DC's "Other" Comics |
2/14/2012
Trojan/Ribage/Merit |
Trojan was ostensibly owned by Adolphe
Barreaux and Frank Armer, although Harry Donenfeld's wife Gussie was listed
as an owner in the annual statements of ownership that had to be published
in each title that had a second class postal permit.
Michael Estrow
and Stanley M Estrow of Leader News were probably financially behind the
company. As the pulp magazine market died out at the end of the forties, Trojan tried to switch their material to comic books. Most of their pulps had carried comic strips anyway, so it wasn't that difficult. Trojan and its sister companies passed around titles willy-nilly and renamed things depending on wind direction, so the following is a bit confusing. Leader News went bankrupt in July 1956, causing major disruptions in magazine publishing. |
1950 |
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Sep |
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Trojan begins Western Crime-Busters 125 East 45th Street Adolphe Barreaux, editor Stars Six-Gun Smith, Wilma West, K Bar Kate and Fighing Bob Dale |
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TROJAN |
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Oct | Crime Smashers begins, starring the comic strip heroes who had previously appeared in the Trojan pulps. Sally the Sleuth, Ray Hale, Dan Turner and Gail Ford. Overstreet lists this as Ribage, but it's not. |
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TROJAN |
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1951 |
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Apr | Crime Smashers #4 is published by Trojan | ||||
1952 |
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Apr |
Western Crime Busters 10 -last issue Statement of Ownership Trojan 125 E 45th St Editor Adolphe Barreaux Owners: Michael Estrow, Stanley Estrow and Anna Estrow |
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TROJAN |
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May |
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Crime Mysteries #1 published by Ribage, 480 Lexington Ave.
Adolphe Barreaux, editor.
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RIBAGE |
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1953 |
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Jan |
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Attack taken over from Youthful by Trojan with #5.
Youthful continues same numbering with Atomic Attack #5. Beware taken over from Youthful by Trojan with #13
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Youthful Romances 15-18 1/53-7/53
(follows Pix Parade series and then retroactively renumbered 1-4) |
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TROJAN |
TROJAN |
TROJAN |
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JAN |
Oh, Brother! 1-5 Stanhall begins. Stanhall apparently stands for Stanley Estrow and Hal Seeger. The books are edited by Adolphe Barreaux but copyright by Seegar. Editorial address is 480 Lexington Ave, same as Leader News. Stanhall's comics are quite different from Trojan's. I suspect most were intended for sale through army PX's. Seegar had quite a career as an animator and writer. He wrote Leave it to Binky and A Date With Judy for National and went on to produce Fearless Fly and Batfink for TV.
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STANHAL |
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Mar | Crime Smashers ends with # 15 |
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TROJAN |
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May |
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Crime Mysteries 7 printed by Charlton in Derby Ct. Cover now
says "Combined with Crime Smashers." G.I. Jane- Stanhal 1-10 |
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RIBAGE |
STANHALL |
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JUL | Muggy Do, Boy Cat #1- Stanhall 1-4(1/54) |
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STANHALL |
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Sep |
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Attack renumbered. issues 5-8 now considered 1-4. Sep
issue is number 5 (again). Beware renumbered. Issues 13-16 now considered 1-4. Sep issue is number 5. |
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TROJAN |
TROJAN |
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undated |
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Overstreet lists this as 1951 but that's about two years too early. Jingle Dingle is a puppet character related to Foodini which was published by Continental. Created by Leon Jason, the puppet was built by Maury Bunin and licensed to local tv cartoon hosts. Hal Seegar didn't have anything to do with this. | |||
STANHALL |
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1954 |
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Feb |
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Farmer's Daughter #1-4 | |||
STANHALL |
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Mar |
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Broadway Hollywood Blackouts #1 Stanhal (1-3) Crime Mysteries 12 combined with Crime Smashers published by Ribage. Printed by Charlton. |
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STANHALL |
RIBAGE |
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Aug | Youthful Romances ends with #9. | ||||
Sep | ![]() |
Crime Mysteries ends with #15
Attack ends with #5. |
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RIBAGE |
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Nov | Crime Mysteries becomes Secret Mysteries with #16. | ![]() |
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RIBAGE |
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1955 |
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Mar |
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Secret Mysteries 17 now published by Merit. Still distributed by Leader News. Edited by Adolphe Barreaux. 2 East 45th St., New York 17, N.Y. (Mar 1955)-(Jul 1955) Printed in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. GI Jane 15 now published by Merit. Beware 14 statement of ownership. Trojan owned by Michael Estrow. |
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MERIT |
MERIT |
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May |
Secret Mysteries 18 approved by the Comics Code Authority Dark Mysteries and Romantic Hearts (Master Comics) taken over by Trojan with 23 and 11. Adolphe Barreaux edits last two issues. Beware ends with 15. |
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MERIT |
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July |
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Secret Mysteries 19- last issue Dark Mysteries 24-last issue Romantic Hearts 12-last issue |
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MASTER |
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