[Robb_K]

The strange saga of Green Publishing's 3 weird, tiny, very short-lived, half-hearted forays into the comic book publishing business, separated by 6 and 5 years(or only 2 forays separated by 11 years), in 1945-46, possibly 1952, and 1957.

Green's 1945-46 stint, issuing Liberty Comics, Miss Liberty Comics, and Roly-Poly Comics, mainly reprinted recent MLJ issues of Hangman, Zip, and top-Notch Laugh Comics from 1943 and 1944 occurred While MLJ was still going strong, and the series from which they were taken, were still releasing new issues.  I still haven't been able to find the connection between the two publishers.  The last issue of Roly-Poly (Volume 2 #6), printed what seems to have been prepared to be the last issue of Rural Home's Blue Circle Comics, from 1944.

Green also issued "Atomic Comics" in 1946, which re-printed stories from DC-related, "More Fun Comics", and printed other stories which were probably produced by DC-related or other earlier publishers, who never issued the books for which they were planned.  Some of Atomic Comics' front covers had been produced for MLJ series.

Their 1952 foray (IF it occurred) was a single issue of "Romeo Tubbs", ostensibly the print-ready unpublished issue #29 of Fox Features' series, which would have been Fox's last issue, in late summer of 1950.  GCD listed Romeo Tubbs as having been issued by Green in 1952, but I have a feeling that it was issued with their other Fox material in 1957, because I had heard and read in several sources that they only had two stints of comic book production, in 1945-46, and 11 years later, in 1957, and because I have seen many errors in GCD credits.

Green also apparently issued a book titled "The Adventures of Patoruzu" either in 1952 or 1957, with the Patoruzu front cover atop the insides of Fox Features' print-ready, but unissued, 1950 second issue of  "Animal Crackers" #32.  The Patoruzu book was produced by Fox in 1946, and with its insides not being issued until 1957, and then, only inside a front cover originally printed for a different series.  It is also possible that Green actually issued its "Patoruzu" book along with its other Fox Features material in 1957.

Their 1957 foray included reprints of other Fox Features' material, and other previously non-printed Fox productions, including "All Top", "Ribtickler", "Wotalife", "Animal Crackers", and "Cosmo Cat" Comics.  They also mixed front covers from some series with newsprint insides of other Fox series, such as "Life With Snarky Parker", "Li'l Pan", and previously unpublished artwork from Fox's 1946-produced "Adventures of Patoruzu", as well as one book of previously unpublished stories from Robert Farrell's "Kiddie Kapers" series (which must have been obtained from a dump of L.B. Cole and Gerry Kramer's Star Publishing's assets, which had leased some Fox printing plates from Robert Farrell, who had purchased them from Victor Fox when the latter was shutting down Fox Features' operations).

It is clear that Green Publishing did not authorise production of any of their content, but rather, like Israel Waldman's I.W. and Super Comics, obtained at bargain-basement prices original art or printing plates from sources that had gotten them years earlier from defunct publishers or warehouse sales, except, possibly their MLJ reprints.  I find it difficult to believe that MLJ would have leased 2-year old previously-issued artwork for reprinting, while the same series which had issued those stories were still going strong.  Green must have come across those MLJ printing plates at a printer's warehouse going-out-of business sale, without MLJ's knowledge.

I'd appreciate anyone else's comments on insight into Green Publishing's operations, including from where they obtained their artwork, whether or not they produced and issued comic books in 1952, and especially, how they might have obtained MLJ's artwork.

Thanks for any help.

[paw broon]

Robb, I can't add to your research, apart from noting the difference in the Green books held by DCM and CB+.
Overstreet only lists Adventures of Patoruzu from August '46 - Winter '46. listed as NN's. So was there more than one issue? 
Overstreet also lists later All Top Comics under publisher names - Fox/Green/Norlen showing a #6 dated 1957 - Green Publishing, featuring Patoruzu; Cosmo Cat (cover only). Another #6 dated 1958 by Literary Ent. and featuring Muggy Doo and a Cosmo Cat cover.
Then 3 issues from 1959 all #6. The first published by Norlen featuring Atomic mouse with a Cosmo Cat cover. Another with no publisher listed and featuring Little Eva.  Finally an issue published by Cornell with a Supermouse cover.
You probably have all this, but just in case.
Also I have a copy of Liberty Comics #12 with no indicia, which I thought was on site but isn't.  If anyone in the UK is willing to scan it, I'd be happy to loan it.  It's in very bad nick and might fall apart so it'll need some work. It features a Black Hood reprint and Suzie.

[The Australian Panther]

Been wondering where to point this out. This thread might be appropriate.
in the 'Small Press' section, there is an entry for A.W. Nugent Publishing Co.
https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=2216
There is an entry for Cavalier Comics. There is a thumbnail for the cover which seems to feature Prince Valiant.
There is a note,
Only two issues published in this "series" one in 1945, one in 1952, both books being the same.
What was going on there?
The other book under this publisher is 'Circus of Fun' which is actually just a puzzle book.
The first two issues give a New Jersey address,.
The third tho, gives New Jersey as the 'editorial Offices' of A. W. Nugent 60 Jervis Street Toronto Canada!     
But what really has me gobsmacked is this for Cavalier Comics.
'Issues available, 'zero' ! There's an entry for a book we haven't got?!
Can anyone shed some light on this?
Cheers!     

