Snappy Magazine - March 1958 (back)
Snappy Magazine Vol 4 No 24
March 1958
A Humorama Magazine
Back Cover Photo: Pat Shebanek
Artists: Kirk Stiles (left); Bill Wenzel (right)
The Humorama line was a small offshoot of Martin Goodman's empire known as Timely Features. Goodman eventually produced Marvel comics, but his first bucks were made with pulp western tales in the 1930s. Cowboys, horses, bandits and oats were good for Goodman, and he was eventually responsible for nearly 100 monthly titles.
Humorama was the dirty comics and pasty pin-ups sprout of Timely Features, a mere speck in Goodman's vast empire of stapled popular ooze. He let his brother Abe run the show. Martin made big bucks on True Detective type stuff and the Marvel line, but Abe's Humorama line delivered enough cashflow to sustain a dozen titles every month for years.
Each issue delivered 35 cents worth of cuties and cartoons. They were dirt cheap to produce and the artists were paid very little. So were the models, which included Bettie Page and Julie Newmar along with a hoard of country-raised "starlets" who never made it.
Some of the cartoonists went on to make it big like Bill Ward, Dan DeCarlo and Bill Wenzel; but there were dozens who remained in obscurity. One among them was Joe Shuster, who signed his work JOSH. Joe was co-creator of Superman.
Most of the Humorama digests had onomatopœic titles like:
Breezy • Cartoon Parade • Comedy • Eyeful of Fun • Fun House • Gaze • Gee-Whiz • Humorama • Instant Laughs • Jest • Joker • Laugh Circus • Laugh Digest • Laugh Riot • Popular Cartoons • Popular Jokes • Romp • Stare • Snappy • Zip
Snappy Magazine - March 1958 (back)
Snappy Magazine Vol 4 No 24
March 1958
A Humorama Magazine
Back Cover Photo: Pat Shebanek
Artists: Kirk Stiles (left); Bill Wenzel (right)
The Humorama line was a small offshoot of Martin Goodman's empire known as Timely Features. Goodman eventually produced Marvel comics, but his first bucks were made with pulp western tales in the 1930s. Cowboys, horses, bandits and oats were good for Goodman, and he was eventually responsible for nearly 100 monthly titles.
Humorama was the dirty comics and pasty pin-ups sprout of Timely Features, a mere speck in Goodman's vast empire of stapled popular ooze. He let his brother Abe run the show. Martin made big bucks on True Detective type stuff and the Marvel line, but Abe's Humorama line delivered enough cashflow to sustain a dozen titles every month for years.
Each issue delivered 35 cents worth of cuties and cartoons. They were dirt cheap to produce and the artists were paid very little. So were the models, which included Bettie Page and Julie Newmar along with a hoard of country-raised "starlets" who never made it.
Some of the cartoonists went on to make it big like Bill Ward, Dan DeCarlo and Bill Wenzel; but there were dozens who remained in obscurity. One among them was Joe Shuster, who signed his work JOSH. Joe was co-creator of Superman.
Most of the Humorama digests had onomatopœic titles like:
Breezy • Cartoon Parade • Comedy • Eyeful of Fun • Fun House • Gaze • Gee-Whiz • Humorama • Instant Laughs • Jest • Joker • Laugh Circus • Laugh Digest • Laugh Riot • Popular Cartoons • Popular Jokes • Romp • Stare • Snappy • Zip