''Crack Comics'' is an

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

comic book 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 ...

series published by

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, ...

during the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...

. It featured such characters as The Clock,

Black Condor Black Condor is the superhero name used by three different fictional characters in the DC Comics universe. All three incarnations of Black Condor have been members of the Freedom Fighters and each has been featured in Freedom Fighters comic book ...

Captain Triumph Captain Triumph is a superhero from the Golden Age of Comics who first appeared in ''Crack Comics'' #27, published in January 1943 by Quality Comics. He continued to appear until the end of the series with issue #62 (Sept 1949). The character was ...

Alias the Spider Alias may refer to: * Pseudonym, a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose ** Pen name, a pseudonym adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name ** Stage ...

, Madame Fatal, Jane Arden, Molly the Model, and Red Torpedo. The title "crack" referred to "being at the top of one's form", like a "crack

sharpshooter A sharpshooter is one who is highly proficient at firing firearms or other projectile weapons accurately. Military units composed of sharpshooters were important factors in 19th-century combat. Along with " marksman" and "expert", "sharpshooter" ...

". Steranko, Jim (1972). ''The Steranko History of Comics 2''. Reading, Pennsylvania: Supergraphics. p. 92. Notable contributors to ''Crack Comics'' included

Alfred Andriola Alfred James Andriola (May 24, 1912 – March 29, 1983) was an American cartoonist best known for the comic strip '' Kerry Drake'', for which he won a Reuben Award in 1970. His work sometimes appeared under the pseudonym Alfred James. Andriola w ...

, George Brenner,

Gill Fox Gilbert Theodore Fox (November 29, 1915 – May 15, 2004) was an American political cartoonist, comic book artist and editor, and animator. Biography Fox began his career in animation at Max Fleischer's studio, but left due to labor unrest assoc ...

, Jack Cole,

Paul Gustavson Paul Gustavson (né Karl Paul Gustafson; August 16, 1916 – April 29, 1977) was a Finnish-American comic-book writer and artist. His most notable creations during the Golden Age of Comic Books were Human Bomb, The Human Bomb for Quality Comics, ...

Klaus Nordling Klaus Nordling (May 29, 1910 – November 19, 1986)Klaus Nordling
at the Social Securi ...

, and

Art Pinajian Arthur A. (Art) Pinajian was an Armenian American comic book writer.Pinajian entry
Lambiek Comi ...

. Quality Comics published 62 issues of ''Crack Comics'' from 1940 to 1949; the title was temporarily revived in 2011, when the Next Issue Project published issue "#63".

Publication history

''Crack Comics'' started off as a monthly anthology of 68 pages, often with as many as 15 features. At first edited by Ed Cronin, much of its material was originally "packaged" by the Eisner and Iger Studio. " The Clock", as well as such newspaper strip reprints as "

Rube Goldberg Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg (July 4, 1883 – December 7, 1970), better known as Rube Goldberg (), was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer, and inventor. Goldberg is best known for his popular cartoons depicting complicated ...

's Side Show", " Jane Arden", and "Ned Brant", moved over from Quality's ''

Feature Comics ''Feature Comics'', originally ''Feature Funnies'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Quality Comics from 1939 until 1950, that featured short stories in the humor genre and later the superhero genre. Publication history ...

''. The first use of the publisher name "Quality Comic Group" was on the cover of ''Crack Comics'' #5 (Sept. 1940). With issue #26 (Nov. 1942), at the height of

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 title dropped down to a bi-monthly schedule due to wartime paper shortages; with issue #33 (Spring 1944) it became quarterly, also reducing its page-count to 60. It was around this time that publisher Arnold dropped Eisner & Iger as a "packager" and began producing much of the material in-house. The syndicated newspaper strip reprints " Jane Arden" and "Ned Brant" disappeared during this period, as well as such recurring features as "

", "Don Q", and "Snappy". Cartoonist George Brenner became editor of ''Crack Comics'' with issue #31 (Oct. 1943) (Cronin having left the post in Feb. 1942), a few issues before Brenner's character The Clock stopped appearing in the book's pages.Markstein, Don
"The Clock"
Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011. Beginning with issue #42 (May 1946) the title went back to a bimonthly schedule, which it maintained until its cancellation with issue #62 (during this time, the title also gradually reduced its page-count from 60 to 52 to 36). Brenner stayed on as editor almost to the end, leaving the post after issue #61 (July 1949).

