...Intrigue Unbalances The Scales Of Justice...!

We continue plucking at dangling threads and topics left unmentioned over the last couple years of this blog. Toward the end of last year, we were talking about Munson Paddock's work on Mars Mason. Remember this guy...?

Okay - I guess that's a trick question since he isn't in his own title panel there. But it does convey a sense of the style, and these - three - posts cover the few tales he had, so you can go look. (Yes, i know it says Martin Nye. The 3rd link covers that.)

Mars Mason led to Rex Dexter Of Mars and was going to loop back to Paddock after the two collided to give us Tex Maxon. (Ayup, that's the sort of logic that governs the posts you see here.)

Here we find Paddock adopting the rugged Chuck Munson name to bring us a classic western series, in stark contrast to what we've seen before...

As mentioned in the first link above, the work we saw earlier was actually later. Mars Mason and Firetop were done after decades of tighter, more controlled work.

As we can see in these stories, he was capable of rendering detailed worlds with a solid reality as easily as his wild fantasy worlds. 

I must also admit, i'm left wondering who did the colours on the tale above? I have no clue if it was Munson's work or another artist. It might reproduce rather dark at times, but i do love the feel of it.

Let's do a couple more, eh?

By yon by... I noted above that Paddock was using the 'rugged' Chuck Munson name on these strips. That was not always the case. 

Tex Maxon debuted in 1939's issue #2 of Wonder Comics, which changed to Wonderworld Comics with #3. Up until issue #13 it was credited to Cecilia Munson. I wonder if it was his idea to change, or if his editor thought it needed a new pseudonym?

Uh...  yeah.
Time to mosey on along...

page art by Munson Paddock for Wonderworld Comics #s 20, 21, & 23 (1940, 1941)

I'll Have This Solved In 24 Hours----

 It's time for Sunday Morn...

Oops.

Kind of got distracted and skipped a day along the way. You got today's post yesterday, so now it's time for Monday Morning Funnies with Fred!

Fred Schwab, that is. Fred passed with the 20th century, but was there for the dawn of comics. He was there for the beginnings of the Big Two comic publishers, his work appearing in both Detective Comics #1 and Marvel Comics #1, not to mention working with Eisner-Iger Studios. His gag cartoons appeared in glossy magazines of the time as well.

Today, however, we're sticking with some of his work for Fox from the first years of Mystery Men Comics. We were already looking at the rather deranged adventures of Hemlock Shomes and Dr. Potsam - let us carry on...

Schwab had another sleuth appearing in the early issues of Mystery Men Comics to whom i alluded a couple of days ago. Meet Billy Bounce, The Kid Detective -

(Is it just me, or did that trail of spinach lead to a slightly better dressed Wimpy?)

You may have noticed that Fred, like many others of the time, worked under a variety of names. By the late '40s, Schwab quit comics for a real job with The New York Times and stayed there for the next 30+ years until he retired.

But he left us of lots of comics to enjoy during the decade he spent creating them.

page art by Fred Schwab from Mystery Men Comics #s 3-7, 10, 14, & 15 (1939, 1940)

Drink To Me Only With Kooba

I have expressed previously my great preference for original old comics over reprints, despite improvements in printing technology. One very prominent reason for that is the advertisements. They turn old comics into time capsules, capturing little bits of life that are often long forgotten.

For example, do you remember "America's Favorite Cola Drink with Vitamin B1" - Kooba Cola?

Not seeming familiar?
They even had big contests and prizes...

...and in a particularly cool move, they gave out free sodas via coupons in the comics. (Yep, one more reason to not be able to find those old books in good shape)

There was, however, one particularly Odd bit about Kooba Cola - 

It didn't exist.

See that note at the bottom of the ad above?
"If your Dealer happens to be out of KOOBA or has yet to be supplied, mail the coupon..."

The entire campaign was an attempt by Victor Fox (from whom Fox comics get their name) to create a demand for Kooba Cola, which he would then license to a soda manufacturer using the pre-existing demand to gain favorable contract conditions. Kooba may have been derived from Cuba, where Fox had sugar interests - likely tying into a further profit angle for the whole scheme. 

Had it worked out, folks would have called him genius. Instead, he just lost a lot of advertising dollars and effort, but avoided losing much greater capital investments in an actual product.

The biggest victim of the plan, besides his advertising department?

Possibly the Blue Beetle. Kooba Cola was a sponsor of his radio show - in the scripts, at least. But a sponsor that paid no advertising rate. That had to hurt. I've seen it said that caused the show to go off the air after only a few months, but also have seen reference to the show lasting for 3 years or more, broadcasting from WMCA in New York City. I'll let someone who knows radio better sort that one out.

A little bonus - as long as we're doing adverts today anyway, let's close with a sampling from the Blue Beetle radio show -

ads from issues of Mystery Men, Rex Dexter and Wonderworld Comics (1940)