Print

[dwilt]

I've always wondered why they kept the Black Hood in Top Notch after it converted to Top Notch Laugh. Every other feature in the book is outright comedy, but the Black Hood story is about a murderer who uses human blood from his victims to animate killer puppets! (The text story is also crime-oriented) He had his own title by this time, so it wasn't like they were just burning off inventory. This was the last issue in which he appeared, however.

Link to the book: Top Notch Laugh Comics 44

[Quirky Quokka]

Yes, it does seem out of place in that comic when everything else is geared for laughs. The short story that follows is also a bit grim for the rest of the comic.

Also, I know it's a sign of the times, but it seems amazing that they printed the names, photos and street addresses of kids who'd entered their competition. Wouldn't see that these days. Though with the amount of things people post online and on social media, we're probably giving out a lot more info than that.

[crashryan]

Also, I know it's a sign of the times, but it seems amazing that they printed the names, photos and street addresses of kids who'd entered their competition.

This was still the case in the early-mid 1960s. Letters in Marvel Comics letter columns included the writer's full address. I was one of countless American comic book readers who were introduced to fandom in this way. Jerry Bails, legendary early comics fan and creator of the Who's Who of American Comic Books, published a pamphlet called Guidebook to Comics Fandom which contained a brief history of comics and comic fandom along with ads for fanzines and comics dealers. He'd mail a copy to everyone whose letter was published. It's through the Guidebook that I learned about Star-Studded Comics, a "stripzine" that printed my first published comic art--alongside much more significant newbies like Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom.

I know that today having one's address published in a comic would invite a flood of general nastiness, especially for girls and women. People weren't that different back then than they are today. I suspect unpleasantness happened in the old days, too. There would have been less mainly because comic readership was still mostly kids who hadn't yet learned the joys of trolling and online bullying. Also in those days when communication was limited to letters and the house telephone, it's likely no one heard about such stuff outside a victim's family and a couple of close friends.

[Quirky Quokka]

Also, I know it's a sign of the times, but it seems amazing that they printed the names, photos and street addresses of kids who'd entered their competition.

This was still the case in the early-mid 1960s. Letters in Marvel Comics letter columns included the writer's full address. I was one of countless American comic book readers who were introduced to fandom in this way. Jerry Bails, legendary early comics fan and creator of the Who's Who of American Comic Books, published a pamphlet called Guidebook to Comics Fandom which contained a brief history of comics and comic fandom along with ads for fanzines and comics dealers. He'd mail a copy to everyone whose letter was published. It's through the Guidebook that I learned about Star-Studded Comics, a "stripzine" that printed my first published comic art--alongside much more significant newbies like Jim Starlin and Al Milgrom.

I know that today having one's address published in a comic would invite a flood of general nastiness, especially for girls and women. People weren't that different back then than they are today. I suspect unpleasantness happened in the old days, too. There would have been less mainly because comic readership was still mostly kids who hadn't yet learned the joys of trolling and online bullying. Also in those days when communication was limited to letters and the house telephone, it's likely no one heard about such stuff outside a victim's family and a couple of close friends.

Thanks for that background. I was just surprised they had the street name and number. I've seen them before with just name and state, like Sally Smith from Kansas, but it seems surprising they would print the full addresses. It would be interesting to know if some of those kids did write to each other. Did boys write to the pretty girl who had her portrait done? Did some of them become penpals? And I wonder if people knew their addresses would be published when they entered? Interesting to ponder. But hopefully, mainly good came out of it and it put fans in touch with each other. I had a lot of penpals from all over the world, starting at about age 12. So if my address had appeared in a comic book and someone wrote to me, I probably would have written back. There wouldn't have been any thought in my mind back then that it might be dodgy. Hopefully in 99% of cases it was all fine.

[SuperScrounge]

Because of full addresses being printed Wendy & Richard Pini (Elfquest) met. A letter from her was printed in a Marvel comic, boys, including her future husband, saw her address and started writing her.

