After Fiction House''s first comic book series with in 1938, its next four titles were published on the newsstand in October 1939, and the second November, respectively. It was then launched a few months later, and the story started with a war-themed supervillain. A CGC FN-5.5 Off-white page is up for auction in the 2022 October 13th. Heritage Auctions.
The Fiction House line received much of its comic material from the S.M. "Jerry" Iger Studio, although Will Eisner left the studio in 1940, but the editor for the firm was not Malcolm Reiss, who was the relatively well-known publisher. Shank was a prominent figure in pulp and comics history.
Oliver DeWitt Shank Jr. was born in 1913 in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the son of a businessman who founded the Harrisonburg Candy and Fruit Company in 1921. Shank attended Duke University where he was a part of Duke''s short-lived boxing program. His first professional writing work was recorded during his final year at Duke, along with the March 1935 issue of, which published a series of sports stories by Shank for the magazine.
Shank completed a career in freelance magazine writing, as an editor alongside Reiss in Fall 1940, taking over pulps and boxing skills, where he was involved in the fight against war. He was likely to enter the United States in World War II, but he married on January 31, 1942 and enlisted in the US Army on April 4, 1942.
Shank''s general editorial duties at Fiction House were replaced by John F. Byrne, a figure that is often seen as a reason behind the publisher''s female heroes and the use of several women artists. Byrne''s mother and aunt, Edma Byrne, was an active contributor to the University of Wisconsin at the age of 20. He was later promoted to the editor of Fiction House in 1942, after serving as the publisher''s general editor.
As Shank''s departure for the war abruptly vanished, the cover of the original Rangers of Freedom costumed characters and their supervillain nemesis SuperBrain appeared, however, the interior feature revealed a new group of Rangers who were taking part in more traditional war stories.
DeWitt Shank''s career would not be repeated during WWII and the Korean War, according to his editorial stint on the pulp. It appears that the launch of the military-themed under his tenure drew on his life''s interests.
In the run-up to this auction, you may check out the Fiction House Showcase Auction #40199. If you''ve never used it before, please click here to view the link.
Rangers Comics #1 (Fiction House, 1941) CGC FN- 5.5 Off-white to white pages.TitledRangers of Freedom. First appearance of Ranger Girl and the Rangers of Freedom. Dan Zolnerowich cover. Overstreet 2022 FN 6.0 value = $1,785. CGC census 9/22: 3 in 5.5, 10 higher.
CGC Grader Notes: Right Bottom Front Cover Small Tear Right Top Front Cover Chip Out Top Front Cover Multiple Tear Breaks Color Top Staple Front Cover Detached
View the certification for CGC Certification ID 1211370001.
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