Holiday Reading Room FIRST CHRISTMAS IN NEW SUPER 3DIMENSION Conclusion

When Last We Left the Messiah...

...he had just been born!

So get out those red-blue glasses and let's continue..

This never-reprinted 1953 comic from Fiction House was one of numerous Bible-themed titles put out by various comics publishers to try to counteract the growing tide of anti-comics sentiment created by Fredric (Seduction of the Innocent) Wertham and his ilk, showing comic books could also be wholesome entertainment.

You can see Atlas/Marvel's version of the Nativity HERE, and DC/EC's take on the story HERE.
The writer and artist are unknown, but it's a sure bet they were part of the Iger Studio which "packaged" (provided editorial and art) for Fiction House's comics division.
The cover is by legendary sci-fi pulp and book illustrator Kelly Freas!

Merry

Christmas!!!

Holiday Reading Room FIRST CHRISTMAS IN NEW SUPER 3DIMENSION Part 1

Get out those red-blue 3-D glasses, kiddies...

...because we're about to add a whole new dimension to Christmas comics!

Be here Thursday for the astounding conclusion.

Spoiler: the comic, while chronologically going beyond the usual Christmas narrative, does not cover Jesus Christ's entire life story.

This never-reprinted 1953 comic from Fiction House was one of numerous Bible-themed titles put out by various comics publishers to try to counteract the growing tide of anti-comics sentiment created by Fredric (Seduction of the Innocent) Wertham and his ilk, showing comic books could also be wholesome entertainment.

You can see Atlas/Marvel's version of the Nativity HERE, and DC/EC's take on the story HERE.

For Fiction House, unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the last titles the comics division published, closing up in early 1954.

Fiction's pulp magazine department struggled until early 1955 when it, too, passed into oblivion.

Holiday Reading Room PICTURE STORIES FROM THE BIBLE: NEW TESTAMENT "Story of Jesus: Part One"

The origin tale of Jesus Christ has, usually, been presented tastefully, even reverently!

...and we'll be re-presenting some of them (including never-reprinted material) on Thursdays for the next few weeks!

Let's start with the most-reprinted one of all...

The story continues with a caption mentioning that Mary and Joseph escaped and then takes up with Jesus as a 'tween.

Originally published by All-American Comics under the DC Comics logo in 1942, later editions were done by EC Comics after publisher MC Gaines sold his rights to most of the All-American line to National Allied Publications who combined the two groups into National Periodical Publications.

(National Allied and All-American had been marketing and distributing their books together, usually using the DC Comics logo, which was the result of an earlier buyout of Detective Comics Inc by National!)

Retaining the rights to the Picture Stories series, Gaines used it as the cornerstone of his new EC Comics imprint.

Note: EC Comics, now famous (or infamous) for its horror/sci-fi titles and MAD was originally conceived as Educational Comics with lots of wholesome, young-kid oriented material like Tiny Tots Comics and Land of the Lost!

Don't remember them?
Their sales (except for the Picture Stories of the Bible) were pitiful.

That's why "Educational" Comics became "Entertaining" Comics, though they continued reprinting Picture Stories (but without the EC logo on the front after the whole "Seduction of the Innocent" scare...)

Note: the entire Picture Stories series (including this tale) was written by Montgomery Mulford & Edward Wertheim and illustrated by Don Cameron!

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Holiday Reading Room: PICTURE STORIES FROM THE BIBLE "New Testament: Story of Jesus Part 2" Death & Resurrection

We Have Already Seen...

Art by Don Cameron

...betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of his own disciples, Jesus Christ is convicted on trumped-up chrarges and sentenced to death by the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate...

Written and edited by Montgomery Mulford, illustrated by Don Cameron.

Initially-published under the All-American Comics imprint, Picture Stories from the Bible was carried-over to publisher Max Gaines' new company Educational Comics, when he sold All-American outright to Detective Comics (which became National Peroidical Publications after the merger) in 1946.

EC Comics continued to reprint the Bible series both as single issues and as hardcover compilations of the complete seven-issue series and separate Old and New Testament editions.

The series inspired a host of copycats from other publishers including Atlas (Marvel), Living Bible Corporation, Nedor/Standard. and Eastern Color Corp, none of which lasted as long as EC's series.