A Tip of the Derby

Comic books from the company called Charlton graced American newsstands from (roughly) 1945 to 1986. Based in Derby, Connecticut where they owned a printing plant, Charlton was an unusual operation that usually paid its writers and artists the lowest rates in the business…and occasionally managed to put forth a product that didn't look it. There were some very fine comics now and then out of that outfit, possibly more than they deserved.

The story of the company itself is fascinating and historian Jon B. Cooke has recently given us an exhaustive and amazing book that recounts that history. To put it simply: I am stunned by how much he was able to uncover, especially this long after Charlton is out of business and most of the folks involved in it have passed. I would not have thought it was humanly possible to amass as much information as he gives in The Charlton Companion, which has just been released by my friends at TwoMorrows Books.

He covers how the company was founded behind bars in a jail cell…all its business dealings of questionable legality…how it grew out of the sheet music business…how it survived a major flood…how it made Larry Flynt rich and powerful…how it managed to do comics cheaper than just about anyone…

If you have the slightest interest in the subject matter, you need a copy of this one…the best book on comic book history I've seen in a long time.  Order yours right here and count the days 'til it arrives.