L. Miller & Son, Ltd. was a British publisher of magazines,

comic books A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...

pulp fiction ''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...

and

paperback books A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardback (hardcover) books are bound with cardboar ...

intended primarily to take advantage of the British ban on importing printed matter. Between 1943 and 1966, the firm published British editions of many American comic books, primarily those of

Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...

and American paperback books, primarily those of Fawcett Publications'

Gold Medal Books Gold Medal Books, launched by Fawcett Publications in 1950, was an American book publisher known for introducing paperback originals, a publishing innovation at the time. Fawcett was also an independent newsstand distributor, and in 1949 the c ...

. The company is best known for the 1954 creation of

Marvelman ''Marvelman'' was a British Golden Age superhero comic book, published by L. Miller & Son in the United Kingdom between 1954 and 1963. The lead character was originally created by Mick Anglo as a replacement for Captain Marvel due to Fa ...

– a blatant imitation of the

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

Captain Marvel – after America's

Fawcett Publications Fawcett Publications was an American publishing company founded in 1919 in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, by Wilford Hamilton "Captain Billy" Fawcett (1885–1940). It kicked off with the publication of the bawdy humor magazine ''Captain Billy's Whiz ...

capitulated to

National Periodicals National Comics Publications (NCP; later known as National Periodical Publications Inc. or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company. It was the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was origin ...

(

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

). L. Miller & Son also published a large line of

Western comics Western comics is a comics genre usually depicting the American Old West frontier (usually anywhere west of the Mississippi River) and typically set during the late nineteenth century. The term is generally associated with an American comic bo ...

— many reprints but also some original titles - and both category fiction and non-fiction paperbacks.

History

During and directly after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the UK was intent on promoting homegrown publishers, and thus banned the direct importation of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

periodicals, including comic books.Chibnall, Steve. "The Sign of the Tee Pee: The Story of Thorpe & Porter," ''Paperback, Pulp and Comic Collector'' Vol. 1: "SF Crime Horror Westerns & Comics" (Wilts, UK: Zeon Publishing / Zardoz Books, 1993), pp. 16–29
Archived
at Box.com. Retrieved 28 December 2020. L. Miller & Son, Ltd. was founded in 1943 by Leonard Miller and his son Arnold L. Miller. To get around the importation ban, from 1945 L. Miller & Son published black-and-white reprints of the

Marvel Family The Marvel Family, also known as the Shazam Family (also Shazamily), are a group of superheroes who originally appeared in books published by Fawcett Comics and were later acquired by DC Comics. Created in 1942 by writer Otto Binder and artist M ...

titles, including ''

Captain Marvel Adventures ''Captain Marvel Adventures'' is a long running comic book anthology series that was published by Fawcett Comics, starring Captain Marvel during the Golden Age of Comic Books. Publication history The series was the first solo series starring th ...

'', '' Captain Marvel Jr.'', '' The Marvel Family'', and ''

Whiz Comics ''Whiz Comics'' is an anthology comic book series that was published by former American comic book publishing company, Fawcett Publications between February 1940 until June 1953. It is widely known for being the comic run in which hugely popular ...

''. The company also produced original comics. Between 1950 and 1952, British writer/artist

Mick Anglo Michael Anglo (born Maurice Anglowitz, 19 June 1916 – 31 October 2011)Holland, Steve, "Who's Who in British Comics", ''Comics World'' No. 43, Aceville Publications Ltd (September–October 1995) was a British comic book writer, editor and arti ...

produced ''Space Commando Comics'', featuring "Space Commander Kerry," for L. Miller & Son, while concurrently producing strips for Len Miller's son Arnold's own

Arnold Book Company Arnold Book Company (ABC) was a British publisher of comic books that operated in the late 1940s and 1950s, most actively from 1950 to 1954. ABC published original titles like the war comic ''Ace Malloy of the Special Squadron'' and the science ...

.(French) Depelley, Jean
"Miller & Son : première partie,"
BDZoom.com (March 11, 2014).Holland, Steve, "Who's Who in British Comics", ''Comics World'' #43, Aceville Publications Ltd (Sept.–Oct. 1995). Throughout the 1950s, L. Miller & Son published a large line of

. L. Miller & Son's original Western titles, which they started producing in 1954, included ''Colorado Kid'', ''

Davy Crockett Colonel (United States), Colonel David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American politician, militia officer and frontiersman. Often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier", he represented Tennesse ...

'', ''Kid Dynamite Western Comic'', ''

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...

Western Comic'', and ''Rocky Mountain King Western Comic''. Some of the longer-running Western reprint titles included ''

Gabby Hayes Gabby is a given name, usually a short form of Gabriel or Gabrielle or Gabriella. Gabby or Gabbie may refer to: People * Gabby Chaves (born 1993), Colombian-American racing driver * Guy Gabaldon (1926–2006), United States Marine * G ...

Western'', ''

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He wa ...

