Ace Comics
Encyclopedia
Ace Comics was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications
between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age
era of comics. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate
, following the successful formula of a mix of adventure and humor strips introduced by McKay in their King Comics
title in April 1936; some of the strips transferred from King Comics from issue #1. Ace Comics #11, the first appearance of The Phantom, is regarded by many to be a key issue in the history of comics, as it introduced to the comics format one of the first of the costumed heroes, leading to the Golden Age of superheroes in comics.
written by Flash Gordon
writer Alex Raymond
, Chic Young's Blondie
, and George Herriman
's surreal Krazy Kat
strip, all three characters going on to appear in every issue of Ace Comics. Issue #11 (cover date February 1938) is notable as a key Golden Age comic, as it introduced to a wider audience one of the first costumed heroes ever to be featured in a comic book, Lee Falk
's The Phantom
— pre-dating Superman
(Action Comics
#1, cover date June 1938). The Phantom daily strip
, written by Ray Moore
and drawn by Wilson McCoy
, then featured in Ace Comics for a 140-issue run, appearing in every issue until the title was cancelled. Initially The Phantom was a four-page story, but from #38 this was increased to eight pages in each issue. Towards the end of the run, the Sunday strip
s were also included. Many of the strips were edited and cropped from the original newspaper stories, and the text was often rewritten also.
As well as Jungle Jim and The Phantom, which ran throughout the series, Hal Foster's knight's tale of Prince Valiant
was also a long running adventure feature, published in issues 26-134. Other adventure strips that appeared included Zane Gray's Western character Tex Thorne in early issues, the adventures of orphan Tim Tyler in Tim Tyler's Luck
and Curley Harper at Lakespur both by Blondie writer/artist Chic Young's brother Lyman Young
. Tim Tyler's Luck ran in every issue of Ace Comics, while the Curley Harper strip ended with issue 100, although a single strip just called Curley Harper appeared in issue #107. Later issues reprinted the Flash Gordon-like space adventures of Brick Bradford
and The Lone Ranger
strip, both transferred from the King Comics title.
The Blondie strip also appeared in every issue of Ace Comics, as did classic the humor strip The Katzenjammer Kids by Rudolph Dirks
. Other humor strips included Pete the Tramp
by Clarence D. Russell
, Tillie the Toiler
by Russ Westover
, Billy DeBeck's Barney Google
, Jimmy Hatlo
's They'll Do It Every Time
and Paul Robinson
's Etta Kett
were presented throughout the run, although all of these titles missed the odd issue. The strip Seein' Stars which ran in the first 50 issues, was written by Arthur Beeman and was based around the Hollywood film industry — cartoon versions of a number of Hollywood stars, including Fred Astaire
, Betty Grable
and Judy Garland
guested.
Drawn in a similar style to Winsor McCay
's work, the fantasy strip The Pussycat Princess (a story originally titled Pussycat Princess, A Fairytale For Boys, Girls And Other Children), by Grace Drayton and Ed Anthony, also featured in early issues of Ace Comics run. Drayton was a well-known and important early cartoonist who died only a year after starting this delightful fairytale series. Another classic Golden Age artist whose work appeared in a number of issues was C.C.Beck (creator of Fawcett
's Captain Marvel
). Six issues of Ace Comics contained single-page Captain Tootsie strips - advertisements for Tootsie Roll
confectionery with a short adventure on the page, with a costume patterned on Captain Marvel's.
As well as syndicated strips, most issues also carried text stories, editorials, and factual pages. Many of the stories, such as White Buffalo in issues #35-36, were written by R. G. Montgomery, who wrote short Western tales in magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. Ruth Plumly Thompson
, who wrote a number of the books in the Oz
series after Frank L. Baum died in 1919, also wrote a considerable number of editorial pages. Ace Comics also featured single-panel cartoons, probably the best known of which, Private Breger Abroad, was drawn by celebrated World War II cartoonist Dave Breger. The factual strip Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
was reprinted in early issues of Ace Comics, while other factual pages, such as Stamp Spotlight, Sports In Pictures and News In Pictures, appeared regularly at various times during the run. Two series in 1941-2 covered the early events of World War II at sea — Battle of the Atlantic and Battle for the Seven Seas. These were written and drawn by Edgar Franklin Wittmack
, known for his stylized magazine covers in the 1920s and 1930s.
