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SCIENCE FICTION COMICS
THE 1950S
Out Of This World was published in 1950. It only lasted two issues.
In 1950 the U.S. comics industry came to a turning point. The Golden Age of Comic Books was ending, and the rise of crime comics, romance comics, western comic, horror comics, and science fiction comics signaled the start of the new decade. In the movies, Destination Moon, the first color science fiction film, and the first big budget science fiction film since Things to Come in 1936. DC Comics was quick to pick up on the renewed interest of the public in science fiction, and a still from Destination Moon was the cover of the new science fiction comic book Strange Adventures, soon joined by a companion book Mystery in Space. EC Comics were at the height of their all-too-brief trajectory, with science fiction comics Weird Science and Weird Fantasy.
Dell Comics was publishing a large number of western comics, dedicated to celebrities such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry.
The comic strip reprint comics, which had started the comic book phenomenon, were disappearing. Ace Comics, Magic Comics, and King Comics ended their long runs. Attempts to bring out single character comic strip reprints, such as Flash Gordon, Steve Canyon, and Terry and the Pirates folded after short runs.
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950_in_comics
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Running for 244 issues from 1950 through 1973, the original Strange Adventures is probably best known for introducing the character Deadman, and as an early showcase for the artwork of Neal Adams; although it was also home to one of the last of the pre-Silver Age superheroes, Captain Comet, from 1951-1954, and ran a number of other notable series such as the Atomic Knights and Star Hawkins adventures. Strange Adventures also introduced Animal Man to the DC Universe in five issues (later to be revived by Grant Morrison in a much-acclaimed series in 1988).
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strange_Adventures
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The original "Mystery in Space" series ran for 110 issues from 1951 to 1966. It featured artwork by Murphy Anderson, Gil Kane, and many others, stories by John Broome, Gardner Fox, and others.
This series was an anthology comic for many years, publishing a variety of science fiction stories, and several science-fiction based heroes. It may be best known for publishing the adventures of Adam Strange (issues #53-100, 102, then moved to Strange Adventures), but other features included:
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_in_Space
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Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in crime fiction, horror fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the 1950s, until censorship pressures prompted it to concentrate on the seminal humor magazine Mad. It was privately owned by Maxwell Gaines and later by his son, William Gaines.
When Max Gaines died in 1947 in a boating accident, his son William inherited the comics company. After four years (1942-46) in the Army Air Corps, Gaines had returned home to finish school at New York University, planning to work as a chemistry teacher. He never taught but instead took over the family business. In 1949 and 1950, Will Gaines began to introduce series focusing on horror, suspense, science fiction, military fiction and crime fiction. His editors, Al Feldstein and Harvey Kurtzman, gave assignments to such prominent and highly accomplished freelance artists as Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Will Elder, George Evans, Frank Frazetta, Graham Ingels, Jack Kamen, Bernard Krigstein, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Al Williamson, Basil Wolverton, and Wally Wood. Kurtzman and Feldstein themselves also drew stories, which generally were written by them and Craig, with assistance from Gaines. Other writers including Carl Wessler, Jack Oleck and Otto Binder were later brought on board.
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EC_Comics
http://www.stevestiles.com/sfcom.htm
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Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1986, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut.
A division of Charlton Publications, which published magazines (most notably song-lyric magazines), puzzle books and, briefly, books (under the Monarch and Gold Star imprints), and had its own distribution company (Capital Distribution), Charlton Comics published a wide variety of genres including crime, science fiction, Western, horror, war, and romance comics, as well as funny animal, and superhero series. The company was known for its low-budget practices, often using unpublished material acquired from defunct companies and paying comics creators among the lowest rates in the industry. Charlton Comics were also the last of the American comics to raise their price from ten cents to 12 cents in mid 1962.
It was also unique among comic book companies in that it controlled all areas of its company, from editorial to printing to distribution, rather than partnering with any outside entities as most other publishers did, and that it did so all under one roof, at its headquarters in Derby.
The company was formed by John Santangelo, Sr and Ed Levy in 1940 as T.W.O. Charles Company, named after the two publishers’ sons, both named Charles, and became Charlton Publications in 1945. The name Charlton Comics first appeared on Marvels of Science #1 (March 1946).
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Comics
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Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.
For more Tom Corbett comics click here.
Its first title was The Funnies which was the first comic book to feature original material, but since it was published in the tabloid format as opposed to the standard one, it is normally not recognized as such.
The company formed a partnership in 1938 with Western Publishing, in which Dell would finance and distribute publications that Western would produce. While this diverged from the regular practice in the medium of one company handling finance and production and outsourcing distribution, it was a highly successful enterprise with titles selling in the millions.
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dell_Comics
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Race For The Moon was published by Harvey Comics. It only lasted three issues.
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No number. "Destination Moon." This an adaptation of George Pal's 1950 feature film, which, along with Rocket Ship X-M, began the 1950s sci-fi movie craze. A quartet of astronauts and scientists build and fly a rocket to ensure that America is the first nation to land on the moon. Photo cover of rocket and montage of scenes from the movie.
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Published by Magazine Enterprises in 1951. It only lasted five issues.
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First published by Marvel in 1948 as a love comic, Venus morphed into a sci-fi book, then an occult comic before it ceased publishing after 19 issues.
http://www.dtacollectibles.com/catalog/subcategory/12
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Published by Ziff-Davis in 1952. Two issues.
MORE: https://www.mycomicshop.com/search?TID=370181
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http://samuelsdesign.com/comics/agoodgirl_romance.html
The first series titled Amazing Adventures was a 1950s science fiction anthology produced by Ziff-Davis and featuring painted covers. It ran for six issues, beginning c. 1950. with the first two issues being undated. Subsequent issues were dated June, August, and November 1951, and Fall 1952. Its artists included Murphy Anderson, Bernard Krigstein, and Don Perlin, and at least one issue (#2) featured a cover painting by Alex Schomburg.
MORE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Adventures
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