New Comics #8
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeNew Comics #8 (cover-dated September 1936, published August 4, 1936) is one of the mid-run chapters of what became DC's second-ever continuing title — a series that seeded the long lineage of Adventure Comics and helped establish the standard comic book page format that the entire industry would adopt. The issue continues the 'Federal Men' serial, an FBI adventure strip written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Joe Shuster — the same creative duo who would soon give the world Superman — making every chapter of that run a small piece of the prehistory of the superhero genre. As an anthology vehicle for Siegel and Shuster's ambitions, the New Comics series as a whole represents the workshop where the duo's storytelling instincts evolved from pulp-influenced realism toward the science-fictional adventurism that would define their later work.
In "The Train Robbery, Part 7," tension mounts as bandits assault the train, forcing Ian and his crew into a desperate defense—just as Doris, riding her horse through the Gobi Desert, happens to be in the right place at the right time. Written by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and illustrated by Tom Hickey, this action-packed installment delivers a pulse-pounding showdown with the distinctive art style of the era, all framed by Whitney Ellsworth’s dynamic cover.
In "Episode 3" from New Comics #8 (1936), tension mounts as bandits ambush a train, forcing Ian and his crew to defend their passage through the Gobi desert—where Doris, riding her horse through the vast expanse, unexpectedly becomes a crucial ally in the fray.
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New Comics was launched in December 1935 by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson under his National Allied Publications imprint, operating as the company's second ongoing title after New Fun Comics. The series was notable for being published in the half-tabloid format that would become the standard physical size for American comic books going forward. By the time issue #8 reached newsstands, Wheeler-Nicholson's publishing operation was under growing financial strain — pressures that would eventually force him into partnership with Harry Donenfeld and precipitate the formation of Detective Comics, Inc. The anthology format of New Comics, mixing Western serials, humor strips, and adventure features, reflected the eclectic editorial philosophy of Wheeler-Nicholson's early line before the superhero genre reshaped everything.
Trivia · 8 facts
- New Comics #8 carries a cover date of September 1936 and was published on August 4, 1936, as part of an 11-issue run before the series was renamed New Adventure Comics.
- The series was the second continuing title published by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, the company that would evolve into DC Comics.
- New Comics was among the earliest comic books printed in the half-tabloid page size that subsequently became the industry standard format.
- Issue #8 continues the 'Federal Men' strip — written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Joe Shuster — which debuted in New Comics #2 (January 1936) and followed FBI agent Steve Carson through serialized adventure stories.
- Steve Carson, the star of 'Federal Men,' is depicted as an expert marksman and master of disguise; across the run, the strip shifted progressively from realistic crime stories toward science-fictional adventure.
- The Federal Men feature ran continuously from New Comics through New Adventure Comics and into Adventure Comics, ending in January 1942 — a six-year serialized run entirely written by Siegel.
- The New Comics anthology also carried multi-part Western serials, humor strips, and swashbuckling features, including the ongoing 'Captain Jim of the Texas Rangers' storyline (Part 7 of 27 in this issue) and the humor strip 'Don Coyote.'
- The entire New Comics series was a direct ancestor of Adventure Comics, one of the longest-running titles in DC history, making each issue a foundational link in that lineage.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Mirim #12 (1937), Mirim #13 (1937), Mirim #15 (1937), Mirim #16 (1937), Cavalier Comics #2 (1945), DC Comics Before Superman: Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's Pulp Comics #[nn] (2018)
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