Giggle Comics #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeGiggle Comics #1 marks the very first publication of what would become the American Comics Group (ACG), one of Golden Age comics' most durable independent publishers — a company that would go on to launch the medium's first ongoing horror title, Adventures into the Unknown. Arriving in the autumn of 1943, it planted ACG's flag squarely in the booming funny-animal genre, signaling an editorial approach that would define the Creston/ACG line for over a decade. The title ran a remarkable 99 issues through January 1955, eventually evolving beyond its all-ages roots into the springboard for characters like the superhero-parody cat Superkatt, while its long-running anthology format helped establish ACG as a reliable, genre-diverse house capable of sustaining a loyal newsstand readership.
Giggle Comics #1 is an anthology of humorous animal stories. "Specs" Squirrel, Super-Patriot," by Lloyd James, follows an excited young squirrel attempting to join a neighborhood patriotic club to help the war effort, only to be humbled when the club's leader, Bub Bear, subjects him to a harsh initiation involving paddles and ridicule, teaching him that true patriotism means using brains rather than just showing off strength. Another story depicts a mouse character enjoying a bobsled ride down a snowy slope with companions, excitedly experiencing the thrill of sledding. A third story features monkeys and daisies, with one monkey instructing others to gather daisies for a teacher, leading to comedic mishaps involving the flowers and a confused goat.
Suki Yaki, a flamboyant Japanese beetle with a flair for dramatics, arrives at Jokio Airport with his bumbling assistant, determined to carry out a mission to sabotage enemy crops. As they attempt to set fire to a field of corn without matches, a series of mishaps and mistaken identities lead to an unexpected encounter with a group of Marines who mistake Suki for a spy—only to realize he’s far more trouble than he’s worth.
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Giggle Comics #1 was published on August 9, 1943 (per its Catalog of Copyright Entries on-sale date) under the Creston Publications Corp. indicia, with the formal cover date of October 1943 — one of the very first titles ACG released after founder Benjamin W. Sangor acquired the St. Louis-based Creston Publications and made it an ACG imprint. The credited editor on the indicia was Gerald (Jerry) Albert, but the Grand Comics Database confirms that Richard Hughes — born Leo Rosenbaum and the man who would steer ACG editorially until the company's 1967 closure — was the actual, uncredited working editor. The issue was a 60-page full-color anthology priced at ten cents, with cover art by Bill Martin and interior contributions from a rotating stable of studio artists.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published by Creston Publications Corp. (an ACG imprint) with an on-sale date of August 9, 1943 and a cover date of October 1943; priced at ten cents for 60 full-color pages.
- Giggle Comics #1 was one of ACG/Creston's very first publications, launching simultaneously with Ha Ha Comics #1 in October 1943 — the two titles serving as the foundation of the entire ACG publishing line.
- The credited editor was Gerald (Jerry) Albert, but Richard E. Hughes — who would edit ACG through its entire existence from 1943 to 1967 — was the actual uncredited editor of the issue.
- Interior art on the first issue was contributed by multiple cartoonists including Milt Stein, Steve Muffatti, and John Walworth (signing as J. C. W. Jr.), reflecting the Sangor Shop's studio system of pooled talent.
- The issue contains a wartime topical gag referencing Hitler, grounding it firmly in the WWII home-front humor of the era — a period detail corroborated by the GCD's indexed dialogue.
- The series ran for 99 issues under the Creston imprint for issues #1–63, before transitioning to the American Comics Group banner starting with issue #64, and ultimately concluded in January 1955.
- The series became the launch platform for Superkatt — an anthropomorphic cat superhero parody created by animator Dan Gordon (signing as 'Dang') — who debuted in Giggle Comics #9 (June 1944) and was later described by historian Ron Goulart as Gordon's most memorable comics character.
- The title did not end cleanly: by its final issue (#99), the headlining character Spencer Spook's logo had grown more prominent than the Giggle Comics masthead, paving the way for the book to be immediately renamed Spencer Spook with issue #100.
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