The Holyoke Publishing Company was an American magazine and

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 oft ...

publisher with offices in

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,238. Located north of Springfield ...

, and

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, Its best-known comics characters were

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes who appear in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the ri ...

and 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, ...

duo Cat-Man (later rendered as Catman, sans hyphen) and

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 ...

, all inherited from defunct former clients of Holyoke's printing business. Holyoke is sometimes confused with companies owned by

Frank Z. Temerson Frank Z. Temerson (1890–1963)Saunders, DavidField Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists. Accessed July 15, 2018. was a comic book publisher from the Golden Age of Comic Books. Temerson imprints included Ultem Publications, Helnit Publishing, Et-Es- ...

, including Helnit, Et-Es-Go, and Continental; with Worth Carnahan's Bilbara Publishing Company; and with Temerson's art director

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 ...

's packaging clients Narrative Publishers and Aviation Press.

Publication history

Holyoke Publishing originated with Sherman Bowles, who had taken over his family's

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

newspaper dynasty, consisting of '' The Republican'' and other papers. He entered comic-book publishing through his printing division,"Holyoke (1942-1946)
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 ...

which took over two existing titles from Frank Z. Temerson's Helnit Publishing Company:Temerson / Helnit / Continental (1940 - 1950)
at the Grand Comics Database the

series ''

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 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''. This occurred 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. Quinlan had previously partnered with publisher Worth Carnahan in the companies Bilbara Publishing and Hit Publishing, leading them to often be erroneously grouped with Holyoke."Worth Carnahan (1939-1940)
at the Grand Comics Database Holyoke's next acquisition was the superhero series ''

'', taking it over from Victor A. Fox's

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...

Fox Feature Syndicate
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 ...

Fox Publications Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...

Fox Publications
at the Grand Comics Database beginning with issue #12 (June 1942).''Blue Beetle'' (Holyoke, 1942 Series)
at the Grand Comics Database The two titles acquired from Heinit reverted to Temerson's new company Et-Es-Go Magazines (later Continental Magazines) following Holyoke's ''Cat-Man Comics'' vol. 3, #7, the overall 17th issue, and ''Captain Aero Comics'' vol. 2, #4, the overall 10th issue (both Jan. 1943). Later that year, Fox won ''Blue Beetle'' back in a lawsuit; Holyoke's final issue was #30 (Feb. 1944). By 1949, Holyoke Publishing was based in

and published ''

The Open Road for Boys ''The Open Road for Boys'', a boys' magazine encouraging the outdoor life, was published from November 1919 to the 1950s. The magazine was a monthly for the first 20 years and then switched to a schedule of ten issues a year. It began as ''The Op ...

'' magazine. Holyoke Publishing leased commercial space at 1475

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

in April 1944.

Confusion with Temerson titles

Because of incomplete documentation of the early days of the

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'' ...

, some sources misstate Holyoke's role. One common resource, for example, erroneously refers to Holyoke "

imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...

s including Et-Es-Go Mags, Continental Magazines, Helnit Publishing Co. and Tem Publishing Co." The book ''The Comic Book in America'' erroneously states that Holyoke "entered the comic-book superhero business with ''Crash Comics'' (May 1940)....", though ''Crash Comics Adventures'' was a Temerson title predating Holyoke. That book also erroneously claims Temerson as the Holyoke founder, writing, "Temerson also changed his company's name to Holyoke Publishing," and additionally claims, "By 1943, Holyoke was known as Continental Publishing."

Howard Keltner John Howard Keltner (1928 – July 29, 1998) was an American comics publisher, artist, writer, and indexer. He was a founding member of the Academy of Comic Book Arts and Sciences, co-editor and co-publisher of ''Star-Studded Comics'', created the ...

's ''Golden Age Comic Index 1935-1955 (Revised Edition)'' groups Bilbara, Tem, Helnit, Et-Es-Go, Narrative Publishers and Aviation Press with Holyoke. Narrative and Aviation were both clients of Temerson's art director,

, giving their publications a similar look. As well, notes the standard reference the

, the Bilbara Publishing Company, one of publisher Worth Carnahan's companies, "has often been erroneously tied to Holyoke and to Frank Z. Temerson's companies because rtistCharles Quinlan was involved in this and other Carnahan ventures, and took the character name 'Volton' (but not any other aspect of the character) with him to Helnit/Holyoke. Also, Bilbara's ''Cyclone Comics'' (featuring a character called Tornado Tom) appeared at the same time that one of Temerson's earlier companies produced ''Whirlwind Comics'' (featuring a character called Cyclone)."

Creators

Among comics creators who did some of their earliest work at Holyoke are

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Poland, Polish-born Americans, American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkm ...

, on features starring Volton, Flagman and Alias X for ''Cat-Man Comics'' and ''Captain Aero Comics''. Dan Barry drew the Hood and Tiger Squadron.

Carmine Infantino Carmine Michael Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creat ...

drew "Hell's Angels", a war series, for ''Sparkling Stars''.

Sherman Bowles

Sherman Hoar Bowles was the scion of three generations of men named Sam Bowles who ran the

newspaper '' The Republican'' and other periodicals from 1797 to 1919, when Sherman took the reins.
Abstract
His mother, Elizabeth Hoar, of

Concord, Massachusetts Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the conflu ...

