The ‘Puck – The Comic Weekly’ Display Sign was produced by King Features Syndicate in USA in 1947.
The history of ‘Puck’ magazine is long and unrivalled. Puck, no longer in print, was a famous weekly magazine, making its publishing debut in Germany, 1871. The German periodical was short lived, but founder Joseph Keppler soon thereafter created a new satirical magazine; an English version called ‘Puck’. Pucks humorous comics and witty dialogue quickly became a great success. Its first edition sold for 16c and was 16 pages. For forty years, under various owners and editors, it endeared its readers and became one of United States most renowned weekly publications.
In 1916, William Randolph Hearst acquired the company, and under his management, the publication began printing a 32-page magazine with both B&W and color pages; consisting of illustrated advertisements and comic strips as well as editorials of current events. It is unknown exactly why the publication ceased in Sept of 1918.
Thirteen years later the ‘Puck’ name was revived and became a part of the ‘Comic Weekly Sunday Comic Section’ which ran in Hearst’s newspaper chain until the mid-1970s. For over a decade, the Puck name laid dormant again, until the early 1980’s when Hearst’s Los Angeles Herald Examiner picked it up again. Finally, in 1989 its 118-year stint had ended, leaving behind a long and rich history of excellence in publication history.
The display sign advertises comic strips appearing in the Baltimore American Newspaper. The comic strips printed would have of been those licensed to King Features Syndicate, who were publishing syndicated comic strips in newspapers across USA under the title of ‘Puck – The Comic Weekly’.
The ‘Puck – The Comic Weekly’ Display Sign would have of been used as a form of retail advertising wherever the Baltimore American Newspaper was sold, generally in news-agencies or convenience stores.
It measures 14” x 11” and is made of cardboard, with full color print on the front and blank on the reverse side. The Phantom can be seen on the lower right of the sign, amongst various other King Features Syndicate comic book characters.
Thank you Christopher Smith for assisting with images and information.
The Phantom 