You do not have permission to edit this page, for the following reasons:

This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.

The IP address or range 44.201.0.0/16 has been blocked (disabled) by ‪ST47‬ for the following reason(s):

The IP address that you are currently using has been blocked because it is believed to be a web host provider. To prevent abuse, web hosts may be blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
If you do not have any other way to edit Wikipedia, you will need to request an IP block exemption.

How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: ((unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~)). You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.

Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.

This block will expire on 23:54, 31 July 2024.

Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.

For information on how to proceed, please read the FAQ for blocked users and the guideline on block appeals. The guide to appealing blocks may also be helpful.

Other useful links: Blocking policy · Help:I have been blocked
Your IP address is in a range that has been blocked on all Wikimedia Foundation wikis. The block was made by ‪AntiCompositeNumber‬. The reason given is Open proxy/Webhost: Visit the FAQ if you are affected .
- Start of block: 13:55, 18 August 2022
- Expiry of block: 13:55, 18 April 2025
Your current IP address is 44.201.28.123. The blocked range is 44.201.0.0/16. Please include all above details in any queries you make. If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy. Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewards VRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.

You can view and copy the source of this page:

((Short description|Defunct American comic books publisher))
((Infobox company
| name = Charlton Comics
| logo = Charlton Comics logo.png
| logo_size = 160
| logo_caption = "Big C" logo, used from September 1967 to September 1973
| foundation = ((Start date and age|1945))
| defunct = ((End date and age|1986))
| fate = Library absorbed by [[DC Comics]], including the [[Fawcett Comics]] characters that were purchased by Charlton Comics.
| founder = ((ubl|John Santangelo Sr.|Ed Levy))
| key_people = ((ubl|Al Fago|[[Pat Masulli]]|[[George Wildman]]))
| location = [[Derby, Connecticut|Derby]], [[Connecticut]]
| industry = [[Comics]]
| owner = Charlton Publications
| divisions = ((ubl|Frank Comunale Publications|Children Comics Publishing|Frank Publications|Modern Comics))
| homepage = 
))
'''Charlton Comics''' was an American [[comic-book]] publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: '''T. W. O. Charles Company''', in 1940. It was based in [[Derby, Connecticut]]. The comic-book [[line (comics)|line]] was a division of '''Charlton Publications''', which published magazines (most notably song-lyric magazines), puzzle books, and briefly, books (under the '''Monarch''' and '''Gold Star''' imprints). It had its own distribution company ('''Capital Distribution''').<ref>Eury, Michael. ''Dick Giordano: Changing Comics, One Day at a Time'' (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2003), p. 42.</ref>

Charlton Comics published a wide variety of [[genres]], including [[crime fiction|crime]], [[science fiction]], [[Western (genre)|Western]], [[horror (genre)|horror]], [[War comics|war]], and [[romance comics]], as well as [[talking animals in fiction|talking animal]] and [[superhero]] titles. The company was known for its low-budget practices, often using unpublished material acquired from defunct companies and paying comics creators among the lowest rates in the industry. Charlton was also the last of the American comics publishers still operating to raise its cover prices from 10 to 12 cents in 1962.

It was unique among comic-book companies in that it controlled all areas of publishing – from editorial to printing to distribution – rather than working with outside printers and distributors, as did most other publishers. It did so under one roof at its Derby headquarters.<ref name="Power">Duncan, Randy and Smith, Matthew J. [http://www.powerofcomics.com/charlton.html "The Charlton Comics Story"]. ((Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805073254/http://www.powerofcomics.com/charlton.html |date=2010-08-05 )). ''The Power of Comics: History, Form & Culture'' (Continuum, 2009).</ref>

The company was formed by John Santangelo Sr. and Ed Levy in 1940 as T. W. O. Charles Company, named after the co-founders' two sons, both named Charles, and became '''Charlton Publications''' in 1945.

==History==

===Early years===
((More citations needed section|date=September 2010))
((multiple image
   | direction = vertical
   | width     = 150
   | footer    = Charlton published a wide variety of [[genres]], including [[romance comics|romance]], [[crime fiction|crime]],  [[Humor magazine|satire]] and [[horror (genre)|horror]].
   | image1    = Sweetheart Diary No 33 Charlton, 1956 SA.jpg
   | image2    = Lawbreakers Suspense Stories 11.jpg
   | image3    = The Thing 15.jpg
   | image4    = EhNo2.jpg
   | image5    = The Thing 09.jpg 
))
In 1931, Italian immigrant John Santangelo Sr., a bricklayer who had started a construction business in [[White Plains, New York]], five years earlier, began what became a highly successful business publishing song-lyric magazines out of nearby [[Yonkers, New York]]. Operating in violation of [[copyright]] laws, however, he was sentenced in 1934 to a year and a day at New Haven County Jail in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], near Derby, where his wife and he by then lived. In jail, he met [[Waterbury, Connecticut]], attorney Ed Levy, with whom he began legitimate publishing in 1935, acquiring permissions to reproduce lyrics in such magazines as ''Hit Parade'' and ''Big Song Magazine''. Santangelo and Levy opened a printing plant in Waterbury the following year, and in 1940, founded the T.W.O. Charles Company, eventually moving its headquarters to Derby.<ref name=chs>Archive of [https://web.archive.org/web/20080412061537/http://www.chs.org/comics/charlton.htm "Charlton Comics: A Brief History"],  The Connecticut Historical Society. [http://www.chs.org/comics/charlton.htm Original site]. [https://www.webcitation.org/5z7ZvbI15?url=http://web.archive.org/web/20080412061537/www.chs.org/comics/charlton.htm WebCitation archive].</ref> Charlton purchased the company Song Lyrics, Inc., which published ''Song Hits'' magazine and was owned by [[Lyle Engel]] in 1949.<ref>((cite magazine | magazine=Billboard | date=December 24, 1949 | title=Charlton Acquires Engel's Lyric Mags, Marking End of an Era | page=20 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LvYDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA20 ))</ref>

