This may be old-hat news for the vets here, but my beloved wife Marge just gifted me for Xmas the PS Publications 2-volume boxed set of THE THING! Pre-Code hardcovers. Ive owned copies of the later Ditko-drawn issues since 1980, but only now catching up on the whole series… Despite PS affixing the Charlton logo anachronistically to the two volumes (using the 1970s Charlton logo), Charlton wasnt Charlton for the bulk of THE THING! run. Alfred V. Fago is credited as editor on every issue in the indicia, but the company names—what a potpourri! All are addressed as out of Charlton Building in Derby, CT, natch, but... A Song Hits Comics Publication adorns the early issue covers, with indicia tagging them as Song Hits Inc. for #1 and #2. Outstanding Comics Inc. was the publisher for #3-4, cover and indicia; Outstanding is still tagged on the covers through #7, though the indicia began to self-identify Capital Stories Inc. with #5. The wee Capital Publications logo (with a White-House-like dome image) pops up on #8, and thats in place on every cover #11—Nov./Dec. 1953—though thats the first indicia to list Charlton Comics Inc. as does #12. THE THING! #13 slips back to Capital Stories Inc. in the indicia, with no company logo either #12 or #13s covers (save for the familiar distributor CDC logo, which comes and goes from #1 onward). Were now into the Ditko issues Ive had for decades—with the memorable #14 cover (June 1954) the first to identify itself as A Charlton Publication, and Charlton Comics Group in the indicia. Loving these sets, but had to share this bit of info with yall… MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone!
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 19:32:21 +0000
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