''Wings Comics'' was an

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air ...

-themed anthology

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 ...

published by

Fiction House Fiction House was an American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was founded by John B. "Jack" Kelly and John W. Glenister.Saunders, David"JACK BYRNE (1902-1972),"Field Guide to Wild American P ...

from 1940–

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

. ''Wings Comics'' was one of Fiction House's "Big 6" comics titles (which also included ''

Jumbo Comics ''Jumbo Comics'' was an adventure anthology comic book published by Fiction House from 1938–1953. ''Jumbo Comics'' was Fiction House's first comics title; the publisher had previously specialized in pulp magazines. The lead feature for ''Jumbo C ...

'', ''

Jungle Comics A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅ ...

'', ''

Planet Comics ''Planet Comics'' was a science fiction comic book title published by Fiction House from January 1940 to Winter 1953. It was the first comic book dedicated wholly to science fiction.Benton, Mike. ''Science Fiction Comics: The Illustrated History'' ...

'', ''

Fight Comics Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...

'', and ''

Rangers Comics A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to: * Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting an ...

'').

Overview

Fiction House started out as a

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 ...

publisher, with one of their more popular titles being ''Wings'' (which ultimately ran 133 issues 1+ volumes from January 1928 to Spring 1953). ''Wings Comics'', which was produced by the Eisner and Iger Studio, took its title and themes from the pulp title. The title initially targeted "flight enthusiasts, with articles about the history of flight and aerobatics, such as

wing walking Wing walking is the act of moving along the wings of an aeroplane (most commonly a biplane) during flight, sometimes transferring between planes. It originated as a daredevil stunt in the aerial barnstorming shows of the 1920s, and became the sub ...

.""Wings Comics,"
Fury Comics. Accessed July 8, 2018. With the U.S entry into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, ''Wings Comics'' began emphasizing "patriotic war stories," similar to those of

Captain Midnight ''Captain Midnight'' (later rebranded on television as ''Jet Jackson, Flying Commando'') is a United States, U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into ...

and

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 ...

Blackhawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus uru ...

. With the end of the war, ''Wings Comics'' returned its focus to historical stories, "real-life heroes of aviation," and text pieces on

model aircraft A model aircraft is a small unmanned aircraft. Many are replicas of real aircraft. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed static, display, or shelf models. Aircraft manufactur ...

. Long-running recurring features in ''Wings Comics'' were "Jane Martin" and "Suicide Smith."

Publication history

''Wings Comics'' started out as a 68-page-monthly, eventually settling on 52 pages per issue until issue #106. The title went to 36 pages for the duration of its run; also becoming quarterly with issue #110 (Winter 1949). Ultimately, Fiction House published 124 issues of ''Wings Comics'' from September 1940 to Summer 1954.

Contributors

During the 1940s,

John Celardo John Celardo (December 27, 1918 – January 6, 2012) was an American comic strip and comic book artist, best known for illustrating the ''Tarzan'' comic strip. Early life Born on Staten Island, Celardo continued to live there most of his life ...

was an assistant art director and a major contributor to the Fiction House line, notably for ''Wings Comics.''

Art Saaf Arthur Saaf (December 4, 1921 – April 21, 2007) was an American comics artist from the Golden Age of Comics who also worked in television. He commonly went by Art or Artie. Career Art Saaf was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1921 and developed ...

produced covers for issues #7, 15, 19-57, and 98. Pioneering female cartoonist

Lily Renée Lily Renée Phillips ('' née'' Willheim; May 12, 1921 – August 24, 2022), often credited as L. Renée, Lily Renée, or Reney, was an Austrian-born American artist best known as one of the earliest women in the comic-book industry, beginning i ...

worked on the "Jane Martin" feature in 1943–1944. Similarly,

Ruth Atkinson Ruth Atkinson Ford, née Ruth Atkinson and a.k.a. R. Atkinson (June 2, 1918 – June 1, 1997), Includes obituary for Ruth Atkinson Ford, giving date of death date as June 1, 1997.Date of death given as May 31, 1997 at that the Lambiek Comiclop ...

's first confirmed, signed work is the single-page "Wing Tips" featurette in issue #42 (Feb. 1944). Atkinson continued to

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage, and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail ...

and

ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. Thicker ...

that featurette, as well as "Clipper Kirk" and "Suicide Smith." Long-time

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

inker

Murphy Anderson Murphy C. Anderson Jr. (July 9, 1926 – October 22, 2015) was an American comics artist, known as one of the premier inkers of his era, who worked for companies such as DC Comics for over fifty years, starting in the Golden Age of Comic Books in ...