An unusual feature for the day was the Young Reporters page, which included readers' letters
and comments. Competitions and prizes were also advertised in early numbers, and puzzle pages were also featured.
Ace Comics was cancelled with issue #151 (October 1949), although as that issue contained an ad for the next Phantom series, it can be assumed the decision on cancellation was made after #151 left the printer.
Information available on issues 1-16 and 133-151 appears to be limited at present. As a result, it has not been possible to produce a definitive list. Issues with a ? against them are the earliest or latest possible issue this character's strip appeared in.
David McKay Publications
David McKay Publications was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles Ace Comics, King Comics, and Magic Comics; as well as collections of such popular comic strips as Blondie, Dick Tracy, and Mandrake the Magician...
between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
era of comics. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
, following the successful formula of a mix of adventure and humor strips introduced by McKay in their King Comics
King Comics
King Comics, a short-lived comic book imprint of King Features Syndicate, was an attempt by King Features to publish comics of its own characters, rather than through other publishers. The line ran for approximately a year-and-a-half, with its series cover-dated from August 1966 to December 1967...
title in April 1936; some of the strips transferred from King Comics from issue #1. Ace Comics #11, the first appearance of The Phantom, is regarded by many to be a key issue in the history of comics, as it introduced to the comics format one of the first of the costumed heroes, leading to the Golden Age of superheroes in comics.
Publication history
The first issue of Ace Comics was published in April 1937, and included the adventures of hunter Jungle JimJungle Jim
Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began in 1934 as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle Jim...
written by Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond. First published January 7, 1934, the strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were comics such as Dash...
writer Alex Raymond
Alex Raymond
Alexander Gillespie "Alex" Raymond was an American cartoonist, best known for creating Flash Gordon for King Features in 1934...
, Chic Young's Blondie
Blondie (comic strip)
Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930...
, and George Herriman
George Herriman
George Joseph Herriman was an American cartoonist, best known for his classic comic strip Krazy Kat.-Early life:...
's surreal Krazy Kat
Krazy Kat
Krazy Kat is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George Herriman, published daily in newspapers between 1913 and 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal, whose owner, William Randolph Hearst, was a major booster for the strip throughout its run...
strip, all three characters going on to appear in every issue of Ace Comics. Issue #11 (cover date February 1938) is notable as a key Golden Age comic, as it introduced to a wider audience one of the first costumed heroes ever to be featured in a comic book, Lee Falk
Lee Falk
Lee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
's The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
— pre-dating Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
(Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#1, cover date June 1938). The Phantom daily strip
Daily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays....
, written by Ray Moore
Ray Moore (comics)
Raymond S. Moore, better known as Ray Moore, was the co-creator, together with Lee Falk, and first artist on what would grow to become the world's most popular adventure comic strip, The Phantom, which started in 1936...
and drawn by Wilson McCoy
Wilson McCoy
Wilson McCoy was an American illustrator and painter best known as the second artist on the The Phantom comic strip.Wilson McCoy is well known for his unique, naive style of drawing...
, then featured in Ace Comics for a 140-issue run, appearing in every issue until the title was cancelled. Initially The Phantom was a four-page story, but from #38 this was increased to eight pages in each issue. Towards the end of the run, the Sunday strip
Sunday strip
A Sunday strip is a newspaper comic strip format, where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper, usually in a special section called the Sunday comics, and virtually always in color. Some readers called these sections the Sunday funnies...
s were also included. Many of the strips were edited and cropped from the original newspaper stories, and the text was often rewritten also.
