posted March 01, 2003 05:51 AM               

What type of stories were there?

Who were some of the writers and artists?

posted March 01, 2003 01:04 PM            

quote:

---

Originally posted by roccomorocco:
I believe that Double Action was merely an ashcan comic, pulled together with photocopies of previously published stories in order to secure a copyright. But the color cover makes me doubt...other ashcan issues were in B&W only. Hmmm. Have you checked Overstreet?

---

Again, ashcans didn't use photocopies of old comis as interiors. They didn't have photocopiers in those days. If they had interiors, and not all did, they used the leftover interior to an old comic. In this sense they were always "rebound" old comics like EC's annuals. Based on its name one might expect Double Action was intended to hold two old comics, but I don't know.

Double Action Funnies was an ashcan that "came out" in 1938. It is mentioned in Pure Images, but I have no other information. Double Action Comics #2 came out in January #40. This is one one pictured at the site referenced in the above post. This cover was previously used on Adventure #37. Since it's in color, it's not clear this is actually an ashcan. It's possible it's actually a comic.

I know some of the contents are:
Dr. Occult, Hanko, Brad Hardy, Magic Crystal of History.

I do not know if this is new material or not.

posted March 01, 2003 06:36 PM               

The article is by Gary Colabuono who owns many of these Ashcans. Most came from Sol Harrison (who went from his career at DC from 16 year old color separationist to eventual President of DC)!

The paper that these are printed on is velox paper. Multiple copies of ashcans were produced by photographing the mock-ups of the logos and covers and interiors. When printed it produces an extremly clear and sharp black and white image. Because of this 50-60 year old practice the ashcans are virtually impossible to counterfeit. (Info from the article in CBM -- from the article I am still unclear as to if the interiors were also printed on velox paper).

Colobuono says of DOUBLE ACTION COMICS, Jan. 1940 - "Double Action Comics #2 is one of the rarest, least understood, and most controversial DC comics in existence! Although most experts contend that it is clearly an ashcan (because a copy was found in the Sol Harrison collection of ashcans)... others mantain that the origin of this DC enigma is still in question. This is because, unlike other DC ashcans, Double Action # 2 has a printed cover price and a printed color cover (both from the bottom 3/4 of Adventure (Comics) #37 art), is a #2 issue (instead of a #1 or a NN), and contains stories from more than a single comic book. (Among other b&w contents, it contains two 4-page Dr. Occult stories by Siegel and Shuster - "Vampires Venom," and "The Spectral Killer" - likely from two different issues of More Fun. This disproves the theory that the interior is a coverless copy of a previously published issue of Adventure, Detective or More Fun.)" This is side-bar information that accompanies a full-page color picture of Double Action Comics #2.

posted March 03, 2003 05:47 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Wayne1776:
Book Marketplace No. 71, Sept. 1999 cover features DC's Ashcans.

---

The above magazine that I used for source material was Comic Book Marketplace No. 71, Sept. 1999. I should have checked before posting, but . . .