List of Golden Age

comics publishers

List of Golden Comics publishers. The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history
of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late
1940s or early 1950s. During this time, modern comic books were first published and enjoyed a
surge of popularity; the archetype of the superhero was created and defined; and many of the
most famous superheroes debuted.

Comics "packagers", often operated by notable artists such as Will Eisner and Jack Binder, also
formed during this time, to supply cheaply produced material to the burgeoning comics industry.

This list ends in the mid-1950s, when many publishers went out of business due to the
scapegoating of comics by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham and Senator Estes Kefauver, and the
creation of the self-censoring body the Comics Code Authority in 1954. The debut of the new
superhero the Flash in 1956 is generally considered the beginning of the Silver Age of Comic
Books.

Of the Golden Age American comic book publishers on this list, only ten continued to publish
comic books after 1960, and only three of them are still currently in business:

American Comics Group (1939–1967)

Crestwood Publications (1940–1968)

 Gilberton (1941–1971)

Dell Comics (1929–1974)

Fawcett Comics (1939–1953, 1958–1980)

Charlton Comics (1940–1986)

Harvey Comics (1941–1994)

National Allied Publications, Inc. (later DC Comics, 1934–present)

MLJ Comics (later Archie Comics, 1939–present)

Timely Comics (later Marvel Comics, 1939–present)

Alphabetical list of American Golden Age publishers

Ace Comics (1940–1956)

Ajax/Farrell (1952–1958) — part of Farrell Publications. Imprint: Four Star Publications

All-American Publications (1938–1946) — taken over by National Comics Publications

American Comics Group (1939–1967)

Archie Comics (1939–present)

Atlas Comics (1951–1957) — previously Timely Comics, became Marvel Comics

Aviation Press (1944–1946)

Avon (1945–present) — also known as Avon Periodicals; continued on publishing novels after
the 1950s

Cambridge House Publishers (1945–1945)

Centaur Publications (1938–1942) — acquired the assets of Ultem Publications

Charlton Comics (1940–1986)

Columbia Comics (1940–1949)

Comic Media (1952–1954)

Comics Magazine Company (1936–1957) — assets acquired by Ultem Publications

Crestwood Publications (1940–1968) — later known as Prize Comics

David McKay Publications (1937–1950)

DC Comics (1934–present) — founded as National Allied Publications, Inc.

Decker (1957–1957)

Dell Comics (1929–1974)

Eastern Color Printing (1928–2002) — continued on as a printer from 1955 until 2002

EC Comics (1944–1956) — continued to publish Mad magazine

Farrell Publications (1940–1958) — numerous imprints

Fawcett Comics (1939–1980) — canceled its original comics line in 1953 after National
Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications lawsuit

Fiction House (1938–1954)

Fox Feature Syndicate (1939–1951)

Frank Z. Temerson (1939–1941; 1943–1946; 1950?) — imprints include Ultem Publications

(1937–1938), Tem Publishing, Nita Publishing, Helnit Publishing (1939–1941); Et-Es-Go
Magazines, Continental Magazines (1943–1946) and possibly Continental Publications
(1950); acquired assets of Chesler Publications and the Comics Magazine Company in 1937;
Temerson assets acquired by Centaur Publications in 1938; Temerson assets temporarily
acquired by Holyoke Publishing in 1942–1943

Gilberton (1941–1971)

Great Comics Publications (1941–1942)

Green Publishing (1945–1946, 1952–1957)

Harry "A" Chesler Comics (1937–1946) — also known as Harry A. Chesler Feature Syndicate.
Imprints: Dynamic Publications, Home Guide Publications, Magazine Press

Harvey Comics (1941–1994)

Hillman Periodicals (1948–1961) — continued on publishing magazines from 1953 until 1961

Holyoke Publishing (1942–1946) — acquired assets of Helnit and (temporarily) Fox; lost
Helnit assets to successor Et-Es-Go Magazines

Humor Publications/Current Books (1944–1948) — Ace Magazines imprint.

