Star Spangled Comics

Star Spangled Comics was a comics anthology published by DC Comics which ran for 130 issues from October 1941 to July 1952. It was then retitled Star Spangled War Stories and lasted until issue #204 (February–March 1977).

Star Spangled Comics
Star Spangled Comics #1 (November 1941), art by Hal Sherman.
Publication information
PublisherDC Comics
ScheduleMonthly
FormatOngoing series
Publication dateOctober 1941 – July 1952
No. of issues130
Main character(s)Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy
Newsboy Legion
Robin, the Boy Wonder
Tomahawk
Creative team
Written by
List
Artist(s)
List
Editor(s)
List

Publication history

Star Spangled Comics debuted with an October 1941 cover date.[1] The series began as a superhero title featuring the adventures of the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy who appeared until #86 (November 1948).[2] This feature had the distinction of a teen hero with an older sidekick (the reverse of the usual arrangement).[3] With issue #7 (April 1942), the title starred the Joe Simon and Jack Kirby-created Newsboy Legion.[4] A series of stories featuring Robin, the Boy Wonder began in issue #65 (February 1947)[5] and continued through the end of the title with issue #130, and primarily featured Robin solo adventures, but also included some occasional cameos by Batman. Comics historian Brian Cronin has noted that due to Robin's feature in Star Spangled Comics, he made more appearances during the Golden Age of Comics than Batman.[6]

Tomahawk, a western feature, was introduced in #69 (June 1947).[7][8] Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks, first appeared in #81 (June 1948) in the "Star-Spangled Kid" feature.[9] In the early 1950s, the title became dominated by horror features and by the end of its run the book switched to a war format; at which point it was rebooted to become Star Spangled War Stories.[10][11][12]

A Star Spangled Comics one-shot by writer Geoff Johns and artist Chris Weston was published in 1999 as part of the "Justice Society Returns" storyline.[13]

Collected editions
  • The Newsboy Legion Vol. 1 collects Star Spangled Comics #7–32, 360 pages, March 2010, ISBN 978-1401225933
  • The Newsboy Legion Vol. 2 collects Star Spangled Comics #33–64, 368 pages, August 2017, ISBN 978-1401272364
  • Robin Archives Vol. 1 collects Robin stories from Star Spangled Comics #65–85, 240 pages, October 2005, ISBN 978-1401204150
  • Robin Archives Vol. 2 collects Robin stories from Star Spangled Comics #86–105, 256 pages, April 2010, ISBN 978-1401226251

References
  1. Star Spangled Comics at the Grand Comics Database
  2. Wallace, Daniel; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1940s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Star Spangled Kid had previously appeared in Action Comics #40, but this story by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Hal Sherman introduced his adult sidekick, Stripesy. {{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Markstein, Don (2007). "The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on November 11, 2015. Star Spangled Comics featured another first for DC — the first adolescent superhero with an adult sidekick. It wasn't a very notable first, but still a first.
  4. Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 41: "Joe Simon and Jack Kirby took their talents to a second title with Star Spangled Comics, tackling both the Guardian and the Newsboy Legion in issue #7".
  5. Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 54: "The first solo Robin series began with what the cover promised would be 'a thrilling new series of smash adventures'. Readers seemed to agree, and Robin held this spot for five years until Star Spangled Comics published its last issue".
  6. Cronin, Brain (September 11, 2018). "Did Robin Really Appear In More Comics In the Golden Age Than Batman?". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on September 12, 2018.
  7. Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 55: "The historical hero Tomahawk burst onto the scene in the ten-page back-up story 'Flames along the Frontier', illustrated by Edmond Good".
  8. Markstein, Don (2010). "Tomahawk". Don Markstein's Toonopedia.
  9. Markstein, Don (2008). "Merry, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015.
  10. Irvine, Alex "1950s" in Dolan, p. 69: "Star Spangled Comics had brought adventure stories to the reading public since October 1941, but its name change to Star Spangled War Stories turned the focus of the title to war-themed characters and stories".
  11. Star Spangled War Stories at the Grand Comics Database
  12. Star Spangled War Stories vol. 2 at the Grand Comics Database
  13. Star Spangled Comics one-shot at the Grand Comics Database
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