Leave It to Binky #1
Leave It to Binky #1 (cover-dated March 1948) launched DC Comics' flagship entry in the postwar teen-humor genre, a direct response to the explosive popularity of Archie Comics. According to the DC Database, Bertram "Binky" Biggs holds the distinction of being the first DC character to headline his own title without a prior anthology appearance — a meaningful publishing milestone in the Golden Age. The series, conceived by Sheldon Mayer as he stepped back from his editorial role at DC, drew a conscious line from his earlier Scribbly the Boy Cartoonist into the newly coined cultural category of the "teenager" — a social identity that had barely existed before World War II. As an anchor of DC's teen-humor line alongside titles like Date with Debbi and Swing with Scooter, it demonstrated that the superhero publisher could sustain a sprawling, multi-character domestic comedy universe across decades.
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The series was conceived and scripted by Sheldon Mayer, who retired from DC's editorial staff in 1948 specifically to devote himself to cartooning full-time; Leave It to Binky was one of his first major creative projects in that new capacity. Mayer developed the characters and concept, while artist Bob Oksner — who had come to DC after drawing the syndicated strip Miss Cairo Jones and was hired by Mayer himself — handled the visual identity of the book from the very first issue. Scripts were co-written with Hal Seegar (also credited as Hal Seeger in later sources), and Larry Nadle served as editor. Oksner later described the series as the work that truly established his career at DC, recalling Mayer's framing of Binky as "a little older version of Scribbly, more of a teenage focus" — explicitly tying the new book to the adolescent zeitgeist that swept American popular culture in the late 1940s.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearances in this issue: Bertram 'Binky' Biggs, Allergy Biggs, Lucy Biggs, Mr. Biggs, Peggy Baxter, Uncle Snootly (Thorndyke Snootly), Soozie, Herbert, Gerry, Dopey, Jamie Draper, Linda Lee, Chip, and Clara Biggs (Binky's mother, named Clara only in this issue — her name is retconned to Alice beginning with issue #10).
- Binky Biggs is, per the DC Database, the first DC character to receive his own solo title without having appeared in an anthology comic first.
- The series was created by Sheldon Mayer (characters and concept) and Bob Oksner (art/visual design), with scripts co-written by Hal Seegar; Larry Nadle was the editor.
- The issue carries a cover date of March 1948 (on-sale date recorded as December 26, 1947, per the Grand Comics Database copyright registration); it is a 52-page anthology-format book.
- One story in this issue, 'His Undivided Attention,' features a cameo reference to the Adventures of Superman radio program — Lucy's portable radio broadcasts the show and she is depicted wearing a Superman costume, making it a rare cross-property humor tie-in within the same DC publishing line.
- The issue also contains a full-page house advertisement for Superboy #1, placing Leave It to Binky #1 precisely at the launch moment of that landmark DC title.
- The series was positioned as DC's answer to Archie Comics, with Binky, Peggy Baxter, and rival Soozie functioning as deliberate character analogues to Archie, Betty, and Veronica respectively.
- Leave It to Binky ran for 60 issues in its original Golden Age run (1948–1958), was revived via Showcase #70 (1967), and continued through 82 total issues (the final being a 1977 one-shot), also spawning a 12-issue spin-off, Binky's Buddies (1969–1970).
Cast · 15 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Duke palms an excess date off on Binky, who's scared to death Peggy will find out.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).