Comic'', ''Lash Larue Western'', ''

Monte Hale Monte Hale (born Samuel Buren Ely June 8, 1919 – March 29, 2009) was an American B-Western film star and country musician. Biography Sometimes reported to have been born in San Angelo, Texas, Hale was actually born in Ada, Oklahoma but grew ...

Western'', ''

Rocky Lane Allan "Rocky" Lane (born Harry Leonard Albershardt; September 22, 1909 – October 27, 1973) was an American studio leading man and the star of many cowboy B-movies in the 1940s and 1950s. He appeared in more than 125 films and TV shows in ...

Western'', ''Six-Gun Heroes'', and ''Western Hero.'' In 1954, the decision on the

National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc. was a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in a twelve-year legal battle between National Comics (also known as Detective Comics and DC Comics) and the Fawcett Comics division of Fawcett Publications, concerning ...

lawsuit found that Fawcett's Captain Marvel character was an infringement on the copyright of National's

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

character after a long legal battle. The suit resulted in Fawcett Publications canceling all of its superhero-related publications, including those featuring Captain Marvel and related characters. L. Miller & Son was forced to cancel their line of "Marvel" titles (though the company continued to publish ''Whiz Comics'' minus any Marvel Family stories). Faced with the sudden loss of their star feature, and operating under different copyright laws, the company turned to

to come up with a replacement character that, while ostensibly a new creation, mimicked enough core elements of Captain Marvel to retain the interest of readers who had enjoyed the reprints. Anglo (along with writer/publisher Leonard Miller) created

. Captain Marvel, Jr., was adapted to create

Young Marvelman ''Young Marvelman'' was a Great Britain, British Golden Age of Comic Books, Golden Age superhero comic book, published by L. Miller & Son, Ltd., L. Miller & Son in the United Kingdom between 1954 and 1963. The lead character was originally cre ...

, and

Mary Marvel Mary Marvel (also known as Lady Shazam and Mary Shazam) is a fictional character and superheroine originally published by Fawcett Comics and now owned by DC Comics. Created by Otto Binder and Marc Swayze, she first appeared in ''Captain Marvel (DC ...

had her gender changed to create the male

Kid Marvelman Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to: Common meanings * Colloquial term for a child or other young person ** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age * Engage in joking * Young goat * The goat meat of young goats * Kidskin, lea ...

. The magic word "Shazam!" was replaced with "Kimota" ("Atomik" backward). Using the "new" characters, the company launched three titles, ''Marvelman'', ''Marvelman Family'', and ''Young Marvelman''. In 1959, the ban on the importation of foreign comics was lifted. American comics became much more widely available in the U.K., and demand for British-produced comics shrunk. By the end of the 1950s, L. Miller & Son had canceled all their Western titles. In the same vein, Miller canceled ''Marvelman Family'', and turned both ''Marvelman'' and ''Young Marvelman'' into reprint books. Both titles struggled on, each putting out 346 issues, but both were finally canceled in 1963. (Marvelman — now called

Miracleman } ''Miracleman'' is a superhero comic book series, centred on the character of the same name. Originally created by Mick Anglo and published by L. Miller & Son, Ltd. as ''Marvelman'' between 1954 and 1963, the character was revived in 1982 ...

— was revived in 1982 in a dark, post-modern reboot by writer

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

, with later contributions by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

.) Meanwhile, Leonard Miller's son Arnold's operation,

, had been essentially forced out of business by a British backlash against the gory American

horror comics Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. In the US market, horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the ...

it was reprinting. Arnold moved into film production, directing a series of nudist films beginning in 1959. Leonard was against his son's new career, and as a result of their dispute, he ejected Arnold from L. Miller & Son, which became simply L. Miller & Co.(French) Depelley, Jean
"Miller & Son (2ème et dernière partie),"
BDZoom.com (March 18, 2014). Ironically, starting in 1961, L. Miller & Co. itself moved into the horror/suspense genre with two new titles, ''Mystic'' and ''Spellbound'', both of which culled pre-

Comics Code The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA enabled comic publishers to self-regulate the content of comic books in the United States. The c ...

material from American publishers like

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

American Comics Group American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, ''Adventures into the Unknown''. ACG's best-known cha ...

, Charlton, and

E.C. Comics E.C. Publications, Inc., (doing business as EC Comics) is an American comic book publisher. It specialized in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction, dark fantasy, and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, nota ...

. L. Miller & Co. declared bankruptcy in 1963, and ceased comic book publication in 1966. The physical asbestos printing plates from which Miller had produced their comics, and presumably the rights to the comics as well, were sold to fellow black-and-white British publisher Alan Class, Ltd. Class, for his part, was interested primarily in horror and science fiction stories, and reprinted few of the original Miller creations. (Class was still using some of the Miller printing plates as recently as the late 1990s.)

Titles published (selected)

Superheroes

* ''

Captain Midnight ''Captain Midnight'' (later rebranded on television as ''Jet Jackson, Flying Commando'') is an American adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into the mid-19 ...

