The Comics Are Calling
Once upon a time perspective writers of popular magazines
used a handy journal called The Writer's Digest. It was chock full
of useful info on selling articles and stories, and the magazine editors
solicited many a writer from it's pages. The great Harriet Bradford had a
regular column of investigative reporting of the magazine world in her "New
York Market Letter". The publication often had news about the pulp magazine
market, and as such today it is a favorite, if hard-to-get, source for researchers
of this under-analyzed field of popular American culture.
Sometimes the magazine reported on comics--comic strips
and comic books. One such article was "The Comics Are Calling" by Robert
Turner. It appeared in the Oct. 1941 issue, which is chock-full of other
good stuff as well.
For example,
it features a letter from the soon-to-be-discredited editor of the
Martin Goodman's original Stag Magazine, J. Alvin Kugelmass, in which
he represents the requirements for Postal Publications (more on this magazine
in a future issue of Hoohah!), a letter from pulp writer Gunnison Steele (don't
know if he's related to our good friend Adventure House-Man John Gunnison),
an article by the great pulp writer Frank Gruber titled "This is the Way
I Make My Bread" and "Science Fiction Simplified" by Ross Rocklyenne (has
great chart of plot and idea sources).
Bradford's column this issue discusses Popular Publications
and Fictioneers and the first issue of Western Tales, 10 Story Mystery
and Big Book Detective, Martin Goodman's Red Circle pulps including
All-Star Detective and Detective Short Stories, Munsey's Cowboy
Movie Thrillers, Hillman's Real Story and Air Fighters Comics,
Fawcett's leap into comics with Whiz (Captain Marvel!) and Master
etc, Film Fun, Dime Mystery, Fighting Aces, Battle Birds, Daredevil Aces,
Dime Sports etc., Albing Pub's Movie Western and Movie Love,
Stirring Detective and Red Hood Detective; Street and Smith's
The Wizard pulp, and more.
So, for you lucky folks we offer a reprint of the four-page
article "The Comics Are Coming". (They're presented as .jpg files, so hit
your "back" button to return here to read the next page). Start salivating..........now!
