Blue Ribbon Comics

"Blue Ribbon Comics" is the name of two American comic book series, the first published by MLJ Comics during the 1930s and 1940s period known as the Golden Age of Comic Books, and the second during the 1980s by a later incarnation of the same company.

Volume 1

Cover art by Sam Cooper , featuring Mr. JusticeThe first comic-book series of this name ran from issues #1-22 (Nov. 1939 - March 1942). It was published by MLJ Comics, the precursor of what would become the publisher Archie Comics. Issues #9-18 and 22 were titled "Blue Ribbon Mystery Comics".

Initially featuring such crime-fiction protagonists as Dan Hastings, Rang-a-Tang the Wonder Dog, and Will Eisner's single-appearance magician sleuth Boodini the Great, mixed with such humor features as Jack Cole's Foxy Grandpa, it soon began featuring such fantasy-adventure characters the mythological Hercules and the Doc Savage-like marvel Doc Strong, and then such superheroes as Mr. Justice, created by writer Joe Blair and artist Sam Cooper in issue #9 (Feb. 1941) and Captain Flag, created by Blair and artist Lin Streeter in #16 (Sept. 1941).

Volume 2

The second comic-book series of this name was published by the Archie Comics imprint Red Circle Comics in the 1980s. After four issues, this imprint changed its name to The Archie Adventure series, a name Archie Comics had used for its superhero line in the early 1960s.

The title published both new and reprinted work featuring a variety of Archie superheroes.

Issue contents

# Reprints of Joe Simon-Jack Kirby stories from "Adventures of the Fly" #1-2
# Mr. Justice origin story
# Steel Sterling origin story, leading into character's backup series in ""
# Fly, Flygirl, and Jaguar team-up
# Lancelot Strong: Shield reprints primarily from "The Double Life of Private Strong" #1
# Part one of a Fox story
# Part two of a Fox story
# The Black Hood reprint from "Archie Superhero Special" #2
# Agents of Atlantis
# Reprints of Joe Simon-Jack Kirby stories from "Adventures of the Fly"
# The Black Hood
# T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents
# The Mighty Crusaders and Thunder Bunny
# The Web and the Jaguar team-up

References

* [http://www.comics.org Grand Comics Database]
* [http://www.mightycrusaders.net/blueribbon.htm MightyCrusaders.net: "Blue Ribbon Comics"] and [http://www.mightycrusaders.net/redcircleindex.htm Red Circle Index]