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This month, we tackle three companies whose books would meld together in some interesting ways. Because of this feature, we will approach the three companies a little differently this time out. First, we will explain each individual company and the various changes it went through. Second, we will highlight the interactions of the three companies and their offshoots as time progresses. And, finally, we will provide our regular listing of what we are looking for and what we already have, but this time around we will list all three companies together, indicating who belonged to whom and any secondary company involvement. For the sake of clarity, we will identify each company by its most commonly known name. Holyoke (also, including the company names of: Tem Publishing Co., Henlit Publishing, Et-Es-Go Magazines, Bilbara Publishing Co., Continental Magazines, Aviation Press, and Narrative Publishers.) Frank Z. Temerson entered the comic book business by purchasing Comics Magazine Company and Harry "A" Chesler's comic book line early in 1937. In 1938, these were sold to Centaur Publishing. In 1940 Temerson, using the name Tem Publishing, came out with Crash Comics (May 1940) and the next year renamed it Cat-Man Comics. He also changed the company’s name to the better known Holyoke Publishing Company. Also in 1940, under the name of Bilbara Publishing Co. Inc., he released the short-lived Cyclone Comics (June 1940). The following year, under the name of Henlit Publishing Co., the company released the even shorter-lived Captain Fearless Comics (August 1941). A more successful book, Captain Aero Comics appeared in December 1941, at first under the company name of Henlit, then Holyoke with issue 2, then Et-Es-Go Magazines for issues 11 through 15, and finally under company name Continental Magazines, as of issue 16 (August 1944), until the title ended. Suspense Comics came next as an Et-Es-Go company book in December 1943, then becoming a Continental book by issue 5 in August 1944. Next, Terrific Comics (January 1944), an Et-Es-Go book, changed with the remaining issues (#'s 4 through 6) to a Continental title. In June 1944, Temerson ended his relationship with the comic shop, Harry "A" Chesler, Inc., which provided him with art and stories, and he parent company name, Holyoke, resurfaced with the comic Sparkling Stars, whose run would end in March 1948. Also in June 1944 Power Comics’ short run (#'s 1 to 4) was published under the company name of Narrative Publishers. In July 1944, Contact Comics came into being under Aviation Press and ran 12 issues until July 1946. The main reason that Holyoke used other company names is a simple one. If a venture looked risky, a "new" company was created in case the venture went bad, thus protecting the assets of the parent company which was Holyoke Publishing and Printing Co., and, in the final years, Continental Magazines. One must remember that Temerson also owned a printing company "Holyoke Printing", which printed his own comics as well other publishers’ comics too. In fact, from 1942 through 1944, he took over publishing the Blue Beetle title from Victor Fox's comic company in lieu of monies owed to him by Fox. So he had other business interest to protect as well. Temerson called it a day with all his comics in 1948 and went on to other, more mainstream publishing and printing ventures. It should be noted here that the Continental Magazine line employed the efforts of L.B. Cole, until the company demise in 1948. L.B. Cole will surface later in this article. Novelty Press (also including the company name of: The Premium Group of Comics.) Curtis Publishing Company, a large magazine publisher, owned Novelty Publications, and the comic book line under it, Novelty Press, also known as the Premium Group of Comics. Novelty Press’ first comic was Target Comics (February 1940), and then, in June 1940, it released Blue Bolt Comics. In the winter of 1941, Four Most Comics (later Four Most Boys Comics) came into existence. And finally, Novelty Press’s last book, Dick Cole Comics, was published in 1948. One of Novelty Press's artists was the legendary L.B. Cole, who, in 1949, bought the Novelty Press titles and artwork, as Curtis Publishing, noting the growing criticism of the comic book industry in the late 1940s, decided to get out of the business. Cole used this purchase to start his own company, Star Publications. Star Publications (also the company name of: 4 Star Publications in conjunction with Harry "A" Chesler.) L.B. Cole was a smart man with the experience of working with Temerson at Continental Magazines from August 1944 through 1948, as first an artist, then a writer, and finally an editor. He absorbed through an auction the Novelty Press books to start his own company. Through his association with Harry "A" Chesler from July 1944 through 1947, and using Holyoke Printing Company (remember them?), he and partner Jerry Kramer formed Star Publications. At Star Publications, he combined the Captain Flight and Novelty Press strips, plus the ones he himself created, and continued on, turning Blue Bolt Comics into Blue Bolt Weird Comics, and so on. With his partner’s death in early 1954, Cole decided to sell everything to Farrell Comics, better known as Ajax/Farrell Publishing, who had also bought from Victor Fox, the Fox Feature Publication books in the early 1950s. As stated above , we are going to approach
this Wanted listing a little differently than usual. We will list all
three company’s characters together with notations of who belongs to
whom. The listing will appear as below: Ace Diamond = Holyoke/Aviation Press Characters that we need text information on: Blackout II = Holyoke/Continental Characters we do have information on: Black Cobra I With your help we can complete these publishers’ stables of characters. If we have omitted anyone on the above lists, please let us know who, what, when, and where, and we will add them to the companies’ listings.
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