Nickel Comics #1 (1938) – Key Highlights
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Publisher: Dell Publishing
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Publication Date: 1938 (exact month unknown)
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Editor: Unknown
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Cover Artist: Not identified
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Interior Creators: Otto Messmer (tentative attribution on “Bobby & Chip”); other creators unidentified
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Genre: Humor / Western / Adventure / Detective
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Format: Pocket-size, approximately 7½ × 5½ inches
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Pages: 68
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Original Cover Price: $0.05
🔥 Key Significance
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Considered one of the earliest comic books published by Dell Publishing.
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Predates Fawcett's Nickel Comics by approximately two years.
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Features “Bobby & Chip,” tentatively credited to Otto Messmer, the artist best known for his work on Felix the Cat.
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Includes English reprints alongside a diverse collection of Western, humor, adventure, detective, and historical features.
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Its unusual pocket-size format distinguishes it from the more familiar comic-book dimensions of the era.
📖 Story Highlights
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“The Lie Detector” – 6 pages. Western adventure.
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“Wyoming Willy” – 6 pages. Western and humor.
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“Bob the Bugler” – 2 pages. Humor.
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“At the Mercy of the Sea” – 1 page. Adventure.
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“Percy Go Bang” – 4 pages. Humor.
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“The Secret of Pine Tree Point” – 2 pages. Western adventure.
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“Circus Capers” – 1 page. Humor.
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“Bobby & Chip” – 3 pages. Humor. Pencils tentatively attributed to Otto Messmer by Overstreet.
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“Miss Adventure” – 4 pages. Humor.
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“A Picture Story of the United States: The Early Indians” – 4 pages. Historical feature.
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“Skit, Skat and the Captain” – 4 pages. Humor.
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“Skit and Skat” – 2 pages. Humor.
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“Jack Stanton Ace Detective” – 4 pages. Detective adventure.
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“Sir Endor the Knutty Knight” – 4 pages. Humor.
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“Pirate Gold” – 4 pages. Period adventure.
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“Wrong Again!” – 1 page. Facts and trivia.
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“The Sign of the Tomahawk” – 5-page Tim McCoy text story with typeset lettering.
📌 Additional Details
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Includes a seven-page activity section featuring puzzles and jokes.
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The contents span a wide range of genres, making this an early example of the anthology format.
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The supplied issue information does not identify the cover artist or editor.
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The listed features account for 59 pages, including the activity section and text story, leaving nine pages unaccounted for in the stated 68-page total.
An intriguing early Dell publication, particularly noteworthy for its uncommon pocket-size format, early publishing history, and the possible Otto Messmer connection.
