Feature Funnies
Encyclopedia
Feature Funnies was a comic book
anthology title published by Comic Favorites, Inc. in the United States
for 20 issues from 1937 until 1939. Feature Funnies cannily mixed color reprints of popular newspaper comic strips like Joe Palooka
, Mickey Finn
and Dixie Dugan with a smattering of new features.
audiences wanted established quality and familiar comic strips for their hard-earned dimes, formed the suitably titled Comic Favorites, Inc. in collaboration with three newspaper syndicate
s: the McNaught Syndicate
, the Frank J. Markey Syndicate and Iowa's Register and Tribune Syndicate. (Comic Favorites later became an imprint of Arnold's Quality Comics
, established in 1939.)
Hiring cartoonist
Rube Goldberg
and Goldberg's assistant, Johnny Devlin, Arnold in mid-1937 began publishing Feature Funnies from his office as at 389 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan
. Goldberg drew many of the covers.
The new material came from comics "packagers," small studios that sprang up to produce comics on demand for publishers looking to enter the emerging comic-book field. Arnold initially bought from the quirkily named Harry "A" Chesler shop but later relied solely on Eisner & Iger
, headed by Will Eisner
and Jerry Iger
. "I believe the first feature I purchased from Eisner & Iger was 'Espionage' in 1938 for Feature Comics (then Feature Funnies)," Arnold recalled in the early 1970s.
Other newspaper comic strip characters in Feature Funnies included the constantly bickering Bungle Family
and girl reporter Jane Arden
.
Arnold changed the title to Feature Comics
beginning with issue number 21.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
anthology title published by Comic Favorites, Inc. in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for 20 issues from 1937 until 1939. Feature Funnies cannily mixed color reprints of popular newspaper comic strips like Joe Palooka
Joe Palooka
Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher in 1921. The strip debuted in 1930 and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers....
, Mickey Finn
Mickey Finn (comics)
Mickey Finn was an American comic strip created by cartoonist Lank Leonard, which was syndicated to newspapers from 1936 to 1976. The successful lighthearted strip struck a balance between comedy and drama...
and Dixie Dugan with a smattering of new features.
Publication history
Publisher Everett M. "Busy" Arnold, deducing that Depression-eraGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
audiences wanted established quality and familiar comic strips for their hard-earned dimes, formed the suitably titled Comic Favorites, Inc. in collaboration with three newspaper syndicate
Syndicate
A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies or entities formed to transact some specific business, or to promote a common interest or in the case of criminals, to engage in organized crime...
s: the McNaught Syndicate
McNaught Syndicate
The McNaught Syndicate was an American newspaper syndicate founded in 1922. It was established by Virgil Venice McNitt and Charles V. McAdam. Its best known contents were the columns by Will Rogers and O. O. McIntyre, the Dear Abby letters section and comic strips, including Joe Palooka and...
, the Frank J. Markey Syndicate and Iowa's Register and Tribune Syndicate. (Comic Favorites later became an imprint of Arnold's Quality Comics
Quality Comics
Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
, established in 1939.)
Hiring cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Rube Goldberg
Rube Goldberg
Reuben Garrett Lucius Goldberg was an American cartoonist, sculptor, author, engineer and inventor.He is best known for a series of popular cartoons depicting complex gadgets that perform simple tasks in indirect, convoluted ways. These devices, now known as Rube Goldberg machines, are similar to...
and Goldberg's assistant, Johnny Devlin, Arnold in mid-1937 began publishing Feature Funnies from his office as at 389 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. Goldberg drew many of the covers.
The new material came from comics "packagers," small studios that sprang up to produce comics on demand for publishers looking to enter the emerging comic-book field. Arnold initially bought from the quirkily named Harry "A" Chesler shop but later relied solely on Eisner & Iger
Eisner & Iger
Eisner & Iger was a comic book "packager" that produced comics on demand for publishers entering the new medium during the late-1930s and 1940s period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books...
, headed by Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
and Jerry Iger
Jerry Iger
Samuel Maxwell "Jerry" Iger was an American cartoonist. With business partner Will Eisner he co-founder of Eisner & Iger, a comic book packager that produced comics on demand for new publishers during the late-1930s and 1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic...
. "I believe the first feature I purchased from Eisner & Iger was 'Espionage' in 1938 for Feature Comics (then Feature Funnies)," Arnold recalled in the early 1970s.
Other newspaper comic strip characters in Feature Funnies included the constantly bickering Bungle Family
Bungle Family
The Bungle Family was an American comic strip, created by Harry J. Tuthill, that first appeared in 1918. Originally titled Home, Sweet Home, it first appeared as part of a series of rotating strips in the New York Evening Mail....
and girl reporter Jane Arden
Jane Arden
Jane Arden was an internationally syndicated daily newspaper comic strip which ran from 1927 to 1968. The title character was the original "spunky girl reporter," actively seeking to infiltrate and expose criminal activity rather than just report on its consequences and served as a prototype for...
.
Arnold changed the title to Feature Comics
Feature Comics
Feature Comics was a comic book anthology title published in the United States by Quality Comics from 1939 until 1950, that featured short stories in the superhero and humor genres. The series was a continuation of Feature Funnies, a reprint collection of newspaper comic strips that was published...
beginning with issue number 21.