Number 2272: The Terrific Comics McCormick

Ed Wheelan was an old-time cartoonist with a newspaper comic strip, Minute Movies, which began during the silent movie era. He worked on other comic strips after Minute Movies was canceled. Wheelan drew new episodes of Minute Movies for Flash Comics, and followed Max Gaines, publisher of Flash Comics, into Gaines’s later endeavor, EC Comics, where he did Fat and Slat.

Wheelan’s style has a particular charm for me. He still drew in the style of an earlier time. It was not changed by him to reflect contemporary tastes of the 1940s.  “Comics” McCormick was a feature Wheelan did for two different publishers: M.C. Gaines (Educational Comics), and Frank Temerson (publishing comics under various names. In this case called Continental Magazines, publishers of Terrific Comics) where Wheelan’s work was shown. Obviously Wheelan was allowed to retain the rights to his character. “Comics” McCormick appeared in five issues of early EC Comics after appearing in five issues of Frank Temerson’s comics.

“Comics” appeared in Terrific Comics numbers 2-6, and today’s story is from the final issue, number 6 (1944).

For more “Comics” adventures click on the thumbnail:

Posted in: Pappy Comics