Number 2565: Rootin' tootin' shootin' romance on the range

Cowgirl Romances was a Western-styled love comic, which seems a natural. Even during shooting wars. In this tale there was time for love while fighting the lawless in another of the all-American love stories of horses, bad outlaws, good guys, girls (both bad and good), guns, and shoot-outs.

I have said before that Maurice Whitman is an artist who has not gotten the kudos for excellence I think he deserves. He was self-taught, and good enough that he did many covers and interiors of various genres for the Fiction House line. When Fiction House folded he went to Charlton. He drew for the mix of titles they published, even the characters Atomic Mouse and Atomic Rabbit.

“The Ranch of Riddles” was the lead-off story from the last issue of Cowgirl Romances. It appeared in Cowgirl Romances #12 (1953).

Number 2552: From immortal goddess to everyday queen

Camilla the Jungle Queen was introduced in Jungle Comics #1 (1940), and was seen in that comic book until the publisher, Fiction House, closed shop in 1954. The curious part of this back-of-the-book jungle girl is that she was introduced as one thing, and then became someone else. Don Markstein, in his Toonopedia blog, describes her first appearances as a “knock-off of H. Rider Haggard’s” 19th century Ayesha. ‘She Who Must Be Obeyed,’ who ruled a lost kingdom hidden from European explorers in a previously little-visited part of the world.”

After awhile Camilla had a re-origin, if there is such a word. She became a typical comic book jungle girl, who was descended from an heiress. During those comic book days jungle queens were readily available. Fiction House had a few of its own as regular features of issues of comic books coming off the presses every month. Did anyone wonder why Jumbo Comics had “Sheena the Queen of the Jungle” and Jungle Comics featured “Camilla, the Jungle Queen” in the same line of comic books? Fiction House was its own universe, and each comic they produced had no relationship to the other Fiction House comics. Did anyone care? It is obvious to me why the guys buying these comic books liked beautiful women in abbreviated costumes, and sex appeal was part of the Fiction House appeal.

This entry in the Camilla saga is from Jungle Comics #88 (1947), and is drawn by Fran Hopper, one of the female stars of Fiction House.

  

Number 2523: The travail of Gale

I would like to say that Gale Allen and Girl Squadron were inspirational to girl comic book readers of the World War II era, but...

...as shown on the cover (drawn by Joe Doolin), Gale is on a table in the much overused bondage pose that comic books loved. In the story the scene is repeated. As always, Gale and her crew are dressed in skimpy costumes. [Spoiler alert] she is also rescued by a male criminal who puts some moves on her when they are in his spaceship. Does rescuing her give him the right to sexually harass her? We talk about sexual harassment a lot nowadays. I can’t help thinking about how this older stuff looks to modern eyes.[End spoiler]

The artwork on the 6-page story is credited to Richard Case, who we are not to confuse with an artist who has the same name. There doesn't seem to be much information published about the Golden Age Richard Case. The current Richard Case did artwork for DC and Vertigo.

This story appeared in Planet Comics #26 (1943):

 

Number 2484: When “Rosie” drew some riveting comic art

The character, Rosie the Riveteer, was the symbol of females working in the defense industry during World War while men were in the armed forces. There was no symbolic muscle-flexing woman who represented the women who were drawing comic books during that time.

In one issue of Planet Comics (#39, 1945) two women are for sure represented: Lily Renée and Fran Hopper. Renée drew the cover and “The Lost World;” Fran Hopper drew “Mysta of the Moon.” (There is possibly a third, Ruth Atkinson, but because the Grand Comics Database equivocates with a question mark after her name, I have decided not to show the “Space Rangers” story. I am also not showing “Gale Allen,” because of the question mark from GCD when listing Hopper with the drawings of Gale in an art job otherwise credited to Joe Doolin.) I am sure that both women helped morale of the male readers of Fiction House comic books by drawing pin-up Fiction House beauties, but also eye-candy to the younger male readers.

Lily Renée stayed in comic books for a few postwar years, mostly drawing Abbott and Costello for publisher Archer St John, but Fran Hopper left comics in 1948.

 

Number 2433: Stuart Taylor says goodbye 1946, hello 1975!

“Stuart Taylor, Weird Stories of the Supernatural” was a silly feature from Jumbo Comics, played for laughs. I like a silly story as much as any other kind of comic...just go back a few posts to the story of the Deadlings.

I have sometimes forgotten what I have posted in the past, so I made sure to check that I had not shown this story before. What I found was that I had shown the Stuart Taylor story for Jumbo Comics #89, which preceded this. When those issues of Jumbo were published they were a month apart. In this case it took procrastinating Pappy almost 10 years to post the second part, from Jumbo #90 (1946).

The story is provided by the Iger Studios, who did most of the contents for Fiction House, if not all. Grand Comics Database credits Alex Blum with the artwork.

The link to the previous Stuart Taylor story; just click on the thumbnail.