Key Publications imprints: Aragon Magazines, Gillmor Magazines, Medal Comics, Media
Publications, S. P. M. Publications, Stanmor Publications, and Timor Publications) (1951–
1956)
Lev Gleason Publications (1939–1955) — also known as Comic House Publications

Magazine Enterprises (1943–1958)

Mainline Publications (1953–1956)

Marvel Comics (1939–present) — known as Timely Comics 1939 – c. 1950 and Atlas Comics
c. 1950 – c. 1957, with periods of no particular brand identity

Master Comics (1951–1955)

Narrative Publishers (1944)

Nedor Comics (1939–1956) — also known as Standard Comics, Better Comics, and Thrilling
Comics

Nesbit (1955–1955)

Novack Publishing Company (1945–1945)

Novelty Press (1940–1949) — also known as Premium Service Co., Novelty Publications, and
Premier Group

Orbit Publications (1945–1955) — also known as Orbit Comics and Orbit-Wanted

Quality Comics (1939–1956)

Reston Publications (1955–1955)

Rural Home Publications (1944–1945) — group of loosely tied fly-by-night publishers using
prepackaged material, many using black market supplies of paper at the end of World War II;
mutual tie-ins unclear. Enwil listed as copyright publisher. Some titles continued by Orbit
Publications and others by Charlton Comics.

Spark Publications (1944–1946)

St. John Publications (1947–1967) — continued on publishing magazines from 1958 until
1967

Star Publications (1949–1954) — acquired assets of Novelty Press. Founded by noted cover
artist L.B. Cole

Street & Smith Comics (1940–1949)

Timely Comics (1939–c.1950) — evolved into Atlas Comics and subsequently Marvel Comics

Toby Press (1949–1955) — also known as Toby Comics

 Trojan Magazines (1949–1955) — evolved from 1940s pulp magazine publisher owned by
Harry Donenfeld and Mike Estrow. Imprints: Pix-Parade (1949–1952), Ribage (1953–1954),
Stanhall (1951–1954)

United Feature (1919–present) — division of United Feature Syndicate; after ending the United
Feature comics line in 1954, some United Feature titles were continued by St. John
Publications, and later by Dell Comics

Worth Carnahan (1939–1940) Imprints: Worth Publishing, Bilbara Publishing, Hit Publishing

Youthful (1949–1954) — also known as Youthful Magazines

Ziff-Davis Comics (1927–present) — continued on publishing magazines after 1953

Alphabetical list of non-American Golden Age publishers

Anglo-American Publishing (Canada) (1941–1951)

Bell Features (Canada) (1941–1953)

Cardal Publishing (U.K.) (c. 1947–c. 1949)

DC Thomson (Scotland) (1905–present) — established in 1905, began publishing "funny

books" like The Dandy and The Beano in 1937–1938

Dargaud (France) (1936–present) — publisher of Lucky Luke

Dupuis (Belgium) (1922–present) — publisher of Spirou

Frew Publications (Australia) (1948–present) — publisher of The Phantom

Hillborough Studios (Canada) (1941–1942)

L. Miller & Son, Ltd. (U.K.) (1943–1966)

Le Lombard (Belgium) (1946–present) — publisher of The Smurfs

Maple Leaf Publishing (Canada) (1941–1946)

Superior Publishers Limited (Canada) (1945–1956) — reprinted American comics

Packagers

Bernard Baily Studio (1943–1946)

Eisner and Iger Studio / S. M. Iger Studio — (c. 1936–1955) — Eisner & Iger operated from c.
1936–1939; Iger operated from 1940–1955
 Funnies, Inc./Lloyd Jacquet Studios (1939–c. 1958)

Harry "A" Chesler (c. 1935–c. 1953) — also operated as a publisher

Jack Binder Studio (1942–1946)

L. B. Cole studio (1942–1948)

Visual timeline of Golden Age comics publishers

References

Grand Comics Database (http://www.comics.org/)

Hughes, Bob. "DC's 'Other' Comics," (http://dccomicsartists.com/dchistory/DCsOther-Comic

s.htm) Who's Whose in DC Comics.
 Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999 (https://web.archive.org/web/2015102306
1245/http://www.bailsprojects.com/whoswho.aspx)

Digital Comic Museum (http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php) (scans of presumed

public domain Golden Age comics)

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Last edited 8 months ago by Ser Amantio di Nicolao