Following the adoption of the Charlton Comics name in 1946,<ref name="Power" /> the company over the next five years acquired material from freelance [[editing|editor]] and [[comics packager]] Al Fago (brother of former [[Timely Comics]] editor [[Vincent Fago]]). Charlton additionally published ''Merry Comics'', ''Cowboy Western'', the Western title ''Tim McCoy'', and ''Pictorial Love Stories''.

The company used a second-hand press originally used for printing cereal boxes.<ref>[https://centralrecorder.org/423/arts-and-entertainment/watchmen-comic-has-roots-in-connecticut/ Watchmen Comic Has Roots in Connecticut - Central Recorder]</ref> These large presses were very costly to both stop and start, which only happened twice a year when they had to be cleaned, and so they started publishing comics as a mean to keep the presses going.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2-ZnEAAAQBAJ&dq=charlton+comics+presses+two+times+a+year+going&pg=PA20 The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz]</ref> After the entry into the comic business, the company's first comic book was ''[[Yellowjacket (Charlton Comics)|Yellowjacket]]'', an anthology of superhero and horror stories launched September 1944 under the imprint Frank Comunale Publications, with Ed Levy listed as publisher.<ref name="Power" /> ''Zoo Funnies'' was published under the imprint Children Comics Publishing; ''Jack in the Box'', under Frank Comunale; and ''TNT Comics'', under Charles Publishing Co. Another imprint was Frank Publications.

In 1951, when Al Fago began as an in-house editor, Charlton hired a staff of artists who included its future managing editor, [[Dick Giordano]]. Others (staff or freelance) who eventually worked with Charlton included [[Vince Alascia]], [[Jon D'Agostino]], [[Sam Glanzman]], [[Rocke Mastroserio|Rocco "Rocke" Mastroserio]], Bill Molno, [[Charles Nicholas]], and [[Sal Trapani]]. The primary writer was the remarkably prolific [[Joe Gill]]. The same year the company created an in-house comics department, where comics would make up 25% of Charlton.<ref>[https://www.twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/09empire.html The Charlton Empire - Comic Book Artist #9]</ref>

The company began a wide expansion of its comics line, which included notoriously gory((Citation needed|date=June 2011)) horror comics (the principal title being [[Steve Ditko]]'s ''[[The Thing!]]''). In 1954–55, it acquired a stable of comic-book properties from the defunct Superior Comics, [[Mainline Publications]], [[St. John Publications]], and most significantly, [[Fawcett Publications]],<ref name="Power" /> which was shutting down its [[Fawcett Comics]] division. Charlton continued publishing two of Fawcett's horror books—''[[This Magazine Is Haunted]]'' and ''[[Strange Suspense Stories]]''—initially using unpublished material from Fawcett's inventory.<ref>[http://www.toonopedia.com/charlton.htm "Charlton Comics''] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]] notes that Charlton's acquisition included unused artwork from a number of Fawcett titles. [https://www.webcitation.org/63k0mW8nr?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/charlton.htm Archived] from the original December 6, 2011.</ref> Artistic chores were then handed to Ditko, whose moody, individualistic touch came to dominate Charlton's supernatural line. Beset by the circulation slump that swept the industry towards the end of the 1950s,((Citation needed|date=December 2007)) ''Haunted'' struggled for another two years, published bimonthly until May 1958. ''Strange Suspense Stories'' ran longer, lasting well into the 1960s before "giving up the ghost" in 1965.

