[crashryan]

Not to be missed: on the inside front cover, a letters column in which one reader tears into the magazine, regretting wasting his dime on it. Then he calls out six competing magazines by name, "fine magazines" he calls them, all of which are better than this one. I wonder what streak of masochism drove the editor to print such a letter.

Link to the book: Guns Against Gangsters v1 06

[movielover]

Well, since Novelty was closing shop, maybe it didn't matter to the editor. This is one of the last books put out.

[The Australian Panther]

likely, the Editor agreed with the letter writer. Hell, the editor may have been the letter writer!

Crash Wrote:-

  The first issue of this magazine that I read (#6) prompted me to look at others. I'm struck by the defensive subtitles on many pages:

"A good comic provides exciting action, minus objectionable scenes." "Evil men appear in some good stories. The point is, what happens to them?" "This magazine does not glorify crime. It deals chiefly with the pursuit of criminals." "Poor grammar or slang is used in this magazine only for purposes of characterization." And even, "Large, easy-to-read lettering in all 'balloons' in this magazine."

The spirit of Dr W looms high over Novelty Press headquarters!

Well, 'Seduction of the Innocents' was 1954 and this book was published in 1949 [ Great year - and my birthday!]
So that increases my thought that what we have here is a disgruntled editor, trying to either get his publisher to listen or get his writers and artists to conform to his standards. 'Fascinating!' as the guy with the pointy ears used to say! 


Interestingly, a search for Novelty Press brings up mostly links back to CB+! We are becoming influential, aren't we? 
From Wikipedia,

  Novelty Press (a.k.a. Premium Service Co., Inc.; a.k.a. Novelty Publications; a.k.a. Premier Group) was an American Golden Age comic-book publisher that operated from 1940 to 1949. It was the comic book imprint of Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of The Saturday Evening Post.

and

In 1949, due to the growing criticism over violence in comic books, Novelty Press sold its assets to Blue Bolt cover artist L.B. Cole.[5] Using his new assets, Cole began his own company, Star Publications 

I can well imagine Editorial figures on the Saturday Evening Post not being happy about having a comic company as a stablemate.

At this time Simon and Kirby were heavily involved with the output of Novelty Press. I wonder if Simon was the managing editor at the time? 

Fascinating.

[crashryan]

(Gasp!) You're right, Panther! I didn't look at the book's date and I was thinking 1950s because the subtitles addressed many of Wertham's talking points. i guess these complaints had been circulating widely for years and Seduction of the Innocent collected and amplified them. The editor's note in #6 sounds like an editor who was not exactly disgruntled (though he was certainly far from gruntled--sorry, Mr Wodehouse). Rather he seems frustrated because he wants to put out a "crime" comic that most crime comic readers don't want to read. I know nothing about the editors, Robert D. Wheeler, editor/general manager or Victor M. Jones, managing editor. Maybe they imagined a "clean" comic along Comics Code lines. Like you, I wonder what the SatEvePost crew thought of having a comics line.

Personally I like this title. The Toni Gayle stories are fun and Gregory Gale and his gun lore are interesting. The Chameleon less so, though he has good art.

[Rintintin]

"The books are not gay enough", so... Wham! The editors put some high heels babe called Toni Gayle fighting a shark with a survival knife on the cover.


btw how come all those comics from the 1940s have lead female heroines doing heroics and leadership? I was told comics were sexist in the 80s. But even comics in 1930s have women in leadership roles or even taking power from a man at the office.

[The Australian Panther]

Rintintin said,

btw how come all those comics from the 1940s have lead female heroines doing heroics and leadership? I was told comics were sexist in the 80s. But even comics in 1930s have women in leadership roles or even taking power from a man at the office. 

Yes, exactly1 I have noticed this too.

'Everything you know is wrong.' - Fireside Theatre.

[Captain Audio]

Rintintin said,

btw how come all those comics from the 1940s have lead female heroines doing heroics and leadership? I was told comics were sexist in the 80s. But even comics in 1930s have women in leadership roles or even taking power from a man at the office. 

Yes, exactly1 I have noticed this too.

'Everything you know is wrong.' - Fireside Theatre.

I remember when my young nephew and I were watching  "it came from beyond space" one of the female scientists joined in a discussion on how to destroy the monster. My nephew said "I didn't think they let women talk back then" I just looked at him and said this is science fiction .

I also remember the first time I saw Charles Bronson on screen he was a thug sent to beat up Spence Tracey. Suddenly Katherine Hepburn using some impressive martial arts started beating the dog do out of Bronson.

[Rintintin]

Rintintin said,

btw how come all those comics from the 1940s have lead female heroines doing heroics and leadership? I was told comics were sexist in the 80s. But even comics in 1930s have women in leadership roles or even taking power from a man at the office. 

Yes, exactly1 I have noticed this too.

'Everything you know is wrong.' - Fireside Theatre.

I remember when my young nephew and I were watching  "it came from beyond space" one of the female scientists joined in a discussion on how to destroy the monster. My nephew said "I didn't think they let women talk back then" I just looked at him and said this is science fiction .

I also remember the first time I saw Charles Bronson on screen he was a thug sent to beat up Spence Tracey. Suddenly Katherine Hepburn using some impressive martial arts started beating the dog do out of Bronson.

But the public opinion was still lying & defaming comics as sexist when they were not. If women couldn't climb corporate ladder yet comics had them climb it, then comics were trailblazers. Still some constant public erasing of history going on.