Mazie #28

History

The Mazie property began around 1950 at Nation-Wide Publishing as a deliberate attempt to tap into the teen-humor boom popularized by Archie, and was retooled circa 1952 to more closely mirror Archie's romantic-rivalry formula. When Nation-Wide dissolved around 1954, Harvey Comics acquired the rights and relaunched the series at issue #14 in February 1955 — picking up the numbering directly from Nation-Wide's #13 — running it through #28 in August 1958 under the indicia publisher Home Comics Inc. For the Harvey run's final six issues (#23–28), the title was rechristened 'Mazie and Her Boyfriends' on both the cover and indicia, and the indicia placement itself shifted from the inside front cover to the bottom of the first story page, a small but documentable production change. Individual story credits across the Harvey run are largely unverified in surviving records; artist Paul McCarthy is credited on some earlier Harvey issues (e.g., #17), but specific creative credits for #28 have not been confirmed in indexed sources.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Mazie #28 (cover-dated August 1958) is the final issue of the Mazie series at Harvey Comics and the last issue of the title in its entire publication history.
• The Harvey run spanned issues #14–28 (February 1955 – August 1958), published under the indicia name Home Comics Inc., continuing the numbering directly from the earlier Nation-Wide Publishing series.
• Issues #23–28, including this issue, carried the retitled cover and indicia name 'Mazie and Her Boyfriends,' reflecting an editorial repositioning to foreground the romantic-rivalry premise.
• The series centers on teenager Mazie Dean, her boyfriend Stevie, and French romantic rival Jeanie — a cast dynamic deliberately modeled on the Archie/Betty/Veronica love-triangle template.
• Harvey's issues in this run were largely packages of reprinted stories sourced from the original Nation-Wide Publishing Mazie series (circa 1950–1954), rather than all-new material.
• The genre throughout is teen humor, approved by the Comics Code Authority, printed in color on glossy covers with newsprint interiors in standard Silver Age saddle-stitched format.
• Spin-off titles featuring supporting cast members — including a solo Stevie series — were attempted at Nation-Wide but did not succeed commercially.
• The Michigan State University Special Collections library catalogs the Mazie run (Home Comics / Harvey) as published from 1953 to August 1958, with the cover subtitle noted at various points as 'Stevie's Girl Friend Mazie.'

Cast · 3 characters