Charlton published a wide line of [[Romance comics|romance]] titles, particularly after it acquired the Fawcett line, which included the romance comics  ''[[Sweethearts (comics)|Sweethearts]]'', ''Romantic Secrets'', and ''Romantic Story''. ''Sweethearts'' was the comic world's first monthly romance title<ref>Nolan, Michelle (2008). ''Love on the Racks: A History of American Romance Comics''. McFarland & Company, Inc.. pp. 30, 210. ((ISBN|978-0-7864-3519-7)).</ref> (debuting in 1948), and Charlton continued publishing it until 1973. Charlton had launched its first original romance title in 1951, ''True Life Secrets'', but that series only lasted until 1956. Charlton also picked up a number of [[Western comics|Western]] titles from the defunct Fawcett Comics line, including ''[[Gabby Hayes|Gabby Hayes Western]]'', ''[[Lash LaRue|Lash LaRue Western]]'', ''[[Monte Hale|Monte Hale Western]]'', ''[[Rocky Lane|Rocky Lane Western]]''.
''Six-Gun Heroes'', ''[[Tex Ritter|Tex Ritter Western]]'', ''[[Tom Mix|Tom Mix Western]]'', and ''Western Hero''.

Seeking to save money on second-class postage permits, Charlton, like many comic-book publishers of the era, frequently changed the titles of their comics, rather than start new ones at number 1 (a new publication required a new postal permit, while an existing publication that just changed its name could use its existing permit).<ref>((cite web |url=https://brewminate.com/americas-postwar-fling-with-romance-comics/ |title=America’s Postwar Fling with Romance Comics |author=Michael C. Weisenburg |date=February 19, 2020 |work=Brewminate |accessdate=July 12, 2023))</ref> Notable examples of this practice include the titles ''[[Billy the Kid (Charlton Comics)|Billy the Kid]]'' (originally ''Masked Raider''), ''[[Blue Beetle (comic book)|Blue Beetle]]'' vol. 2 (originally ''[[The Thing!]]''), ''[[Blue Beetle (comic book)|Blue Beetle]]'' vol. 3 (originally ''Unusual Tales''), ''[[Fightin' Air Force]]'' (originally ''Never Again''), ''[[Fightin' Army]]'' (originally ''Soldier and Marine Comics''), ''[[Fightin' Marines]]'' (originally ''The Texan''), ''[[Fightin' Navy]]'' (originally ''[[Don Winslow of the Navy (comic strip)|Don Winslow of the Navy]]''), ''[[Ghostly Haunts]]'' (originally ''[[Ghost Manor]]''), ''[[Ghostly Tales]]'' (originally ''[[Blue Beetle (comic book)|Blue Beetle]]'' vol. 3), ''[[I Love You (comics)|I Love You]]'' (originally ''In Love''), and ''[[Sweethearts (comics)|Sweethearts]]'' (originally [[Fawcett Publications|Fawcett]]'s ''[[Captain Midnight]]'').

Al Fago left in the mid-1950s, and was succeeded by his assistant, [[Pat Masulli]], who remained in the position for 10 years. Masulli oversaw a plethora of new romance titles, including the long-running ''[[I Love You (comics)|I Love You]]'', ''Sweetheart Diary'', ''[[Brides in Love]]'', ''My Secret Life'', and ''[[Just Married (comics)|Just Married]]''; and the teen-oriented romance comics ''Teen-Age Love'', ''Teen Confessions'', and ''Teen-Age Confidential Confessions''.

On August 19, 1955, the company was hit hard by a [[1955 Connecticut floods|flood]]. The water was rising so fast that vital office records was all that could be saved. $300,000 in paper inventory, plates, mats and original comics artwork were lost, including the artwork the company had bought from [[Fawcett Comics]], in addition to printing presses and typesetting machines. Several issues of comics were destroyed, and some titles abandoned completely.<ref>[https://issuu.com/twomorrows/docs/charltoncompanionpreview/s/16610196 The Coming of Charlton Comics - Issuu]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jLR5ounf1k&t=2544s Charlton Neo Media/Charlton Comics: The Movie Panel at CT ComiCONN]</ref>

Superheroes were a minor part of the company. At the beginning, Charlton's main  characters were [[Yellowjacket (Charlton Comics)|Yellowjacket]], not to be confused with the later Marvel character, and Diana the Huntress. In the mid-1950s, Charlton briefly published a ''Blue Beetle'' title with new and reprinted stories, and in 1956, several short-lived titles written by [[Superman]] co-creator [[Jerry Siegel]], such as ''[[Mr. Muscles]]'', ''Zaza the Mystic'', and ''[[Nature Boy (comics)|Nature Boy]]'' (the latter with artist Mastroserio).<ref>((cite web |last1=Bails |first1=Jerry |title=SIEGEL, JERRY |url=http://www.bailsprojects.com/bio.aspx?Name=SIEGEL%2c+JERRY |website=Who's Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 |access-date=6 April 2021))</ref>

