Crack Comics: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:24, 10 September 2016

Revision as of 19:52, 6 November 2016

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With issue #26 (Nov. 1942), at the height of [[World War II]], the title dropped down to a bi-monthly schedule due to wartime paper shortages; and with issue #33 (Spring 1944) it became quarterly, also reducing its page-count to 60. It was around this time that publisher Arnold dropped Eisner & Iger as a "packager" and began producing much of the material in-house.<ref name="Steranko" /> The syndicated newspaper strip reprints "[[Jane Arden (comics)|Jane Arden]]" and "Ned Brant" disappeared during this period, as well as such recurring features as "[[Black Condor]]," "[[Don Q (comics)|Don Q]]," and "[[Snappy (comics)|Snappy]]."

Cartoonist [[George Brenner]] became editor of ''Crack Comics'' with issue #31 (Oct. 1943) (Cronin having left the post in Feb. 1942), a few issues before Brenner's character [[Clock (comics)|The Clock]] stopped appearing in the book's pages.<ref name="Clock">Markstein, Don. [http://www.toonopedia.com/clock.htm "The Clock,"] {{webcitewebarchive |url=http://www.webcitation.org/66tXLHj7l |date?url=20120413134807http://www.toonopedia.com/clock.htm |dateformatdate=iso2012-04-13 }} Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.</ref> Beginning with issue #42 (May 1946) the title went back to a bimonthly schedule, which it maintained until its cancellation with issue #62. (During this time, the title also gradually reduced its page-count from 60 to 52 to 36.) Brenner stayed on as editor almost to the end, leaving the post after issue #61 (July 1949).

=== ''Crack Western'' and ''Jonesy'' ===

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* '''[[Black Condor]]''': A mystery man with the power of flight, the character's adventures were originally written by [[Will Eisner]] and drawn by [[Lou Fine]].<ref>Markstein, Don. [http://www.toonopedia.com/blcondr1.htm "Black Condor,"] Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.</ref> The Black Condor was the lead feature of ''Crack'' from issue #1–26, and a regular feature until issue #31 (Oct. 1943).

* '''[[Lee Preston of the Red Cross]]''': newspaper strip reprints of Lee Preston, a heroic [[Red Cross]] nurse, and her friend Rick Royce, were a feature from issues #1–9 (Jan. 1941), when the strip was replaced by [[Paul Gustavson]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>s '''[[Tor the Magic Master]]'''. Jim Slade was a photojournalist whose superhero persona was a backward-speaking magician. This feature lasted from issue #10 (Feb. 1941) until issue #26 (Nov. 1942). Beginning with issue #27 (Jan. 1943), Tor's spot was taken by [[Alfred Andriola]]'s '''[[Captain Triumph]]'''. Stories of the merged twins (one alive, one dead) who formed the Golden Age superhero were a recurring item — mostly as the cover feature — through to ''Crack Comics'' final issue, #62.

* '''[[Alias the Spider]]''': [[Paul Gustavson]]'s crime-fighting bowman was a regular feature in ''Crack'' from issue #1–29 (May 1943), eventually replaced by [[Bernard Dibble]]'s humor feature '''[[Beezy Bumble]]'''.<ref>Markstein, Don. [http://www.toonopedia.com/spider.htm "The Spider,"] {{webcitewebarchive |url=http://www.webcitation.org/66fqwEXex |date?url=20120404135351http://www.toonopedia.com/spider.htm |dateformatdate=iso2012-04-04 }} Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.</ref> Beezy lasted through the rest of ''Crack Comics''<nowiki>'</nowiki> run, ending with issue #62.

* '''[[Molly the Model]]''': [[Bernard Dibble]]'s one-page humor strips were featured in every issue of ''Crack Comics'' from #1–62.

* '''[[Eric Vale (comics)|Eric Vale]]''': two-page text stories of the adventuresome pilot of a black plane were a regular feature, only missing a few issues, from #1–50 (Sept. 1947).