NARRATIVE ILLUSTRATION: THE STORY OF THE COMICS..

Np, nd, [1942]. First edition. Stain to lower left front cover, erasure to lower front cover, several stress creases, a very good copy. Rare. (27587). Octavo, pp. [1] 2 [3-4] 5-8 [9-10] 11-14 [15] [16: blank], [Note: two color comic inserts 4 pages and 8 pages], illustrated throughout, printed wrappers. This is one of the earliest essay's on comic books, an offprint from Print: A Quarterly Journal of Graphic Arts (Summer, 1942). It also includes two four color comic inserts, the first "The Minute Man Answers the Call" with writing credit to Gaines and illustrated by an uncredited Sheldon Moldoff, which is a promotion to buy War Bonds. The second insert is "Picture Stories From the Bible: The Story of Ruth" by Gaines and artist Don Cameron. M. C. Gaines is essentially the father of the modern comic book. In 1933 he devised a saddle stitched newsprint pamphlet which was the precursor of the modern four color comic book. Gaines founded All-American Publications which featured original material including the super-heroes Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. The financing for All-American came from his partner Jack Leibowitz. Leibowitz was also co-owner of National Allied Publications, the company that would eventually become National-DC comics. The companies were merged in 1944 with Gaines being bought out. Gaines would then go on to establish the E.C. (Educational Comics) line. After Gaines untimely death in 1947, his son Max took over the company and took it in the direction that is well known today of horror and science fiction stories during the 1950s.