===Silver Age===
The company's most noteworthy period was during the [[Silver Age of Comic Books|"silver age" of comic books]], which had begun with [[DC Comics]]' successful revival of superheroes in 1956.<ref name="Power" /> In March 1960, Charlton's [[science-fiction]] [[anthology]] title ''[[Space Adventures (comics)|Space Adventures]]'' introduced [[Captain Atom]], by Gill and the future co-creator of [[Marvel Comics]]' [[Spider-Man]], [[Steve Ditko]].<ref>((cite book|last1=McAvennie|first1=Michael |editor-last=Dolan |editor-first=Hannah |chapter= 1960s|title = DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle|publisher=[[Dorling Kindersley]] |year=2010 |isbn= 978-0-7566-6742-9 |page= 99 |quote = Captain Atom was born in a tale by artist Steve Ditko and writer Joe Gill.))</ref> (After the mid-1980s demise of Charlton, Captain Atom went on to become a stalwart of the DC stable, as would Blue Beetle, the old [[Fox Feature Syndicate|Fox Comics]] superhero revived by Gill and artists [[Bill Fraccio]] and [[Tony Tallarico]] as a campy, comedic character in ''Blue Beetle'' #1 [June 1964].) 

Charlton also had moderate success with [[Son of Vulcan]], its answer to Marvel's [[Thor (Marvel Comics)|Thor]], in ''Mysteries of Unexplored Worlds'' #46 (May 1965).

During the Silver Age, Charlton, like Marvel and DC, published [[war comics]]. Notable titles included the "Fightin'" line of ''[[Fightin' Air Force]]'', ''[[Fightin' Army]]'', ''[[Fightin' Marines]]'', and ''[[Fightin' Navy]]''; the "Attack" line of ''Army Attack'' and ''Submarine Attack''; ''Battlefield Action'';  ''D-Day'', ''U.S. Air Force Comics'', and ''War Heroes''. Though primarily [[anthology|anthologies]] of stories about 20th-century warfare, they included a small number of recurring characters and features, including "The American Eagle",<ref>[http://www.toonopedia.com/ameagl3.htm American Eagle (1965)] at [[Don Markstein's Toonopedia]]. [https://www.webcitation.org/66ftATiK1?url=http://www.toonopedia.com/ameagl3.htm Archived] from the original on April 4, 2012.</ref> "[[Shotgun Harker and the Chicken]]", "[[Will Franz|The Devil's Brigade]]", "[[The Iron Corporal]]", and "[[Captain Willy Schultz|The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz]]". ''Army War Heroes'' and ''Marine War Heroes'' depicted stories based on actual [[Medal of Honor]] recipients. ''Space War'', first created in 1959 became ''[[Fightin' 5]]'' in 1964.

With the mid-1960s fad for [[James Bond]] secret agents such as ''[[Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (feature)|Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.]]'', Charlton turned their Vietnam veteran [[Mike Hammer (character)|Mike Hammer]] [[hardboiled detective]] ''[[Sarge Steel]]'' into a special agent after the sixth issue, later renaming the comic ''Secret Agent''.

Charlton threw itself into the resurgent [[horror comics]] genre during this period with such titles as ''[[Ghostly Tales]]'', ''[[The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves]]'', and ''[[Ghost Manor (comics)|Ghost Manor]]''. It also created a pair of identical horror-movie magazines: ''Horror Monsters'' (1961–1964) and ''Mad Monsters'' (1961–1965). Additionally, Charlton produced comics based on monsters featured in motion pictures such as ''[[Konga (film)|Konga]]'', ''[[Gorgo (film)|Gorgo]]'' and ''[[Reptilicus]]''.

Charlton continued its commitment to [[romance comics]] with such new titles as ''Career Girl Romances'', ''Hollywood Romances'' (later to change its name to ''For Lovers Only''), and ''Time for Love''.

In 1965, Charlton revived the Captain Atom character in ''[[Strange Suspense Stories]]'' numbers 75, 76, and 77, reprinting the Steve Ditko-illustrated stories that had originally appeared in ''[[Space Adventures]]'' in the early 1960s. Retitling the comic, ''[[Captain Atom]]'' Volume 2 #78 (cover dated Dec. 1965), Charlton began publishing newly created stories by Ditko of the superhero.  In 1967, Ditko stopped working at Marvel and returned to Charlton full-time. After his celebrated stint at Marvel, he had grown disenchanted with that company and his Spider-Man collaborator, writer-editor [[Stan Lee]]. Having the hugely popular Ditko back helped prompt Charlton editor Giordano to introduce the company's "Action Hero" superhero line, with characters including Captain Atom, Ditko's the [[Question (comics)|Question]], Gill and artist [[Pat Boyette]]'s [[Peacemaker (comics)|The Peacemaker]], Gill and company [[art director]] [[Frank McLaughlin (artist)|Frank McLaughlin]]'s [[Judomaster]], [[Pete Morisi]]'s ''[[Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt|Peter Cannon... Thunderbolt]]'', and Ditko's new "Ted Kord" version of the Blue Beetle.<ref>McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 123: "After Ted Kord assumed the scarab as Blue Beetle in a back-up feature of ''Captain Atom'' #83, writer/artist Steve Ditko and co-writer 'D.C. Glanzman' (who was actually Ditko) launched the Blue Beetle into his own series."</ref> Because Giordano had a personal dislike for superheroes and wanted to keep them in a pulplike realm of relative believability, all the characters in his Action Hero line, except for Captain Atom, were ordinary humans which used their skills and talents instead of superpowers.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=-SzGCgAAQBAJ&dq=Giordano+action+hero+pulp-like+realm&pg=PA6 The Phantom: The Complete Series: The Charlton Years: Volume One]</ref><ref>[https://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/01giordano.html Dick Giordano Interview - Comic Book Artist #1]</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=RgVlCwAAQBAJ&dq=Giordano+tapped+Charlton+superhero+skills+talents&pg=PA98 The Superhero Book: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Comic-Book Icons and Hollywood Heroes]</ref> The company also developed a reputation as a place for new talent to break into comics; examples include [[Jim Aparo]], [[Dennis O'Neil]] and [[Sam Grainger]]. As well, Charlton in the late 1960s published some of the first [[manga]] in America, in ''[[Ghost Manor (comics)|Ghost Manor]]'' and other titles (thanks to artist [[Sanho Kim]]), and artist [[Wayne Howard]] became the industry's first known cover-credited series creator, with the horror-anthology ''[[Midnight Tales]]'' blurbing "Created by Wayne Howard" on each issue—"a declaration perhaps unique in the industry at the time".<ref>Cooke, Jon B.,  "Lest We Forget: Celebrating Four that Got Away": ''[[Comic Book Artist]]'' #12 (March 2001), p. 112</ref>

