12 Facts About Dell Comics

1.

Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines.

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2.

In 1953 Dell claimed to be the world's largest comics publisher, selling 26 million copies each month.

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3.

In 1933, Dell collaborated with Eastern Color Printing to publish the 36-page Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics, considered by historians the first true American comic book; Goulart, for example, calls it "the cornerstone for one of the most lucrative branches of magazine publishing".

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4.

In early 1934, Dell Comics published the single-issue Famous Funnies: Series 1, printed by Eastern Color.

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5.

Dell Comics was best known for its licensed material, most notably the animated characters from Walt Disney Productions, Warner Bros.

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6.

In 1948, Dell refused an invitation of membership in the nascent Association of Comics Magazine Publishers.

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7.

Dell Comics offered various subscription premiums during the 1940s and 1950s in what Mark Evanier has dubbed a coordinated concerted "aggressive subscription push" and offered the option of an illustrated note or card be sent to the recipients of a gift subscription for birthdays or Christmas.

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8.

Dell Comics drew new talent to its fold, such as Frank Springer, Don Arneson, and Lionel Ziprin.

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9.

Dell Comics continued for another 11 years with licensed television and motion picture adaptations and a few generally poorly received original titles.

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10.

Dell Comics additionally attempted to do superhero titles, including Nukla, Superheroes, Brain Boy, and a critically ridiculed trio of titles based on the Universal Pictures monsters Frankenstein, Dracula and Werewolf that recast the characters as superheroes.

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11.

Dell Comics ceased publication in 1974, with a few of its former titles moving to Gold Key Comics.

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12.

Bantam Dell Comics became part of the Random House publishing group in 2008.

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