COMIC BOOK REPRINTS

Five issues of Indian Chief, a popular Dell comic that ran for over thirty issues, are included in this volume. The stories are full of adventure, as Native Americans lived their lives in a pre-Colonial landscape (with occasionally anachronistic horses). They encounter harsh weather, dangerous animals, villainous infighting, territorial neighbors, and differing cultures as they meet other tribes from far-off lands.

The Katzenjammer Kids first ran in a supplement to the New York Journal in 1897. It was created by Rudolph Dirks, inspired by an old German children’s story, Max and Moritz. In 1912, Dirks took a break from drawing, so the Hearst newspaper syndicate brought in artist Harold Knerr to continue the strip. A lawsuit ensued, and two comic strips emerged. Knerr would continue to draw The Katzenjammer Kids, while Dirks would run his own version, The Captain and the Kids (initially called Hans und Fritz). The Captain and the Kids ran (continued by Dirks’ son, John) until 1979. Knerr drew The Katzenjammer Kids until his death in 1949. It has continued to the present day under different artists. This volume includes The Katzenjammer Kids pages from several early 1940s issues of Ace Comics, and four late 1940s issues of The Captain and the Kids.

Five issues of Dell Comic's Francis, the Famous Talking Mule are collected in this volume. This was a popular "funny animal" addition to the Four Color series.

The Cisco Kid and Pancho ride again in this collection of five Dell Comic issues featuring the western adventurers. Cisco and Pancho fight outlaws, renegades, and stagecoach-robbing bandits. This volume includes the first Four Color test issue of The Cisco Kid, and four additional issues from the Cisco Kid titled series run. (The titled series was much more integrated character-wise with the Cisco Kid television show running during the same period.)

Laramie was a television western starring John Smith as Slim Sherman and Robert Fuller as Jess Harper. The characters ran a stagecoach relay station in the Wyoming Territory during the 1870s. The series ran from 1959 to 1963. Dell Comics published four issues of Laramie: the first three in the Four Color series, and the fourth as a stand-alone title. All four issues are reprinted in this volume.

Dell Four Color Comics published two issues of The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, no. 1169 (1961) and no. 1256 (1962), continuing the adventures of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective. The four adventures included are The Case of the Deadly Inheritance, The Tunnel Scheme, The Derelict Ship, and The Cunning Assassin. Dell's Four Color series was often used to test comic strips out before giving them their own series. Unfortunately, no further issues of this strip were produced. (These comics were not copyright renewed.)

Young Cap Stubbs and his canine best friend, Tippie, find themselves embroiled in mystery and adventure in two issues of Dell Comics’ Four Color Series. First the circus comes to town, and then his Uncle Jeff decides to run for mayor. Boy and dog must save the day when shady villains threaten to ruin lives. Edwina Dumm created heart-warming characters that ran almost half a century, and are well worth reading today.

William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (1853-1921) was a notable western figure who was, over the years, gambler, lawman, Army scout, buffalo hunter, and newspaper columnist. A fictionalized account of his life was serialized in the 1958-1961 television series starring Gene Barry. In this black-and-white series, Barry portrayed Masterson as an elegant lady's man seeking adventure in the Wild West, but unlike most gunslingers, Barry's character preferred to use his cane to a gun. Dell Comics issued nine issues of the Bat Masterson comic book from 1959 to 1962 (the first being a test of the title in the Dell Four Color series before the strip was given its own series). This collection includes the first four issues.

Originally published in 1960 in 'The World Around Us' series, The Illustrated Story of Magic delves into the history of stage magic and early performers, as well as the folkloric roots of the magical arts. Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin and Harry Houdini are profiled, and several well-known illusions are explained. Young magicians will enjoy this full color reprint.

The Brownies were first created by Canadian artist Palmer Cox (1840-1924). The Dell comics version was drawn by several different artists. The earliest comics were similar to Cox's style, while later comics were influenced by the iteration drawn by Walt Kelly (of Pogo fame), which were lush in detail. This collection includes four of the Dell Four Color comics featuring the Brownies. (The Four Color imprint included a variety of characters, and allowed Dell to try out some titles before giving them their own series.) The issues included are Nos. 192 (1948), 337 (1951), 365 (1951), and 482 (1953).

Kasco Mills was a Toledo, Ohio, (and Waverly, NY) feed company that produced a couple of promotional comics and even a board game. The comics are, of course, agriculturally focused. They were illustrated by Toledo-area cartoonist Bill Woggon (best known for creating the comic book character Katy Keene). This is a scan of Kasco Komics issue #1.