Yet by the end of 1967, Charlton's superhero titles had been cancelled, and licensed properties had become the company's staples, particularly cartoon characters from [[Hanna-Barbera]] (''[[The Flintstones]]'', ''[[The Jetsons]]'', ''[[Top Cat]]'', [[Korg: 70,000 B.C.]], others). Charlton took over publication of a number of [[King Features Syndicate]] characters from that company's short-lived [[King Comics]], including ''[[Beetle Bailey]]'', ''[[Blondie (comic strip)|Blondie]] Comics'', ''[[Flash Gordon]]'', ''[[Jungle Jim]]'', ''[[The Phantom]]'', and  ''[[Popeye]]''. Charlton also published ''Bullwinkle and Rocky'', and ''Hoppity Hooper'', based on [[Jay Ward Productions]]' ''[[Hoppity Hooper]]'', and ''[[The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show|Rocky and His Friends/The Bullwinkle Show]]''.

Charlton dabbled occasionally in adaptations of live-action TV comedies. The most successful was ''[[My Little Margie]]'', based on the 1952-55 network series starring [[Gale Storm]]; the Charlton version ran for a full 10 years (1954-64, 54 issues) and inspired two spinoffs, ''My Little Margie's Boy Friends'' (1955–58, 11 issues) and ''My Little Margie's Fashions'' (1959, five issues). ''Abbott and Costello'', debuting in 1968, was based on the syndicated [[Abbott and Costello]] animated cartoon series of 1967-68 and ran for 22 issues. ''[[Hee Haw]]'', a remarkably faithful rendition of the then-current [[Columbia Broadcasting System|CBS-TV]] series, bowed in 1970 but ran for only seven issues. Both the ''Abbott and Costello'' and ''Hee Haw'' comics were discontinued in the summer of 1971, although Charlton's ''Hee Haw'' was revamped for general audiences as a 50-cent magazine, printed in black-and-white with cast photos and jokes supplemented by advertising. The last of the comedy vehicles was ''[[The Partridge Family]]'', based on the then-current [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC-TV]] [[sitcom]]; launched in 1971, the comic book ran for 21 issues until it was cancelled in 1973.

===Bronze Age===
[[Nicola Cuti]] made creative improvements to Charlton's line in the early 1970s, which had been referred to as [[Bronze Age of comic books|comics' Bronze Age]], during which he worked as assistant editor under [[George Wildman]], who was occupied primarily with administrative duties. Cuti brought [[Mike Zeck]], among others, into Charlton's roster of artists, and his writing enlivened the ''Ghostly'' titles, now including ''[[Ghostly Haunts]]''. Other Bronze Age Charlton horror titles included ''[[Haunted (comics)|Haunted]]'', ''[[Midnight Tales]]'', and ''[[Scary Tales (comics)|Scary Tales]]''.

In 1973, Charlton debuted the [[gothic romance]] title ''[[Haunted Love]]'', but this same period saw the mass cancellation of almost all of Charlton's vast stable of traditional [[Romance comics|romance]] titles, including such long-running series as; ''[[Sweethearts (comics)|Sweethearts]]'', ''Romantic Secrets'', ''Romantic Story'', ''[[I Love You (comics)|I Love You]]'', ''Teen-Age Love'', ''Just Married'', and ''Teen Confessions'', all of which dated from the 1950s.

