1954 in comics

Notable events of 1954 in comics. See also List of years in comics.

Events and publications

• Publishers Comic Media, Fiction House, Star Publications, and Youthful go out of business.

February

• February 13: Leo Baxendale's The Bash Street Kids makes its debut in The Beano, but is still named When the Bell Rings in this period. It will receive its definitive title on 11 November 1956.[1]
• February 27: The first issue of the British comics magazine Jack and Jill is published. It will run until 29 June 1985.
• Hopalong Cassidy, with issue #86, revived by DC Comics, taking over the numbering of the Fawcett Comics series.[2]
• The first issue of the American comics magazine Panic is published.

March

• March 1: The Billy DeBeck Awards are renamed the Reuben Awards.
• March 4: Jijé's Jerry Spring makes its debut.[3]
• March 20: Marten Toonder's Koning Hollewijn makes its debut. It will run until 26 June 1971.[4]
• March 20: First issue of the British comics magazine Swift is published. It will run until 2 March 1963.
• Atlas Comics publishes Lorna, the Jungle Girl #6 (renamed from Lorna, the Jungle Queen)
• The secret of Atlantis, by Carl Barks, on Uncle Scrooge.

April

• April 14: Raymond Macherot's Chlorophylle makes its debut.[5]
• April 19: German-American psychiatrist Fredric Wertham publishes his treatise Seduction of the Innocent.[6] The book warns that comic books are a negative form of popular literature and a serious cause of juvenile delinquency. A minor bestseller, it alarms parents, teachers and moral guardians and galvanized them to campaign for comics censorship.
• April 21–22: United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency hearings on the comic book industry.
• In Italy, Avventure nel West, by Edizioni Audace (Bonelli), series reprinting Italian Western comics, makes its debut.

May

• May 1: The 11th issue of Mad Magazine is published, featuring Basil Wolverton's iconic parody of the Beautiful Girl of the Month on the cover.[7]
• May 16: In Italy, the first issues of Albi della rosa (reprints of Disney comics, aimed to the youngest readers) and Albi del falco (adventures of Superman, renamed Nembo Kid, and later also of the other DC heroes) are published by Mondadori. The second magazine, lasted till 1970, makes the super-heroes comics popular in Italy, also if the original stories are often heavily manipulated or censored.
• In Gilbert, relative genius by Bill Wright, Gilbert, the savant Goofy’s nephew, makes his debut.

June

• June 1: In Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts Linus Van Pelt is first seen with his security blanket.
• June 4: Further meeting of United States Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency
• June 24: In the Johan story Le Lutin du Bois aux Roches, prepublished in Spirou the character Pirlouit (Peewit) makes his debut. The series will eventually change its name to Johan and Peewit.
• Tralla La, a Scrooge McDuck story by Carl Barks, published in Uncle Scrooge #6.
• The first issue of the Belgian children's magazine Bimbo is published. It will run until February 1956.

September

• September 4: The last issue of the Dutch comics magazine Grabbelton is published, a supplement of De Katholieke Illustratie.[8]
• September 11: The first issue of the British comics magazine Tiger is published. It will last until 30 March 1985.[9]
• September 11: Frank S. Pepper and Joe Colquhoun's Roy of the Rovers makes its debut in Fleetway's Tiger
• Formation of the Comics Magazine Association of America (CMAA) and the Comics Code Authority (CCA)
• Atlas Comics publishes Crime Fighters Always Win #11 (renamed from Timely's Crimefighters)
• The first issue of the Croatian children's magazine Modra lasta is published.
• The seven cities of Cibola, by Carl Barks, on Uncle Scrooge.

October

• October 3: Il Grande Blek by Giovanni Sinchetto, Dario Guzzon and Pietro Sartoris, also known as trio EsseGesse, makes its debut.[10]
• October 16: The first issue of the British comics magazine Playhour is published. It will run until 15 August 1987.
• October 18: Mort Walker and Dik Browne's Hi and Lois makes its debut.[11][12]
• October: Brad Anderson's Marmaduke makes its debut.

November

• November 17: Albert Weinberg's Dan Cooper makes its debut.[5]
• November 25: Mitacq's La Patrouille des Castors makes its debut.
• The Haunt of Fear, with issue #28 (November/December cover date), canceled by EC Comics.

December

• December 22: Hergé's Tintin story The Calculus Affair is prepublished in Tintin. Halfway the story the obnoxious neighbour Jolyon Wagg makes his debut, as does the running gag of Cutts the Butcher .[13]
• Kodansha publishes Nakayoshi.
• The Vault of Horror, with issue #40 (December 1954/January 1955 cover date), canceled by EC Comics.
• Chamber of Chills, with issue #26, canceled by Harvey Comics.
• The Mysterious Stone Ray by Carl Barks, on Uncle Scrooge.

