what does anyone know about I.W., Super publications.

[rjpb]

I.W. Publishing ( a.k.a. Super Comics), published a boat load of reprint books in 1958 , covering all genres and often with new covers, and then a smaller bunch in 63/64 before disappearing altogether. Given the number of different original publishers the material was taken from and the lack of CCA stamp on their books, it's believed that these were unlicensed reprints, but that's pretty much all I've ever read about the company.

 

Has anyone ever looked into to what the story behind this company was, and where were these books originally distributed? Also feel free to post any covers.

[Toz]

Am I maybe mistaken that the same person did the Modern reprints of Charlton's in the late 1970's?

[50YrsCollctngCmcs]

I used to pick the '58 reprints up cheap at a flea market in the early 70's. Might even still have one or two of them. Low quality comics but kind of unique. I think they were unlicensed reprints from the original art but I don't remember where I read that.

[rjpb]

Am I maybe mistaken that the same person did the Modern reprints of Charlton's in the late 1970's?

 

According to this fascinating article on Charlton the Modern reprints were licensed for distribution in bagged groups for a Florida grocery chain. basically a cut-rate Whitman type set-up.

[rjpb]

What I find interesting is that a few of the '58 titles were super-hero books, published in that lull between 1956 and 1959, where supposedly the Silver Age was under way, but in actuality outside the Superman/Batman/WW related titles, not even DC was really making an effort, just a few Flash appearances in Showcase, a title which seemed at the time far more interested in science-fiction stories.

 

I'm sure I.W. was just publishing whatever they could gets stats of original art for, from defunct and small companies unlikely to come after them hard, and obviously had no thought that superhero books were "coming back", but they do make for interesting artifacts.

[MrBedrock]

There is a mention in Joe Simon's autobiography about the I.W. reprints. He apparently was the brains and money behind the whole operation.

[rjpb]

There is a mention in Joe Simon's autobiography about the I.W. reprints. He apparently was the brains and money behind the whole operation.

 

Interesting, though this brief article I dug up seems to indicate he was an employee of Israel Waldman ( who later was a partner in Skywald with Sol Brodsky)

 

Apparently there is an article on I.W. in Comics Journal 57.

[dgarthwaite-migration]

Am I maybe mistaken that the same person did the Modern reprints of Charlton's in the late 1970's?

 

According to this fascinating article on Charlton the Modern reprints were licensed for distribution in bagged groups for a Florida grocery chain. basically a cut-rate Whitman type set-up.

 

From my brief investigations, Modern Comics were published by a company that mainly sold children's books.

 

DG

[dgarthwaite-migration]

This is the only one I own from this imprint.

 

Dynamic Adventures #9

 

DG

[catrick339]

They also put out the earliest multipacks I've ever seen.

 

I own the only three I have ever spotted. Two of them are two packs, one of them is a fourpack.

 

Unfortunately all three are open. I got them all from an estate out of Indianapolis some years back and have no proof that the contents are the same on the two packs, but the four pack actually lists the contents, and all four books listed on the bag are what I found inside, so I'm assuming that they're the originals all around.

 

I'll try to dig them out and get scans this weekend.

 

Has anyone else ever seen a multipack from these folks?

[rjpb]

They also put out the earliest multipacks I've ever seen.

 

I own the only three I have ever spotted. Two of them are two packs, one of them is a fourpack.

 

Unfortunately all three are open. I got them all from an estate out of Indianapolis some years back and have no proof that the contents are the same on the two packs, but the four pack actually lists the contents, and all four books listed on the bag are what I found inside, so I'm assuming that they're the originals all around.

 

I'll try to dig them out and get scans this weekend.

 

Has anyone else ever seen a multipack from these folks?

 

That would be very cool if you posted the multi-pack packaging. According to the wilki article of the publisher, this was done as a way around traditional distribution methods where the lack of CCA label may have caused a problem.

 

I wonder if a great deal of these went unsold, or were warehoused, particularly the early 60s Super reprints, which used to show up frequently in relatively high grade in dealer boxes back in the day.