[The Australian Panther]

lost my post again. My own fault. 3 posts came in on top of each other and I lost concentration.
Here I go again. 

I know that today having one's address published in a comic would invite a flood of general nastiness, especially for girls and women. People weren't that different back then than they are today. I suspect unpleasantness happened in the old days, too. There would have been less

there would have been less, because of the effort involved.
You would have had to physically write a letter, address an envelope, buy a stamp and go down and post it.
Today, a few clicks and a half a dozen words and the damage is done.
Instant reaction too.

Because of full addresses being printed Wendy & Richard Pini (Elfquest) met. A letter from her was printed in a Marvel comic, boys, including her future husband, saw her address and started writing her.

Even in the books posted on CB+, I often look at the names of the letter writers to see if I recognize somebody who went on to have a career in the industry or in fandom. Occasionally, you do.
I am personally just as interested in the photographs. [ I had a major in photography] This was the key era of the snapshot. Own your own camera, home photo, go to a print shop for the print.
Makes you realize how widespread that was. Technological communication boom of an earlier age. 
Also, something a bit creepy, that the winner was one of the most attractive young girls. One of the readers who responded looks old enough to be a 'mom'. Well, 'moms' read comics too. My mum read my Carl Barks books!
Cheers! 
         

[Quirky Quokka]

Because of full addresses being printed Wendy & Richard Pini (Elfquest) met. A letter from her was printed in a Marvel comic, boys, including her future husband, saw her address and started writing her.

Definitely a bonus. I guess once ComicCons started, comic book penpals could actually meet too. The earlier equivalent of Tinder 

[Quirky Quokka]

Even in the books posted on CB+, I often look at the names of the letter writers to see if I recognize somebody who went on to have a career in the industry or in fandom. Occasionally, you do.
I am personally just as interested in the photographs. [ I had a major in photography] This was the key era of the snapshot. Own your own camera, home photo, go to a print shop for the print.
Makes you realize how widespread that was. Technological communication boom of an earlier age. 
Also, something a bit creepy, that the winner was one of the most attractive young girls. One of the readers who responded looks old enough to be a 'mom'. Well, 'moms' read comics too. My mum read my Carl Barks books!
Cheers! 
         

I love reading the letters pages. It tells you a lot about the times, as well as the comics.

[SuperScrounge]

I guess once ComicCons started, comic book penpals could actually meet too.

A little off-topic, but Wendy Pini used to appear at comic conventions in the 1970s dressed as Red Sonja. No doubt more than a few men were disappointed to learn she was married. A very nice looking woman.

[paw broon]

Many British weeklies carried pen pal ads with addresses.  Competition winners had their names and towns listed.  Same with club members.
When comic marts started in Scotland, on e of the first, if not the very first, was in Glasgow.  I went along and there I met some of the people who started The Friends Of Clark Kent, who met in a Glasgow pub.  I've been friends with some of them for decades.  There were some girls involved but they always seemed more interested in SF, and were members of Friends of Kilgore Trout. 
Every old comic I buy, I always check the letters or names, just in case.

[Robb_K]

I've always wondered why they kept the Black Hood in Top Notch after it converted to Top Notch Laugh. Every other feature in the book is outright comedy, but the Black Hood story is about a murderer who uses human blood from his victims to animate killer puppets!