[Robb_K]

Robb, I can't add to your research, apart from noting the difference in the Green books held by DCM and CB+.
Overstreet only lists (1) Adventures of Patoruzu from August '46 - Winter '46. listed as NN's. So was there more than one issue? 
Overstreet also lists later All Top Comics under publisher names - Fox/Green/Norlen showing a #6 dated (1) 1957 - Green Publishing, featuring Patoruzu; Cosmo Cat (cover only). Another #6 dated 1958 by Literary Ent. and featuring Muggy Doo and a Cosmo Cat cover.
Then 3 issues from 1959 all #6. The first published by Norlen featuring Atomic mouse with a Cosmo Cat cover. Another with no publisher listed and featuring Little Eva.  Finally an issue published by Cornell with a Supermouse cover.
You probably have all this, but just in case.
(2) Also I have a copy of Liberty Comics #12 with no indicia, which I thought was on site but isn't.  If anyone in the UK is willing to scan it, I'd be happy to loan it.  It's in very bad nick and might fall apart so it'll need some work. It features a Black Hood reprint and Suzie.

Thanks.  I have all that information already. 

(1) It seems that Fox never issued "The Adventures of Patorozu" in 1946, or later.  It appears that Green Publishing, which appears to have only been in the comic book publishing field in 1945-46 and 1957, issued only its cover, in 1957, with the insides of a different comic book, starring different characters.  It appears that Victor Fox, in 1946, arranged with The Argentinian publisher of Patoruzu, to obtain The US rights to publish "Patoruzu".  And Fox soon received copies of the original final artwork to that newspaper strip's first year (or opening several strips) for his Fox Features to start publishing a regular (quarterly or b-monthly) comic book.  Fox had front covers designed for its first issue, and had comic book formatted pages hastily (and crudely) made up (by cutting and pasting strips onto the comic book-sized paper.  Fox then junked the project (apparently something went wrong with the final approval for Fox getting The USA rights).  So, the front cover and mock-up inside strip pasted pages were never used by Fox.  They just became part of his artwork cache.  Some of Fox's original artwork was bought out in late 1950, or early 1951, by Robert Farrell, who had been Fox's right-hand-man, running his comic book operation.  Farrell leased some of that Fox material to L.B. Cole's Star Publishing in 1950 or 1951, and it reverted back to Farrell in late 1954, when Star went out of business.  Green, possibly bought printing plates of some of that artwork from Fox's original printer, in 1957, at a dump-off sale, when that printer moved to another location, or itself, went out of business.  Or, they could have leased it from Farrell, who was still in business, and who, himself, issued some reprints of some of that material in 1958 and '59, under his own Ajax, Farrell, and Decker imprints.  But, I rather think that Green just bought the plates from a printer or warehouse "going-out-of-business sale".

The 1952 GCD listing for "Romeo Tubbs" appears to be an error, and that undated book probably was issued in 1957, along with Green's other reprints of Fox Features' material.  The insides of Patoruzu was issued only by Norlen in 1959.  Interesting that fellow questionable reprint publisher, Norlen Publications, who reprinted many of Green's and IW's 1958 issues, is listed together with Green by DCM(as if they were the same company, or shared similar owners).  The blurb I read on Green Publications in "The American Comic Book Chronicles" mentioned Green's owners and a short history of their operations, but mentioned nothing about any connection to Norlen.

(2). Yes, I and probably many other CB+ members, would want you to get Liberty Comics #12 scanned and uploaded onto CB+.  Neither CB+ nor DCM have "Liberty Comics #12", and GCD has no details on that issue, other than a scan of its front cover and credits for the cover.  Nothing is listed on its inside contents.  Like the other Liberty Comics from 1945, I suspect that ALL its inside stories and features are from MLJ original art, but some of the MLJ stories and features printed in the other Liberty Comics issues were never issued in MLJ books, so Liberty Comics 12 may be the only way we'll ever get a chance to see those particular stories and features.

[Robb_K]

Been wondering where to point this out. This thread might be appropriate.
in the 'Small Press' section, there is an entry for A.W. Nugent Publishing Co.
https://comicbookplus.com/?cid=2216
There is an entry for Cavalier Comics. There is a thumbnail for the cover which seems to feature Prince Valiant.
There is a note,
Only two issues published in this "series" one in 1945, one in 1952, both books being the same.
What was going on there?
The other book under this publisher is 'Circus of Fun' which is actually just a puzzle book.
The first two issues give a New Jersey address,.
The third tho, gives New Jersey as the 'editorial Offices' of A. W. Nugent 60 Jervis Street Toronto Canada!     
But what really has me gobsmacked is this for Cavalier Comics.
'Issues available, 'zero' ! There's an entry for a book we haven't got?!
Can anyone shed some light on this?
Cheers!   

That, particular, "Cavalier Comics", issued by A.W. Nugent (who had offices in Toronto and New York), was just reprints of stories that had originally been printed in Donenfeld's "More Fun Comics" in 1936.  Otherwise, Nugent issued mainly puzzle and self-entertainment books, and also produced art for similar features for many of the regular US and Canadian comic book publishing companies during the 1940s and 1950s.  George Carlson (who also worked for Hillman's "Jingle Jangle Comics") was their main artist.  That was NOT the "Cavalier Comics" issued by Nation-Wide Comics, in 1952 (which, I believe, was a digest-sized (1/2 size) store giveaway, and also commercial 5 cent book, like their main 1950-52 first series lines).

"Circus of Fun" is mainly puzzles, but each of the 3 issues I've seen has at least one short comic "story" of from 2 to 6 pages, drawn by George Carlson. Issues #1 and 3 each have a 6-page story, starring Flatfoot Elephant.  Actually, I think every page in those 3 books was drawn by Carlson.  He had a career of over 50 years of drawing puzzle art (and, I believe, also designing puzzles), in addition to drawing "Jingle-Jangle Tales" and "The Pie-Face Prince" features for Eastern Color Printing's "Jingle-Jangle Comics.