Frank Z. Temerson (1890–1963)Saunders, David

Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists. Accessed July 15, 2018. was a comic book publisher from the

Golden Age of Comic Books The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known char ...

. Temerson imprints included Ultem Publications, Helnit Publishing, Et-Es-Go Magazines, and Continental Magazines. Notable titles published by Temerson included ''Captain Aero Comics'', ''

Cat-Man Comics Cat-Man and Kitten (also Catman and Kitten) are a pair of fictional character, fictional superhero Character (arts), characters created by artists Irwin Hasen (Cat-Man) and Charles M. Quinlan (Kitten) with unknown writers. Cat-Man was first publi ...

'', and ''Suspense Comics''; notable characters included

Cat-Man and Kitten Cat-Man and Kitten (also Catman and Kitten) are a pair of fictional superhero characters created by artists Irwin Hasen (Cat-Man) and Charles M. Quinlan (Kitten) with unknown writers. Cat-Man was first published in 1940 by various Frank Z. Temers ...

and

Miss Victory Miss Victory is an American superheroine who first appeared in ''Captain Fearless'' #1 (Aug. 1941), published by Frank Z. Temerson's Helnit Publishing Co. Ceasing to be published after 1946, she was revived and updated in 1984 as a central chara ...

L. B. Cole Leonard Brandt Cole (August 28, 1918 – December 5, 1995) was a comic book artist, editor, and publisher who worked during the Golden Age of Comic Books, producing work in various genres. Cole was particularly known for his bold covers, featuring ...

worked as an art director for many of Temerson's earliest comics; other notable creators associated with Temerson included

Tony DiPreta Anthony Louis "Tony" DiPreta (July 9, 1921 – June 2, 2010) was an American comic book and comic strip artist active from the 1940s Golden Age of comic books. He was the longtime successor artist of the comic strip ''Joe Palooka'' (1959–84 ...

Irwin Hasen Irwin Hasen (July 8, 1918 – March 13, 2015) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator (with Gus Edson) of the ''Dondi'' comic strip. He also had a significant run on DC Comics' original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in the 1940s as well ...

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day versio ...

Don Rico Donato Francisco Rico II (September 26, 1912 – March 27, 1985) was an American paperback novelist, screenwriter, wood engraver and comic book writer-artist, who co-created the Marvel Comics characters the Black Widow (Natasha Romanova) with plot ...

, and Charles M. Quinlan. Temerson often used the names of family members and associates as proxies for companies which he actually owned and operated.

Biography

Temerson was born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, the third child of Jacob (a

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and forme ...

merchant) and Mindel Temerson. In 1892, when Frank was two years old, his family moved to the United States, settling in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

. Frank's parents subsequently had four additional children, including Frank's younger sisters Esther, Goldie, and Ethel. The family were members of Birmingham's Temple Emanu-El

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

, whose founding president was businessman, poet, and humanitarian

Samuel Ullman Samuel Ullman (April 13, 1840 – March 21, 1924) was an American businessman, poet, humanitarian, and religious leader. He is best known today for his poem "Youth," which was a favorite of General Douglas MacArthur. The poem was on the wall of ...

. Temerson finished school after the eighth grade, going to work at his father's dry goods store. In 1913, despite never having gone to high school or college, Temerson was enrolled at the

Chattanooga College of Law The Chattanooga College of Law was a law school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from 1898 to 1942. The school began as the law department of Grant University (which later became the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga). The first graduate of the sch ...

, which was not an accredited law school but which offered courses in legal studies. In 1914 Temerson was working as a "lawyer" (although he never graduated from the Chattanooga College of Law or passed the state bar exam). Temerson worked as an attorney in Birmingham for a couple of years before moving to

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

in 1917. Shortly thereafter he registered with the draft board (where he was described as "short, stout, with brown eyes, brown hair, and partly bald"). Temerson served overseas with the Army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

from 1918 to 1919. Returning to Birmingham after the war, he soon connected with his old synagogue's president's nephew, I. W. (Isaac Wise) Ullman (1873–1947), who was also in the distribution business. Temerson and Ullman became business partners, moving into

pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

printing and distribution. Companies they jointly owned, under the name Ultem Publications (a combination of the first syllables from both names, Ullman and Temerson), included Vamos Color Printing and Inspirational Publications. By 1935, Ultem was headquartered in New York City, at 381 Fourth Avenue, and in 1937 the company was located at 404 Fourth Avenue. Ultem published ''Modern Movies'', ''Movie Stars Handies'', ''Movie Humor'', ''High Heel Magazine'', and ''Silk Stocking''. In 1937, Ultem moved into the burgeoning comic book business. That year Ultem bought out

Harry "A" Chesler Harry Chesler (January 12, 1897, or January 12, 1898 (sources differ) – December 1981),Harr ...

's comic book titles ''Star Comics'' and ''Star Ranger''. In September 1937, Ultem acquired the

Comics Magazine Company Centaur Publications (also known as Centaur Comics) was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing-Man. History Comics Magazine Co ...

's titles ''Funny Pages'' and ''Funny Picture Stories'', retaining Chesler as the packager for both his own previous titles and the two that were continued from the Comics Magazine Co."Ultem (1937-1938)
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 ...

Financial difficulties forced Ultem to sell some of its properties, including The Clock, to Everett M. "Busy" Arnold's

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing company which operated from 1937 to 1956 and was a creative, influential force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Notable, long-running titles published by Qualit ...

