Charlton Comics was around from the 1940's until the 1970's and published hundreds of comics including 40 odd Phantom comics and close to 100 different Phantom stories. At the time it was the longest run of USA based stand alone Phantom comics in the USA not surpassed until the 2000's by Moonstone Books.
TwoMorrows Publishing by Jon B. Cooke has written a 272 page book on the history of the publishing company. The book goes through the whole history and throughout highlights the great creators that worked for them and produced Phantom stories. Some examples are Don Newton, Jim Aparo, Dick Giordano, Dick Wood, Joe Gill and Pat Boyette.
Of course the book focuses on the publishers other work but for many of our readers, we are just focusing on the Phantom.
If you are a fan of the Charlton books or a completist, I believe this book will be a good addition to your collection.
You can buy here from Amazon here from US$43.95 (40Eu, $65AU, 450 sek/nok and 3,500INR).
On the TwoMorrows Publishing website you can view a sample which can also be downloaded below. This may help you decide if you want to buy the book or not.
The blurb for the book is:
An all-new definitive history of Connecticut’s notorious all-in-one comic book company! Often disparaged as a second-rate funny-book outfit, Charlton produced a vast array of titles that span from the 1940s Golden Age to the Bronze Age of the ’70s in many genres, from Hot Rods to Haunted Love.
The imprint experienced explosive bursts of creativity, most memorably the “Action Hero Line” edited by Dick Giordano in the 1960s, which featured the renowned talents of Steve Ditko and a stellar team of creators, as well as the unforgettable ’70s “Bullseye” era that spawned E-Man and Doomsday +1, all helmed by veteran masters and talented newcomers—and serving as a training ground for an entire generation of comics creators thriving in an environment of complete creative freedom. From its beginnings with a handshake deal consummated in county jail, to the company’s accomplishments beyond comics, woven into this prose narrative are interviews with dozens of talented participants, including Giordano, DENNIS O’Neil, Alex Toth, Sanho Kim, Tom Sutton, Pat Boyette, Nick Cuti, John Byrne, Mike Zeck, Joe Staton, Sam Glanzman, Neal Adams, Joe Gill, and even some Derby residents who recall working in the sprawling company plant.
Though it gave up the ghost over three decades ago, Charlton’s influence continues today with its Action Heroes serving as inspiration for Alan Moore’s cross-media graphic novel hit, Watchmen. By Jon B. Cooke with Michael Ambrose & Frank Motler.
Thank you must go to David Dorward who brought this to our attention.
