For Super Sleuth DC Fans: An ongoing look at 86 years of DC Comics, beginning with New Fun #1, January 11, 1935 through March 1938. Contributor mini bios: Leighton Budd, Ed Stevenson, Henry Muheim, Connie Naar New Fun #6 arrived on newsstands September 13, 1935 a little over 85 years ago. It was the October [...]
New Fun #1 appeared on newsstands January 11, 1935. No one at the time had any notion that it was the Big Bang of the comics industry. New Fun #1 was the alchemical transformation of all the one-off original comics that came before, the comic book reprints from newspaper comics then on the stands, the [...]
Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, my grandfather, created a comic entitled Sandy Kean, Calling all Cars, Sandy Kean and the Radio Squad wisely shortened to Radio Squad. It was classic Depression era material. Sandy Kean, a detective on the police force answers the siren call and goes after the bad guys—mafia types who are preying on the [...]
It’s a super heroic birthday for the Major—130 years ago January 7, 1890. And it’s only taken 20 plus years to get a semblance of recognition for the man. I say semblance because his name should be synonymous with comics and that hasn’t quite happened yet. MWN circa 1920 from Strahan family collection. Please [...]
Great news from DC Comics! They are publishing a reprint of New Fun #1, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's first comics magazine published under National Allied Publications. The magazine will be reprinted as a commemorative hardcover, original tabloid size with essays by Roy Thomas and me, Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson. New Fun #1 appeared on newsstands January 11, 1935. [...]
DC Comics Before Superman: Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's Pulp Comics, published by Hermes Press will be premiered at this year's San Diego Comic Con July 19-22nd. Here's a glimpse at how it all came together. In 1934, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson had the idea to create comic books consisting of all original scripts and art as opposed [...]
It's been a busy year on the trail with the Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson Traveling Circus and Wild West Show. Beginning in January with Wizard World Comic Con New Orleans--a short drive from my Gulf Coast winter habitat. Not a bad start--beignets, Cafe du Monde, Streetcars of Desire and all the great food to be had [...]
Truth be told I was more than a little worried about taking on Wonder Woman. By that I mean writing about her with any semblance of knowledge, not to mention writing about Trina Robbins, Ramona Fradon and Mary Fleener, three amazing women comics writers/artists. I wrote an article for Women’s eNews on the panel and [...]
It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Well not the worst but Comic Con New York was a trifle more challenging than Comic Con San Diego. We’re not in California anymore Toto. Paging Miz Estrada. Paging Miz Estrada…However it did, in the end, turn out to be fantastic. We all [...]
The Setting I’m glad to know that Comic Con is staying in San Diego. Although I’m new to the Comic Con scenario, I have come to love going out to San Diego. There’s just something about California—the sunshine, the palm trees, boats bobbing on the Pacific—the whole postcard setting that makes it so enticing. The [...]