[[Image:CharltonBullseye logo.jpg|thumb|right|149px|Bullseye logo, used from Sept./Oct. 1973]]
In the mid-1970s, a brief resurgence of talent occurred, energized by Cuti, artist [[Joe Staton]], and the "[[CPL Gang]]" – a group of writer/artist comics fans including [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]], [[Roger Stern]], [[Bob Layton]], and [[Roger Slifer]], who had all worked on the fanzine ''[[CPL (fanzine)|Contemporary Pictorial Literature]]''. Charlton began publishing such new titles as ''[[E-Man]]'', ''[[Midnight Tales]]'', and ''[[Doomsday + 1]]''. The CPL Gang also produced an in-house fanzine called ''[[Charlton Bullseye (fanzine)|Charlton Bullseye]]'', which published, among other things, commissioned but previously unpublished material; including the company's last ''Captain Atom'' story. Also during this period, most of Charlton's titles began sporting painted covers.

Early in 1975, Cuti, already writing freelance for the company in addition to his staff duties, quit to write freelance exclusively for Charlton when its line expanded to include black-and-white magazines in addition to the King Features and Hanna-Barbera franchised titles. He was replaced by [[Bill Pearson (comics)|Bill Pearson]], who became assistant editor after promoting [[Don Newton]] as the new ''Phantom'' artist and writing scripts for that title.

Charlton's black-and-white comics magazines were based upon current [[television series]] and aimed at older readers. One of these was ''[[The Six Million Dollar Man]]'' #1–7 (July 1976&nbsp;– August 1977). Retailing for $1, it featured art by [[Neal Adams]]' studio, [[Continuity Associates]], as well as some stories by veteran illustrators [[Jack Sparling]] and [[Win Mortimer]]. Also published in magazine form were adaptations of ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' spinoff ''[[The Bionic Woman]]'', ''[[Space: 1999]]'', and ''[[Emergency!]]'', as well as a comic based on teen heartthrob [[David Cassidy]], then starring in the musical [[sitcom]] ''[[The Partridge Family]]''.

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:E-Man4.jpg|thumb|''[[E-Man]]'' #4 (August 1974). Cover art by [[Joe Staton]].]] -->
By 1976, however, most of these titles had been cancelled,<ref>"Charlton Has Suspended Publication Indefinitely", ''[[The Comics Journal|The Nostalgia Journal]]'' #29, October 1976, p. 14.</ref> and most of the company's remaining titles  went on hiatus during the period January to August 1977. Much of the new talent took the opportunity to move on to Marvel and DC.

===Final years===
By the 1980s, Charlton was in decline. The comic-book industry was in a sales slump, struggling to reinvent a profitable distribution and retail system. Charlton's licensed titles lapsed, its aging presses were deteriorating towards uselessness, and the company did not have the resources to replace them. In 1981,  yet another attempt was made at new material, with a comic-book version of ''[[Charlton Bullseye (comic)|Charlton Bullseye]]'' serving as a new-talent showcase that actively solicited submissions by comic-book fans,<ref>"Charlton to Publish Aspiring Pro's Work for Free," ''The Comics Journal'' #59 (Oct. 1980), p. 14.</ref> and an attempt at new Ditko-produced titles. A number of 1970s-era titles were also reprinted under the Modern Comics imprint and sold in bagged sets in department stores (in much the same way [[Gold Key Comics]] were published under the [[Whitman Comics]] moniker around the same time). None of these measures worked, and in 1984, Charlton Comics suspended publication.<ref>"Charlton Comics Suspends Publication," ''[[The Comics Journal]]'' #94 (Oct. 1984), p. 18.</ref>

In 1985, a final attempt at a revival was spearheaded by new editor [[T. C. Ford]] with a direct-to-market ''Charlton Bullseye Special''.<ref>"From the Ashes: Charlton and Harvey to Resume Publishing This Spring," ''The Comics Journal'' #97 (Apr. 1985), pp. 15–16.</ref><ref>"Charlton Back from the Dead," ''The Comics Journal'' #101 (Sept. 1985), pp. 22–23.</ref> Later that same year, though, Charlton Comics went out of business;<ref>"Charlton Goes Down for the Count," ''The Comics Journal'' #103 (Sept. 1985), pp. 10–11.</ref> Charlton Publications followed suit in 1991, and its building and presses were demolished in 1999.

Editor [[Robin Snyder]] oversaw the sale of some properties to their creators, though most of the rights were purchased by Canadian [[entrepreneur]] [[Roger Broughton]].<ref>"Charlton Rights Sold," ''The Comics Journal'' #122 (June 1988), p. 26.</ref> He produced several reprint titles under the company name of [[Avalon Communications]] and its imprint [[America's Comics Group]] (ACG for short, Broughton having also purchased the rights to the defunct [[American Comics Group]] properties), and announced plans to restart Charlton Comics. This did not occur beyond its publishing a number of reprints and changing his company name to ''[[Charlton Media Group (Canada)|Charlton Media Group]]''.<ref>Irving, Christopher. "Charlton Twilight & Afterlife: the Final Days of Charlton Publications and Beyond," ''[[Comic Book Artist]]'' #12 (Mar. 2001), p104-108.</ref>

