''The Adventures of Dick Cole'' was a 1940s

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

series, created by Bob Davis. It was published by

Novelty Press Novelty Press (a.k.a. Premium Service Co., Inc.; a.k.a. Novelty Publications; a.k.a. Premier Group) was an American Golden Age comic-book publisher that operated from 1940 to 1949. It was the comic book imprint of Curtis Publishing Company, publi ...

, and later,

Star Publications Star Publications, Inc. was a Golden Age American comic book publisher, operating during the years 1949–1954. Founded by artist/editor L.B. Cole and lawyer Gerhard Kramer,

. Dick Cole is a heroic

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

at the fictional Farr

Military Academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally provides education in a military environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned. ...

. The character was introduced in the "Origin of Dick Cole," in the first issue of Novelty Press' ''

Blue Bolt Comics Blue Bolt is a fictional American comic book superhero created by writer-artist Joe Simon in 1940, during the period fans and historians refer to as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Publication history Initially published by Novelty Press, ''Blu ...

'' (

cover-date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unusu ...

d June 1940).

Publication history

Billed as "America's Number One School Star", Dick Cole starred in a backup feature in Novelty Press' ''Blue Bolt'' (and later ''4 Most''), with regular stories about the young hero appearing until 1949. The character got his own book with five issues of ''Dick Cole'' (Novelty Press/Star Publications, 1948-1949), illustrated by L.B. Cole, Joe Certa, Jim Wilcox,

Al Fagaly Al Fagaly (January 5, 1909 – April 23, 1963) was an American cartoonist and creator of Archie Comics' Super Duck and the syndicated gag cartoon '' There Oughta Be a Law!''. Biography Born in Waynesburg, Kentucky, Fagaly later moved to Oreg ...

, Jack Hearne, and others.Markstein, Don
"Dick Cole, The Boy Wonder"
at

Don Markstein's Toonopedia Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...

. Retrieved July 11, 2008
Archived
from the original on September 9, 2015. L.B. Cole continued the title for five more issues at

Star Publications Star Publications, Inc. was a Golden Age American comic book publisher, operating during the years 1949–1954. Founded by artist/editor L.B. Cole and lawyer Gerhard Kramer,

in 1949–1950. (Many of the stories published in the Star issues were reprints from ''Blue Bolt'' and another Novelty Press title, '' Target Comics''.)

Fictional character biography

Dick was an orphan left at the Farr Military Academy, and taken in by Professor Blair, who wants to bring him up to be a physical marvel. After years of training, Dick becomes super-strong and acrobatic. He uses these skills to fight crime.

Radio

In 1942, the ''Dick Cole'' feature was adapted into a 30-minute syndicated juvenile adventure

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio networ ...

that followed the adventures of Dick (

Leon Janney Leon Janney (April 1, 1917 – October 28, 1980) was an American actor and radio personality from 1920 to 1980. Career Leon Elbert Janney was born in Ogden, Utah, to Nathan Haines Janney and Bernice Rebecca Kohn. The names of his parents are co ...

) at the Farr Military Academy. When Cole wasn't winning football games, he tracked evildoers with an assist from his Academy pals Simba and Ted. The announcer was Paul Luther. Lew White provided the background music.Terrace, Vincent (1999). ''Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . P. 9. The program was transcribed and syndicated by the

World Broadcasting System World Broadcasting System, Inc., was an American recording service for the radio industry founded in 1929 by Percy L. Deutsch (1885–1968), with key investors and creative artists (Walter) Gustave Haenschen and Milton Diamond (both of whom had wor ...

. Radio Daily's 1946 publication, ''Shows of Tomorrow'', listed the transcribed series ''Adventures of Dick Cole at Farr Military Academy'' as being available for the 1946-1947 radio season. The series, produced by Charles Michelson Inc., consisted of 52 half-hour episodes.

References

External links

*
''Dick Cole'' (Novelty Press)
at the

Grand Comics Database The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...

.
''Dick Cole'' (Star Publications)
at the Grand Comics Database.
OTR Network Library: ''The Adventures of Dick Cole'' (12 episodes)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adventures of Dick Cole, The Golden Age comics titles American comics Superhero comics 1948 comics debuts 1950 comics endings 1940s American radio programs Comics adapted into radio series Radio programs based on comic strips American radio dramas 1942 radio programme debuts 1942 radio programme endings American children's radio programs