New Fun Comics #1
The Birth of Comic Books
In early 1935, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson - a flamboyant character who someone is no doubt writing a screenplay about as we speak - jump-started the comic book business, by creating the first comic book of all-original material (rather than reprinted newspaper strips). For all practical purposes, this was the beginning of what would later become the juggernaut of DC Comics.
Aside from a handful of text articles and stories, New Fun #1 was an anthology of comics including:
"The Magical Crystal of History" by Barreaux, a kids time-travel adventure. "Oswald the Rabbit" a funny animal tale featuring Disney's proto-Mickey Mouse. A disjointed war comic, "Wing Brady, Soldier of Fortune", a ponderous comic adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe", "Buckskin Jim, The Trailblazer", a crudely drawn Western, the Fairy Tale "Bubby and Beevil", the standout one page "2023 Super-Police", a sci-fi cop story, and notably, a full color comic ad for Ralston Purina featuring Tom Mix.
Today the comic is a curiosity, more notable for its historic importance than its artistic merits. It is however a clear blueprint for Action Comics and Adventure Comics, and would later introduce some of DC's long-running characters.
** out of *****
"The Magical Crystal of History" by Barreaux, a kids time-travel adventure. "Oswald the Rabbit" a funny animal tale featuring Disney's proto-Mickey Mouse. A disjointed war comic, "Wing Brady, Soldier of Fortune", a ponderous comic adaptation of Sir Walter Scott's "Ivanhoe", "Buckskin Jim, The Trailblazer", a crudely drawn Western, the Fairy Tale "Bubby and Beevil", the standout one page "2023 Super-Police", a sci-fi cop story, and notably, a full color comic ad for Ralston Purina featuring Tom Mix.
Today the comic is a curiosity, more notable for its historic importance than its artistic merits. It is however a clear blueprint for Action Comics and Adventure Comics, and would later introduce some of DC's long-running characters.
** out of *****
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