'' (3 vols., 1946, 1950–1953, 1962–1963) – Fawcett reprints * Marvel Family – Fawcett reprints ** ''

'' (3 vols., 79 issues, 1946–1954) ** '' Captain Marvel Jr.'' (3 vols., 68 issues, 1945–1954) ** '' The Marvel Family'' (2 vols., 43 issues, 1949–1953) ** ''

'' (3 vols., 95 issues, 1945–1946, 1950–1959) * Marvelman Family – original stories (reprints from own archives after 1959) ** ''

'' (346 issues, 1954–1963) ** ''Marvelman Family'' (30 issues, 1956–1959) ** ''

'' (346 issues, 1954–1963) * ''

Master Comics ''Master Comics'' is a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series that began its 133-issue run (cover dated March 1940 – April 1953) during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Published by Fawcett Comics, it cont ...

'' (3 vols., 98 issues, 1945, 1946, 1950–1959) – Fawcett reprints

Westerns

* Original titles ** ''

Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age o ...

'' (19 issues, 1957–1959) ** ''Colorado Kid'' (18 issues, 1954–1959) ** ''

'' (50 issues, 1956–1960) ** ''Kid Dynamite Western Comic'' (65 issues, 1954–1960) ** ''

Western Comic'' (63 issues, 1954–1959) – mostly by Colin Andrew ** ''Rocky Mountain King Western Comic'' (65 issues, 1955–1959) * Reprint titles ** ''

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American marksman, sharpshooter and folk heroine who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoveris ...

'' (17 issues, 1957–1958) –

reprints ** ''Cowboy Action'' (18 issues, 1956–1957) –

reprints ** ''

Western'' (62 issues, 1951–1955) – Fawcett reprints ** ''

Comic'' (3 vols., 106 issues, 1948–1958) – Fawcett reprints ** ''Lash Larue Western'' (76 issues, 1950–1959) – Fawcett reprints ** ''

Western'' (2 vols., 70 issues, 1950–1959) – Fawcett reprints ** ''

Western'' (90 issues, 1950–1959) – Fawcett reprints ** ''Sergeant O'Brien'' (42 issues, 1952–1956) – reprints from a French source ** ''Six-Gun Heroes'' (65 issues, 1955–1959) – Fawcett & Charlton reprints ** ''

Tex Ritter Woodward Maurice "Tex" Ritter (January 12, 1905 – January 2, 1974) was a pioneer of American country music, a singer, and an actor from the mid-1930s into the 1960s. He was the patriarch of the Ritter acting family (son John Ritter, grandso ...

Western'' (50 issues, 1951–1959) – Fawcett reprints ** ''

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western (genre), Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were s ...

Western Comic'' (4 vols., 88 issues, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1951–1958) – Fawcett & Charlton reprints ** ''

Two Gun Kid The Two-Gun Kid is the name of two Western fiction, Western fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first, Clay Harder, was introduced in a 1948 comic from Marvel predecessor Timely Comics. The seco ...

'' (38 issues, 1951–1958) –

reprints ** ''Western Hero'' (100 issues, 1950–1959) – Fawcett & Charlton reprints ** ''

Wyatt Earp Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp (March 19, 1848 – January 13, 1929) was an American lawman in the American West, including Dodge City, Kansas, Dodge City, Wichita, Kansas, Wichita, and Tombstone, Arizona, Tombstone. Earp was involved in the gunfight ...

'' (44 issues, 1957–1960) –

& Charlton reprints

Other

* ''

Don Winslow of the Navy ''Don Winslow of the Navy'' is a 1942 Universal Pictures Serial film based on the comic strip '' Don Winslow of the Navy'' by Commander Frank V. Martinek. It was theatrically released in January 1942. Plot Commander Don Winslow is returned to th ...

'' (3 vols., 63 issues, 1947, 1951–1953) – Fawcett reprints * ''Family Favourites Comic Weekly'' (34 issues, 1954) – original stories * ''Mystic'' (66 issues, 1961–1966) – horror/suspense reprints from

, Charlton, and

* '' Nyoka the Jungle Girl'' (2 vols, 69 issues, 1950–1959) – Fawcett reprints * ''Pango'' (36 issues, 1953–1956) – reprints from a French source * ''

Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.King Features King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...

reprints * ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

Tales'' (34 issues, 1957–1959) – Reprints from

and

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...

. Some original British material. * ''Spellbound'' (66 issues, 1961–1966) – horror/suspense reprints from

, Charlton, and

* ''

Zorro Zorro ( or , Spanish for "fox") is a fictional character created in 1919 by American Pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo de Los Ángeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed as a dashin ...

'' (38 issues, 1952–1954) – reprints possibly from a French source

References

Citations

Sources consulted

* {{DEFAULTSORT:L. Miller and Son, Ltd. Magazine publishing companies of the United Kingdom Comic book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Defunct comics and manga publishing companies 1966 disestablishments in England British companies disestablished in 1966 Defunct companies of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1943 Publishing companies established in 1943 1943 establishments in England Publishing companies disestablished in 1966