Blue Ribbon Comics #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBlue Ribbon Comics #1 (November 1939) is the founding document of what would become Archie Comics — the very first comic book published by MLJ Magazines, the company formed that same year by Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John L. Goldwater. Its debut launched a publishing empire that would eventually give the world Archie Andrews, The Shield, the Black Hood, and dozens of other enduring characters. The issue also introduced Rang-A-Tang the Wonder Dog, one of the earliest recurring canine heroes in American comic books, predating famous successor animal stars of the Golden Age by years. As a 64-page anthology mixing pulp-inflected adventure, science fiction, reprinted newspaper strip material, and early work by artists who would become giants of the medium, the issue captures the chaotic, exploratory energy of comics' formative moment — before the genre had settled on any fixed identity.
Rang-A-Tang, the clever wonder dog, flees a cruel carnival trainer and survives on the streets before crossing paths with detective Hy Speed. When the dog helps save Speed’s life, his loyalty and sharp instincts earn him a place on the force—marking the start of an unlikely partnership.
In the rugged frontier of 1939, range detective Buck Stacey takes on a dangerous assignment when rancher Sandra Cummings hires him to track down cattle rustlers. As he follows the trail through dusty trails and hidden outposts, Buck uncovers a web of deceit led by crooked rancher Steve Vance and his ruthless foreman, Ben Hackerman—threats that test his resolve and stir unexpected feelings in the woman who hired him.
In the heart of the African jungle, Major Joe Jordan and his companion Denny of the Diamond Patrol race against time to rescue a village held captive by the ruthless Barrett and his gang. With the natives forced to mine precious stones under threat, Joe and Denny must navigate treacherous terrain and hidden dangers to free the hostages and stop the exploitation—before it's too late.
In "The Murderous 'Red' Keenan Gang," Detective Cody and Lieutenant Storey take on a notorious criminal syndicate known for their violent crimes and ruthless tactics. As the city reels from a string of daring robberies and murders, the two officers race to dismantle the gang before their next attack.
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The 'Blue Ribbon' name arrived in comics directly from MLJ principals Louis Silberkleit and Maurice Coyne, who had used it as a brand for their prior pulp magazine line — Blue Ribbon Magazines, Blue Ribbon Western, and Blue Ribbon Sports — before they partnered with John L. Goldwater to form MLJ Magazines in 1939. The issue was produced by the Harry 'A' Chesler packaging studio for the fledgling publisher, and Louis H. Silberkleit is recorded as editor on the first published Statement of Ownership; Harry Shorten, who would become the series' long-running editor, was not yet at the helm for the earliest issues. Variety even announced MLJ's launch publicly, noting the new company planned a half-dozen comic titles with at least one featuring a dog character inspired by the late Rin-Tin-Tin — a remarkably accurate preview of what issue #1 actually delivered.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First comic book ever published by MLJ Magazines (later Archie Comics); cover-dated November 1939, with an on-sale date recorded in the U.S. Copyright Office filing for 1939.
- First appearance of Rang-A-Tang the Wonder Dog — a German Shepherd crime-fighter created by writer Norman Danberg and writer/artist Will Harr — making him one of the earliest recurring dog stars in Golden Age comics, predating Green Lantern's Streak and Superboy's Krypto.
- The 64-page issue was produced by the Harry 'A' Chesler packaging studio and featured a dual printing format: the first half in full color, the second half in red-and-white tints.
- Jack Cole — later the creator of Plastic Man — wrote and drew four humor strips in this debut issue: 'Hold That Line,' 'Ima Slooth,' 'Foxy Grandpa,' and 'King Kole's Kourt,' all produced while he was working at the Chesler studio.
- The issue also contained a 'Boodini the Great' strip (credited by multiple sources to Will Eisner, though the Grand Comics Database now disputes this attribution, crediting artist Fred Schwab instead based on signed style analysis) and the science-fiction feature 'Dan Hastings,' continued from Centaur Comics.
- A reprinted newspaper strip story of Little Nemo in Slumberland — the original run by Winsor McCay having ended in 1927 — appeared here in what was likely connected to a revival effort by McCay's son Bob McKay in the late 1930s; it is the only reprint in the issue, all other content being new material.
- The cover art for issue #1 is credited to Norman Danberg (who was, however, a writer rather than an artist — a longstanding attribution confusion noted in the Grand Comics Database).
- Stories in issue #1 have been reprinted in Gwandanaland Comics #271 (Rang-A-Tang: The Wonder Dog, March 2017) and #724 (Blue Ribbon Comics Volume 1, March 2017), and the cover was reprinted in Fantagraphics' Tops: The Complete Collection of Charles Biro's Visionary 1949 Comic Book Series (March 2022).
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Reprints
Reprinted in Punch Comics #11 (1944), Jest Comics #11 (1945), The Weekender #1 (1946), Authentic Police Cases #6 (1948), Ristampe Storiche #5 bis (2010), Gwandanaland Comics #271 (2017), Gwandanaland Comics #724 (2017), Tops: The Complete Collection of Charles Biro's Visionary 1949 Comic Book Series #[nn] (2022)
Key issues in Blue Ribbon Comics
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