, was the Beth of

Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott (; November 29, 1832March 6, 1888) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet best known as the author of the novel ''Little Women'' (1868) and its sequels ''Little Men'' (1871) and ''Jo's Boys'' (1886). Raised in ...

's novel ''

Little Women ''Little Women'' is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888). Alcott wrote the book, originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives ...

''. Bowles attended Springfield High School;

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

, in

Andover, Massachusetts Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...

; and

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

, from which he graduated in 1912 after having served as business manager of ''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

''. After working a year at ''The Republican'', he spent two years as circulation manager of the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

'' Public Ledger'', then two years with the ''

Springfield Daily News The ''Springfield Daily News'' was a daily newspaper that was published independently in Springfield, Massachusetts, from 1911 to 1969, and then as a merged paper through 30 May 1987. From 1968 through 2007, it was published by Daily News Publish ...

'', his family's weekday-evening paper. After two years with the

US Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

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 ...

, he became publisher of his family newspapers, which also included the '' Morning Union'', and Sunday's ''The Springfield Union and Republican''. Bowles later also became an official of the Atlas Tack Company in

Fairhaven, Massachusetts Fairhaven (Massachusett: ) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the South Coast of Massachusetts where the Acushnet River flows into Buzzards Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The town shares a harbor wit ...

, and the Longchamps and Buffet Exchange restaurant chains, and held interests in

Bell Aircraft The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of many ...

, the Reo Motors, Inc., the Bowles Agawam Airport in

Agawam, Massachusetts Agawam is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 28,692 at the 2020 census. Agawam sits on the western side of the Connecticut River, directly across from Springfield, Massachusetts ...

, and

Western Union The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...

, as well as Alliance Manufacturing of

Alliance, Ohio Alliance is a city in eastern Stark County, Ohio, United States. With a small district lying in adjacent Mahoning County, the city is approximately northeast of Canton, southwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 21 ...

. He eventually turned over his holdings to a beneficial trust for his 500 newspaper employees. Bowles died March 3, 1952, age 61, or 62 (accounts differ). He had suffered a heart attack at a friend's apartment while in

on business; after being treated by a physician, he returned to his own apartment at 201 East 47th Street where a building superintendent found him dead the following morning. He was survived by wife Esther Johnson Bowles, with whom he had sons Francis T. and John, and daughters Elizabeth and Amy. A cousin of the siblings was

Chester Bowles Chester Bliss Bowles (April 5, 1901 – May 25, 1986) was an American diplomat and ambassador, governor of Connecticut, congressman and co-founder of a major advertising agency, Benton & Bowles, now part of Publicis Groupe. Bowles is best known f ...

, a governor of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

and

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Titles

Comic books *''

'' — 19 issues, #12-30 (June 1942 – Feb. 1944) *'' Captain Aero Comics'' — 9 issues, vol. 1, #8 (2) - vol. 2, #4 (10) (Feb. 1942 – Jan. 1943) *''

'' — 12 issues, vol. 1, #11 (6) - vol. 3, #7 (17) (Jan. 1942 - Jan. 1943) *'' Sparkling Stars'' — 32 issues, #1-33 (no #32 published) (June 1944 - March 1948) Uncertain: *''Holyoke One-Shot'' — A series of 10 comics, individually titled but sequentially numbered, are listed under this name in the ''

Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide ''The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (or ''Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'') is an annually published comic book price guide widely considered the primary authority on the subject of American comic book grading and pricing in the ...

''. Published in 1944 and possibly 1945, they consist of reprints of prewar material originally published by Frank Z. Temerson companies. Undated, they contain no publishing information and it is unclear who published them. *''Veri Best Sure Fire'' — The Grand Comics Database notes, "Exact publication date is unknown. Several stories are continued in ''Captain Aero'' #11. Thus, this is most likely a renamed inventory issue of ''Captain Aero Comics'' with hitherto unpublished stories." "Same as Veri Best Sure Shot Comics?"''Veri Best Sure Fire Comics'' (Holyoke, 1943)
at the Grand Comics Database *''Veri Best Sure Shot'' — As noted above under ''Veri Best Sure Fire''

Characters

Originated at Holyoke

*Ali Baba *Blackout (continued at Frank Temerson's companies) *Boxie Weaver *Gargoyle *Hell's Angels *Phantom Falcon *Red Cross (continued at Frank Temerson's companies) *Tiger Squadron *Volton (unrelated to Bilbara's Volton the Human Generator (Guy Newton))

Originated at Frank Z. Temerson companies

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

*Commandos of the Devil Dogs *Deacon *

Flagman Flagman may refer to: * Flagman (rail), an employee of the railroad who is assigned to protect anyone performing work on a railroad right of way * ''Flagman'', a Nintendo ''Game & Watch'' game * Traffic guard Traffic guards, also known as t ...

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 ...

) *

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 ...

*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)

Originated at Fox Publications

Appearing in Temerson titles and ''Holyoke One Shot''

* Captain Fearless

References

External links

Cat-Man and Kitten
at

* (fan site) {{Comic book publishers in North America navbox Holyoke, Massachusetts Defunct comics and manga publishing companies 1941 establishments in Massachusetts 1948 disestablishments in Massachusetts Publishing companies established in 1941 Publishing companies disestablished in 1948