Two of the foundational comic book creators of Canada ’s Golden Age , Ted McCall and Ed Furness , teamed up for Freelance Comics .
Article Summary
In his book Invaders from theNorth : How Canada Conquered the Comic Book Universe , comic script historianJohn Bellhas noted of foundational Golden Age Canadian comic book publishing firm Anglo - American , " Maple Leef ’s first competitor , Anglo - American , was possess and operated by four Toronto businessmen : Thomas H. Sinnott , John M. Calder , John G. Baker , and Edward C. Johnston ; but its originative force-out derive primarily from two Lord , Ted McCallandEd Furness . "
Edwin R. McCall ( 1901 - 1975 ) , better know as Ted McCall , was the author and creator of the comic stripsMen of the MountedandRobin Hood and Company , and a newsman and previous editor for theToronto Telegram . By most write up , McCall search at the passage of the War Exchange Conservation Act on December 6 , 1940 as an opportunity for Canadian publishing house . WECA banned the importee of U.S. comic books and also censor the import of materials needed to alleviate separate .
According to John Bell ’s book , Canuck Comics , " He took the idea to Harold Sinnott Sinnott of Sinnott News , a magazine dispersion companionship in southern Ontario . Sinnott liked the proposal and Anglo - American Publishing Co. Ltd was born , not to repackage U.S. superheroes but to republish Ted McCall ’s comic stripRobin Hood and Companywhich appeared in March , 1941 . "
This was not McCall ’s first brushing with the amusing Scripture publication conception . He had antecedently licensedRobin Hood and Companyto the French journalL’Aventureux , which ran the striptease in color asRobin des Boisin 1937 , and to UK publisher Amalgamated Pressfor their amusing weeklySparklerin 1938 .
The four father of Anglo - American were also well - set to make such a jump , with tie to magazine distributor Sinnott News . Thomas Harold Sinnott , a Word of Sinnott News founder Thomas Storey Sinnott , was Sinnott News manager at the time of the geological formation of Anglo - American . The older Sinnott had been a longtime employee and eventual president of the Toronto arm of London ’s Imperial News Company . Sinnott develop this outgrowth instantaneously and turn it into Sinnott News .
John M. Calderhad an office at Sinnott News well prior to the founding of Anglo - American , while at the same time being the lead of Calder Printing — apparently a bequest of his father ’s 1896 - foundedTimes Printing ship’s company . Calder was also the buddy - in - constabulary of fellow Anglo - American father Harry Sinnott . While his anterior function at Sinnott News is currently unreadable , it ’s possible there were previous Sinnott / Calder publication collaborations .
John G. Bakerwas a Sinnott News accountant . Edward C. Johnstonwas a former banker and Toronto car dealer , but he too would become a Sinnott News manager shortly after this time .
In the same monthas Anglo - American ’s tabloid - sized discharge ofRobin Hood # 1 , Maple Leaf Publications releasedBetter Comics # 1 , featuring all - young textile . This import is wide study the commencement of the Golden Age funny book geological era in Canada . Anglo - American rather mysteriously published four reprinting way out of Fox Feature Syndicate titles this calendar month as well , a move that violated WECA , perhaps unknowingly .
The debut issue ofFreelancefollowed chop-chop with a July - August 1941 cover date , a storey by McCall , and artwork by Ed Furness . The serial publication featured shameful and white inside with two - color covers ( blackened + one color ) through 1945 . The character has sort of a classic mush - style descent . According to John Bell , the graphic symbol was raised by a folk of senior in Antarctica " who raised him until he could be sent to the knocked out world for his pedagogy . They could not tell him his identicalness because of a promise extract from them by his begetter who had bring him there as a sister . "
Freelance is one of the most enduring characters of the Canadian Golden Age , and also one of the most authoritative . There ’s a nice VG / FN copy of an early issue of one of Canada ’s foundational Golden Age heroes withFreelance Comics V1#5(1942 ) up for auction sale at the 2025 March 13Canadian Golden Age Comics ShowcaseAuction # 40290 . As for McCall and Furness , we ’ll have much more about them in forthcoming situation .
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