Fawcett v St. John Over Matt Baker’s Pictorial Confessions, at Auction

Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Fawcett Publications, Matt Baker, St. John Publications

In 1949, Fawcett launched a lawsuit that finally pressured St. John to rename its titles Hollywood Confessions and Pictorial Confessions.

The fashionable romance journal had been a staple of American newsstands for many years by the point comedian books entered the sector with Joe Simon and Jack Kirby‘s Young Romance in 1947.  The associated and overlapping notion of the “confession magazine” had likewise been round for some time by the point that comics entered the sphere in the course of the romance increase with titles comparable to St. John’s Hollywood Confessions and Pictorial Confessions.

The confession journal as we all know it in the present day (or at least, as we knew it for practically a century) was popularized by Bernarr Macfadden’s True Story starting in 1919.  Fawcett Publications jumped into the sphere in 1922 with True Confessions, which by means of numerous possession and format modifications, lasted till round 2017. True Confessions was one of many writer’s nice success tales, encouraging Fawcett to launch different romance-related magazines. While Fawcett was not the primary to enter the comedian e book romance style, they grew to become one of many leaders of the sphere with Sweethearts and Life Story.  In 1949, Time Magazine trumpeted Fawcett’s success in getting into the comedian e book romance discipline whereas noting that Macfadden’s monetary returns suffered as a result of that they had didn’t do the identical.

Fawcett had change into protecting of what it seen as its True Confessions turf by this time, and so they have been sometimes legally aggressive over rivals making an attempt to enter this discipline whereas utilizing the phrase “confessions” of their titles.  As we noticed lately with the American Comics Group v Ace Magazines battle over the utilization of “unknown,” whereas courts usually agreed that no writer might declare proprietary use of a typical English phrase, whether or not that particular use within the context of the publication might create confusion amongst customers (and thus result in unfair competitors) might be one other matter fully.  For instance, Fawcett succeeded in stopping a rival from registering the trademark Crime Confessions in 1943, however didn’t cease the utilization of Bronze Confessions on {a magazine} in 1949.

That identical 12 months, Fawcett filed swimsuit in opposition to St. John for infringing on its trademark for True Confessions with the comedian e book titles Pictorial Confessions and Hollywood Confessions.  While there is no signal that this swimsuit went to trial, it might seem that St. John settled, with Hollywood Confessions lasting for 2 points and Pictorial Confessions lasting for 3.  Both titles have been then renamed and resumed.

It’s unclear whether or not St. John was singled out for particular causes or if different publishers dissuaded Fawcett from transferring ahead with lawsuits.  In 1949 alone, Quality Comics launched Love Confessions, and Hillman began Romantic Confessions, each of which grew to become comparatively long-running titles.  Given the main points of comparable conditions, such because the ACG v Ace matter, it is attainable that the Pictorial Confessions emblem’s massive concentrate on “confessions” attracted Fawcett’s consideration right here.

Nevertheless, with a title change to Pictorial Romances, the collection ultimately grew to become successful for St. John throughout this period, with a lot of Matt Baker covers and tales all through the run.  The brief Pictorial Confessions run has change into considerably ignored by comparability.  An fascinating historic second within the romance comics of the period, the debut difficulty featured the basic one-two punch of a Matt Baker cowl paired with a Baker lead story that difficulty.  There’s a Pictorial Confessions #1 Canadian Edition (Publication Services, 1949) Condition: VG up for public sale within the 2023 August 17 The Matt Baker Comics & Comic Art Showcase Auction #40233.

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