M.
C. Gaines was a pioneer in the field of comic book production and a
co-founder of the All American Comics line. That line merged with DC
in the early 40’s and in 1944 Gaines sold his stake and went out to
found Educational Comics. His goal was to offer America’s youth
with a line that would enhance their knowledge and provide wholesome
diversions. When he died in a boating accident in 1947 the company
went to his son Bill. Bill had contrary publishing instincts from
those of his father and he changed the editorial slant of the
company. EC now would stand for Entertaining Comics and under Bill’s
direction EC took up a number of popular genres like romance, crime
and of course horror. But the outfit did take one stab at the
superhero market with the character Moon Girl.
Moon
Girl was a co-creation between writer Bill Woolfolk and cartoonist
Sheldon Moldoff. “Shelly” is an artist most celebrated for his GA
work on Hawkman and also for being one of Bob Kane’s primary ghost
artists on Batman.
Moon
Girl was clearly a knock-off of Wonder Woman and targeted to attract
the same readership as the Amazon princess. From 1947 through 1949
she ran in the pages of her own book as well as in INTERNATIONAL
CRIME PATROL and GUNFIGHTER. Regarding her own series, the title was
variously known as MOON GIRL AND THE PRINCE, MOON GIRL, MOON GIRL
FIGHTS CRIME and ultimately A MOON , A GIRL, A ROMANCE.
The
Plunderers From The Past” is culled from the pages of MOON GIRL
issue 6.
Issue
4 brings us “Vampire of the Bayous”, an interesting subject
matter considering how EC’s future fortunes would be tied to the
horror genre.
cool
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