Classic Comics
is a comic book series that features adaptations of novels, plays, and other literary works in comic book format. The series debuted in 1941, was irregularly published in its first years, and changed its name to Classics Illustrated
in 1947. The series ceased publication altogether in 1971. With their garish line-drawn covers and art, Classic Comics
books are highly collectible.
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CLASSIC COMICS TICKETS
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History
Russian-born publisher
Albert Lewis Kanter (1897-1973) created
Classic Comics
for
Elliot Publishing Company in October 1941 with debut title
The Three Musketeers
.
Ivanhoe
and
The Count of Monte Cristo
followed.
In addition to the literary adaptations, Kanter's books featured author profiles, educational fillers, and ads for coming titles. The first five titles were published irregularly under the banner "Classic Comics Presents" while issues six and seven were published under the banner "Classic Comics Library" with a ten-cent cover price.
Arabian Nights
(issue 8) is the first issue to use the "Classics Comics" banner.
With
The Last of the Mohicans
(issue 4) in 1942, Kanter moved the operation to new offices and the corporate identity was changed to the
Gilberton Company, Inc.. The reprinting of previously issued titles began in 1943.
Don Quixote
(issue 11) was the first issue to feature a catalog of titles and a subscription order form on its back cover. Wartime paper shortages forced Kanter to reduce the 68-page format to 60 pages beginning with
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(issue 13), and then to 52 pages with
Frankenstein
(issue 26). The last
Classic Comics
was
Mysterious Island
(issue 34, February 1947). The series name-changed in March 1947 to
Classics Illustrated
with
The Last Days of Pompeii
(issue 35).
Classic Comics
issues 1-34 were thereafter reprinted as
Classics Illustrated
, sometimes with covers and art redone. The line ceased publication in 1971.
Classic Comics
is marked by varying quality in art and is celebrated today for its often garish but highly collectible line-drawn covers. Artists include
Lillian Chesney (
Arabian Nights
, issue 8, and
Gulliver's Travels
, issue 16), Webb and Brewster (
Frankenstein
, issue 26),
Matt Baker (
Lorna Doone
, issue 32), and
Henry Carl Kiefer (second cover for
The Prince and the Pauper
, issue 29, cover for
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
, issue 33, and the first
Classics Illustrated
issue
The Last Days of Pompeii
, issue 35).
Oliver Twist
(issue 23) was the first title produced by the
Eisner & Iger shop.
Some titles were packaged in gift boxes of threes or fours during the period with specific themes such as adventure or mystery.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(issue 13) and
Uncle Tom's Cabin
(issue 15) were both cited in Dr.
Fredric Wertham's infamous 1954 condemnation of comic books
Seduction of the Innocent
. Original edition
Classic Comics
in Near Mint condition command prices in the thousands of dollars.
Classic Comics
titles
#
The Three Musketeers
(October 1941, 68 pages)
#
Ivanhoe
(December 1941)
#
The Count of Monte Cristo
(March 1942)
#
The Last of the Mohicans
(August 1942)
#
Moby Dick
(September 1942)
#
A Tale of Two Cities
(October 1942; cover and art by Zuckerberg)
#
Robin Hood
(December 1942)
#
Arabian Nights
(February 1942; cover and art by Lilian Chesney)
#
Les Miserables
(March 1943)
#
Robinson Crusoe
(April 1943; cited in
Seduction of the Innocent
, pg. 142)
#
Don Quixote
(May 1943)
#
Rip Van Winkle and the Headless Horseman
(June 1943; pages reduced to 60)
#
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
(August 1943; cited in
Seduction of the Innocent
, pg. 143; sometimes considered the first true
horror comic, 60 pages)
#
Westward Ho!
(September 1943)
#
Uncle Tom's Cabin
(November 1943; cited in
Seduction of the Innocent
, pgs. 102, 103)
#
Gulliver's Travels
(December 1943; Lilian Chesney cover and art)
#
The Deerslayer
(January 1944)
#
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
(March 1944)
#
Huckleberry Finn
(April 1944)
#
The Corsican Brothers
(June 1944)
#
3 Famous Mysteries
(July 1944; "The Sign of the 4", "Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Flayed Hand")
#
The Pathfinder
(October 1944)
#
Oliver Twist
(July 1945, first
Classic Comics
produced by the
Eisner & Iger shop)
#
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
(September 1945)
#
Two Years Before the Mast
(October 1945; Webb/Heames cover and art)
#
Frankenstein
(December 1945, Webb/Brewster cover and art; 52 pages)
#
The Adventures of Marco Polo
(April 1946)
#
Michael Strogoff
(June 1946)
#
The Prince and the Pauper
(July 1946; horror cover)
#
The Moonstone
(September 1946, Rico cover and art)
#
The Black Arrow
(October 1946)
#
Lorna Doone
(December 1946;
Matt Baker cover and art)
#
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
(January 1947;
Study in Scarlet
,
Hound of the Baskervilles
; Henry Kiefer cover, 68 pages)
#
Mysterious Island
(February 1947; Webb/Heames cover and art)
Gallery
See also
- One Thousand and One Nights
- Sherlock Holmes
- The Prince and the Pauper
- The Three Musketeers
References