A Senate Subcommittee & the Rare Liberty Comics #12, Up for Auction

I’ve been gathering and studying Golden Age comics for a very long time now, and I’ve learn the overwhelming majority of the classic materials that I write about right here. But not Liberty Comics #12. I do not personal a duplicate, this specific problem of the Liberty Comics collection will not be on ComicBookPlus as one may count on, neither is there even any information about it on the Grand Comics Database. A look at the contents of different problems with the collection and the CGC label notes of this problem signifies that it is most likely composed largely of reprints of MLJ/Archie materials (Black Hood and Suzie are famous right here, with artwork by Bill Vigoda and Bill Woggon). All in all, it’s maybe not the best guide in the world to get — the Liberty Comics #12 CGC 9.6 Edgar Church / Mile High copy offered for $13,800 in 2021. But you may have a shot at getting a high-grade copy of Liberty Comics #12 (Green Publishing Co., 1946) CGC VF 8.0 White pages up for public sale in the 2022 October 27 – 28 Halloween Pre-Code Horror and Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40207 at Heritage Auctions.

Liberty Comics #12 (Green Publishing Co., 1946)

The thriller deepens while you check out the remainder of the output of the writer of Liberty Comics, Green Publishing Co. The writer’s comedian guide output seems to be fully clustered round two years, 1946 and 1957, and — except for the covers — is essentially if not utterly composed of reprints of fabric from different comedian guide publishers. The most well-known title in its meager output is Atomic Comics which was launched about three months after the U.S. used atomic bombs in WWII.

But a bit of digging reveals that Liberty Comics writer Green Publishing Co. has a relationship to a different writer named Chicago Nite Life News — one other firm with a quick involvement in comedian guide publishing in 1945. The two publishers share an tackle and possession and/or management. A 1945 obituary for Norman Korneman, journal and guide editor of Green Publishing Co., identifies his father David Korneman as the President of Chicago Nite Life News, whereas a 1947 discover about paper shortages identifies David Korneman as the President of Green Publishing Co. of New York City. The elder Korneman testified earlier than a Senate Subcommittee on Newsprint and Paper Shortages about Post-WWII newsprint shortages that had persevered after the conflict for quite a lot of causes.

This provides us a probable clue about what is going on on with the temporary comedian guide involvement of each Green Publishing Co., and Chicago Nite Life News. Chicago Nite Life News had run afoul of War Production Board paper quotas in 1945 as a consequence of involvement with infamous comedian guide writer Victor Fox:

Permission to proceed distribution of two comedian magazines, Ribtickler and Book All Comics, was refused by the War Production Board’s Appeals Board, it was introduced by WPB on June 22. The magazines had been printed in violation Of order L-244 which limits the paper tonnage that can be utilized to print magazines and periodicals.

The determination, WPB mentioned, could arrange a precedent for circumstances involving many thousands and thousands Of copies Of comedian and detective magazines which were printed in violation of paper quota rules. The Appeals Board held that the “evidence at hearing failed to support claim of severe hardship other than what was apparently self-imposed”. The enchantment was filed by Belmont Books, Inc., and Giant Books, Inc. Victor S. Fox is president of each companies. The two comedian magazines Ribtickler and Book of All Comics had been printed beneath the imprint of Chicago Nite Life News. Inc., 250 West Broadway, New York N, Y. , which has used paper tremendously in extra of its quota.

The firm that printed Ribtickler and Book of All Comics used, for the account of Chicago Nite Life News. 234 tons of paper in March 1945, whereas the consumption quota of Chicago Nite Life News. Inc., beneath Order L-244 is just 3.8 tons per quarter.

This mixed with David Korneman’s 1947 Senate testimony about paper shortages factors to the notion that Korneman was adroit at understanding the ins and outs of paper brokerage problems with the period and was in a position to leverage his experience to acquire paper for his corporations and use it to his benefit or on behalf of different publishers. Korneman’s 1947 Senate testimony is value your time. He informs the Senate Subcommittee that he had been a writer of comedian books and “detective stories”, after which proceeds to stipulate how he carried out enterprise with paper brokers and paper mills for newsprint all through 1946 — precisely the time of Green Publishing Co’s first stint in the comedian guide enterprise, publishing Liberty Comics amongst others. Korneman additionally seemed to be a well-known determine to others testifying earlier than the Subcommittee. It’s a traditionally fascinating change.

Liberty Comics #12 (Green Publishing Co., 1946) CGC VF 8.0 White pages. Black Hood and Suzie appearances. Skull cowl. Bill Vigoda and Bill Woggon artwork. Overstreet 2022 VF 8.0 worth = $1,242. CGC census 10/22: 6 in 8.0, 6 larger.

CGC Grader Notes:
mild finger bends on cowl
mild soiling on cowl
average backbone stress traces to cowl
a number of staple rusted

View the certification for CGC Certification ID 2137222010.