Lloyd Jacquet
Encyclopedia
Lloyd Victor Jacquet was the founder of Funnies, Inc., one of the first and most prominent of a handful of comic book
"packagers" established in the late 1930s that created comics on demand for publishers testing the waters of the emerging medium
. Among its other achievements, Funnies, Inc. supplied the contents of Marvel Comics
#1, the first publication of the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics
. Characters created by Jacquet's company include the Sub-Mariner and the original Golden Age
Human Torch
.
in World War I
, Jacquet worked as an editor
for Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
's National Allied Magazines (the future DC Comics
) on some of the first comic books — including the landmark New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine (Feb. 1935), the first such publication with solely original material rather than any newspaper
comic strip
reprints. Jacquet remained through its first four issues, later becoming art director
of Centaur Publications
— where some sources credit him with co-creating writer-artist Bill Everett
's superhero Amazing Man — before leaving to start Funnies, Inc.
The company was initially founded as First Funnies, Inc. in an attempt to publish a promotional giveaway comic, Motion Picture Funnies Weekly
, but that idea proved unsuccessful.
Novelist Mickey Spillane
, who began his career in comics and worked at Funnies, Inc., recalled in 2006 that, "Our boss, Lloyd Jacquet, a dead ringer for Douglas MacArthur
(corncob pipe and all), was a wonderful man, but could never understand living among wildcat writers and artists. All of us were pretty much freelance people, so firing us would have been a useless gesture".
As Captain America
co-creator Joe Simon
further described, "Jacquet's office was painted battleship gray. The furnishing were sparse, his desk ancient but scrubbed and neat. His black, high-topped shoes, polished to a high sheen, reflected a military presence as he sat upright in a straight-back chair...."
to do work for Treasure Chest, the Catholic
-oriented comic book distributed in parochial schools. Other Lloyd Jacquet Studios projects included Your United States, an educational, giveaway comic produced for publisher Fred W. Danner in 1946, with art by Sid Greene
and Tex Blaisdell
.
Jacquet died in 1970 at c. age 71, survived by his wife Grace.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
"packagers" established in the late 1930s that created comics on demand for publishers testing the waters of the emerging medium
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. Among its other achievements, Funnies, Inc. supplied the contents of Marvel Comics
Marvel Mystery Comics
Marvel Mystery Comics is an American comic book series published during the 1930s-1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books...
#1, the first publication of the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. Characters created by Jacquet's company include the Sub-Mariner and the original Golden Age
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books was a period in the history of American comic books, generally thought of as lasting from the late 1930s until the late 1940s or early 1950s...
Human Torch
Human Torch (Golden Age)
The Human Torch, also known as Jim Hammond, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics-owned superhero. Created by writer-artist Carl Burgos, he first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 , published by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics....
.
Early life and career
Lloyd Jacquet was an immigrant to the United States. After serving as a colonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Jacquet worked as an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
for Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson was an American pulp magazine writer and entrepreneur who pioneered the American comic book, publishing the first such periodical consisting solely of original material rather than reprints of newspaper comic strips...
's National Allied Magazines (the future DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
) on some of the first comic books — including the landmark New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine (Feb. 1935), the first such publication with solely original material rather than any newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
reprints. Jacquet remained through its first four issues, later becoming art director
Art director
The art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
of Centaur Publications
Centaur Publications
Centaur Publications was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing Man....
— where some sources credit him with co-creating writer-artist Bill Everett
Bill Everett
William Blake "Bill" Everett, also known as William Blake and Everett Blake was a comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner and co-creating Daredevil for Marvel Comics...
's superhero Amazing Man — before leaving to start Funnies, Inc.
The company was initially founded as First Funnies, Inc. in an attempt to publish a promotional giveaway comic, Motion Picture Funnies Weekly
Motion Picture Funnies Weekly
Motion Picture Funnies Weekly is a 36-page, black-and-white American comic book series created in 1939, and designed to be a promotional giveaway in movie theaters...
, but that idea proved unsuccessful.
Novelist Mickey Spillane
Mickey Spillane
Frank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
, who began his career in comics and worked at Funnies, Inc., recalled in 2006 that, "Our boss, Lloyd Jacquet, a dead ringer for Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
(corncob pipe and all), was a wonderful man, but could never understand living among wildcat writers and artists. All of us were pretty much freelance people, so firing us would have been a useless gesture".
As Captain America
Captain America
Captain America is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 , from Marvel Comics' 1940s predecessor, Timely Comics, and was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby...
co-creator Joe Simon
Joe Simon
Joseph Henry "Joe" Simon is an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.With his...
further described, "Jacquet's office was painted battleship gray. The furnishing were sparse, his desk ancient but scrubbed and neat. His black, high-topped shoes, polished to a high sheen, reflected a military presence as he sat upright in a straight-back chair...."
Later life and career
After Funnies, Inc. ended, Lloyd Jacquet Studios continued to package comics through at least 1949, when Jacquet hired artist Joe OrlandoJoe Orlando
Joseph Orlando was a prolific illustrator, writer, editor and cartoonist during a lengthy career spanning six decades...
to do work for Treasure Chest, the Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
-oriented comic book distributed in parochial schools. Other Lloyd Jacquet Studios projects included Your United States, an educational, giveaway comic produced for publisher Fred W. Danner in 1946, with art by Sid Greene
Sid Greene
Sidney "Sid" Greene was an American comic book artist known for his work for a host of publishers from the 1940s to 1970s, most prominently DC Comics, where as an inker on series including Batman, Green Lantern, Justice League of America and The Atom he helped to define the company's house style...
and Tex Blaisdell
Tex Blaisdell
Philip Eustice Blaisdell , better known as Tex Blaisdell, was an American comic strip artist and comic book editor...
.
Jacquet died in 1970 at c. age 71, survived by his wife Grace.
External links
Further reading
- Hill, Roger. "A Report on the Discovery of the Lloyd V. Jacquet Estate 'Pay Copies' of Marvel Comics #1 and Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1", Comic Book Marketplace #2 (June 1993), p. 158-159
- Lupoff, DickRichard A. LupoffRichard Allen Lupoff is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice...
& Don ThompsonDon ThompsonDonald Thompson, Donald Thomson, Don Thompson or Don Thomson may refer to:-Sports personalities:* Don Thompson , American player for the Los Angeles Buccaneers in 1926...
, eds. All in Color for a Dime (Krause Publications, Iola, WisconsinIola, WisconsinIola is a village in Waupaca County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,298 at the 2000 census. The village is located partially within the Town of Iola. A small portion lies within the adjacent Town of Scandinavia...
, 1997 reissue), Index entry (p. 238). ISBN 0-87341-498-5 - The Comic Book Makers by Joe SimonJoe SimonJoseph Henry "Joe" Simon is an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s-1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the first editor of Timely Comics, the company that would evolve into Marvel Comics.With his...
with Jim Simon ISBN 1-887591-35-4 - Goulart, RonRon GoulartRon Goulart is an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy and science fiction author.The prolific Goulart wrote many novelizations and other routine work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson , Con Steffanson , Chad Calhoun, R.T...
. Ron Goulart's Great History of Comic Books (Contemporary Books, Chicago, 1986), Index entry (p. 100, 138, 174, 207). ISBN 0-8092-5045-4 - Alter Ego #22, March 2003