Comic Cuts - 23 November 2012

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The proof copy for the Sexton Blake Annual 1942, the fourth and final Blake annual, arrived on Saturday and... it looks good! I will hopefully start getting copies out to people who have already ordered their copy during next week. Anyone who hasn't ordered a copy, order before the end of the month and you'll still get the discount. The book isn't officially published until the 30th!

I've spent all week on the layouts for the next Bear Alley book, which is the history/index Lion King of Picture Story Papers, which I should have finished in the next two weeks or so. I have about 90 pages laid out so far. The good news is that I now have full information on all of the holiday specials and I spent yesterday cleaning up cover scans. I still need information on Lion Book of Speed (although that has been promised) and the Lion Book of How It Works. If you have the latter, please get in touch – my e-mail address is up there on the right, just below the photograph.

Random scans: these are from Morgan Wallace, who is one of our regular contributors. These were all published by Archer Press in 1948. The Storm and Wilcox covers are by James McConnell and the other two by... well, I'm not sure. Nat Long and Oliver Brabbins are possibles.

All four books reprint stories from Mammoth Westerns, the American pulp published by Ziff-Davis. Storm was a pen-name for Robert Moore Williams while Don Wilcox was the form of name used by Cleo Eldon Wilcox for westerns and science fiction. Wilcox is an interesting chap with a little mystery surrounding his name. To quote Eric Davin (Partners in Wonder: Women and the Partners of Science Fiction, 1926-1965, pp.125-126):

Well, a little digging around turns up this picture of Cleo Eldon Wilcox from his high school yearbook.

His real name was indeed Cleo Eldon Wilcox and he was the son of Iowa-born Horace Whitman Wilcox and his wife, Missouri-born Docia May Wilcox (nee Whitaker). Cleo wasn't the only oddly named child in the family, as his elder sister was called Zola May Wilcox. There was also a younger brother named Marvin Whitaker Wilcox and a younger daughter, Thelma Louisa Wilcox.

In the 1940 census, he is recorded as Leo Wilcox, is married (to Helen) and has a daughter (Coraline). Otherwise in the 1910, 1920 and 1930 national census and 1915 and 1925 Kansas census, he is always referred to as Cleo E. Wilcox.

 

 

 

Next week. Updates to the recent releases and upcoming releases, although I haven't spotted many new titles due out in December!