. By January 1938, Ultem was bought out by

Centaur Publications Centaur Publications (also known as Centaur Comics) was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing-Man. History Comics Magazine Co ...

. Beginning in 1939, Temerson went solo, publishing comics during the period 1939–1941 under the names Tem Publishing, Nita Publishing, and, most prominently, Helnit Publishing. Helnit published six issues of '' Green Hornet Comics'', with the writing attributed to

Fran Striker Francis Hamilton "Fran" Striker (August 19, 1903 – September 4, 1962) was an American writer for radio and comics, best known for creating the characters the Lone Ranger, the Green Hornet, and Sgt. Preston of the Yukon. Early life Born in ...

, starting in December 1940. Assets from Helnit — including the

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...

series ''

'' and the

war comics War comics is a genre of comic books that gained popularity in English-speaking countries following World War II. History American war comics Shortly after the birth of the modern comic book in the mid- to late 1930s, comics publishers began incl ...

series ''Captain Aero Comics'' — were acquired by

Holyoke Publishing The Holyoke Publishing Company was an American magazine and comic-book publisher with offices in Holyoke, and Springfield, Massachusetts, and New York City, Its best-known comics characters were Blue Beetle and the superhero duo Cat-Man (later r ...

in late 1941, with comics

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 January 1942''Cat-Man Comics'' (Holyoke, 1942 Series)
at the Grand Comics Database and February 1942.''Captain Aero Comics'' (Holyoke, 1942 Series)
at the Grand Comics Database Temerson's staff, including artist Charles Quinlan, continued to produce both series."Holyoke (1942-1946)
at the

In 1943, the two titles acquired from Heinit reverted to Temerson's new company Et-Es-Go Magazines (likely named after Temerson's younger sisters Ethel, Esther, and Goldie), which soon transitioned to Continental Magazines. Pioneering female publisher, editor, and cartoonist Ray Herman started her career as an assistant to Temerson in 1943."Rae Herman,"
''Who's Who of American Comic Book Artists, 1928–1999.'' Accessed Sept. 23, 2017. Other titles published by Temerson in the period 1943–1946 were ''Suspense Comics'' and ''Terrific Comics''. Some sources indicate Temerson was behind Continental Publications in 1950. Temerson died in 1963 at age 73, buried in Knesses Israel Cemetery in Birmingham."Frank Z. Temerson,"
Find a Grave. Accessed September 12, 2018.

Comic book titles published

* ''Captain Aero Comics'' elnit, Et-Es-Go, Continental Magazines(14 issues, Dec. 1941–Aug. 1946) — published by

in 1942–1943 * ''Captain Fearless Comics'' elnit(2 issues, Aug.–Sept. 1941) * ''

'' elnit, Et-Es-Go, Continental Magazines(21 issues, May 1941–Aug. 1946) — published by

in 1942–1943 * ''Crash Comics Adventures'' em(5 issues, May–Nov. 1940) * ''Foodini'' ontinental Publications(4 issues, March–Aug. 1950) * ''Funny Pages'' ltem(5 issues, Sept. 1937–Jan. 1938) — taken over from

; continued by

* ''Funny Picture Stories'' ltem(5 issues, Sept. 1937–Jan. 1938) — taken over from

; continued by

* '' Green Hornet Comics'' elnit(6 issues, Dec. 1940–Aug. 1941) — continued by

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfr ...

* ''Star Comics'' ltem(3 issues, Oct./Nov. 1937–Jan. 1938) — taken over from Chesler/Dynamic; continued by

* ''Star Ranger'' ltem(3 issues, Oct./Nov. 1937–Jan. 1938) — taken over from Chesler/Dynamic; continued by

* ''Suspense Comics'' t-Es-Go Magazines, Continental Magazines(12 issues, Dec. 1943–Sept. 1946) * ''Terrific Comics'' t-Es-Go Magazines, Continental Magazines(6 issues, Jan–Nov., 1944) * ''Whirlwind Comics''

ita Ita or ITA may refer to : Places and jurisdictions * ITA, ISO 3166-1 country code for Italy * Ita (Africa), an ancient city and former bishopric in Roman Mauretania, presently a Latin Catholic titular see * Itá, Paraguay People * Ita (prin ...

(3 issues, June–Sept. 1940)

Comic book characters published by Temerson companies

* Alias X * Captain Aero * Captain Fearless * Cat-Man **

Kitten A kitten is a juvenile cat. After being born, kittens display primary altriciality and are totally dependent on their mothers for survival. They normally do not open their eyes for seven to ten days. After about two weeks, kittens develop qu ...

*Commandos of the Devil Dogs *Deacon * Flagman *

The Hood The Hood (Parker Robbins) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan, and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell (comics), Eric Powell, the character was introduced in his own sel ...

(unrelated to Marvel Comics'

Hood Hood may refer to: Covering Apparel * Hood (headgear), type of head covering ** Article of Academic dress#Hood, academic dress ** Bondage hood, sex toy * Hoodie, hooded sweatshirt Anatomy * Clitoral hood, a hood of skin surrounding the clitori ...

) *

Grand Comics Database: ''Captain Fearless'' #1
at the

*Pied Piper (published by Helnit and Holoyoke only) *Ragman (unrelated to

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...

' Ragman) *Solar (last published by Holyoke before Temerson reclaimed characters)

References

Notes

Sources consulted