CGC Labels Now Include Notations About Publishers' Emblems

Collectors will notice something new added to some CGC Comics labels, as CGC has partnered with comic book researcher Matt Bruback to now provide information about publishers’ emblems appearing on some comics.

The project started in 2019, when Bruback began researching the Library of Congress and cataloging the first use of comic book publishers’ emblems. The first emblem he found was the first use of Marvel Comics’ emblem on Willie Comics #5 in 1946. He went on to also catalog historic publishing emblems from All-American, Archie, Atlas, Charlton, DC, Dell, EC, Fawcett, Gold Key, Harvey, Image, Marvel/Disney, Quality and Valiant. He introduced his findings to CGC President Matt Nelson, and CGC began noting these emblems on their labels in December 2022.

"I was impressed with Matt Bruback’s research, locating the Library of Congress dates for each of these issues," Nelson said. "It provides deeper insight into the creation and publication of these emblems. This kind of information is invaluable to collectors, giving historical perspective and creating another market driver."

To date over 100 comics have been identified by CGC that contain the earliest appearances of over 40 different brand emblems. These include the well-known bullet logo used extensively by DC, and the Atlas globe exhibited on thousands of 1950s covers leading up to the Marvel Age. Bruback is continuing his research on other publisher brand emblems throughout the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Modern Age.

For more information about the history of comic book publishing, read CGC’s article here!

The list of publishers’ emblems identified on CGC labels includes:

All-American emblem #1
1 - Sensation #38 (12/2/44 LOC)
2 - Flash #62 (12/5/44 LOC)
3 - Green Lantern #14 (12/12/44 LOC)

All-American emblem #2
1 - Funny Stuff #3 (12/11/44 LOC)
2 - Mutt & Jeff #16
3 - Sensation #40 (2/5/45 LOC)

Archie emblem #1
1 - Wibur #7 (1/2/46 LOC)
2 - Archie #19 (2/4/46 LOC)
3 - Pep #56 (2/11/46 LOC)

Atlas emblem #1
1 - Terry Toons #17 (12/21/43 LOC)
2 - Human Torch #14 (12/30/43 LOC)
3 - Comedy #22 (12/31/43 LOC)
3 - All-Winners #11 (12/31/43 LOC)

Atlas emblem #2
1 - Patsy Walker #37 (7/9/51 LOC)
2 - Kent Blake #4 (7/10/51 LOC)
3 - Lovers #36 (7/13/51 LOC)

Charlton emblem #1
1 - Jack in the Box #11
2 - Zoo Funnies #8
3 - Jack in the Box #12

Charlton emblem #2
1 - Racket Squad #10
1 - Six Gun Heroes #24
1 - Strange Suspense Stories #16

Charlton emblem #3
1 - Drag-Strip Hotrodders #16
1 - Go-Go #8
1 - Hot Rods and Racing Cars #86
1 - Judomaster #96

DC emblem #1
1 - Action #23 (2/23/40 LOC)
2 - More Fun #54 (3/1/40 LOC)
3 - Detective #38 (3/6/40 LOC)

DC emblem #2
1 - Superman #13 (8/26/41 LOC)
2 - Star Spangled #2 (9/2/41 LOC)
3 - Flash #23 (9/9/41 LOC)

DC emblem #3
1 - Comic Cavalcade #6 (2/26/44 LOC)
2 - Comic Cavalcade #7 (5/31/44 LOC)

DC emblem #4
1 - Sensation #29 (3/4/44 LOC)
2 - Flash #53 (3/7/44 LOC)
3 - Sensation #30 (4/4/44 LOC)

DC emblem #5
1 - Ozzie and Harriet #1 (8/24/49 LOC)
2 - Jimmy Wakely #2 (8/29/49 LOC)
2 - Superman #61 (8/29/49 LOC)

DC emblem #6
1 - Mutt & Jeff #55 (10/11/51 LOC)
2 - Mutt & Jeff #56 (12/12/51 LOC)
3 - Mutt & Jeff #57 (2/13/52 LOC)

Dell emblem #1
1 - Four Color #11 (1/1/42 LOC)
2 - Looney Tunes #12 (9/1/42 LOC)
2 - New Funnies #68 (9/1/42 LOC)
3 - Our Gang #2 (10/1/42 LOC)

Dell emblem #2
1 - Santa Claus Funnies #2 (11/16/43 LOC)
2 - Looney Tunes #27 (12/1/43 LOC)
3 - Four Color #37

Dell emblem #3
1 - Four Color #47
2 - Four Color #48
3 - Four Color #49

Dell emblem #4
1 - Looney Tunes #49 (9/28/45 LOC)
1 - New Funnies #105 (9/28/45 LOC)
2 - Super Comics #90 (10/16/45 LOC)
3 - Looney Tunes #50 (10/30/45 LOC)
3 - New Funnies #106 (10/30/45 LOC)

