Red Circle (publishing)
Encyclopedia
Red Circle is the name used to refer to American
publisher Martin Goodman
's group of book and pulp magazine
publishing corporations. Some of this group of corporations continued into Goodman's comic-book publishing arm, Timely Comics
, which would evolve by the 1960s into Marvel Comics
.
Official Marvel historian Les Daniels
described the name Red Circle as "a halfhearted attempt to establish an identity for what was usually described loosely as 'the Goodman group' [made] when a new logo was adopted: a red disk surrounded by a black ring that bore the phrase 'A Red Circle Magazine.' But it appeared only intermittently, when someone remembered to put it on [a pulp magazine's] cover. However, pulp historian Richard Paul Hall gives Red Circle as the overall name for Goodman's pulp and book publishing company, noting that, "Goodman used the Red Circle Group logo between 1937 and 1939 to promote his line." Within this framework, historian Jess Nevins
writes that, "Timely Publications [was how] Goodman's group [of companies] had become known; before this it was known as 'Red Circle' because of the logo that Goodman had put on his pulp magazines...."
In 1931, Goodman, Louis Silberkleit, and Maurice Coyne
formed Columbia Publications, one of the earliest publishers of pulp magazine
s, which Goodman left in 1932, and (with borrowed money) found his own companies including Western Fiction Publishing.
Goodman's first publication was Western Supernovel Magazine, premiering May 1933. After the first issue he renamed it Complete Western Book Magazine, beginning with cover-date July 1933.
New American Library
bought Lion in 1957, and several Lion titles were reprinted under its Signet label. Authors that Lion published included such notables as Robert Bloch
, David Goodis
and Jim Thompson
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
publisher Martin Goodman
Martin Goodman (publisher)
Martin Goodman born on was an American publisher of pulp magazines, paperback books, men's adventure magazines, and comic books, launching the company that would become Marvel Comics....
's group of book and pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
publishing corporations. Some of this group of corporations continued into Goodman's comic-book publishing arm, Timely Comics
Timely Comics
Timely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....
, which would evolve by the 1960s 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...
.
Official Marvel historian Les Daniels
Les Daniels
Leslie Noel Daniels III, known as Les Daniels was an American writer.-Background:He attended Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he wrote his master's thesis on Frankenstein, and he worked as a musician and as a journalist.-Career:He was the author of five novels featuring the...
described the name Red Circle as "a halfhearted attempt to establish an identity for what was usually described loosely as 'the Goodman group' [made] when a new logo was adopted: a red disk surrounded by a black ring that bore the phrase 'A Red Circle Magazine.' But it appeared only intermittently, when someone remembered to put it on [a pulp magazine's] cover. However, pulp historian Richard Paul Hall gives Red Circle as the overall name for Goodman's pulp and book publishing company, noting that, "Goodman used the Red Circle Group logo between 1937 and 1939 to promote his line." Within this framework, historian Jess Nevins
Jess Nevins
John J. Nevins, MA/MS, is an American author and librarian, born 30 July 1966 and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the author of the World Fantasy Award-nominated Encyclopedia of Fantastic Victoriana , and other works on Victoriana and pulp fiction...
writes that, "Timely Publications [was how] Goodman's group [of companies] had become known; before this it was known as 'Red Circle' because of the logo that Goodman had put on his pulp magazines...."
History
Maurice Coyne
Maurice Coyne attended Colvestone Primary School in Dalston, and Upton House Secondary School in Hackney. In 1974 he formed the band 'Evil Ways' with Adrian Smith, John Hoye and Barry Tyler. In 1975 they were joined by singer David Hall. In 1976 the band changed their name to Urchin and were...
formed Columbia Publications, one of the earliest publishers of pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
s, which Goodman left in 1932, and (with borrowed money) found his own companies including Western Fiction Publishing.
Goodman's first publication was Western Supernovel Magazine, premiering May 1933. After the first issue he renamed it Complete Western Book Magazine, beginning with cover-date July 1933.
