As defined by many comic book collectors , the Golden Age of comic books covers a general time line of the mid 1930′s through the late 1940′s. Comics evolved from the cartoon strip in the daily paper to their own booklet containing a complete episode. During this period, many of the modern “superheroes” such as Superman, Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman and Captain America surfaced to become icons in the world of popular culture. To this day, comic books have migrated to adventures throughout the world with the same characters, albeit not the same 10 cent price tag.
During WW2, comics became tremendously popular as these heroes triumphed over evil. Many tales were written concerning the Nazi regime and the ability of the “good guys” to defeat it. These inexpensive stories were devoured by the public and launched a new comic empire.
Now, as a variety of publishers strived to share a piece of the market, many bizarre and unusual titles arose. This brings us to our subject matter.
Jeep Comics were published by RB Leffingwell and co. in the United States. Only 2 issues were released (Thank God!) ; the first in Winter 1944 followed by the” Genie” issue in Spring of 1945. Artwork in the second was by Jack Alderman and several others. The book featured two individuals known as Jeep and Peep; the first being a middle aged man with a cape and his magic real jeep which could fly. His sidekick, Peep was a teenaged boy with unknown qualities. Several storylines were present in each book.
The “genie in the polka dot underwear ” was not a part of the story line and was not seen except on the cover. Incidentally, our Canadian neighbors were assessed 15 cents for the book when distributed in their country by Century Publications. The cold weather must have turned Mr. Genie blue in color. As these books now sell for $125 -$250 US Dollars, I will never own one and have to rely on the published story line of which there are few details. If anyone can contribute, I’d like to hear what went on.
