New Fun
Entry updated 26 May 2025. Tagged: Comics, Publication.
US Comic (1935-1947, under various titles). Initially National Allied Publications Inc, but most were published under various DC Comics imprints. 127 issues: #1-#7 as New Fun, 8-#9 as More Fun, #10-#127 as More Fun Comics. Artists include Bernard Baily, Henry Boltinoff, Joe Donohoe, Whitney Ellsworth, Homer Fleming, Clem Gretter (see Clem Gretta),Tom Hickey, Bob Kane, Dick Loederer, Joe Shuster and Joe Sulman. Scriptwriters include Bernard Baily, Henry Boltinoff, Joe Donohoe, Whitney Ellsworth, Ken Fitch, Gardner Fox, Homer Fleming, Tom Hickey, Bob Kane, Dick Loederer, George Papp, Jerry Siegel and Joe Sulman. Initially 36 pages per issue, rising to 68 and declining to 52.
This entry covers #1-#30 only (February 1935-March 1938). A comic of very short strips (from one row to one page of panels) covering a mixed bag of genres including sf and Fantasy, but mainly adventure and Humour, the latter sometimes featuring anthropomorphized animals including Walt Disney's Oswald the Rabbit (see The Walt Disney Company) until #7. A few strips were nonfiction. From #9 the comic was reduced in size, with most one-page strips becoming two or three pages; later some ran to four or five. There were also text features, both fiction and non-fiction. The text stories were not usually genre, but "Hot Gold" in #2, by Ken Fitch, is a "thrilling air adventure story of the next century" which includes a Ray Gun; #6 has another in the same setting. Nonfiction pieces include some science articles.
The serial strips particularly suffered from their brevity: having to open by dealing with the threat introduced at the end of the previous issue, there is little time to move the story forward before introducing the new threat to close the current issue. New Fun is best remembered as publishing the first comic book strips by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, with Henri Duval (a French swordsman in the Three Musketeers mode) and, under pseudonyms, Doctor Occult (see below), both debuting in #6. Walt Kelly of Pogo fame appeared in New Fun with stories of leprechauns (see Little Green Men; Mythology). After the period covered by this entry, Gardner Fox and Batman co-creator Bob Kane would frequently contribute to More Fun Comics.
#1 includes Don Drake on the Planet Saro, with Don Drake and friend Betty flying in a pressurized gondola carried by a Balloon when they find themselves in space and land on the planet Saro. A Planetary Romance follows, with the pair accompanying a midget race and trying to reach their City; the journey has them experiencing exotic Monsters and peoples: the former, such as a man-eating giant (see Great and Small), are often seen off by Don's Ray Gun; the latter include initially hostile women riding giant winged insects, who are referred to as Amazons (see Women in SF). Arriving at the city they discover its fairest maiden about to be sacrificed to a sea monster, which Don kills, despite the interference of the priests and soldiers, who – when the Queen sides with Don – respond by overthrowing her. Don, Betty and the Queen end up wandering the planet; initially good, with some nice artwork by Gretta, the story becomes dull from this point. The strip last appears in #17, ending mid-adventure.
In 2023 Super-Police, Professor Shanley (see Scientists) has invented the Hi-Lo, a combined airplane and submarine (see Transportation; Under the Sea), to be flown by Rex of the Super-Police (see Crime and Punishment). They depart for the Galápagos, where US ships have been disappearing; the professor's impetuous daughter Joan joins them by grabbing the Hi-Lo's tail as it flies off. In #2 we are told the craft travels through a "vacuum, which it creates by radiating and projecting ahead a tubular wall of cosmic rays" (see Imaginary Science) and discover the US ships are being taken by "Captain Kiddlaw, the wizard pirate". At first Professor Shanley's Inventions are prominent, but he is sidelined and, aside from Kiddlaw's ex-girlfriend trying to marry Rex by wearing an ugly mask and pretending to be a local Queen, the tale loses what little interest it had. The strip last appears in #14, ending mid-adventure.
Other serials beginning in the first issue are: The Magic Crystal of History, where two children shelter in a strange house and notice a glowing crystal ball ("Gee Whillikens" says the boy); its light engulfs them and they find themselves in Ancient Egypt (see Time Travel). Subsequently the crystal ball acts more as a Time Viewer and they witness assorted historical events. Caveman Capers concerns Caveboy Ur (see Prehistoric SF), who after discovering fire in a tree struck by lightning, goes on to have adventures with his sister Wur, often involving Dinosaurs; he last appeared in #5,
Beginning in #3 is Brad Hardy "In the Underground Kingdom of the Snakemen", where Brad and Lorraine crash-land in Mongolia, to by attacked by Snakemen (men with long necks and snake heads), Rat Men and the ruler of an evil Underground civilization whose Shapeshifter magician can turn himself into a snake. They also combat the "living ape god", giant spiders and the horned "grey men of the cliffs" who brainwash Lorraine. #6 introduces Dr Occult the Ghost Detective (see Crime and Punishment), who has "sworn to combat supernatural evil"; the first serial involves the Vampire Master, who uses science – one of whose devices is able to duplicate people (see Matter Duplication); another story has Werewolves which can be created with an injection. With #14-#17 Dr Occult changes his detective suit for briefs and a cloak, resembling a Superhero, and is aided by The Seven, ghost-like beings (see Supernatural Creatures). His foe is Koth, whose hatred of humanity results from his Spaceship crashing on Earth ages ago with the rest of the crew (see Aliens) being murdered by early man. With #18 Dr Occult reverts to being more conventionally attired and having detective adventures again, though some were more science-based than supernatural: in #21 he is killed, only to be resurrected in #22 by the "Lord of Life" who uses Technology; in #25 another Mad Scientist rearranges people's atoms to convert them into bronze statuettes (see Transmutation). However, in #26 he does venture into the ether world (see Dimensions), which is inhabited by a tentacled monster. #14 introduces Bob Merritt "Gentleman Adventurer and Inventor" who has a "super plane" with what appears to be jet propulsion (along with a propeller), but this is the only genre element. #15 brings Mark Marson "of the inter-planetary police", set in 2060, whose serial deals with the theft of plans for "a giant sun ray cannon" and the abduction of its inventor from the planet Cirolia.
An Alternate History non-fiction series began in #11 called "Just Suppose", which first speculates that if the Spanish Armada had not been weakened by storms and had conquered England there would still have been the Inquisition but no Shakespeare; and second that, if the German mercenaries had not been carousing, then Washington would not have crossed the Delaware and the USA would still be a British dominion. Later issues have more of the usual suspects, such as: what if the Chinese had used gunpowder for military purposes, would they have conquered the world; what if Hannibal had succeeded ("our law and culture would have born the stamp of Semitic Carthage rather than Latin Rome")? However, #18 does ponder: what if the dinosaurs had thumbs? [SP]
links
- Comic Book Plus
- Grand Comics Database
- Comic Book Plus – More Fun and More Fun Comics
- Grand Comics Database – More Fun
- Grand Comics Database – More Fun Comics
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