''Crack Western'' and ''Jonesy''

As comics readers' tastes changed in the years following World War II, Quality publisher Arnold responded. Starting with issue #63 (Nov. 1949), ''Crack'' became a Western comic, changing its name to ''Crack Western''. This format lasted 22 issues until #84 (May 1953), when the title changed again, to ''Jonesy''. ''Jonesy'' published one issue with the old numbering system and then restarted (from #2), publishing until issue #8 (Oct. 1954), when it was cancelled for good.

Next Issue Project

Following the demise of ''Crack Comics'' and later the publisher itself, many of Quality Comics' characters lapsed into the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

. In November 2011, as part of editor

Erik Larsen Erik J. Larsen (born December 8, 1962) is an American comic book artist, writer, and publisher. He currently acts as the chief financial officer of Image Comics. He gained attention in the early 1990s with his art on Spider-Man series for Marvel ...

's " Next Issue Project",

Image Comics Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...

published ''Crack Comics'' "#63", containing the following stories: *

, written and penciled by Alan Weiss * The Space Legion, written and illustrated by Chris Burnham * The Clock, written and illustrated by Paul Maybury * Molly the Model, written and illustrated by Terry Austin *

, written and illustrated by Adam McGovern and Paolo Leandri * Spitfire, written and illustrated by

Herb Trimpe Herbert William Trimpe (; May 26, 1939 – April 13, 2015) was an American comics artist and occasional writer, best known as the seminal 1970s artist on '' The Incredible Hulk'' and as the first artist to draw for publication the character Wol ...

* Slap Happy Pappy, written and illustrated by Joe Keatinge * Hack O'Hara (with a cameo by the Space Legion), written and illustrated by

* Red Torpedo, written and illustrated by

B. Clay Moore B. Clay Moore is an American comic book author, best known for the series ''Hawaiian Dick''. Career Moore first achieved notoriety as the writer and co-creator of ''Hawaiian Dick'', first published in 2002 in comics, 2002 by Image Comics. Since t ...

, Frank Fosco, and

Recurring features

* The Clock: Moving over from ''

'', George Brenner's the Clock was the cover feature of ''Crack Comics'' #1, alternating cover appearances with the

until issue #19. He was a regular feature in the title — usually as the final story in each issue — until his last appearance, in issue #35 (Autumn 1944). The Clock's spot was taken over by Floogy the Fiji, a

jungle comics jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

feature which lasted from issue #36 (Winter 1944) until issue #59 (Mar. 1949). *

: A mystery man with the power of flight, the character's adventures were originally written by

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...

and drawn by

Lou Fine Louis Kenneth Fine (November 26, 1914 – July 24, 1971)Louis Fine
at the United States Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

nurse, and her friend Rick Royce, were a feature from issues #1–9 (Jan. 1941), when the strip was replaced by

's Tor the Magic Master. Jim Slade was a photojournalist whose superhero persona was a backward-speaking magician. This feature lasted from issue #10 (Feb. 1941) until issue #26 (Nov. 1942). Beginning with issue #27 (Jan. 1943), Tor's spot was taken by

. Stories of the merged twins (one alive, one dead) who formed the Golden Age superhero were a recurring item — mostly as the cover feature — through to ''Crack Comics'' final issue, #62. *

's crime-fighting bowman was a regular feature in ''Crack'' from issue #1–29 (May 1943), eventually replaced by Bernard Dibble's humor feature Beezy Bumble. Beezy lasted through the rest of ''Crack Comics''' run, ending with issue #62. * Molly the Model: Bernard Dibble's one-page humor strips were featured in every issue of ''Crack Comics'' from #1–62. * Eric Vale: Two-page text stories of the adventuresome pilot of a black plane were a regular feature, only missing a few issues, from #1–50 (Sept. 1947). * Slap Happy Pappy: Created by Quality editor

