F

FAMOUS FUNNIES. Th e birth of the modern American comic book industry begins

with the publication of Famous Funnies , the fi rst successful 10-cent newsstand monthly
comic book, in 1934. At the end of the 19th century, newspaper comic strips were a
national phenomenon that attracted a mass audience and served as circulation builders.
Publishers, such as William Randolph Hearst, quickly sought to capitalize on the
comic strips’ appeal by repackaging them into a hardcover book format that collected
popular features like Th e Yellow Kid , Little Nemo , Buster Brown , Happy Hooligan , and
Th e Katzenjammer Kids. Some of these publications were produced in black and white;
others were in full-color. By the 1920s, many of the most successful newspaper strips
incorporated long-running storylines, and this further increased the public’s interest
for publications reprinting this material. In 1929, George Delacorte, founder of the
Dell Publishing Company, produced another precursor of the comic book. Titled Th e
Funnies , this weekly publication was a 24-page tabloid that sold for a dime. It imitated
the Sunday newspaper comics sections and contained strips such as Deadwood Gulch ,
Frosty Ayre , My Big Brudder , and Clancy the Cop. Th e Funnies remained in publication
for 36 issues but was ultimately discontinued when it failed to earn a profi t. Historian
Ron Goulart described the title as “more a Sunday comics section without the rest of
the newspaper than a true comic book.” Eastern Color Printing attempted a similar
publication, Funnies on Parade , in 1933. Not available on newsstands, it was a promo-
tional item created for Procter & Gamble. Customers would receive the book only after
sending in a coupon.
Th e Eastern Color Printing Company’s place in comics history is due largely to
two of its employees—Harry L. Wildenburg and Maxwell C. Gaines. Wildenburg,
a sales manager, originated the concept of using comics as an advertising premium.