The Overlooked Fiction House Artistry of Maurice Whitman, at Auction

We recently singled one of the break-out hits of this Fiction House auction, Kaanga Comics #8 with its cover by an underappreciated artist of the Golden Age, Maurice Whitman.  But Whitman’s work graced a large number of comics of the mid-1940s through the early 1950s that are undeservedly overlooked. After serving in WWII, Whitman entered the comics industry working in the mid-1940s for the likes of Harry Chesler, Lloyd Jacquet and Jerry Iger. But in 1947, he began working for the publisher with which he would make his mark: Fiction House.  Whitman worked on interior stories for the likes of Wings Comics, Planet Comics, Jungle Comics, and other Fiction House titles from 1947-1950 before starting to get cover work as well.  Maurice Whitman created dozens of covers for Fiction House 1950-1954, and many if not most of them are stand-outs. There are a bunch of Fiction House comics with Maurice Whitman covers or art up for auction in the 2022 October 13 The Fiction House Showcase Auction #40199 at Heritage Auctions.

Whitman worked for Fiction House until Summer 1954, and the company ceased operations shortly thereafter, becoming a victim of the anti-comics moral panic of the mid-1950s.  He then moved onto a wide range of work for Charlton, Warren Publications, and others.  But his Fiction House work is Whitman at the peak of his abilities. There are a bunch Fiction House comics with Maurice Whitman covers or art up for auction in the 2022 October 13 The Fiction House Showcase Auction #40199 at Heritage Auctions. In addition to the items listed in this post, you can check out Fiction House titles such as Planet Comics, Jumbo Comics, Jungle Comics, Fight Comics, Rangers Comics, Wings Comics, and much more. New to collecting Fiction House or want to learn more?  Bleeding Cool is doing an ongoing deep dive into the history behind Fiction House in the run-up to this auction. If you’ve never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.

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