Pep Comics #2
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freePep Comics #2 (February 1940) is the first follow-up chapter in MLJ Magazines' flagship anthology — the series that had just introduced the Shield, America's first patriotic flag-costumed superhero, predating Captain America by more than a year. The issue sustains the full original cast across genres including superhero, war, science-fiction, detective, and boxing, demonstrating MLJ's ambition to rival the larger Golden Age publishers with a densely packed 68-page anthology format. Jack Cole's Comet strip, which would eventually produce comics' first superhero death in issue #17, continues building the character's morally ambiguous vigilante persona across only his second outing. As a direct continuation of one of the most consequential debut runs of the Golden Age, the issue documents the early creative energy at a publisher that would ultimately reinvent itself around Archie Andrews and become one of the longest-running comics imprints in American history.
In "Peril in Puerto Rico," the flamboyant Press Guardian—dressed in his signature green suit, fedora, and red mask—takes on a shadowy Nazi-linked Bund operating in the city, using his charm and daring to unravel a dangerous conspiracy. Written by Abner Sundell and illustrated by Mort Meskin, this 1940 adventure blends espionage and pulp flair, with a striking cover by Irv Novick.
In "Moronia Bund Threatens Editor," the Press Guardian—playboy son of the Daily Express publisher—steps into action in 1940, donning his green suit, fedora, and red mask to confront a dangerous Bund operative with Nazi connections. As the city trembles under the shadow of espionage, he races to protect his paper and uncover the truth behind the threat.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
Pep Comics launched in January 1940 under MLJ Magazines Inc. — the company founded by Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit, and John Goldwater, whose initials formed the company name. The series was edited by Abner Sundell through roughly the first two dozen issues, with Harry Shorten serving as writer and managing editor for the Shield and eventually taking full editorial control. Issue #2 was assembled largely by the same creative team that produced #1: Harry Shorten and Irv Novick on the Shield, Jack Cole writing and drawing the Comet, Mort Meskin on the Press Guardian, George Biro's Sergeant Boyle, and Lin Streeter on the Queen of Diamonds / Sir Rocket science-fiction serial, with Manly Wade Wellman contributing scripting. The humor filler strip 'Buttonhead,' attributed to an artist identified only as Quincy, made its first appearance in this issue and ran through #5.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover-dated February 1940, published by MLJ Magazines Inc. (the predecessor to Archie Comics); 68 pages, ten-cent cover price.
- The Shield (Joe Higgins), created by writer Harry Shorten and artist Irv Novick, appears in his second outing — his debut in Pep #1 made him the first American flag-costumed patriotic superhero, appearing over a year before Captain America.
- The Comet (John Dickering), written and drawn by Jack Cole in his pre-Plastic Man years, continues in his second story; the strip is notable for the character's lethal disintegrating eye-beams and his casual attitude toward killing villains — a striking contrast to the more restrained heroes of the era.
- The Archie Comics Wiki's character index for #2 tags the Press Guardian (Perry Chase) as debuting in this issue; the story 'The Return of Von Leo,' scripted by Abner Sundell and drawn by Mort Meskin, pits Chase against the Moroniabund Gang — though multiple series-overview sources list the strip as running from #1 onward (see Flagged).
- The humor filler strip 'Buttonhead' by an artist credited only as Quincy makes its first appearance in this issue and ran through Pep Comics #5.
- The science-fiction serial featuring Sir Rocket and the Queen of Diamonds, illustrated by Lin Streeter, continues; the strip was retitled 'The Rocket and the Queen of Diamonds' beginning with this issue (#2).
- Sergeant Boyle, drawn by Charles Biro, is one of several early Pep strips depicting a soldier fighting on the European front — unusual for American comics at the time, as the U.S. had not yet entered World War II.
- Inspector Bentley of Scotland Yard's strip employed an Ellery Queen-style interactive format, inviting readers to identify the culprit before the final page reveal — a distinctive editorial device for the era.
Cast · 14 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in America's 1st Patriotic Comic Book Hero, The Shield #1 (2002), Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age: 1933-45 #[nn] (2011), Gwandanaland Comics #753 (2017), Gwandanaland Comics #1570 (2017), Gwandanaland Comics #2006 (2018)
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