The Super Science Saga of Captain Battle Comics, up for Auction

Captain Battle debuted in Lev Gleason Publications’ Silver Streak Comics #10, the creation of Carl Formes and Jack Binder.  He was the youngest combatant in World War I and lost his left eye fighting in that war.  He subsequently gave his life over to “the scientific perfection of inventions which he uses to overcome evil and aggressive influences.  His arch nemesis is the Black Dragon, a sorcerer hellbent on destroying democracy and civilization itself.  The Captain Battle Comics series itself has a number of weird publishing twists which can make the various parts of it hard to come by, but there are several issues of Captain Battle Comics and Captain Battle Jr. up for auction in the 2023 April 23-25 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122317 at Heritage Auctions.

After those initial Silver Streak Comics appearances by Formes and Binder, Captain Battle Comics #1 was created by Funnies Inc comic production studio members including Frank Borth, George Mandel, and possibly Kermit Jaediker. Issues #2 and #3 returned to the Binder shop, mostly Jack Binder and Otto Binder.  Captain Battle Jr.’s stories were credited to Lev Gleason himself (at least for issue #1) and Don Rico.

The first two issues of Captain Battle Comics were published by known Lev Gleason publishing company New Friday (no doubt named after the left-wing tabloid magazine Friday that Gleason was associated with).  Issue #3 contains reprints of Silver Streak material but for unknown reasons, carries the line Harry “A” Chesler Jr. Features Syndicate, N.Y. on the cover.  There is no issue #4.  Issue #5 was published by Picture Scoop, Inc. which was also the publisher of Gleason magazines Reader’s Scope and Picture Scoop.  Captain Battle Jr. was then published by the familiar Comic House, Inc. publishing company often used by Gleason.  It’s also widely assumed that Boy Comics, which started with issue #3, was a continuation of the original Captain Battle Comics numbering, despite the sporadic continuation of that title.  Captain Battle Jr. was the original’s son, a WWII fighter pilot who also worked for Army Intelligence.

Whatever actually happened there with the missing #4, the Chesler involvement, and all the rest, Captain Battle is a classic patriotic hero from one of the most editorially interesting publishers of the Golden Age, and there are several issues of Captain Battle Comics and Captain Battle Jr. up for auction in the 2023 April 23-25 Sunday, Monday & Tuesday Comic Books Select Auction #122317 at Heritage Auctions. 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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