More Fun Comics

{{Infobox comic book title

|image = Morefun52.png

|imagesize =

|caption = More Fun Comics #52 (Feb. 1940), debut of the Spectre; cover art by Bernard Baily.

|schedule = Monthly:
#1–4, #7–90, #108–126
Bi-monthly:
#5–6, #91–107, #127

|format =

|ongoing = y

|publisher = National Allied Publications

|date = February 1935 – November/December 1947

|issues = 127

|main_char_team = Doctor Occult, Spectre, Doctor Fate, Johnny Quick, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Superboy, "Jimminy and the Magic Book"

|writers =

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|subcat = DC Comics

|sort = More Fun Comics

}}

More Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine,[http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=85 New Fun #v1#1 (Feb. 1935)] at the Grand Comics Database. The entry notes that while the logo appears to be simply Fun, the indicia reads, "New FUN is published monthly at 49 West 45th Street, New York, N.Y., by National Allied Publications, Inc.; Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, President ... Inquiries concerning advertising should be addressed to the Advertising Manager, New FUN,...." is a 1935–1947 American comic book anthology that introduced several major superhero characters and was the first American comic book series to feature solely original material rather than reprints of newspaper comic strips.{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=McAvennie |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |title=DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle |date=2019 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-1-4654-8578-6 |page=12}} It was also the first publication of National Allied Publications, the company that would become DC Comics.

Publication history

File:New Fun.jpeg

In the latter half of 1934, having seen the emergence of Famous Funnies and other oversize magazines reprinting comic strips, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications and published New Fun #1 on January 11, 1935{{Cite news |work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |title=New Fun Magazine for Juveniles Out |date=January 11, 1935}} (cover-dated February 1935). A tabloid-sized, 10-inch by 15-inch, 36-page magazine with a cardstock, non-glossy cover, it was an anthology of humor features, such as the talking animal comic "Pelion and Ossa" and the college-set "Jigger and Ginger", mixed with dramatic fare as the Western strip "Jack Woods" and the "yellow peril" adventure "Barry O'Neill", featuring a Fu Manchu-styled villain, Fang Gow. The first issue also featured humor strip "Caveman Capers", an adaptation of the 1819 novel Ivanhoe, spy drama "Sandra of the Secret Service", and a strip based on early Walt Disney creation Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

Most significantly, however, whereas some of the existing publications included a small amount of original material, generally as filler, New Fun #1 was the first comic book containing all-original material. Additionally, it carried advertising,{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yT1jDwAAQBAJ&q=%22new+fun+%231+was+filled+with%22&pg=PA127|title=The Forensic Comicologist: Insights from a Life in Comics|first=Jamie |last=Newbold|page=127|publisher=McFarland & Company|year= 2018|isbn=978-1476672670}} whereas previous comic books were ad-free and sponsored by corporations such as Procter & Gamble, Kinney Shoes, and Canada Dry.{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hnuQBQAAQBAJ&q=famous+funnies+procter+%26+gamble&pg=PA71|page=71|title=Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas |editor-first= M. Keith |editor-last=Booker|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2014|isbn= 978-0313397509|first=Daniel F.|last=Yezbick|chapter=Children's Comics}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZoNDebTvUnsC&q=famous+funnies+procter+%26+gamble&pg=PA169|page=169|title=Partners in Wonder: Women and the Birth of Science Fiction, 1926-1965|first=Eric Leif|last= Davin|publisher=Lexington Books|year=2005|isbn=978-0739112663}}

The first four issues were edited by future Funnies, Inc. founder Lloyd Jacquet,[https://www.comics.org/issue/88/ New Fun #v1#4 (May 1935)] at the Grand Comics Database. the next, after a three-month hiatus, by Wheeler-Nicholson himself.[https://www.comics.org/issue/90/ New Fun #v1#5 (Aug. 1935)] at the Grand Comics Database. Issue #6 (Oct. 1935) saw the comic book debuts of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the future creators of Superman, who began their careers with the musketeer swashbuckler "Henri Duval" (doing the first two installments before turning it over to others) and, under the pseudonyms "Leger and Reuths", the supernatural adventurer Doctor Occult.{{cite book |last1=Cowsill |first1=Alan |last2=Irvine |first2=Alex |last3=Manning |first3=Matthew K. |last4=McAvennie |first4=Michael |last5=Wallace |first5=Daniel |title=DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle |date=2010 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=978-0-7566-6742-9 |page=13}} Siegel and Shuster remained on the latter title through issue #32 (June 1938), following the magazine's retitling as More Fun (issues #7–8, Jan.-Feb. 1936),{{gcdb series|id=75|title=More Fun}}. and More Fun Comics (#9-on).{{gcdb series|id=74|title=More Fun Comics}}.

In issue #101 (Feb. 1945), Siegel and Shuster introduced Superboy, a young version of Superman.[http://toonopedia.com/superboy.htm Superboy] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. [https://archive.today/20240528043711/https://www.webcitation.org/6qyiALi9e?url=http://toonopedia.com/superboy.htm Archived] from the original on June 14, 2017.

With issue #108 (March 1946), all the superhero features were moved from More Fun into Adventure Comics. More Fun became a humor title that spotlighted the children's fantasy feature "Jimminy and the Magic Book".[http://www.toonopedia.com/jimminy.htm "Jimminy and the Magic Book"] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. [https://archive.today/20120913153716/http://www.toonopedia.com/jimminy.htm Archived] from the original on December 14, 2011. The series was canceled with issue #127 (Dec 1947).

Features include

Doctor Occult – New Fun #6 – More Fun #32
Spectre – More Fun #52–101
Doctor Fate – More Fun #55–98
Congo Bill – More Fun #56–67
Johnny Quick – More Fun #71–107
Green Arrow – More Fun #73–107
Aquaman – More Fun #73–107
Superboy – More Fun #101–107

References

External links

{{comicbookdb|type=title|id=214|title=More Fun Comics}}.
{{cite web | url= https://majormalcolmwheelernicholson.com/majo7721/2009/10/24/new-fun-magazine-the-birth-of-an-industry-by-jon-berk/ | title=New Fun Magazine – The Birth of an Industry | first= Jon | last=Berk | date= October 24, 2009 | access-date= March 28, 2019 | publisher = Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (official family blog)|archive-date=March 28, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190328133527/https://majormalcolmwheelernicholson.com/majo7721/2009/10/24/new-fun-magazine-the-birth-of-an-industry-by-jon-berk/ | url-status=live}}
[https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=3158 New Fun Comics issues #1–6 online]
[https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=736 More Fun Comics issues #7–32 online]