13 PAGES from an absolute classic…
By PETER BOSCH
At a time when comic book publishers had to cut back on the number of pages due to restrictive allotments of paper during World War II, The Big All-American Comic Book — released Nov. 1, 1944, 80 years ago — had 128 pages, the size of two comic books of the period. Sure, it did cost more at 25 cents than two 10-cent comics, but what a package!
A layout of the back and front covers. Various artists.
The cover is iconic, featuring some of the greatest heroes of the Golden Age, including Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and the Flash, plus a lot of backup characters. However, those with sharp eyes will notice the absence of the trademark DC symbol. There’s a reason for that, which we will get into in a moment. Also — they weren’t DC characters.
Comic books from 1940 to 1944 with the DC symbol on the cover were either published by Detective Comics (“DC”) or All-American Publications. They were actually separate companies at two different addresses.
The All-American line of comics was published by Maxwell Charles Gaines (better known as M.C. Gaines). The connection between the two companies is that Harry Donenfeld, DC’s publisher, was also partners with Gaines in All-American Publications. As such, both companies cross-promoted the other’s comic book line, and the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics (an All-American title) was a coming together of heroes from both publishers. But then, for several months in 1944 and 1945, the All-American titles (including Flash Comics, Wonder Woman, Sensation Comics, and Green Lantern Quarterly) deleted the DC symbol, as well as any mention of DC within. DC heroes such as the Spectre and Starman went missing from the JSA stories.
The DC symbol: Now you see it (left, Sensation Comics #37, Jan. 1945), now you don’t (right, Sensation Comics #38, Feb. 1945). Art for both covers by H.G. Peter.
One theory has it that this was a plan to have AA look like its own company in order to get a separate allotment of printing paper from the government. The other theory is that Gaines was having a major fight with DC for personal reasons and cut them off, adding a demand that they settle it by either him buying out DC or DC buying him out. In the end, DC bought him out and the companies officially merged.
Now, getting back to our 80th anniversary celebration of The Big All-American Comic Book…
Below are images highlighting the character contents of that issue. The stories were all new (with the exception of the newspaper reprints of Mutt and Jeff). AND… when you get to the end, come back to look at the cover and see if you can spot the hero not included inside the issue.
Wonder Woman. Script: William Moulton Marston. Art: H.G. Peter.
The Atom. Script: Joseph Greene. Art: Joe Gallagher.
Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys. Script: Lynn Evans. Art: Frank Harry.
Johnny Thunder. Script: Julius Schwartz (his first for DC). Art: Stan Asch (Aschmeier).
Hop Harrigan. Script and art: Jon Blummer.
The Whip. Script: John Wentworth. Art: Homer Fleming.
Green Lantern. Script: Undetermined. Art: Paul Reinman.
The Ghost Patrol. Script: John Wentworth. Art: Frank Harry.
Mr. Terrific. Script: Unknown. Art: Stan Asch.
Wildcat. Script: Unknown. Art: Joseph Gallagher.
Hawkman. Script: Gardner Fox. Art: Joe Kubert.
The Flash. Script: Gardner Fox. Art: E.E. Hibbard.
A smattering of humorous characters used throughout the issue, the most famous of which (and got the most space) was Mutt and Jeff by Al Smith (ghosting for Bud Fisher).
BONUS: The cover reimagined by Alex Ross for 9-11 Volume 2: The World’s Finest Comic Book Writers & Artists Tell Stories to Remember (DC, 2002).
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MORE
— MARVEL COMICS #1 and the Empire That Almost Wasn’t. Click here.
— 13 INNOVATIONS Introduced in SUPERMAN #1: An 85th Anniversary Salute. Click here.
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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. A sequel, about movie comics, is coming soon. Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
November 1, 2024
I’d never even heard of this! I would have loved to read it! I’m guessing the missing hero was either Sargon the Sorcerer or the team of Red, White and Blue; I don’t remember seeing them in the pages posted here (but it’s late and I’m full of Halloween candy!)
November 1, 2024
It was Sargon but, yikes, you got me…Red, White, and Blue are also missing from the issue.
November 2, 2024
For the record, I’ve never read a Red, White and Blue story. I don’t know that they were ever reprinted.
November 1, 2024
Maybe you’d like to see the great cover in ANIMATED form, and even with a soundtrack?
https://hayfamzone.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-figured-out-what-flash-and-wonder.html
November 2, 2024
🙂
November 1, 2024
Ah, man. You got me. I was reading this getting all excited it was going to be a facsimile edition. I was all set with an empty section of the spinner rack for them.
November 1, 2024
Would love to see a facsimile edition printed of this–DC, are you listening?
November 1, 2024
In 2004 DC put out a omnibus called DC Rarities. It consisted of World’s Fair 1939, 1940 and the Big Book of All-American Comics. 342 pages plus a 4 page forward by Roy Thomas and a couple of pages of very brief biographys in the back. If memory serves, it cost me about $90.00 back then.
November 1, 2024
The book’s stories were reprinted in the DC Comics Rarities Archive in late 2004, which I think has become another rarity. But since it was reprinted, the stats probably still exist, and a facsimile wouldn’t be as difficult as some others.
(I don’t believe the Mutt and Jeff strip was included; there may have been some licensing issues.)
November 1, 2024
Saw this after my last post. Mutt and Jeff was included. At least in the book. Can’t speak to the stats.
November 2, 2024
Thanks to all for the correction. I was going off of a list of contents online since I was too lazy to go to my library and actually open the book.
The original cover price was $75 US, $115.95 CAN. (I did pick up the book to look at it this time!)
November 1, 2024
Hi, James. The Mutt and Jeff strips were inclided in the DC Archives book.
November 1, 2024
My oldest comic in my collection is an issue of Mutt & Jeff – 1917. Bought at a Flea Market back in Wayne, Michigan in the late ‘70s.
November 1, 2024
Well, at the risk of double posting, (I sent a reply earlier that hasn’t shown up yet). I bought DC Rarities in 2004. Its a 234 page omnibus plus 4 page foreward by Roy Thomas and 2 pages of acknowledgements and brief bios at the back. It contains World’s Fair 39, World’s Fair 40 and the Big Book. It does include Mutt and Jeff.
I believe it cost something like $90.00 at the time.
November 1, 2024
Working from memory, here (I’m in Paris, so, apologies), but the extra cost – if I’m not mistaken, is due to this book being produced without any advertisements. Well worth it to have 100% comic book content without ads, IMO.