The Debut of Golden Age Dr. Strange, Thrilling Comics #1 at Auction

Thrilling Comics #1, cover-dated February 1940 and printed by Ned Pines‘ Better Publications, options the primary look and origin of Dr. Strange — but it surely’s not the later Marvel character you are most likely aware of. A scientist-adventurer clearly within the Doc Savage mould, the Thrilling Comics Dr. Strange obtained his powers from his miraculous system Alosun, “a distillate of sun-atoms endowing its possessor with limitless power.”  In observe, this gave this model of Dr. Strange very Superman-like powers.  He was tremendous robust, bulletproof, and may very well be seen leaping tall buildings.  The character was created by author Richard E. Hughes and artist Alexander Kostuk.  An fascinating half of Golden Age comedian e-book historical past, there is a Thrilling Comics #1 (Better Publications, 1940) CGC GD- 1.8 Cream to off-white pages up for public sale within the 2023 February 23 The Thrillingly Exciting Heroes of Nedor Comics Showcase Auction #40219 at Heritage Auctions.

This debut situation and the Thrilling Comics title itself additionally play an underappreciated and misunderstood function within the launch of Fawcett’s Whiz Comics.  In making a sequence to launch the character we now know as Shazam, Fawcett first tried to trademark Flash Comics after which Thrill Comics.  It’s pretty apparent that DC Comics obtained to the Flash Comics title first.  The standard knowledge concerning Thrill Comics vs Thrilling Comics is that Pines beat Fawcett to the punch and that the similarity between “Thrill” and “Thrilling” pressured Fawcett to again off.

But a glance at the timeline signifies that is not essentially true. Fawcett tried to say use of the Thrill Comics trademark with an ashcan on October 9, 1939. Despite seemingly not having beforehand filed a trademark for Thrilling Comics, Ned Pines’ Thrilling Comics #1 hit the newsstands on or round December 1, 1939, in keeping with Library of Congress copyright information. However, Pines had lengthy made a model out of “Thrilling” in pulps with Thrilling Publications, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Thrilling Detective, Thrilling Mystery, Thrilling Western, and others, so it is not unlikely that Fawcett and Pines spent half of October and November wrangling over the similarity of the 2 titles. Fawcett’s Whiz Comics trademark utility then claimed use since December 8, 1939.

Golden Age Dr. Strange co-creator Richard E. Hughes would have intensive involvement with the comics of that period. Working as a author and editor for Benjamin W. Sangor‘s comedian manufacturing studio, Hughes co-created heroes similar to Dr. Strange and the Black Terror, and later turned the editor of the American Comics Group 1943-1967. Artist Alexander Kostuk would additionally contribute to titles similar to Fawcett’s Captain Marvel, and was a background assistant for Will Eisner‘s The Spirit 1941-1943.

Thrilling Comics was the second comedian e-book title Ned Pines launched, after the short-lived and unusually-formatted Best Comics, and he finally thought of this an extension of a pulp model he had invested appreciable effort in.  This copy is graded CGC GD- 1.8 Cream to off-white pages.  There are solely 23 entries for Thrilling Comics #1 on the CGC census, and this one is out there in Heritage Auctions’ 2023 February 23 The Thrillingly Exciting Heroes of Nedor Comics Showcase Auction #40219.  Check out Heritage Auctions’ FAQ on the bidding course of and associated issues to study extra.

Affiliates of Bleeding Cool purchase from and/or consign to Heritage Auctions.