Dell emblem #5
1 - Animal Comics #25 (1/14/47 LOC)
2 - Raggedy Ann #10 (2/14/47 LOC)
3 - Our Gang #33 2/28/47 LOC)

EC emblem #1
1 - Picture Stories American History #1

EC emblem #2
1 - Animal Fables #1 (8/7/46 LOC)

EC emblem #3
1 - Animal Fables #2 (12/31/46 LOC)
2 - Dandy #1 (2/4/47 LOC)
2 - International Comics #1 (2/4/47 LOC)

Fawcett emblem #1
1 - Whiz #2(1)
2 - Whiz #3(2) (1/12/40 LOC)
3 - Slam Bang #1 (1/31/40 LOC)

Fawcett emblem #2
1 - Master #1 (2/14/40 LOC)
2 - Master #2 (3/15/40 LOC)
3 - Master #3 (4/17/40 LOC)

Gold Key emblem #1
1 - Bugs Bunny #86 (6/28/62 LOC)
1 - Doctor Solar #1 (6/28/62 LOC)
1 - Marge’s Little Lulu #165 (6/28/62 LOC)
1 - Rocky and his Fiendish Friends #1 (6/28/62 LOC)
1 - Woody Woodpecker #73 (6/28/62 LOC)

Gold Key emblem #2
1 - Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped

Harvey emblem #1
1 - Green Hornet #30
1 - Nutty #4
1 - Speed #43

Harvey emblem #2
1 - Green Hornet #33
2 - Green Hornet #34
3 - Joe Palooka #12
3 - Terry and the Pirates #5

Harvey emblem #3
1 - Humphrey #1
2 - Humphrey #2
2 - Lil Abner #2/7

Harvey emblem #4
1 - Dotty Dripple #3
2 - Green Hornet #43
2 - Joe Palooka #28
2 - Lil Abner #68

Image emblem #1
1 - Youngblood #1 (4/15/92 LOC)
2 - Spawn #1 (5/1/92 LOC)
3 - Spawn #2 (6/2/92 LOC)

Marvel emblem #1
1 - Wille #5 (9/30/46 LOC)
1 - Silly Tunes #6 (9/30/46 LOC)
2 - Marvel Mystery #79 (10/13/46 LOC)
3 - Captain America #60 (10/15/46 LOC)

Marvel emblem #2
1 - Jeanie #13 (1/17/47 LOC)
2 - Georgie #10 (2/4/47 LOC)
3 - Patsy Walker #10 (2/8/47 LOC)

Marvel emblem #3
1 - Joker #27 (1/19/47 LOC)
2 - Gay #27 (1/24/47 LOC)

Marvel emblem #4
1 - Nellie #17 (10/18/48 LOC)
2 - Marvel Mystery #90 (10/20/48 LOC)
3 - Margie #45 (10/24/48 LOC)

Marvel emblem #5
1 - JIM #69 (4/6/61 LOC)
1 - Patsy Walker #95 (4/6/61 LOC)

Marvel emblem #6
1 - JIM #91 (2/5/63 LOC)
1 - Patsy Walker #106 (2/5/63 LOC)
1 - TTA #43 (2/5/63 LOC)

Marvel emblem #7
1 - Daredevil #9 (6/1/65 LOC)
1 - JIM #119 (6/1/65 LOC)

Marvel emblem #8
1 - Spidey Annual #4 (8/1/67 LOC)

Marvel/Disney emblem #1
1 - Uncle Scrooge #281 (5/12/93 LOC)
2 - WDC&S #586 (6/14/93 LOC)

Quality emblem #1
1 - Smash #14 (7/19/40 LOC)
2 - Feature #36 (7/24/40 LOC)
3 - Crack #5 (7/31/40 LOC)

Quality emblem #2
1 - Love Letters #2 (10/14/49 LOC)
2 - Broadway Romances #1 (10/15/49 LOC)
3 - Hollywood Secrets #2 (10/19/49 LOC)
3 - Untamed Love #1 (10/19/49 LOC)

Quality emblem #3
1 - Plastic Man #21 (10/19/49 LOC)
2 - Buccaneers #19 (10/21/49 LOC)
3 - Doll Man #26 (10/26/49 LOC)
3 - Torchy #2 (10/26/49 LOC)

Valiant emblem #1
1 - Captain N: Game Master #1 (1/1/90 LOC)
1 - Game boy #1 (1/1/90 LOC)
1 - Link: Legend of Zelda #1 (1/1/90 LOC)