Most of Charlton's line of action heroes were acquired in 1983 for $5000 a character by [[Paul Levitz]] at [[DC Comics]], as a gift to managing editor and former Charlton editor [[Dick Giordano]].<ref>[https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/Prevue/DEC141916 COMICS' BRONZE AGE AND BEYOND! - Previews World]</ref> These "Action Hero" characters were proposed to be used in the landmark ''[[Watchmen]]'' [[Limited series (comics)|miniseries]] written by [[Alan Moore]], but DC then chose to save the characters for other uses. Moore instead developed new characters loosely based on them.<ref name="Power" /> The Charlton characters were incorporated into DC's main superhero line, starting in the epic ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'' miniseries of 1985.

Charlton's original strength, doing everything in-house, like art, lettering, editorial, printing, packaging and distribution, had helped them survive when America's largest distributor, [[American News Company]], closed its doors.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hnuQBQAAQBAJ&dq=%22charlton+comics%22+%22american+news+company%22&pg=PA67 Comics through Time : A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas]</ref> But this gradually turned into a weakness as their old equipment was stuck in the past, while other companies used more modern equipment that was faster, had higher quality and was more efficient, which contributed to their decline and fall.<ref>[https://www.twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/09empire.html The Charlton Empire - Comic Book Artist #9]</ref>

===Fan revivals===
In 2000, ''[[Charlton Spotlight]]'', a [[fanzine]] devoted to Charlton, began publication.

In 2014, comics writer [[Mort Todd]] founded a revival imprint named Charlton Neo, which relied heavily on [[crowdfunding]], and printed stories featuring Charlton characters and titles not owned by DC.<ref>Wickline, Dan. [http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/03/19/the-charlton-arrow-a-tribute-to-charlton-comics/ "The Charlton Arrow&nbsp;– A Tribute to Charlton Comics"], ''Bleeding Cool'', 19 March 2014, retrieved on 30 May 2014.</ref> In May 2017, [[AC Comics]] announced that they had entered into an agreement to bring print versions of Charlton Neo's comics to the direct-sales comic shop market, starting with ''Charlton Arrow'' #1 in September.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://www.accomics.com/acnews/ac-comics-july-2017-previews-for-september-2017-ship/|title=AC Comics July 2017 Previews for September 2017 Ship|date=May 15, 2017|website=AC Comics|access-date=May 25, 2017|archive-date=August 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821173804/http://www.accomics.com/acnews/ac-comics-july-2017-previews-for-september-2017-ship/|url-status=dead))</ref> ''The Charlton Arrow'', an anthology series featuring many Charlton characters, was the company's main product and only title sold in stores, but the company ran a number of other titles through mail-order and digital sales.<ref>((Cite web|url=http://morttodd.com/charlton.html|title=CHARLTON NEO COMICS|website=morttodd.com|access-date=2018-07-06))</ref>  In January 2018, citing poor sales and "a variety of financial calamities,"<ref>((Cite web|url=https://www.gofundme.com/charltonneo|title=Click here to support Help Save Charlton Neo Comics! organized by Mort Todd|website=gofundme.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-06))</ref> Todd launched a [[GoFundMe]] campaign to "help save" the company.

==See also==
* [[List of Charlton Comics publications]]
<!-- already cited* ''[[Charlton Bullseye (fanzine)|Charlton Bullseye]]'' (fanzine) -->

==References==
((Reflist))