's first confirmed credit is the two-and-two-thirds-page nonfiction aviation featurette "Jet Propulsion" in ''Wings Comics'' #48 (

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 Aug. 1944), and his first fiction feature was an eight-page "Suicide Smith" story in issue #50 (Oct. 1944).

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

's first illustration work was in 1944 for ''Wings Comics'' (" st a summertime job before I went into the service"). This led to Colan's the one-page "Wing Tips"

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

filler "

P-51B Mustang Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts. Allison-engined Mustangs NA ...

" (issue #52, Dec. 1944). His first comics story was a seven-page "Clipper Kirk" feature in the following month's issue.''Wings Comics'' #53 (Jan. 1945)
at the Grand Comics Database Pioneering black cartoonist

Alvin Hollingsworth Alvin C. Hollingsworth (25 February 1928 – July 14, 2000),
at the Howard Larsen Howard Larsen was an American comic book illustrator for EC Comics and other publishers during the 1940s and 1950s. Crime and Western comics Specializing in crime and Western stories, Larsen contributed to several comics publishers, including Am ...

, George Evans, Tom Gill,Tom Gill
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 ...

George Tuska George Tuska (; April 26, 1916 – October 16, 2009),George Tuska
at the Social Security Death Index via Fami ...

, and

Klaus Nordling Klaus Nordling (May 29, 1910 – November 19, 1986)Klaus Nordling
at the

Recurring features

"Clipper Kirk" — ran issues #1–70 (1940–1946); contributors included

, and

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

"Greasemonkey Griffin" — ran issues #1–96 (1940–1948); contributors included

Alex Blum Alexander Anthony Blum (February 7, 1889 – September 1969) was a Hungarian-American comic book artist best remembered for his contributions in the 1940s and 1950s to the long-running comic book series ''Classics Illustrated''. Biography Born ...

"Jane Martin" — espionage feature starring a female pilot working in the male-dominated aviation industry, which ran throughout the title's entire run. Drawn by female artists

from issues #31 to 48 (March 1943–Aug. 1944)Lily Renée
at the

. and

Fran Hopper Fran Hopper (July 13, 1922 – November 29, 2017), née Frances R. Deitrick, was an American comic-book artist active during the 1930s–1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books. One of the earliest women in the field, she drew primari ...

from issue #67 to issue #84 (March 1946–August 1947).

George Tuska George Tuska (; April 26, 1916 – October 16, 2009),George Tuska
at the Social Security Death Index via Fami ...

was also a contributor; scripts for the feature are credited to the possibly pseudonymous "F.E. Lincoln." "Jet Propulsion" — featurette "Parachute Patrol" — ran issues #1–23; artists included

Henry C. Kiefer Henry C. Kiefer (April 15, 1890 – May 10, 1957) was an American artist from the Golden Age of Comic Books. Best remembered for his contributions to the long-running comic book series ''Classics Illustrated'',William B. Jones Jr., ''Classics Illu ...

"Suicide Smith and the Air Commanders" — title's other most enduring feature; contributors included

Alvin Hollingsworth Alvin C. Hollingsworth (25 February 1928 – July 14, 2000),
at the Murphy Anderson Murphy C. Anderson Jr. (July 9, 1926 – October 22, 2015) was an American comics artist, known as one of the premier inkers of his era, who worked for companies such as DC Comics for over fifty years, starting in the Golden Age of Comic Books in ...

, and Jack Keller. "Suicide Smith" also appeared in Fiction House's ''

'' and ''

''. "Wing Tips" — nonfiction airplane profile featurette produced by, among others,

and

Gene Colan Eugene Jules Colan (; September 1, 1926 – June 23, 2011)Eugene Colan
at the Social Security Death Index via ...

"Yank Aces of World War II" — biographical feature; contributors included

Fran Hopper
at the

. Page
archived
and Page
archived
from the originals on December 14, 2017.

References

Notes

Sources consulted

* *
''Wings Comics''
at MyComicShop.com

External links

''Wings Comics''
at Fury Comics {{DEFAULTSORT:Wings Comics Comics magazines published in the United States 1940 comics debuts 1954 comics endings Magazines established in 1940 Magazines disestablished in 1954 Aviation comics Golden Age comics titles