Specific date unknown

• The first episode of Roland Davies' Roddy the Road Scout is published.[14]

Deaths

January

• January 4: Jimmy McMenamy (aka Jimmy Mack), American comics artist (Dotty Dripple, Good Joe, assisted on Dinky Dinkerton, Secret Agent 6 7/8, continued Big Sister), passes away at age 41.[15][16]
• January 7:
  • Bruno Angoletta, Italian illustrator and comics artist (Marmittone, Calogero Sorbara, Centerbe Ermete), dies at age 64.[17]
  • Albertine Randall, aka Albertine Randall Wheelan, American illustrator and comics artist (The Dumbunnies), passes away at age 90.[18]

February

• February 21: Roland Coe, American comics artist (Crosstown Cartoons, His Nibs), dies at age 46.[19]

July

• July 16: Attilio Mussino, Italian comics artist and illustrator (Bilbolbul, Gian Saetta, Schizzo, Dorotea and Salomone), passes away at age 76.[20]

August

• Specific date unknown: Lou Ferstadt, Ukrainian-American muralist painter, comics artist (Bouncer) and comics studio founder (Ferstadt Studios), dies at age 53.[21]

September

• September 7: Bud Fisher, American comics artist (Mutt and Jeff), dies at age 69.[22]

October

• October 22: George McManus, American comics artist (Bringing Up Father), dies at age 70.[23]

First issues by title

Archie Comics

• Archie Giant Series

Atlas Comics

• Arrowhead
• Battle Ground
• Girl's Life
• Jungle Action
• Jungle Tales
• Marines in Battle
• Navy Action
• Outlaw Fighters
• Outlaw Kid
• Police Action
• The Ringo Kid Western
• Riot
• Rugged Action
• Spy Thrillers
• Western Kid (December)
• Western Outlaws
• Western Thrillers
• Wild

Hulton Press

• Swift

National Comics

• Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen[24] (October)
• Our Fighting Forces (October)

Toby Press

• With the Marines on the Battlefronts of the World

Initial appearances by character name

Atlas Comics

• Gorilla-Man (Ken Hale) in Men's Adventures #26 (March)
• Gorilla-Man (Arthur Nagan) in Mystery Tales #21 ([September)
• Jann of the Jungle in Jungle Tales #1 (September)
• M-11 in Menace #11 (May)
• Outlaw Kid in The Outlaw Kid #1 (September)
• Ringo Kid in The Ringo Kid Western #1 (August)
• Western Kid in The Western Kid #1 (November)

Dell Comics

• Turok in Four Color Comics #596 (October/November)

Harvey Comics

• Wendy the Good Little Witch in Casper the Friendly Ghost #20 (May)

L. Miller & Son

• Marvelman in Marvelman #25 (3 February)

National Comics

• Angle Man in Wonder Woman #70 (November), created by Robert Kanigher and Harry G. Peter - DC Comics
• Crimesmith in World's Finest Comics #68 (January),
• Halk Kar in Superman #80 (February), created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino - DC Comics
• Janu the Jungle Boy in Action Comics #191 (April)
• Mirror Man in Detective Comics #213 (November), created by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff - DC Comics
• Mysto in Detective Comics #203 (January), created by George Kashdan and Leonard Starr - DC Comics
• Space Cabbie in Mystery in Space #21 (August)

Prize Comics

• Fighting American in Fighting American #1 (April/May)

Newspaper strips

• Charlotte Braun in Peanuts (November 30)
• Pig-Pen in Peanuts (July 13)

Italy

• Tarzanetto, parody of Tarzan, by Roberto Terenchi (Edizioni Dardo)
• Geppo the good-hearted devil (December), created by Giulio Chierchini (Bianconi).

References

1. "Leo Baxendale". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
2. Irvine, Alex (2010). "1950s". In Dolan, Hannah (ed.). DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 72. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Following the decision to close the comics division of Fawcett Publications in 1953, Hopalong Cassidy came to DC with issue #86...by the writers Gardner Fox and Don Cameron and artist Gene Colan.
3. BDoubliées. "Spirou année 1954" (in French).
4. "Marten Toonder". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
5. "Tintin année 1954". bdoubliees.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
6. "Dr. Fredric Wertham". www.lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
7. "Basil Wolverton". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
8. "Grabbelton". www.lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
9. "Comic Stories". Roy of the Rovers.com. Archived from the original on 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2005-06-09.
10. "Il grande Blek - Il mitico trapper dei fumetti firmato EsseGesse". www.slumberland.it. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
11. "Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Hi & Lois". www.toonopedia.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
12. "Mort Walker". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
13. "Hergé". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
14. "Roland Davies". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
15. "Jimmy (James McMenamy, Jr.) Mack – Artist, Fine Art Prices, Auction Records for Jimmy (James McMenamy, Jr.) Mack". www.askart.com.
16. "Jimmy McMenamy". lambiek.net.
17. "Bruno Angoletta". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
18. "Albertine Randall". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
19. "Roland Coe". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
20. "Attilio Mussino". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
21. "Lou Ferstadt". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
22. "Bud Fisher". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
23. "George McManus". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
24. Irvine "1950s" in Dolan, p. 73: "Jimmy Olsen got his own adventures in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #1. A comic remarkable for its inventiveness and longevity, it ran for 163 issues."