Magazines and paperback books
As the market for pulp magazines waned, Goodman, in addition to comic books, transitioned to conventional magazines — published through a concern dubbed Magazine Management Company at least as far back as 1953 — and in 1949 founded Lion Books, a paperback line. Goodman used the name Red Circle Books for the first seven titles plus an additional two later. Most were novels, but there was a smattering of mostly sports-oriented nonfiction. Goodman eventually developed two lines, the 25¢ Lion and the 35¢ Lion Library.New American Library
New American Library
New American Library is an American publisher based in New York, founded in 1948; it produced affordable paperback reprints of classics and scholarly works, as well as popular, pulp, and "hard-boiled" fiction. Non-fiction, original, and hardcopy issues were also produced.Victor Weybright and Kurt...
bought Lion in 1957, and several Lion titles were reprinted under its Signet label. Authors that Lion published included such notables as Robert Bloch
Robert Bloch
Robert Albert Bloch was a prolific American writer, primarily of crime, horror and science fiction. He is best known as the writer of Psycho, the basis for the film of the same name by Alfred Hitchcock...
, David Goodis
David Goodis
David Loeb Goodis was an American noir fiction writer.Born to a respectable Jewish family in Philadelphia, Goodis had two younger brothers, but one died of meningitis at the age of three...
and Jim Thompson
Jim Thompson (writer)
James Myers Thompson was an American author and screenwriter, known for his pulp crime fiction....
.
Related Goodman publishing concerns
- HumoramaHumoramaHumorama, a division of Martin Goodman's publishing firm, was a line of digest-sized magazines featuring girlie cartoons by Bill Ward, Bill Wenzel, Dan DeCarlo, Jack Cole and many others....
(mid-1950s to mid-1960s) - Lion Books (1949-1957)
- Magazine Management Company (c. 1953-1968)
- Timely ComicsTimely ComicsTimely Comics, an imprint of Timely Publications, was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics....
/Atlas ComicsAtlas Comics (1950s)Atlas Comics is the term used to describe the 1950s comic book publishing company that would evolve into Marvel Comics. Magazine and paperback novel publisher Martin Goodman, whose business strategy involved having a multitude of corporate entities, used Atlas as the umbrella name for his comic...
/Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel 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...
(1939-present)
Pulp magazines
- Adventure Trails
- All Baseball Stories
- All Basketball Stories
- All Football Stories
- All Star Detective Stories
- All Star Fiction / All Star Adventure Fiction / All Star Adventure Magazine
- American Sky Devils
- The Angel Detective
- Best Detective
- Best Love Magazine
- Best Sports Magazine
- Best Western / Best Western Novels
- Big Baseball Stories
- Big Book Sports
- Big Sports Magazine
- Children's Book Digest
- Complete Adventure Magazine
- Complete Detective
- Complete Sports / Complete Sports Action Stories for Men
- Complete War Novels
- Complete Western Book Magazine
- Cowboy Action Novels
- Detective Mysteries
- Detective Short Stories
- Dynamic Science Stories
- Five Western Novels
- Gunsmoke Western
- Justice (digest)
- Ka-ZarKa-ZarKa-Zar is the name of two jungle-dwelling comics fictional characters published in the United States. The first appeared in pulp magazines of the 1930s, and was adapted for his second iteration, as a comic book character for Timely Comics, the 1930s and 1940s predecessor of Marvel Comics...
/ Ka-Zar the Great - Marvel Science Stories / Marvel TalesMarvel TalesMarvel Tales is the title of three American comic-book series published by Marvel Comics, the first of them from the company's 1950s predecessor, Atlas Comics...
/ Marvel Stories / Marvel Science Fiction - Modern Love
- Modern Love Stories
- Mystery Tales
- Quick Trigger Western Novels Magazine
- Ranch Love Stories
- Real Confessions
- Real Love
- Real Mystery Magazine / Real Mystery
- Real Sports
- Romantic Short Stories
- Secret Story
- Six-Gun Western
- Sky Devils
- Sports Action
- Sports Leaders Magazine
- Sports Short Stories
- Star Detective Magazine
- Star Sports Magazine
- 3-Book Western (digest)
- Three Western Novels / Three Western Novels Magazine
- Top-Notch Detective
- Top-Notch Western
- True Crime / True Crime Magazine
- Two Daring Love Novels
- Two-Gun Western Novels Magazine / Two-Gun Western / Two-Gun Western Novels / 2-Gun Western
- Uncanny Stories
- Uncanny Tales
- War Stories Magazine
- Western Fiction Magazine / Western Fiction Monthly / Western Fiction
- Western Magazine (Digest)
- Western Novelettes
- Western Short Stories
- Western Supernovel
- Wild West Stories & Complete Novel Magazine
- Wild Western Novels / Wild Western Novels Magazine