While War Was Coming

Joe Simon and Jack Kirby collaborated on the first 10 stories starring the title character of Blue Bolt comics. Blue Bolt was a science fiction character in the Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon tradition, given super powers by Dr. Bertoff, in a life saving treatment after Fred Parrish, Harvard's star football player had been struck by lightening. (Whew!) By December of 1941 Novelty Press had handed off production to others. One artist for the feature was Dan Barry, who recalled working with budding crime writer Mickey Spillane on the strip.1

Another character was proving equally popular to readers of Blue Bolt Comics; Dick Cole, young cadet at Farr Military Academy. As the U.S involvement in World War II was about to begin, Dick Cole's adventures graced the cover of Blue Bolt. Although the book is dated December 1941, artwork for this book would have been produced 3-4 months prior to Pearl Harbor, and the book would have been available to eager readers 1-2 months prior to that terrible day.

Characters in this very early entry into the comic book market included: Dick Cole; Blue Bolt, still in science fiction garb, but soon to be joining the military; ghostly protector Sergeant Spook; Old Cap Hawkins; boy inventor Edison Bell; costumed superheroes the Twister and Sub-Zero; cowboy, the White Rider and Super Horse; and inept sailors Krisko and Jasper.

As this new medium of comic books was still struggling to prove itself as a viable advertising channel, the only advertiser in this book is Treasure House Novelties, a department of Novelty Press, the publisher. In an economy recovering from the Great Depression, the most expensive item in Treasure House's novelties ad on the outside back cover, sold for $.50. On the inside back cover, Treasure House offered boys a chance to make money by purchasing a miniature letterpress printing press for the incredible sum of $12.09.

1 The Illustrated History: Superhero Comics of the Golden Age, Mike Benton, Taylor Publishing Company, 1992 p.80-81