1939 comics & history show and tell 4 4

[Knightsofold]

To me 1939 is one of the most interesting years as far as comics and history is concerned. 

There are a number of important moments/milestones, and ways of life were about to or had already changed drastically all over the place.

Let's explore any and all aspects of a world where you could walk down to your corner newstand and find an Action comic without Superman on the cover, a pre-Robin Detective, or one of those newer guys like the Human Torch.  The variety of comics available was rapidly growing as 1939 publication doubled from 1938 just as it doubles again in 1940.  

If you were 12 years old in 1939 you could still get drafted before the war ended.  So sadly, for many comic readers, 1939 marked the beginning of an adolescence they wouldn't live through.

I look forward to seeing your 1939 posts.

 

[Knightsofold]

To start I'll show some pictures from the October 16th 1939 Life Magazine I picked up because it reminded me so much of the cover of my Marvel Mystery Comics #4 which hit stands December 20th 1939.  I don't know the day the life magazine hit the stands, unlike comics, is it actually the cover date?

I believe production timelines made it possible for Schomburg to see this before his cover deadline.  (not that this is the first Nazi sub in publication)

It is the first Swastica on a Timely Comic book, and I think the 3rd on any comic.  Just behind the first Top-Notch Comics #2 (M.L.J.) on November 1st.

 

The story behind the cover.  I wasn't expecting to read that a Nazi sub saved the enemy.

[Knightsofold]

The war had just started and there was an interesting article about how the USA Ambassador escaped Poland during the Nazi invasion.

 

Map of the danger zones  of Europe.

 

You could by a War Map for 35c later on in the issue.  I believe those are collectable.

 

[Knightsofold]

The letters column about a previous Life issue showed mixed feelings from the neutral American public.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2017 by Knightsofold

[Knightsofold]

Holy Spoon!!  Spoilers!!

Spoiler

John Snow is still alive!

 

[Knightsofold]

A chocolate ad and a fact about voting.

If you were a 18 year old African American you had to wait till you were 44 (another 26 years) to be allowed vote for a US president.

 

[Knightsofold]

I think you can still buy this.  Bottom shelf I believe.

 

Yuck!

[Knightsofold]

I'm not familiar with the current rates of diamonds, but I bet it's a bit different.

 

How much to go see the latest hit movie?

(Still a great movie IMO)

 

 

[Knightsofold]

What a classic shot here, I wonder how much a ticket cost.

Catch ya later 39.

[N e r V]

42 minutes ago, Knightsofold said:

To start I'll show some pictures from the October 16th 1939 Life Magazine I picked up because it reminded me so much of the cover of my Marvel Mystery Comics #4 which hit stands December 20th 1939.  I don't know the day the life magazine hit the stands, unlike comics, is it actually the cover date?

I believe production timelines made it possible for Schomburg to see this before his cover deadline.  (not that this is the first Nazi sub in publication)

It is the first Swastica on a Timely Comic book, and I think the 3rd on any comic.  Just behind the first Top-Notch Comics #2 (M.L.J.) on November 1st.

 

The story behind the cover.  I wasn't expecting to read that a Nazi sub saved the enemy.

I believe the date listed on the cover is the week it was released. For example the December 15 1941 issue first mentions Pearl Harbor with the December 22 1941 being the all out war coverage issue which makes sense for a weekly pub trying to keep up with current news.

[N e r V]

17 minutes ago, Knightsofold said:

What a classic shot here, I wonder how much a ticket cost.

Catch ya later 39.

Well since you asked...

 

 

FYI, it's gone up in value a bit since then too.

Edited October 7, 2017 by N e r V

[rjpb]

MM #4 would likely have gone to the printers in Dec, late Nov. at the earliest. Judging by his output Schomburg was pretty fast, so there was plenty of time to draw a cover using this Life mag as a reference. The similarities of angles make it more than likely this was the case.

[sagii]

1939 is widely regarded as THE year of classic Hollywood cinema. These babies were unspooling in movie houses across America that year, including two a few of you maybe familiar with 

[woowoo]

1 hour ago, Knightsofold said:

To me 1939 is one of the most interesting years as far as comics and history is concerned. 

There are a number of important moments/milestones, and ways of life were about to or had already changed drastically all over the place.

Let's explore any and all aspects of a world where you could walk down to your corner newstand and find an Action comic without Superman on the cover, a pre-Robin Detective, or one of those newer guys like the Human Torch.  The variety of comics available was rapidly growing as 1939 publication doubled from 1938 just as it doubles again in 1940.  

If you were 12 years old in 1939 you could still get drafted before the war ended.  So sadly, for many comic readers, 1939 marked the beginning of an adolescence they wouldn't live through.

I look forward to seeing your 1939 posts.

 

Here is 100's of 1939 greatness just click the pic and have hour of fun

 

Edited October 7, 2017 by woowoo

[N e r V]

10 minutes ago, sagii said:

1939 is widely regarded as THE year of classic Hollywood cinema. These babies were unspooling in movie houses across America that year, including two a few of you maybe familiar with 

OZ for sure but you'd probably find me sitting in on Another Thin Man in 39'.

[sagii]

7 minutes ago, N e r V said:

OZ for sure but you'd probably find me sitting in on Another Thin Man in 39'.

Great selection too, but if you haven't, you've gotta give 'The Roaring Twenties' a shot. Cagney at the top of his game. 

[LDarkseid1]

Here's some pages from my coverless/incomplete Superman #1 (Summer of 1939)

[woowoo]

8 minutes ago, LDarkseid1 said:

Here's some pages from my coverless/incomplete Superman #1 (Summer of 1939)

That's  cool

[PopKulture]

4 hours ago, Knightsofold said:

A chocolate ad and a fact about voting.

If you were a 18 year old African American you had to wait till you were 44 (another 26 years) to be allowed vote for a US president.

This isn't necessarily the case. The Fifteenth Amendment was passed in 1870 and stated that rights shall not be abridged based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Of course this makes no mention of women, who had to wait until 1920 (except in local and state elections).  Black males voted in numbers early on, even in the South where it took little time to disenfranchise them via poll taxes, literacy tests, etc. By the 1880's, what are generically termed the Jim Crow laws were in full effect, but most starkly in the southern states. In the north, these same efforts were less concerted, but intimidation certainly occurred at the local level. What the 24th Amendment did was to prohibit that manner of disenfranchisement explicitly. People argue to this day whether the prohibition of disenfranchisement is akin to enfranchisement, but African American males voted in national elections prior to the Civil War and certainly prior to 1964.

[atomised]

4 hours ago, sagii said:

1939 is widely regarded as THE year of classic Hollywood cinema. These babies were unspooling in movie houses across America that year, including two a few of you maybe familiar with 

Good call out.  I wish I had some memorabilia on hand but we also had the Duke in Stagecoach.