As well as Jungle Jim and The Phantom, which ran throughout the series, Hal Foster's knight's tale of Prince Valiant
Prince Valiant
Prince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, or simply Prince Valiant, is a long-run comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 3700 Sunday strips...
was also a long running adventure feature, published in issues 26-134. Other adventure strips that appeared included Zane Gray's Western character Tex Thorne in early issues, the adventures of orphan Tim Tyler in Tim Tyler's Luck
Tim Tyler's Luck
Tim Tyler's Luck was an adventure comic strip created by Lyman Young, elder brother of Blondie creator Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip ran from August 13, 1928 until August 1996....
and Curley Harper at Lakespur both by Blondie writer/artist Chic Young's brother Lyman Young
Lyman Young
Lyman W. Young was an American cartoonist who created the strip Tim Tyler's Luck. His younger brother, Chic Young, was the creator of Blondie....
. Tim Tyler's Luck ran in every issue of Ace Comics, while the Curley Harper strip ended with issue 100, although a single strip just called Curley Harper appeared in issue #107. Later issues reprinted the Flash Gordon-like space adventures of Brick Bradford
Brick Bradford
Brick Bradford was a science fiction comic strip created by writer William Ritt, a journalist based in Cleveland, and artist Clarence Gray. It was first distributed in 1933 by Central Press Association, a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate....
and The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
strip, both transferred from the King Comics title.
The Blondie strip also appeared in every issue of Ace Comics, as did classic the humor strip The Katzenjammer Kids by Rudolph Dirks
Rudolph Dirks
Rudolph Dirks was one of the earliest and most noted comic strip artists....
. Other humor strips included Pete the Tramp
Pete the Tramp
Pete the Tramp was a comic strip by Clarence D. Russell which was distributed by King Features Syndicate for more than three decades. Howard Eugene Wilson, in the Harvard Educational Review, described the strip's title character as "a hobo with a gentleman's instincts."Russell studied at the...
by Clarence D. Russell
Clarence D. Russell
Clarence D. Russell was an American cartoonist best known for his syndicated comic strip Pete the Tramp.Born in Buffalo, New York, Russell studied at the Chicago Art Institute and began working as a freelance artist...
, Tillie the Toiler
Tillie the Toiler
Tillie the Toiler was a newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russ Westover who initially worked on his concept of a flapper character in a strip he titled Rose of the Office...
by Russ Westover
Russ Westover
Russell Channing Westover was a cartoonist best known for his long-run comic strip Tillie the Toiler....
, Billy DeBeck's Barney Google
Barney Google and Snuffy Smith
Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, originally Barney Google, is a long-running American comic strip created by cartoonist Billy DeBeck . Since its debut on June 17, 1919, the strip has gained a huge international readership, appearing in 900 newspapers in 21 countries...
, Jimmy Hatlo
Jimmy Hatlo
James Cecil Hatlo , better known as Jimmy Hatlo, was an American cartoonist who created in 1929 the long-running comic strip and gag panel They'll Do It Every Time, which he wrote and drew until his death in 1963...
's They'll Do It Every Time
They'll Do It Every Time
They'll Do It Every Time was a single-panel newspaper comic strip, created by Jimmy Hatlo, which had a long run over eight decades. It first appeared on February 5, 1929 and continued until February 2, 2008. The title of the strip became a popular catchphrase, still used today by many people who...
and Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson (comic strip artist)
Paul Dowling Robinson was a comic strip artist best known for his long-run Etta Kett comic strip.Born in Kenton, Ohio, Robinson was the son of an iron moulder, and the Robinson family were farmers in Buck, Ohio by 1910...
's Etta Kett
Etta Kett
Etta Kett was a long-run comic strip created by Paul Robinson. Launched as a single panel during December 1925, it originally offered tips to teenagers on manners, etiquette and the social graces...
were presented throughout the run, although all of these titles missed the odd issue. The strip Seein' Stars which ran in the first 50 issues, was written by Arthur Beeman and was based around the Hollywood film industry — cartoon versions of a number of Hollywood stars, including Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
, Betty Grable
Betty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
and Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
guested.
