Shield-Wizard Comics
Encyclopedia
Shield-Wizard Comics was the name of an American
comic book
series published by MLJ Magazines Inc.
, more commonly known as MLJ Comics, for thirteen issues between Summer 1940 and Winter 1944.
It featured the titular comics superheroes The Wizard
and The Shield and their supporting characters throughout.
, Top-Notch Comics
and Pep Comics
, as a spin-off from previous titles Shield-Wizard Comics was almost exclusively dedicated to stories of The Shield (from Pep Comics) and The Wizard (from Top-Notch Comics).
Issue #1 (Summer 1940) and #2 (Winter 1940) contained "The Shield - G-Man Extraordinary" strips by Harry Shorten and Irv Novick
, and one single-page text story, six months after his introduction in Pep Comics
and including his origin for the first time; plus two stories of a historical version of the "Wizard
, The Man with the Super-Brain" by Harry Shorten and artist Edd Ashe; not the Blane Whitney version of The Wizard from the Pep Comics title but a historical ancestor from the American Revolutionary War
period. The writer/artist team on The Shield changed to Joe Goggins and Clem Harrison from #11 (Summer 1943), while Paul Reinman
took up the art position on The Wizard from issue #5 (Fall 1941).
From issue #3 (Spring 1941), The Shield stories became "The Shield with Dusty, the Boy Detective", and The Wizard "The Wizard with Roy the Super Boy", in conjunction with their other MLJ appearances. "Dusty the Boy Detective" also had a number of solo superhero tales in Shield-Wizard Comics #5-8 and #10 (Spring 1943). "Roy the Super Boy" solo adventures carved a more surreal path; his solo appearance in Shield-Wizard Comics #08 (Fall 1942) was a standard adventure/superhero-tale, but #10 (Spring 1943) involved a talking dog, while #11 (Summer 1943) saw Roy going through a painting into prehistoric times; in #12 (Fall 1943) he met his conscience and went to heaven, and he had trouble with a magic carpet in #13 (Winter/Spring 1943). Issue #9 also contained "Shield-Wizard Hall of Fame" - a supposedly true life heroic story of patriot Madge Colter, who worked in the Jeep manufacturers and supposedly saved the public from disaster at the hands of tire thieves.
Shield-Wizard Comics ended with issue #13 (Winter/Spring 1943), although The Shield continued in Pep Comics for several more years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comic book
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...
series published by MLJ Magazines Inc.
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, more commonly known as MLJ Comics, for thirteen issues between Summer 1940 and Winter 1944.
It featured the titular comics superheroes The Wizard
Wizard (Archie Comics)
The Wizard is a fictional superhero character created by Will Harr and Edd Ashe, Jr. for MLJ Comics, which later became Archie Comics. He first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #1 in December 1939, and he was the headliner of that title until its cancellation in 1944...
and The Shield and their supporting characters throughout.
Publication history
Shield-Wizard Comics was the fifth title published by MLJ Magazines Inc., the precursor to what would become the publisher Archie Comics. The series was edited by Harry Shorten. Unlike the previous MLJ anthology titles Blue Ribbon ComicsBlue Ribbon Comics
- Volume 2 : Archie Comics :The second series to carry the Blue Ribbon Comics name was initially published by the Archie Comics imprint Red Circle Comics. It ran for 14 issues cover-dated November 1983 to December 1984...
, Top-Notch Comics
Top-Notch Comics
- Top-Notch Laugh Comics/Laugh Comix :In a change of editorial direction, from issue #28 the story emphasis changed to humor strips and the title became Top-Notch Laugh Comics to reflect this. All the long-running adventure series from Top-Notch Comics ended between issue #24 - Top-Notch Laugh...
and Pep Comics
Pep Comics
Pep Comics is the name of an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
, as a spin-off from previous titles Shield-Wizard Comics was almost exclusively dedicated to stories of The Shield (from Pep Comics) and The Wizard (from Top-Notch Comics).
Issue #1 (Summer 1940) and #2 (Winter 1940) contained "The Shield - G-Man Extraordinary" strips by Harry Shorten and Irv Novick
Irv Novick
Irv Novick was an American comic book artist who worked almost continuously from 1939 until the late 1990s.-Biography:...
, and one single-page text story, six months after his introduction in Pep Comics
Pep Comics
Pep Comics is the name of an American comic book anthology series published by the Archie Comics predecessor MLJ Magazines Inc. during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
and including his origin for the first time; plus two stories of a historical version of the "Wizard
Wizard (Archie Comics)
The Wizard is a fictional superhero character created by Will Harr and Edd Ashe, Jr. for MLJ Comics, which later became Archie Comics. He first appeared in Top-Notch Comics #1 in December 1939, and he was the headliner of that title until its cancellation in 1944...
, The Man with the Super-Brain" by Harry Shorten and artist Edd Ashe; not the Blane Whitney version of The Wizard from the Pep Comics title but a historical ancestor from the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
period. The writer/artist team on The Shield changed to Joe Goggins and Clem Harrison from #11 (Summer 1943), while Paul Reinman
Paul Reinman
Paul J. Reinman was an American comic book artist best known as one of industry legend's Jack Kirby's frequent inkers during what comics fans and historians call the Silver Age of comic books...
took up the art position on The Wizard from issue #5 (Fall 1941).
From issue #3 (Spring 1941), The Shield stories became "The Shield with Dusty, the Boy Detective", and The Wizard "The Wizard with Roy the Super Boy", in conjunction with their other MLJ appearances. "Dusty the Boy Detective" also had a number of solo superhero tales in Shield-Wizard Comics #5-8 and #10 (Spring 1943). "Roy the Super Boy" solo adventures carved a more surreal path; his solo appearance in Shield-Wizard Comics #08 (Fall 1942) was a standard adventure/superhero-tale, but #10 (Spring 1943) involved a talking dog, while #11 (Summer 1943) saw Roy going through a painting into prehistoric times; in #12 (Fall 1943) he met his conscience and went to heaven, and he had trouble with a magic carpet in #13 (Winter/Spring 1943). Issue #9 also contained "Shield-Wizard Hall of Fame" - a supposedly true life heroic story of patriot Madge Colter, who worked in the Jeep manufacturers and supposedly saved the public from disaster at the hands of tire thieves.
Shield-Wizard Comics ended with issue #13 (Winter/Spring 1943), although The Shield continued in Pep Comics for several more years.