Four Color #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeFour Color #2 (Dell, 1939 Series 1) is the second issue of what would become the most prolific American comic book run in history, and it spotlights Don Winslow of the Navy at one of the character's earliest appearances in dedicated comic book form. The issue is a tangible artifact of how the pre-war American comics industry leaned on established newspaper-strip properties to build readership and legitimacy — a model that Dell would refine into a twenty-year, 1,354-issue juggernaut. Don Winslow himself was conceived explicitly as a Navy recruitment tool, making this book a rare example of sequential art with an overt civic and military-readiness mission baked in from the strip's very inception. Its place as only the second issue of the Dell Four Color umbrella also gives it special weight as a founding document of the anthology format that later introduced Uncle Scrooge, Little Lulu, Turok, and dozens of other enduring characters to American readers.
In this 1942 Four Color tale, Lillums faces a tough decision as her parents clash over which college she should attend. With her departure looming, the boys in her life scramble to spend every last moment with her—each hoping to make the most of the time they have left.
In this 1942 Four Color humor tale, Aunt Pruny tries to bring order to the chaos of Lillums’ constant phone calls from her ever-growing list of boyfriends—by assigning each a specific time to call. The results are predictably messy, as the boys clash over schedules and the phone line goes from busy to outright bedlam.
In this 1942 Four Color tale, Jo and her friends face a cash crunch after pouring their savings into letters for Lillums, while Shadow quietly schemes to bring Aunt Pruny and Pop Jenks closer—though Pop remains stubbornly uninterested.
In this quiet 1942 tale from Four Color #2, Jo returns home for Christmas break, her absence from Harold’s life making each reunion feel fleeting. As she shares stories of college life and laughter, Harold finds himself caught between the warmth of her presence and the ache of time apart.
In this quiet 1942 tale from Four Color #2, Harold finds a fleeting spark of joy when Lillums tells him she’ll miss him “terrible lots” before returning to college—only to sink into a blue mood once she’s gone. The story captures a tender, fleeting moment of connection, anchored in the simple ache of separation.
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The strip reprinted here was created by Frank V. Martinek, a World War I naval intelligence veteran who pitched the concept after an admiral complained about recruitment difficulties in the Midwest; the idea was that exciting spy-and-sailor adventure would inspire heartland youth to enlist. Leon Beroth, a Naval lieutenant, served as the strip's primary illustrator from 1934 through 1952, while Carl Hammond handled layouts and research, giving the feature an unusual degree of institutional military involvement. Dell had already been collecting Don Winslow Sunday pages in Crackajack Funnies from 1938 onward, and the material in Four Color #2 reprints strips originally syndicated by the Bell Syndicate and previously collected in Crackajack Funnies, with copyright held by the Bell Syndicate (1936–1938). The issue was published as part of Dell's first Four Color series — the 25-issue run from 1939 to 1942 — before Dell restarted the numbering and launched the far longer Series 2 in mid-1942.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Four Color #2 stars Don Winslow of the Navy, reprinting Bell Syndicate Sunday strips originally published 1936–1938, as documented by the Grand Comics Database.
- The strip was written by Frank V. Martinek (credited as 'F. V. Martinek'), a real U.S. Navy Reserve Lieutenant Commander and WWI intelligence veteran, with art by Leon A. Beroth.
- Don Winslow was conceived partly as a Naval recruitment tool, endorsed by the U.S. Navy Department — one of the most explicitly institutional mandates behind any major American comic strip.
- The strip debuted in newspaper syndication on March 5, 1934, distributed by the Bell Syndicate, and ran continuously until July 30, 1955.
- Dell had been reprinting Winslow strips in Crackajack Funnies since 1938; Four Color #2 gave the character his own dedicated comic book spotlight for the first time under the Four Color banner.
- This issue belongs to Four Color Series 1 (1939), the 25-issue predecessor to the more famous Series 2 that launched in mid-1942 and ran to #1354 — making this one of the earliest entries in what became the longest-running American comic book series by issue count.
- The Don Winslow franchise expanded to a radio serial (beginning 1937), two Universal Pictures film serials (1942 and 1943), and a dedicated Fawcett Comics series with original stories starting in 1943.
- Dell featured Don Winslow in two separate issues of Four Color Comics total; the character later received additional reprint exposure in Popular Comics after Crackajack Funnies ceased in 1942.
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