Drawn in a similar style to Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator.A prolific artist, McCay's pioneering early animated films far outshone the work of his contemporaries, and set a standard followed by Walt Disney and others in later decades...
's work, the fantasy strip The Pussycat Princess (a story originally titled Pussycat Princess, A Fairytale For Boys, Girls And Other Children), by Grace Drayton and Ed Anthony, also featured in early issues of Ace Comics run. Drayton was a well-known and important early cartoonist who died only a year after starting this delightful fairytale series. Another classic Golden Age artist whose work appeared in a number of issues was C.C.Beck (creator of Fawcett
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
's Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
). Six issues of Ace Comics contained single-page Captain Tootsie strips - advertisements for Tootsie Roll
Tootsie Roll
Tootsie Roll is a brand of chewy candy. It is a form of candy that has been manufactured in the United States since 1896. The manufacturer, Tootsie Roll Industries, is based in Chicago, Illinois.It was the first penny candy to be individually wrapped....
confectionery with a short adventure on the page, with a costume patterned on Captain Marvel's.
As well as syndicated strips, most issues also carried text stories, editorials, and factual pages. Many of the stories, such as White Buffalo in issues #35-36, were written by R. G. Montgomery, who wrote short Western tales in magazines in the 1920s and 1930s. Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson
Ruth Plumly Thompson was an American writer of children's stories.-Life and work:An avid reader of Baum's books and a lifelong children's writer, Thompson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and began her writing career in 1914 when she took a job with the Philadelphia Public Ledger; she wrote...
, who wrote a number of the books in the Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. Originally published by the George M. Hill Company in Chicago on May 17, 1900, it has since been reprinted numerous times, most often under the name The Wizard of Oz, which is the name of...
series after Frank L. Baum died in 1919, also wrote a considerable number of editorial pages. Ace Comics also featured single-panel cartoons, probably the best known of which, Private Breger Abroad, was drawn by celebrated World War II cartoonist Dave Breger. The factual strip Ripley's Believe It Or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
was reprinted in early issues of Ace Comics, while other factual pages, such as Stamp Spotlight, Sports In Pictures and News In Pictures, appeared regularly at various times during the run. Two series in 1941-2 covered the early events of World War II at sea — Battle of the Atlantic and Battle for the Seven Seas. These were written and drawn by Edgar Franklin Wittmack
Edgar Franklin Wittmack
Edgar Franklin Wittmack was an illustrator and cover artist for many of the most popular magazines of the 1920s and 1930s. His covers, just as the artwork of his contemporary, Norman Rockwell, were usually created as oil paintings. Where Rockwell specialized in the humorous aspects of small town...
, known for his stylized magazine covers in the 1920s and 1930s.
An unusual feature for the day was the Young Reporters page, which included readers' letters
Comic book letter column
A comic book letter column is a section of a comic book where readers' letters to the publisher appear. Comic book letter columns are also commonly referred to as letter columns , letter pages, letters of comment , or simply letters to the editor...
and comments. Competitions and prizes were also advertised in early numbers, and puzzle pages were also featured.
Ace Comics was cancelled with issue #151 (October 1949), although as that issue contained an ad for the next Phantom series, it can be assumed the decision on cancellation was made after #151 left the printer.
List of appearances
Below is a list of the main strips Ace Comics ran throughout the series, with the issues they appeared in. Some long-running series missed the occasional issue, for these the first and last issue of the run is noted. For shorter run titles, the list shows each appearance.Information available on issues 1-16 and 133-151 appears to be limited at present. As a result, it has not been possible to produce a definitive list. Issues with a ? against them are the earliest or latest possible issue this character's strip appeared in.
- Barney GoogleBarney Google and Snuffy SmithBarney Google and Snuffy Smith, originally Barney Google, is a long-running American comic strip created by cartoonist Billy DeBeck . Since its debut on June 17, 1919, the strip has gained a huge international readership, appearing in 900 newspapers in 21 countries...
