Centaur

1938 - 1942
Country:
United States
Indicia / Colophon Publishers:
3
Brand Groups:
1
Brand Emblems in Use:
1
Total Number of Series:
35
Total Number of Issues:
186
Show Covers by Month:
using on-sale date or using publication date
Show Issues by Month:
using on-sale date or using publication date
Creator Checklist:
via linked story records
Notes:
Centaur consisted of Centaur Publications, Inc. and the Comics Corporation of America. Comics published by both of these publishers were advertised together and referred to as being published by the "Centaur Group" in those ads. Later comics by Comic Corporation of America were also advertised together, including Amazing Man Comics which had also been part of the "Centaur Group." Centaur almost never put any brand identification on their covers, and instead used internal ads to connect their titles.

The primary people behind Centaur by the time it began publishing comics were Joseph Hardie, who had published Centaur's first offering, a pulp magazine, in 1933, and Raymond Kelly, who joined as business manager in 1936. The two would go on to found the Comic Corporation of America together in 1939.

The Comic Corporation of America also began publishing risqué humor titles aimed at military servicemen in late 1941. These were not advertised with the comics listed here, and can be found under the Hardie-Kelly publisher grouping. Also found under Hardie-Kelly are companies such as Harle Publications and H-K Publications, which were started during Centaur's existence but did not publish comics until much later.

Several additional companies have historically been lumped under "Centaur" on the grounds that the titles they published were later purchased and continued by Centaur Publications, Inc. The earliest of these were the Comics Magazine Company, Inc. and Chesler Publications, Inc., both of which sold titles to Ultem Publications, Inc. Many sources include these predecessors as Centaur issues, but the companies are all distinct, with different ownership.

Ultem in turn sold all four of their titles to Centaur Publications, Inc., which is the proper beginning of this group. Centaur used the former Ultem titles to begin their comic book line, and also drew on the back inventory of stories to fill out the early issues of their new titles with reprints.

By many accounts, Centaur's titles suffered from poor distribution and as the U. S. was drawn into World War II they ceased publication. Some of their final issues were projects for the Chicago Mail Order Co. "C-M-O Comics" was published for them, (but not by the Chicago Mail Order Co., contrary to some sources), while Liberty Guards Comics and (probably) Khaki Komics are reprints that also seem to be CMO giveaways, but without any indicia whatsoever. This led to speculation that Chicago Mail Order published them directly, but there is no evidence for that. The giveaway issues may have been published later in 1942 than the last regularly dated newsstand titles.


Other Hardy-Kelly publishers: https://www.comics.org/publisher/10660/

Publishers who published titles that Centaur later bought:
Ultem: http://www.comics.org/publisher/7631/
Chesler: http://www.comics.org/publisher/112/
Comics Magazine Company: http://www.comics.org/publisher/7628/
Series Year Issues Covers Published
Amazing Adventure Funnies [m] 1940 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery June 1940 - September 1940
Amazing Man Comics [m] 1939 22 issues (22 indexed) Have 22 (Need 1) September 1939 - January 1942
Amazing Mystery Funnies [m] 1938 24 issues (24 indexed) Gallery August 1938 - September 1940
Amazing Mystery Funnies [m] 1942 1 issues (1 indexed) Have 1 (Need 1) 1942
The Arrow [m] 1940 3 issues (3 indexed) Gallery October 1940 - October 1941
Blackout [m] 1942 1 issues (0 indexed) Gallery March 1942
C-M-O Comics [m] 1942 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery 1942 - 1942
Comic Pages [m] 1939 3 issues (3 indexed) Gallery July 1939 - December 1939
Cowboy Comics [m] 1938 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery July 1938 - August 1938
Detective Eye [m] 1940 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery November 1940 - December 1940
Eek! [m] 1942 1 issues (0 indexed) Gallery May 1942
Fantoman [m] 1940 3 issues (3 indexed) Gallery August 1940 - December 1940
Funny Pages [m] 1938 26 issues (26 indexed) Gallery March 1938 - October 1940
Funny Picture Stories [m] 1938 9 issues (9 indexed) Have 9 (Need 1) March 1938 - May 1939
Funny Picture Stories [Laundromat Giveaway] [m] 1938 1 issues (0 indexed) Gallery [April 1938]
G.R.R.! [m] 1942 1 issues (0 indexed) Gallery May 1942
Keen Detective Funnies [m] 1938 24 issues (24 indexed) Gallery July 1938 - September 1940
Keen Komics [m] 1939 3 issues (3 indexed) Gallery May 1939 - November 1939
Khaki Humor [m] 1942 1 issues (0 indexed) Gallery November 1941
Khaki Komics [m] 1941 1 issues (0 indexed) Gallery 1941
Liberty Guards Comics [m] 1942 1 issues (1 indexed) Gallery circa 1942
Liberty Scouts Comics [m] 1941 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery June 1941 - August 1941
Little Giant Comics 1938 4 issues (3 indexed) Gallery July 1938 - February 1939
Little Giant Detective Funnies 1938 2 issues (0 indexed) Gallery October 1938 - January 1939
Little Giant Movie Funnies [m] 1938 2 issues (0 indexed) Have 2 (Need 1) August 1938 - October 1938
Man of War Comics [m] 1941 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery November 1941 - January 1942
Masked Marvel [m] 1940 3 issues (3 indexed) Gallery September 1940 - December 1940
Puzzle Fun [m] 1938 1 issues (0 indexed) Gallery 1938 ?
Star Comics [m] 1938 14 issues (14 indexed) Have 14 (Need 1) March 1938 - August 1939
Star Ranger [m] 1938 3 issues (3 indexed) Gallery March 1938 - May 1938
Star Ranger Funnies [m] 1938 6 issues (6 indexed) Gallery October 1938 - October 1939
Stars and Stripes Comics [m] 1941 5 issues (5 indexed) Have 5 (Need 1) May 1941 - December 1941
Super Spy [m] 1940 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery October 1940 - November 1940
Uncle Joe's Funnies [m] 1938 1 issues (1 indexed) Gallery 1938
Wham Comics [m] 1940 2 issues (2 indexed) Gallery November 1940 - December 1940
World Famous Heroes Magazine [m] 1941 4 issues (4 indexed) Gallery October 1941 - April 1942

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