American comic book publishing company
Ace Magazines[1] was acomic book andpulp magazine publishing company headed byAaron A. Wyn and his wifeRose Wyn. The Wyns had been publishing pulp fiction under the Periodical House andA. A. Wyn's Magazine Publishers names since 1928, and published comics between 1940 and the end of 1956.
Its most successful and longest-runningsuperhero title wasSuper-Mystery Comics featuringMagno the Magnetic Man and his boy partner Davey,[2] who appeared in 28 issues of the title's 48-issue run. Magno is nearly unique among superheroes for having neither an origin for his powers or any apparent secret identity.[3]Horror comics includedBaffling Mysteries,Hand of Fate, andWeb of Mystery, while their contribution to thecrime comics wasCrime Must Pay the Penalty (the title later shortened toPenalty for the final two issues). Ace's longest running series were the company'sromance comicsGlamorous Romances,Love At First Sight,Love Experiences, andReal Love, which began in the late 1940s as the superhero books faded away, and continued until the company ceased publishing comic books in 1956. Other long running romance titles such asComplete Love Magazine andTen Story Love began as pulp-magazine titles before switching to comics format in the early 1950s.[1]
A number of Ace stories were used as examples of violent and gruesome imagery in the 1950sU.S Congressional inquiries into the influence of comic books on juvenile delinquency that led to theComics Code Authority, namelyChallenge of the Unknown #6,Crime Must Pay the Penalty #3 andWeb of Mystery #19.Western Adventures Comics #3 was used as an example inFredric Wertham'sSeduction of the Innocent, and in the United KingdomAtomic War #4,Beyond #18 andWorld War III #2 were cited as examples by Geoffrey Wagner's 1954 book on the same subject,Parade of Pleasure — A Study of Popular Iconography in the U.S.A.
Although characters with the same names as Ace Comics characters have appeared elsewhere (most notablyJack Kirby'sCaptain Victory in an early 1980s series, and severalDC Comics villains called theBlack Spider), after the early 1950s all their characters remained unused until 2008, whenLash Lightning andLightning Girl appeared in flashback inDynamite Entertainment’sProject Superpowers. In the one-shotProject Superpowers: Chapter Two Prelude, it was stated that the two of them will appear in this line as part of a team called The Super-Mysterymen (presumably named after the Ace titleSuper-Mystery Comics).
Ace Magazine comic-book series were published through at least 17 affiliated entities:[1]
- A. A. Wyn, Inc.
- Ace Books, Inc.
- Ace Magazines, Inc.
- Ace Periodicals, Inc.
- Ace Publications
- Ace Publications, Inc.
- Current Books, Inc.
- Humor Publications, Inc.
- Junior Books, Inc.
- Junior Magazines, Inc.
- L. B. Fischer Publishing Corp.
- Periodical House, Inc.
- Publishers Specialists, Inc.
- RAR Publishing Co., Inc.
- Readers' Research, Inc.
- Red Seal Publications, Inc.
- Unity Publishing Corp.
- All Love Romances #26 (May 1949); fromErnie Comics, seeAll Love -under Ace Periodicals / Current Books imprint
- All Love #27–32 (July 1949–May 1950);l from All Love Romances -under Ace Periodicals / Current Books imprint
- All Romances #1–6 (August 1949–June 1950); seeMr. Risk -under AA Wyn / Ace Periodicals & Humor Publications imprints
- Andy Comics #20–21 (June 1948–August 1948); fromScream Comics, seeErnie Comics -under Current Publications imprint
- Atomic War! #1–4 (November 1952–April 1953) -under Ace Periodicals / Junior Books imprint
- Baffling Mysteries #5–8 (November 1951–October 1955); fromIndian Braves, seeHeroes of the Wild Frontier -under Periodical House imprint
- Banner Comics #3–5 (September 1941–January 1942) -under Ace Periodicals / Periodical House imprint
- The Beyond #1–30 (November 1950–January 1955) -under Ace Magazines, Unity Publishing, and Periodical House imprints
- Captain Courageous Comics #6 (March 1942); fromBanner Comics -under Periodical House imprint
- Challenge of the Unknown #6 (September 1950); fromLove Experiences -under Ace Magazines imprint
- Complete Love Magazine #158–191 [v26 n2–v32 n4] (May 1951–September 1956); continued from thepulp magazine -under Ace Periodicals / Periodical House imprint
- Crime Must Pay the Penalty #1 [numbered 33]–46 (February 1948–June 1955); fromFour Favorites, seePenalty! -under Current Books imprint
- Dotty #35–40 (June 1948–May 1949); fromFour Teeners, seeGlamorous Romances -under AA Wyn imprint
- Ernie Comics #22–25 (September 1948–March 1949); fromAndy Comics, seeAll Love Romances -under Current Books imprint
- Four Favorites #1–32 (September 1941–December 1947); seeCrime Must Pay the Penalty andFour Teeners
- Four Teeners #34 (April 1948); fromFour Favorites viaCrime Must Pay the Penalty #33
- Fun Time #1–4 (Spring 1953–Winter 1953) -under Ace Periodicals imprint
- Glamorous Romances #41–90 (July 1949–October 1956); fromDotty -under AA Wyn imprint
- The Hand of Fate #8–26 [numbered 25] (December 1951–December 1954); fromMen Against Crime
- Hap Hazard Comics #1–24 (Summer 1944–February 1949); seeReal Love -under Reader Research imprint
- Heroes of the Wild Frontier #27–28 (January 1956–April 1956); fromBaffling Mysteries -under Ace Periodicals imprint
- Indian Braves #1–4 (March 1951–September 1951); seeBaffling Mysteries -under Ace Magazines imprint
- Lightning Comics #1–13 [v1 n4–v3 n1] (December 1940–June 1942); fromSure-Fire Comics
- Love At First Sight #1–43 (October 1949–November 1956) -Under RAR Publishing Co / Periodical House imprints
- Love Experiences #1–38 (October 1949–June 1956) -under AA Wyn / Periodical House imprint
- Men Against Crime #3–7 (February 1951–October 1951); from Mr. Risk, seeThe Hand of Fate -under Ace Magazines imprint
- Monkeyshines Comics #1–27 (Summer 1944–July 1949) -under Ace / Publishers Specialists / Current Books / Unity Publishing imprints
- Mr. Risk #1–2 (October 1950–December 1950); seeMen Against Crime -under Ace Magazines imprint
- Our Flag Comics 1–5 (August1941–April 1942)
- Penalty #47–48 (November 1955–January 1956); cover titledPenalty!
