb  1955    4p "Escape"
     80   (v.9, n1)  Feb  1956    5p "Skin Deep"
     82   (v.9, n4)  May  1956    6p "Doomsday"
     83   (v.9, n5)  Oct  1956    6p "The Masqueraders"
     83   (v.9, n5)  Oct  1956    6p "Duty Bound"
     84   (v.9, n6)  Dec  1956    7p "The Fickle Lady Luck"
     84   (v.9, n6)  Dec  1956    6p "The Wreckers"

Love Problems and Advice (Harvey)
     22   July 1953    1p "Which Man Shall I Choose?"
     23   Sept 1953    5p "My Shattered Love"
     25   Jan  1954    5p "Come-On Girl"
     28   July 1954    5p "Always a Bridesmaid"
     29   Sept 1954    5p "Marked Woman"
     40   July 1956    1p "Which Man Shall I Choose"
     40   July 1956    5p "Double Heartbreak"
     42   Nov  1956    5p "Empty Dream"
     43   Jan  1957    5p "Who's Cheating Who?"
   r 45   May  1957    5p "Marked Woman"

Police Trap (Mainline)
     1    Sept 1954    5p "Masher"
     3    Jan  1955    6p "Tough Beat"

Police Trap (Charlton)
     5    July 1955    6p "The Gun"

Police Trap (Super Comics)
   r 16   **** 1964    5p "The Capture"
   r 17   **** 1964    6p "Policeman's Holiday"
   r 17   **** 1964    6p "Duty Bound"

Prize Comics Western (Prize)
     119  Sept 1956    6p "The Drifter"

Real West Romances (Prize)
     1    Apr  1949    9p "Chuck Wagon Jane"
     2    July 1949    8p "Dead-Game Dude"
     3    Aug  1949    8p "In Love With His Ranch Boss"
     4    Oct  1949    8p "Lovin' Or Feudin'"
     5    Dec  1949    8p "Bordertown Lover"
     5    Dec  1949    1p "Glamour In The Great Outdoors"

Spyman (Harvey)
     3    Feb  1967       [contents]
     3    Feb  1967   20p "Death of Spyman"

Strange World of Your Dreams (Prize)
     1    Aug  1952    7p "Don't Wake The Sleeper"
     3    Nov  1952    4p "Send Us Your Dreams"
     3    Nov  1952    1p "Mistaken Dream"- (illustrated text)

Stuntman (Harvey)
   s 1    Apr  1946    7p "The Furnished Room"
   s 2    June 1946    6p "Triangular Troubles"- (Ferguson letters splash only)

Teen-Age Brides (Harvey)
     1    July 1953    1p "Here Comes the Bride"
     2    Sept 1953    5p "I Married for Fun"

True Bride-To-Be Romances (Harvey)
     17   Apr  1956    5p "When I Married"
     18   June 1956    5p "Unfit To Manage"
     19   Aug  1956    5p "Heart And Soul"
     23   Apr  1957    5p "Always a Bridesmaid"

True Bride's Experiences (Harvey)
     16   Feb  1956    1p "Here Comes The Bride"

Warfront (Harvey)
     38   Dec  1966   15p "Big Trap on Death Island"
     39   Feb  1967       [cover]
     39   Feb  1967   14p "Half-Mask Strikes Back"
     39   Feb  1967    2p "Letters from Dynamite Joe"

Western Love (Prize)
     1    July 1949    8p "Gambler's Girl"
     2    Sept 1949    9p "Sworn Enemies In Love"

Win A Prize (Charlton)
     2    Apr  1955    7p "Bullet Ballad"

Young Brides (Prize)
     1    (v.1, n1)  Sept 1952    8p "Teen-Age Mother"
     2    (v.1, n2)  Nov  1952    6p "The Luckiest Guy In The World"
     4    (v.1, n4)  Mar  1953    8p "Here Cries The Bride"
     5    (v.1, n5)  May  1953    8p "Let's Change Places"
     6    (v.1, n6)  July 1953    6p "Run Out Of Town"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Oct  1953    6p "After School Wife"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Oct  1953    6p "Married Strangers"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Dec  1953    6p "Country Cousin"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Dec  1953    6p "The Stranger In His Heart"
     11   (v.2, n5)  Jan  1954    6p "Ghost Wife"
     12   (v.2, n6)  Feb  1954    6p "Father Under Protest"
     13   (v.2, n7)  Mar  1954    8p "The Bride Wore Hand Me-Downs"
     18   (v.2, n12) Sept 1954       [cover]
     20   (v.3, n2)  Jan  1955       [cover]
     20   (v.3, n2)  Jan  1955    5p "Sinner By Night"
     21   (v.3, n3)  Mar  1955       [cover]
     21   (v.3, n3)  Mar  1955    6p "Cheating Lady"
     23   (v.3, n5)  July 1955    2p "Steady Beau"
     24   (v.3, n6)  Sept 1955       [cover]
     24   (v.3, n6)  Sept 1955    6p "Ask Mother"