==External links==
*''[[Comic Book Artist]]'' &nbsp;#9, August 2000: "The Charlton Comics Story: 1945–1968". Online portions:
:Cooke, Jon B., & Christopher Irving. [http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/09empire.html "The Charlton Empire: A Brief History of the Derby, Connecticut Publisher"], ''[[Comic Book Artist]]''. Access date 2010-04-27. [https://web.archive.org/web/20100614062925/http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/09empire.html WebCitation archive].
:Interview with [http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/09aparo.html Jim Aparo]. [https://web.archive.org/web/20110106144931/http://www.twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/09aparo.html WebCitation archive].
*''Comic Book Artist'' &nbsp;#12, March 2001: "The Charlton Comics Story: 1972–1983" Online portions:
:Interviews with [http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/12byrne.html John Byrne] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20101223150131/http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/12byrne.html  WebCitation archive]); [http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/12staton.html Joe Staton] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20101223145737/http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/12staton.html WebCitation archive]); and [http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/12stern.html Roger Stern] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20101223150412/http://twomorrows.com/comicbookartist/articles/12stern.html WebCitation archive])
*[http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/c/charlton.htm Charlton Comics] at An International Catalogue of Superheroes. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101216114715/http://internationalhero.co.uk/c/charlton.htm WebCitation archive]
*((cite web| url = http://www.ramonschenk.nl/charltoncomics/charltonspotlight/characters.htm |title = Charlton Characters & Features| editor-first= Ramon |editor-last=Schenk | archive-date=May 28, 2014| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20140528074940/http://www.ramonschenk.nl/charltoncomics/charltonspotlight/characters.htm  | url-status=live))
*((cite web|url=http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/04/in_celebration_.html|author-link=Kliph Nesteroff|last= Nesteroff|first= Kliph|title=In Celebration of Crud: The Charlton Comics Story|publisher=Beware of the Blog (column), [[WFMU]] (radio station)|date=April 8, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515100225/http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/04/in_celebration_.html|archive-date=May 15, 2011))
*((cite news|last=Keppler |first=Nick |url=http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=11965 |title=Secret Origins! Connecticut-based Charlton Comics' Link to the First Blockbuster of 2009 |work=[[Fairfield County Weekly]] |date=March 5, 2009 |archive-date=March 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309005905/http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/article.cfm?aid=11965 |url-status=bot: unknown )) Additional  on June 11, 2011
*((cite web|editor-last=Schenk|editor-first=Ramon|access-date=June 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080305204243/http://www.ramonschenk.nl/charltoncomics/charltonspotlight/charltonpersonnel.htm|archive-date=March 5, 2008|title=Charlton Personnel|url=http://www.ramonschenk.nl/charltoncomics/charltonspotlight/charltonpersonnel.htm|url-status=dead))Additional  made June 15, 2010.
*[https://archive.org/details/CharltonPublications FBI file on Charlton Publications]
*[https://aca.st/a25195 Deep Dish Radio podcast on the history of Charlton Comics with the documentarians making Charlton The Movie]((Dead link|date=July 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes ))

((DC Comics imprints))
((Dynamite Entertainment))
((Comic book publishers in North America navbox))
((GoldenAge))
((Authority control))

[[Category:Charlton Comics| ]]
[[Category:Derby, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Comic book publishing companies of the United States]]
[[Category:DC Comics imprints]]
[[Category:Defunct comics and manga publishing companies]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Connecticut]]
[[Category:1945 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:1986 disestablishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Publishing companies established in 1945]]
[[Category:Mass media companies disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1945]]

Pages transcluded onto the current version of this page (help):

Charlton Comics (edit)
Template:Ambox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Authority control (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Template:Citation needed (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite book (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite magazine (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite news (view source) (protected)
Template:Cite web (view source) (protected)
Template:Comic book publishers in North America (edit)
Template:Comic book publishers in North America navbox (edit)
Template:Comma separated entries (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:DC Comics (edit)
Template:DC Comics imprints (edit)
Template:Dead link (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Delink (view source) (protected)
Template:Dynamite Entertainment (edit)
Template:End date and age (view source) (extended confirmed protected)
Template:Fix (view source) (protected)
Template:Fix/category (view source) (protected)
Template:GoldenAge (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Golden Age of Comic Books (view source) (semi-protected)
Template:Hlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:ISBN (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Infobox company (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Longitem (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Main other (view source) (protected)
Template:More citations needed (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:More citations needed section (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Multiple image (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Multiple image/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Template:Plainlist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist (view source) (protected)
Template:Reflist/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Template:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description (view source) (protected)
Template:Short description/lowercasecheck (view source) (protected)
Template:Sp (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Start date and age (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Template other (view source) (protected)
Template:Ubl (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Unbulleted list (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Years or months ago (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno (view source) (protected)
Template:Yesno-no (view source) (template editor protected)
Template:Yesno-yes (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Arguments (view source) (protected)
Module:Authority control (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Authority control/config (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Catalog lookup link (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Category handler (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/blacklist (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Category handler/shared (view source) (protected)
Module:Check for clobbered parameters (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Check for unknown parameters (view source) (protected)
Module:Check isxn (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Citation/CS1 (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/COinS (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Date validation (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Identifiers (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Utilities (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/Whitelist (view source) (protected)
Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Delink (view source) (protected)
Module:Disambiguation/templates (view source) (protected)
Module:EditAtWikidata (view source) (protected)
Module:Icon (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Icon/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Infobox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:InfoboxImage (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:List (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/ambox.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Message box/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Multiple image (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Namespace detect/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Namespace detect/data (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/configuration (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbar/styles.css (view source) (protected)
Module:Navbox (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/configuration (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Navbox/styles.css (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Pagetype (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/config (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/disambiguation (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/setindex (view source) (protected)
Module:Pagetype/softredirect (view source) (protected)
Module:SDcat (view source) (protected)
Module:Separated entries (view source) (protected)
Module:String (view source) (protected)
Module:TableTools (view source) (protected)
Module:Unsubst (view source) (protected)
Module:Webarchive (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Webarchive/data (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WikidataIB (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WikidataIB/nolinks (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:WikidataIB/titleformats (view source) (template editor protected)
Module:Wikitext Parsing (view source) (protected)
Module:Yesno (view source) (protected)

Return to Charlton Comics.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlton_Comics"