| More Fun Comics | |
|---|---|
 More Fun Comics #52 (Feb. 1940), debut of theSpectre; cover art byBernard Baily. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | National Allied Publications |
| Schedule | Monthly: #1–4, #7–90, #108–126 Bi-monthly: #5–6, #91–107, #127 |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | February 1935 – November/December 1947 |
| No. of issues | 127 |
| Main character(s) | Doctor Occult,Spectre,Doctor Fate,Johnny Quick,Green Arrow,Aquaman,Superboy, "Jimminy and the Magic Book" |
More Fun Comics, originally titledNew Fun: The Big Comic Magazine,[1] is a 1935–1947Americancomic bookanthology that introduced several majorsuperhero characters and was the first American comic book series to feature solely original material rather than reprints ofnewspapercomic strips.[2] It was also the first publication ofNational Allied Publications, the company that would becomeDC Comics.
Cover photo of the first issue of the series in 1935, having seen the emergence ofFamous Funnies and other oversize magazines reprinting comic strips,Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications and publishedNew Fun #1 on January 11, 1935[3] (cover-dated February 1935). A tabloid-sized, 10-inch by 15-inch, 36-page magazine with a cardstock, non-glossy cover, it was an anthology of humor features, such as thetalking animal comic "Pelion and Ossa" and the college-set "Jigger and Ginger", mixed with dramatic fare as theWestern strip "Jack Woods" and the "yellow peril" adventure "Barry O'Neill", featuring aFu Manchu-styled villain, Fang Gow.[1] The first issue also featured humor strip "Caveman Capers", an adaptation of the 1819 novelIvanhoe, spy drama "Sandra of the Secret Service", and a strip based on earlyWalt Disney creationOswald the Lucky Rabbit.[2]
Most significantly, however, whereas some of the existing publications included a small amount of original material, generally as filler,New Fun #1 was the first comic book containing all-original material. Additionally, it carried advertising,[4] whereas previous comic books were ad-free and sponsored by corporations such asProcter & Gamble,Kinney Shoes, andCanada Dry.[5][6]
The first four issues were edited by futureFunnies, Inc. founderLloyd Jacquet,[1][7] the next, after a three-month hiatus, by Wheeler-Nicholson himself.[8] Issue #6 (Oct. 1935) saw the comic book debuts ofJerry Siegel andJoe Shuster, the future creators ofSuperman, who began their careers with the musketeer swashbuckler "Henri Duval" (doing the first two installments before turning it over to others) and, under the pseudonyms "Leger and Reuths", the supernatural adventurerDoctor Occult.[9] Siegel and Shuster remained on the latter title through issue #32 (June 1938), following the magazine's retitling asMore Fun (issues #7–8, Jan.-Feb. 1936),[10] andMore Fun Comics (#9-on).[11]
In issue #101 (Feb. 1945), Siegel and Shuster introducedSuperboy, a young version of Superman.[12]
With issue #108 (March 1946), all the superhero features were moved fromMore Fun intoAdventure Comics.More Fun became ahumor title that spotlighted the children's fantasy feature "Jimminy and the Magic Book".[13] The series was canceled with issue #127 (Dec 1947).
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