Young Love (Prize)
   s 1    (v.1, n1)  Feb  1949   12p "The Plumber And Me"
     1    (v.1, n1)  Feb  1949    7p "Two Loves"
     1    (v.1, n1)  Feb  1949    7p "Lady Luck"
     2    (v.1, n2)  Apr  1949    9p "A Very Young Bride"
     3    (v.1, n3)  June 1949    9p "Wallflower"
     3    (v.1, n3)  June 1949    8p "Headstrong"
     3    (v.1, n3)  June 1949    8p "Clinging Vine"
     4    (v.1, n4)  Aug  1949    7p "Best Friend's Sweetheart"
     4    (v.1, n4)  Aug  1949    8p "Show Off"
     5    (v.1, n5)  Oct  1949    2p "Problem Clinic"
     6    (v.1, n6)  Dec  1949    8p "Taken For A Ride"
     7    (v.2, n1)  Feb  1950    8p "The Carnival Girl"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Apr  1950    8p "Every Man I Meet"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Apr  1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
     9    (v.2, n3)  May  1950    7p "Anybody's Girl"
     10   (v.2, n4)  June 1950    8p "Common"
     12   (v.2, n6)  Aug  1950    8p "Because You Look Like Him"
     14   (v.2, n8)  Oct  1950    9p "I'll Tell You No Lies"
     14   (v.2, n8)  Oct  1950    7p "A Family Affair"
     15   (v.2, n9)  Nov  1950    9p "Love Isn't  Enough"
     15   (v.2, n9)  Nov  1950    9p "Man Wanted"
     16   (v.2, n10) Dec  1950    5p "Will You Help Me"
     16   (v.2, n10) Dec  1950    7p "Bring A Friend"
     18   (v.2, n12) Feb  1951    8p "I Won't Leave Mother"
     19   (v.3, n1)  Mar  1951    9p "High School Honeymoon"
     21   (v.3, n3)  May  1951    8p "Marry Me Mister"
     22   (v.3, n4)  June 1951    8p "Like All The Rest"
     23   (v.3, n5)  July 1951    1p "Does He Treat You Right"
     24   (v.3, n6)  Aug  1951   10p "I'll Bet My Love"
     26   (v.3, n8)  Oct  1951    7p "Bad Penny"
     26   (v.3, n8)  Oct  1951    6p "Not The Type"
     27   (v.3, n9)  Nov  1951    8p "Love Proof"
     28   (v.3, n10) Dec  1951    8p "Never Been Kissed"
     28   (v.3, n10) Dec  1951    2p "The Way They Met"
     29   (v.3, n11) Jan  1952    7p "Heavy Date"
     29   (v.3, n11) Jan  1952    7p "My Conscience"
     30   (v.3, n12) Feb  1952    9p "Easy Prey"
     32   (v.4, n2)  Apr  1952   10p "Can't Help Wanting That Man"
     33   (v.4, n3)  May  1952    8p "The Legs Are Familiar"
     34   (v.4, n4)  June 1952    8p "Out Of Control"
     34   (v.4, n4)  June 1952    5p "Sweet, But Not So Simple"
     35   (v.4, n5)  July 1952    8p "Fast Crowd"
     36   (v.4, n6)  Aug  1952    6p "Run From Romance"
     37   (v.4, n7)  Sept 1952    8p "Young Man With Tuxedo Will Marry"
     38   (v.4, n8)  Oct  1952    7p "Let Your Hair Down"
     39   (v.4, n9)  Nov  1952    7p "Each Day I Die"
     40   (v.4, n10) Dec  1952    6p "Love Me On My Terms"
     42   (v.4, n12) Feb  1953    8p "Girl Hitchhiker"
     43   (v.5, n1)  Mar  1953    8p "The Wonderful Person"
     45   (v.5, n3)  May  1953    8p "Terrible Secret"
     46   (v.5, n4)  June 1953    7p "The Hard Guy"
     48   (v.5, n6)  Aug  1953    6p "Love, Honor And Betray"
     49   (v.5, n7)  Sept 1953    6p "Highway Of Dreams"
     51   (v.5, n9)  Nov  1953    6p "Give Me Your Blessing"
     52   (v.5, n10) Dec  1953    6p "Hush-Hush Marriage"
     53   (v.5, n11) Jan  1954    6p "Love Isn't Enough"
     54   (v.5, n12) Feb  1954    6p "Shameless"
     55   (v.6, n1)  Mar  1954    6p "The Guilt In My Heart"
     58   (v.6, n4)  June 1954    6p "The Unblessed Events"
     61   (v.6, n7)  Sept 1954       [cover]
     62   (v.6, n8)  Oct  1954    6p "Teen-Age Temptress"
     63   (v.6, n9)  Dec  1954       [cover]
     63   (v.6, n9)  Dec  1954    6p "Another Love"
     64   (v.6, n10) Apr  1955       [cover]
     64   (v.6, n10) Apr  1955    6p "Kissing Game"
     65   (v.6, n11) June 1955    6p "Who Keeps The Faith"
     66   (v.6, n12) Aug  1955    6p "Just For Spite"
     71   (v.7, n5)  June 1956    6p "Love Me Or Leave Me"
     73   (v.8, n1)  Dec  1956    6p "Soldier's Homecoming"
     73   (v.8, n1)  Dec  1956    6p "The Troublemaker"

