This year is the 85th anniversary of DC Comics by their reckoning. However, DC or Detective Comics did not appear until March 1937 so why does DC count their anniversary from January 1935? That’s a good question and one I’d love to hear answered by someone in the PR department of ATT. According to that [...]
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 [...]
I've spent 20 plus years of my life attempting to get my grandfather's story out to the world. I've dealt with industry pushback, gender prejudice at my audacity to wade into an area where no women tread, and lack of funding and support so that most of what I've done has been completely on my [...]
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 [...]
Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson had an extraordinary military career. Just recently I spent time in the National Archives in Washington, DC once again sifting through files there. One of the treasures found was MWN's test for entry into the US Army. His test score—99 out of 100! That’s pretty impressive, I’d say. From photos, family stories [...]
I came “home” to the Gulf Coast for a few months this winter and for the first time my two lives intersected. Thanks to Danny Fingeroth I attended Wizard World Comic Con in New Orleans and this past weekend I presented at Pensacon in Pensacola thanks to Mike Ensley, the organizer. In between I attended [...]
In my epic journey (well, after about 12 years or so, I get to call it that) searching for clues to Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's extraordinary life and work I've come across some incredibly talented people with accompanying rapier wits. I have naturally longed to get us all around the proverbial table. I have a genetic propensity [...]