- Real-Life Secrets (#September 1, 1949)- under Ace Periodicals imprint
- Real Love #25–76 (April 1949–November 1956); fromHap Hazard Comics -under AA Wyn imprint
- Real Secrets #2–5 (November 1950–May 1950); fromReal-Life Secrets -under Ace Periodicals imprint
- Real-Life Secrets #1 (September 1949); seeReal Secrets -under Ace Books imprint
- Revealing Romances #1–6 (September 1949–August 1950) -under Ace Periodicals imprint
- Science Comics #10û5 (January 1946–September 1946) -under Humor Publications imprint
- Scream Comics #1–19 (Autumn 1944–April 1948); seeAndy Comics -under Humor Publications / Current Books / Ace imprint
- Space Action Comics #1–3 (June 1952–October 1952) -under Junior Books imprint
- Super-Mystery Comics #1–48 [v1 n1–v8 n6] (July 1940–July 1949)- under Periodical House and Ace Periodicals imprints
- Sure-Fire Comics #1–4 [numbered #3] (June 1940–October 1940); seeLightning Comics - includes 2 issues #3's
- Ten-Story Love #177–210 [v29 n3–v36 n6] (June 1951–September 1956); continued from thepulp magazine -under Ace Periodicals imprint
- Trapped! #1–4 (October 1954–April 1955) -under Periodical House imprint
- Vicky Comics #1–5 (October 1948–June 1949) -under Ace Magazines imprint
- War Heroes #1–8 (May 1952–April 1953) -under Ace Magazines imprint
- Web of Mystery #1–29 (February 1951–February 1955) -under AA Wyn imprint
- Western Adventures Comics #1–6 (October 1948–August 1949); seeWestern Love Trails -under Ace Magazines imprint
- Western Love Trails #7–9 (November 1949–March 1950) -under AA Wyn imprint
- World War III #1–2 (#March 1953–May 1953) -under Ace Periodicals imprint
- Ace McCoy (inSure-Fire Comics)
- The Black Ace (inFour Favourites,Super-Mystery Comics)
- The Black Spider (inSuper-Mystery Comics)
- Buckskin (inSuper-Mystery Comics)
- Buck Steele (inSure-Fire Comics)
- The Clown (inSuper-Mystery Comics)
- Captain Courageous (inBanner Comics,Captain Courageous Comics,Four Favourites)
- Captain Victory (inOur Flag Comics)
- Corporal Flint of the RCMP (inSuper-Mystery Comics)
- Doctor Nemesis (in Lightning Comics,Super-Mystery Comics). A version of this character has been adapted toMarvel Comics stories.
- The Flag (inFour Favourites,Our Favourites)
- Green Arrowhead (inIndian Braves)
- Hap Hazard (inFour Favourites,Hap Hazard Comics)
- The Lancer (inSuper-Mystery Comics)
- Lash Lightning and Lightning Girl (inLightning Comics,Sure-Fire Comics (as Flash Lightning))
- Lone Warrior and Sidekick Dicky (inBanner Comics,Captain Courageous Comics)
- Magno the Magnetic Man (inFour Favourites,Super-Mystery Comics)
- Marvo the Magician (inSure-Fire Comics)
- Mr. Risk (inFour Favourites,Men Against Crime,Mr. Risk,Our Favourites,Super-Mystery Comics)
- The Raven (inSure-Fire Comics andLightning Comics) based on Ace pulp characterMoon Man.
- The Sword (inCaptain Courageous Comics,Lightning Comics,Super-Mystery Comics)
- The Unknown (inFour Favourites)
- The Unknown Soldier (inOur Flag Comics)
- Vulcan (inFour Favourites,Super-Mystery Comics)
- Whiz Wilson, Time Traveler (inSure-Fire Comics)
- X The Phantom Fed (inSure-Fire Comics andLightning Comics) based on Ace pulp characterSecret Agent X.
Media related toAce Comics at Wikimedia Commons