Young Romance (Prize)
     1    (v.1, n1)  Sept 1947    8p "The Farmer's Wife"
     1    (v.1, n1)  Sept 1947    7p "The Plight Of The Suspicious Bridegroom"
   s 2    (v.1, n2)  Nov  1947    7p "My Broken Heart"
     2    (v.1, n2)  Nov  1947    7p "The Poorest Girl In The World"
     3    (v.1, n3)  Jan  1948    7p "Campus Outcast"
   s 4    (v.1, n4)  Mar  1948    8p "Guilty"
   s 4    (v.1, n4)  Mar  1948    7p "Her Rival"
     5    (v.1, n5)  May  1948    7p "Substitute Sweetheart"
   s 6    (v.1, n6)  July 1948    8p "Friend Of The Family"
   s 6    (v.1, n6)  July 1948    7p "Gossip"
     7    (v.2, n1)  Sept 1948    8p "I'll Get Him Back"
   s 7    (v.2, n1)  Sept 1948    8p "Love On The Rebound"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Nov  1948    6p "Fortune Hunter"
     8    (v.2, n2)  Nov  1948    8p "To Love Again"
     9    (v.2, n3)  Jan  1949    9p "The Lie I Lived"
     9    (v.2, n3)  Jan  1949    9p "Last Chance For Love"
   s 10   (v.2, n4)  Mar  1949    8p "Shadows"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Mar  1949    1p "Hip, Hip, Away"
     10   (v.2, n4)  Mar  1949    8p "Husband Hunter"
     11   (v.2, n5)  May  1949    8p "The Language Of Love"
     11   (v.2, n5)  May  1949    2p "Second Chance for Love"- (illustrated text)
     12   (v.2, n6)  July 1949    8p "The Man I Kept On A String"
     12   (v.2, n6)  July 1949    2p "Problem Clinic"
     12   (v.2, n6)  July 1949    8p "Girl Shy"
     13   (v.3, n1)  Sept 1949    8p "Daughter Of Misfortune"
     13   (v.3, n1)  Sept 1949    8p "Good Scout"
     14   (v.3, n2)  Oct  1949    9p "No Prescription For Love"
     14   (v.3, n2)  Oct  1949    8p "The Barrier Between Us"
     15   (v.3, n3)  Nov  1949    9p "Deathfed Vow"
     16   (v.3, n4)  Dec  1949    8p "The Wolves Of The City"
     16   (v.3, n4)  Dec  1949    7p "Janet Loves Janet"
     16   (v.3, n4)  Dec  1949    1p "Good Manners"
     17   (v.3, n5)  Jan  1950    8p "When A Puppy Love Grows Up"
     17   (v.3, n5)  Jan  1950    2p "Problem Clinic"
     19   (v.3, n7)  Mar  1950    9p "Tainted"
     20   (v.3, n8)  Apr  1950    8p "Mad About The Boy"
     21   (v.3, n9)  May  1950    8p "Let's Pretend"
     23   (v.3, n11) July 1950    8p "A Woman's Honor"
     24   (v.3, n12) Aug  1950    7p "Man Bait"
     25   (v.4, n1)  Sept 1950    7p "Gentleman For Hire"
     26   (v.4, n2)  Oct  1950    8p "The Last Man On Earth"
     27   (v.4, n3)  Nov  1950    6p "Monahan's Madonna"
     28   (v.4, n4)  Dec  1950    9p "Not Worth The Price"
     29   (v.4, n5)  Jan  1951    8p "Love Also Ran"
     30   (v.4, n6)  Feb  1951    2p "Will You Help Me"
     30   (v.4, n6)  Feb  1951    8p "Not Good For Anyone"