, most of the hillbilly character's humorous one-page strips were done by Jack Cole, and were a regular feature from issues #1–49 (July 1947). * Madame Fatal:

Art Pinajian Arthur A. (Art) Pinajian was an Armenian American comic book writer.Pinajian entry
Lambiek Comi ...

cross-dressing Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes traditionally or stereotypically associated with a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and express onesel ...

detective debuted in issue #1, continuing as a feature until issue #22 (Mar. 1942), when it was replaced by Pen Miller, who came over from '' National Comics''.Markestein, Don
"Pen Miller"
Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Nov. 15, 2011.

Klaus Nordling Klaus Nordling (May 29, 1910 – November 19, 1986)Klaus Nordling
at the Social Securi ...

's cartoonist/detective and his "Chinese houseboy Chop Chu" solved crimes and helped the war effort, lasting as a regular feature from issue #23 (May 1942) until issue #60 (May 1949). * Red Torpedo:

Submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

r Jim Lockhart, created by Henry C. Kiefer, first appeared in ''Crack Comics'' #1 and was a regular feature until issue #20 (Jan. 1942), when he was replaced by Hack O'Hara. O'Hara was a tough New York taxi driver who used his muscles to take down criminals. Hack's stories, illustrated by Witmer Williams, were featured from #21 (Feb. 1942) through issue #62. * Space Legion: Vernon Henkel's science fiction adventures starring Rock Braddon and Commander Crosby were a regular feature from issues #1–18 (Nov. 1941), replaced by Henkel's own Don Q: Don was a crime-fighter whose secret identity was a

diplomatic courier A diplomatic courier is an official who secures and transports diplomatic bags. Countries have utilized diplomatic couriers to handle important documents, artifacts and supplies between different countries since the 12th century. Following the ...

for the American government. His adventures appeared in issues #19 (Dec. 1941)–26 (Nov. 1942). * Wizard Wells: Harry Campbell's Wells was a former

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

athlete and a talented inventor who used science to outwit crooks. Wells' sidekicks included Tug, a punch-drunk jack-of-all-trades and Wells' would-be girlfriend Mary Perry. Wells was featured in issues #1–14 (July 1941), when he was replaced by Al McWilliams' Spitfire. The adventures of heroic fighter pilot Tex Adams lasted from issue #15 (Aug. 1941) until issue #27 (Jan. 1943). Spitfire was in turn replaced by Al Stahl's Inkie, who lasted as a feature from #28 (Mar. 1943) until issue #60 (May 1949). *

's Side Show: Reprints of the

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the litera ...

's newspaper strips were a regular two-page feature in every issue from #1–40 (Winter 1945). * Jane Arden: Reprints of the popular newspaper strip featuring a spunky gal reporter were a regular ''Crack Comics'' feature from issues #1–25 (continuing the tradition of ''

'' #21-31). * Ned Brant: A regular feature from issues #1–25 (Sept. 1942), the sports-related stories were syndicated newspaper strip reprints by writer

Robert Zuppke Robert Carl Zuppke (July 2, 1879 – December 22, 1957) was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Illinois—now known as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign–from 1913 until 1941, compili ...

and artist Walt Depew. * Snappy: Arthur Beeman's one-pager humor strips debuted in issue #5 (Sept. 1940), lasting until #26 (Nov. 1942). Other characters of note who appeared in ''Crack Comics'' included Batch Bachelor, Biff Banks, Black Shark, Dewey Drip, Kiki Kelly, and Yankee Guerilla.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Quality's Superheroes & Villains Encyclopedia

Cole's Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Crack Comics 1940 comics debuts 1949 comics endings Quality Comics titles Comics magazines published in the United States Magazines established in 1940 Magazines disestablished in 1949 Defunct magazines published in the United States Golden Age comics titles