Max Gaines

Max Gaines
(L to R) William Moulton Marston, H. G. Peter, Sheldon Mayer, and Gaines in 1942
BornMax Ginzberg
September 21, 1894[1]
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 20, 1947(1947-08-20) (aged 52)
Lake Placid, New York, U.S.
Area(s)Publisher

Maxwell Charles Gaines[a] (born Max Ginzberg,[b] September 21, 1894 – August 20, 1947[2]) was an American publisher and a pioneering figure in the creation of the modern comic book.[3][4]

In 1933, Gaines devised the first four-color, saddle-stitched newsprint pamphlet (Funnies on Parade), a precursor to the color-comics format that became the standard for the American comic book industry. He was co-publisher of All-American Publications, a seminal comic-book company that introduced such enduring fictional characters as Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Hawkman. He went on to found Educational Comics, producing the series Picture Stories from the Bible. He authored one of the earliest essays on comic books, a 1942 pamphlet titled Narrative Illustration, The Story of the Comics.

After Gaines' death in 1947, Educational Comics was taken over by his son Bill Gaines, who transformed the company (now known as EC Comics) into a pioneer of horror, science fiction, and satirical comics.

  1. ^ U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007; Social Security Administration
  2. ^ Kaplan, Arie (Fall 2003). "How the Jews Created the Comic Book Industry - Part I: The Golden Age (1933-1955)". Reform Judaism. Vol. 32, no. 1. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2006.
  3. ^ Jones, Gerard (2006). Men of Tomorrow. Arrow Books. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-09-948706-7.
  4. ^ "Two Men Are Killed in Crash of Motorboats on Lake Placid". The New York Times. August 21, 1947. Retrieved March 24, 2016. Max Charles Gaines, 56 years old... (subscription required)


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