Yes, it is very surprising that that series changed its title from "Top-Notch" to "Top-Notch Laugh Comics at #28, by adding "laugh", implying they were changing over to comedy.  Yet, they kept the old stalwart feature of that line, "The Black Hood" for EVERY remaining Issue, except its last (45), before making the complete title changeover to just "Laugh", and genre changeover, to only comedy.  I have a feeling that they weren't so positive that comedy alone would outsell the book IF they continued to leave their mainstay feature in it.  "The Black Hood" was published only quarterly, while "Top-Notch Laugh" became a monthly series, with its second issue.  So, cutting "The Black Hood out of that series at its beginning, would have drastically reduced the number of The Hood's appearances in different MLJ books, if they had done that at the time of the first title changeover (adding "Laugh").  Superhero comics were still one of the hottest selling genres in Fall, 1944, when the series dropped The Black Hood.  Had he been dropped when the series added mostly comedy, they would have lost 2 years of Black Hood's appearances in a monthly magazine.  They COULD, I suppose, have moved him over to their Pep, or Zip Comics series, but both of those were already known for having their own superhero lead feature, so, I guess they wanted The Black Hood's big following to remain in its own book, and he was already known for being in that book, so they kept him there.  I assume that they thought a superhero having one story in a comedy book would not scare the comedy fans away, and would attract some hard core Black Hood fans to it, despite the many comedy stories.

[Captain Audio]

I guess once ComicCons started, comic book penpals could actually meet too.

A little off-topic, but Wendy Pini used to appear at comic conventions in the 1970s dressed as Red Sonja. No doubt more than a few men were disappointed to learn she was married. A very nice looking woman.

Danged if she isn't the spitting image of my old girld friend of the 70's. Aged about the same as well, she came by a couple of years ago and still looked good.

[dwilt]

Robb_K makes a good point.  Note that the Black Hood appears the covers of Top Notch Laugh 28-34, 36, and 41-44 (sometimes incidentally, but he's there).  I wonder if MLJ compared the sales of the issues where he's on the cover and those where he's completely absent.   MLJ's titles (like many publishers) were originally multiple-genres, with action & humour features; when they flipped to humour (thanks to the success of Archie and presumably some of the lesser characters), they kept up the mix of genres for a while, only now with comedy predominant.  And MLJ/Archie would publish a few non-humour titles in the late 40s-early 50s (romance, etc.).  I'd always assumed their '60s superheroes were a knee-jerk reaction to the Batman/Marvel superhero boom, but The Fly started in 1959!

[The Australian Panther]

  I'd always assumed their '60s superheroes were a knee-jerk reaction to the Batman/Marvel superhero boom, but The Fly started in 1959!

At that time Kirby created 'the Fly' or 'Flyman' and re-uped the Shield and I think also Lancelot Strong. Why, at that time, I don't know.
But it leads to the on-going debate, if Kirby created the Fly and if that insect superhero predates Spiderman, how much influence did Jack Kirby [working at Marvel at the time] have on the creation of Spiderman? 
There is a Kirby image, created about that time  - which I have somewhere, but have no idea where, of a character - I think called Spiderman -correct me if I'm wrong - character has a very different costume and is carrying a gun.
cheers!
   

[SuperScrounge]

I'd always assumed their '60s superheroes were a knee-jerk reaction to the Batman/Marvel superhero boom, but The Fly started in 1959!

The Barry Allen version of the Flash started in 1956 (his first appearance being considered the start of the Silver Age). He got his own book in early 1959 and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern appeared in late 1959. (I thought GL came earlier than that. Huh?)

Of course some freelancers worked for both DC & Archie (& Marvel & any other New York based publisher), so it's possible if DC was seeing a renewed interest in superheroes, Archie would also learn of it, so maybe Archie was testing the waters with the Fly?

[SuperScrounge]

Whoops! Overlooked the appearance of Supergirl in early 1959. (The Legion of Super-Heroes had appeared in 1958, but I think they only had two appearances in the 1950s, so weren't anything but a blip on the superhero radar at this time, while Supergirl went straight to a regular back-up feature.)

[Quirky Quokka]

The Barry Allen version of the Flash started in 1956 (his first appearance being considered the start of the Silver Age). He got his own book in early 1959 and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern appeared in late 1959. (I thought GL came earlier than that. Huh?)

I recently acquired a volume of the first Barry Allen Flash comics from 1956 on, and I'm really enjoying it.