List of Golden Age of Comics publishers

List of Golden Age of Comics publishers. The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s. During this time, modern comic books were first published and enjoyed a surge of popularity; the archetype of the superhero was created and defined; and many of the most famous superheroes debuted.

Comics "packagers" like Harry "A" Chesler (c. 1935), the Eisner and Iger Studio (c. 1936), Funnies, Inc. (1939), the S. M. Iger Studio (1940), the L. B. Cole studio (1942), the Jack Binder Studio (1942), and the Bernard Baily Studio (1943) also formed during this time, to supply cheaply produced material to the burgeoning comics industry.

This is a list of publishers which operated during the Golden Age of Comics, up to 1956, when many publishers went out of business due to the scapegoating of comics by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, Senator Estes Kefauver, and the creation of the self-censoring body the Comics Code Authority. (1956 also saw the debut of the new superhero the Flash, and the start of what is generally considered the Silver Age of Comic Books.)

Timeline
The first publisher in this category was Dell Comics, established in 1929 although they started to publish modern comic books in 1935.

Other 1930s establishments were Eastern Color Printing (1933), National Allied Publications (1934), David McKay Publications (1937), All-American Publications (1938), Centaur Publications (1938), Fiction House (1938), Archie Comics (1939), Fawcett Comics (1939), Fox Feature Syndicate (1939), Lev Gleason Publications (1939), Marvel Comics (1939), Nedor Comics (1939), Quality Comics (1939), and Timely Comics (1939).

Establishments during the period 1940–1944 were Ace Comics (1940), Columbia Comics (1940), Farrell Publications (1940), Holyoke Publishing (1940), Novelty Press (1940), Street & Smith Comics (1940), All American Comics (1941), Gilberton (1941), Great Comics Publications (1941), Harvey Comics (1941), American Comics Group (1943), Crestwood Publications (1943), Magazine Enterprises (1943), EC Comics (1944), Humor Publications/Current Books (1944), Rural Home Publications (1944), and Spark Publications (1944).

Establishments during the period 1945–1949 were Cambridge House Publishers (1945), Orbit Publications (1945), Charlton Comics (1946), St. John Publications (1947), Hillman Periodicals (1948), Star Publications (1949), Toby Press (1949), Trojan Magazines (1949), and Youthful (1949).

1950s establishments were Atlas Comics (1951), Ajax/Farrell (1952), Comic Media (1952), and Mainline Publications (1953).

Of the Golden Age publishers in this list, only a handful survived past 1960: American Comics Group, Archie Comics, Charlton Comics, Crestwood Publications, Dell Comics, Gilberton, Harvey Comics, Marvel Comics, and National Allied Publications (DC Comics).

Publishers

 * Ace Comics (1940–1956)
 * Ajax/Farrell (1952–1958) — part of Farrell Publications. Imprint: Four Star Publications
 * All-American Publications (1938–1946) — evolved into DC Comics
 * American Comics Group (1943–1967)
 * Archie Comics (1939–present)
 * Atlas Comics (1951–1957) — previously Timely Comics, became Marvel Comics
 * Aviation Press (1944-1946)
 * Cambridge House Publishers (1945–1945) — titles: Gold Medal Comics, Hurricane Comics, Star Studded Comics
 * Centaur Publications (1938–1942) — acquired the assets of Ultem Publications
 * Charlton Comics (1946–1986)
 * Columbia Comics (1940–1949)
 * Comic Media (1952–1954)
 * Comics Magazine Company (1936-1957) — assets acquired by Ultem Publications
 * Crestwood Publications (1943–1963) — later known as Prize Comics
 * David McKay Publications (1937–1950)
 * DC Comics (1934–present) — founded as National Allied Publications
 * Dell Comics (1929–1973)
 * Eastern Color Printing (1933–1955) — continued as a printer until 2002
 * EC Comics (1944–1956) — continued to publish Mad magazine
 * Farrell Publications (1940–1958) — numerous imprints
 * Fawcett Comics (1939–1953) — canceled comics line after National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications lawsuit
 * Fiction House (1938–1954)
 * Fox Feature Syndicate (1939–1951)
 * Frank Z. Temerson (1939-1941; 1943-1946; 1950?) — imprints include Tem Publishing, Nita Publishing, Helnit Publishing (1939-1941); Et-Es-Go Magazines, Continental Magazines (1943-1946) and possibly Continental Publications (1950); assets acquired by Holyoke Publishing 1942-1943
 * Gilberton (1941–1971) — titles: Classics Illustrated
 * Great Comics Publications (1941–1942) — titles: Great Comics, Choice Comics
 * Harry "A" Chesler Comics (1937–1946) — also known as Harry A. Chesler Feature Syndicate. Imprints: Dynamic Publications, Home Guide Publications, Magazine Press
 * Harvey Comics (1941–1986)
 * Hillman Periodicals (1948–1953)
 * Holyoke Publishing (1942–1946) — acquired assets of Helnit and (temporarily) Fox; lost Helnit assets to successor Et-Es-Go Magazines
 * Humor Publications/Current Books (1944–1948) — Ace Magazines imprint. Titles: Science Comics, Scream Comics
 * L. Miller & Son, Ltd. (1943–1966) — British publisher known for Marvelman
 * Lev Gleason Publications (1939–1955) — also known as Comic House Publications
 * Magazine Enterprises (1943–1958)
 * Mainline Publications (1953–1956)
 * Marvel Comics (1939–present) — known as Timely Comics 1939-c.1950 and Atlas Comics c.1950-c.1957, with periods of no particular brand identity
 * Narrative Publishers (1944)
 * Nedor Comics (1939–1956) — also known as Standard Comics, Better Comics, and Thrilling Comics
 * Novelty Press (1940–1949)
 * Orbit Publications (1945–1953) — also known as Orbit Comics
 * Quality Comics (1939–1956)
 * Rural Home Publications (1944–1945) — group of loosely tied fly-by-night publishers using prepackaged material, many using black market supplies of paper at the end of World War II; mutual tie-ins unclear. Enwil listed as copyright publisher. Some titles continued by Orbit Publications and others by Charlton.
 * Spark Publications (1944–1946)
 * St. John Publications (1947–1958)
 * Star Publications (1949–1954) — acquired assets of Novelty Press. Founded by noted cover artist L.B. Cole
 * Street & Smith Comics (1940–1949)
 * Superior Publishers Limited (1945–1956) — Canadian publisher which reprinted American comics
 * Timely Comics (1939–c.1950) — evolved into Atlas Comics and subsequently Marvel Comics
 * Toby Press (1949–1955) — also known as Toby Comics
 * Trojan Magazines (1949–1955) — evolved from 1940s pulp magazine publisher owned by Harry Donenfeld and Mike Estrow. Imprints: Pix-Parade (1949–1952), Ribage (1953–1954), Stanhall (1951–1954)
 * Ultem Publications (1937-1938) — acquired assets of Chesler Publications and the Comics Magazine Company; assets acquired by Centaur Publications
 * Worth Carnahan (1939-1940) Imprints: Worth Publishing, Bilbara Publishing, Hit Publishing
 * Youthful (1949–1954) — also known as Youthful Magazines

Packagers

 * Bernard Baily Studio (1943–1946)
 * Eisner and Iger Studio (c. 1936–1939)
 * Funnies, Inc./Lloyd Jacquet Studios (1939–c. 1958)
 * Harry "A" Chesler (c. 1935–c. 1953) — also operated as a publisher
 * Jack Binder Studio (1942–1946)
 * L. B. Cole studio (1942–1948)
 * S. M. Iger Studio (1940–1955) — Jerry Iger's successor to Eisner & Iger