     31   (v.4, n7)  Mar  1951    9p "Raw Deal"
     32   (v.4, n8)  Apr  1951    9p "Hand-Me-Down Love"
     33   (v.4, n9)  May  1951    8p "Not In The Act"
     34   (v.4, n10) June 1951    8p "The Other Woman"
     34   (v.4, n10) June 1951    1p "Are You A Selfish Girl Friend"
     35   (v.4, n11) July 1951    2p "Problem Clinic"
     36   (v.4, n12) Aug  1951    8p "Yesterday's Romance"
     36   (v.4, n12) Aug  1951    9p "Married In Haste"
     38   (v.5, n2)  Oct  1951    9p "Cagey Mary"
     39   (v.5, n3)  Nov  1951    9p "The Wall Between Us"
     40   (v.5, n4)  Dec  1951    1p "How He Proposed"
     40   (v.5, n4)  Dec  1951    8p "Your Own Apartment"
     41   (v.5, n5)  Jan  1952    1p "The Way They Met"
     41   (v.5, n5)  Jan  1952    8p "Baby, It's Cold In Here"
     42   (v.5, n6)  Feb  1952    9p "Big Deal"
     43   (v.5, n7)  Mar  1952    8p "A Honey of a Sergeant"
     47   (v.5, n11) July 1952    8p "A Man For My Birthday"
     48   (v.5, n12) Aug  1952    8p "Love Is Poison"
     49   (v.6, n1)  Sept 1952    7p "Honeymooners, Not Wanted"
     50   (v.6, n2)  Oct  1952    8p "Money, Money, Money"
     50   (v.6, n2)  Oct  1952    7p "Tag Along"
     51   (v.6, n3)  Nov  1952    2p "Problem Clinic"
     51   (v.6, n3)  Nov  1952    7p "Joe Barnes, Washout"
     52   (v.6, n4)  Dec  1952    8p "Soldier On The Train"
     54   (v.6, n6)  Feb  1953    7p "Come Into My Parlor"
     56   (v.6, n8)  Apr  1953    7p "Rx For Romance"
     58   (v.6, n10) June 1953    6p "Love That Landlady"
     59   (v.6, n11) July 1953    6p "Love Me, Don't Laugh At Me"
     60   (v.6, n12) Aug  1953    8p "His Wife's People"
     61   (v.7, n1)  Sept 1953    6p "The Girl He Couldn't Forget"
     62   (v.7, n2)  Oct  1953    6p "Using Me"
     66   (v.7, n6)  Feb  1954    6p "Fools Rush In"
     67   (v.7, n7)  Mar  1954    6p "Yesterday's Love"
     68   (v.7, n8)  Apr  1954    6p "Bought"
     69   (v.7, n9)  May  1954    6p "My Sister's Sweetheart"
     70   (v.7, n10) June 1954       [cover]
     70   (v.7, n10) June 1954    6p "Gotta Get Married"
     72   (v.7, n12) Aug  1954       [cover]
     72   (v.7, n12) Aug  1954    5p "Soldier's Pickup"
     73   (v.8, n1)  Sept 1954    6p "Marriageable Age"
     74   (v.8, n2)  Nov  1954    6p "The Kissoff"
     75   (v.8, n3)  Dec  1954       [cover]
     75   (v.8, n3)  Dec  1954    6p "Secret Marriage"
     76   (v.8, n4)  Apr  1955       [cover]
     76   (v.8, n4)  Apr  1955    7p "Let's Pretend"
     77   (v.8, n5)  June 1955    6p "The Security Of Love"
     78   (v.8, n6)  Aug  1955       [cover]
     78   (v.8, n6)  Aug  1955    6p "Dream House For Two"
     81   (v.9, n3)  Feb  1956    6p "He Had Only Me"