(most issues 1-1 151) - Battle of the Atlantic issues 55, 57, 58, 60
- Battle of the Seven Seas issues 61, 66, 70, 72, 73, 75
- BlondieBlondie (comic strip)Blondie is an American comic strip created by cartoonist Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip has been published in newspapers since September 8, 1930...
issues issues 01 - 151 - Brick BradfordBrick BradfordBrick Bradford was a science fiction comic strip created by writer William Ritt, a journalist based in Cleveland, and artist Clarence Gray. It was first distributed in 1933 by Central Press Association, a subsidiary of King Features Syndicate....
issues 128 - 151? - Captain Tootsie issues 76, 86, 87, 90, 99, 100
- Curly Harper at Lakespur issues 1 - 100, 107
- Cyrano de Bergerac Jnr issues 26 - 32
- Daffy Doodles (most issues)
- Dreamland (various issues to #20)
- Elmer issues 1 - 100
- Etta KettEtta KettEtta Kett was a long-run comic strip created by Paul Robinson. Launched as a single panel during December 1925, it originally offered tips to teenagers on manners, etiquette and the social graces...
issues 1? - 37 - Henry (various issues 57 - 138)
- Jungle JimJungle JimJungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began in 1934 as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle Jim...
issues 01 - ? - Krazy KatKrazy KatKrazy Kat is an American comic strip created by cartoonist George Herriman, published daily in newspapers between 1913 and 1944. It first appeared in the New York Evening Journal, whose owner, William Randolph Hearst, was a major booster for the strip throughout its run...
issues 01 - 37 - The Katzenjammer Kids issues 01 - 151
- Just Kids issues 1? - 100 107
- The Lone RangerThe Lone RangerThe Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
issues 135 - 151? - News in Pictures issues 54 - 70?
- Nicodemus O'Malley and His Whale, Palsy Walsy issues 1? - 32
- Pete the TrampPete the TrampPete the Tramp was a comic strip by Clarence D. Russell which was distributed by King Features Syndicate for more than three decades. Howard Eugene Wilson, in the Harvard Educational Review, described the strip's title character as "a hobo with a gentleman's instincts."Russell studied at the...
(most issues 1- 151) - The PhantomThe PhantomThe Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
issues 11 - 151 - Prince ValiantPrince ValiantPrince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, or simply Prince Valiant, is a long-run comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 3700 Sunday strips...
issues 26 - 134 - Private Breger Abroad (most issues 72 - 106)
- Private Buck issue 57
- Pussycat Princess issues 10? - 37
- Ripley's Believe It or Not!Ripley's Believe It or Not!Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
issues 01 - 26? - Room and BoardRoom and Board (comic strip)Room and Board was a comic strip by Gene Ahern which was syndicated from 1936 to 1953, following Ahern's memorable Our Boarding House which he drew from 1921 to 1936.-Related strips:...
issues 1? - 50? - Seein' Stars issues 1? - 65
- Sport in Pictures (various issues from 1 - 74?)
- Teddy And Sitting Bull issues 1? - 151?
- Tex Thorne issue 1-14?
- They'll Do It Every TimeThey'll Do It Every TimeThey'll Do It Every Time was a single-panel newspaper comic strip, created by Jimmy Hatlo, which had a long run over eight decades. It first appeared on February 5, 1929 and continued until February 2, 2008. The title of the strip became a popular catchphrase, still used today by many people who...
issues 10? - 127? - Tillie the ToilerTillie the ToilerTillie the Toiler was a newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russ Westover who initially worked on his concept of a flapper character in a strip he titled Rose of the Office...
(most issues 1? - 127) - Tim Tyler's LuckTim Tyler's LuckTim Tyler's Luck was an adventure comic strip created by Lyman Young, elder brother of Blondie creator Chic Young. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, the strip ran from August 13, 1928 until August 1996....
issues 1 - 151