Creston Publications

American Comics Group

Company type	Private
Industry	Comic book publishing
Founded	1939
Founder	Benjamin W. Sangor
Defunct	1967
Headquarters	United States
Key people	Benjamin W. Sangor, Fred Iger, Richard E. Hughes
Products	Comic books (horror, crime, mystery, romance, talking animal stories)

American Comics Group (ACG) was a United States-based comic book publisher operating under the ACG banner from 1939 until 1967. It is recognized for launching the first ongoing horror-comics series, Adventures into the Unknown. Among ACG's most memorable creations was the 1960s satirical character Herbie Popnecker, who appeared in Forbidden Worlds before receiving his own series and later being reinvented as the superhero Fat Fury.

The company was established by Benjamin W. Sangor, with co-ownership shared by Fred Iger from 1948 through 1967. During the early 1960s, Iger’s father-in-law, Harry Donenfeld, who led National Periodical Publications (which later became DC Comics), also held a stake despite being incapacitated following a 1962 accident. Distribution of ACG’s titles was managed by the Independent News Company, affiliated with DC Comics.

Origins

ACG traces its roots to a venture owned by Sangor. In the mid-1930s, Sangor collaborated with Richard E. Hughes to produce a brief-lived comics supplement designed for newspaper syndication. By 1939, the Sangor Shop was creating comic content for Ned L. Pines, Sangor’s son-in-law, including characters such as The Black Terror, Pyroman, and Fighting Yank for Pines’ Nedor Comics line, continuing until 1945.

Independent publishing

Starting in 1943, ACG published under various imprints including B&I Publishing, Michel Publications, and Regis Publishing. That same year, it acquired Creston Publications based in St. Louis, folding it into ACG’s operations as an imprint. By 1948, the company began issuing comics under its own name, specializing in genres like horror, crime, mystery, romance, and talking animal stories. Its flagship horror series Adventures into the Unknown debuted in 1948, followed by Forbidden Worlds (1951–1967) and Unknown Worlds (1960–1967).

In 1949, ACG launched two enduring romance titles: Romantic Adventures (later renamed My Romantic Adventures) and Lovelorn (which became Confessions of the Lovelorn), both of which continued publication into the 1960s.

Despite surviving the 1954 Senate subcommittee hearings on comic book content with a more restrained version of Adventures into the Unknown, ACG discontinued four humor titles in 1955: the talking-animal comics Giggle Comics and Ha Ha Comics, along with teen humor series Cookie and The Kilroys.

A publisher statement from 1952 identified “Preferred Publications, Inc.” as the publisher, jointly owned by Preferred Publications and B. W. Sangor; Richard E. Hughes served as editor and Frederick H. Iger as business manager. Similar details appeared in earlier statements listing Michel Publications as publisher.

Following 1957, nearly all stories were penned by editor Hughes using multiple pseudonyms. Although ACG introduced superheroes such as the satirical Fat Fury, Magicman, Nemesis, and John Force, Magic Agent, these characters did not achieve commercial success. Sales declined after superheroes were featured in Forbidden Worlds and Adventures into the Unknown, prompting Hughes to discontinue superhero themes and return to fantasy-oriented stories by late 1967.

By 1968, ACG had largely ceased publishing except for its commercial branch, Custom Comics, founded in 1950. This division remained active into the early 1980s, producing commissioned material for clients including the A. C. Gilbert toy manufacturer, Montgomery Ward, Tupperware, and the United States Air Force.

Titles

• Adventures into the Unknown issues #1–174 (from Fall 1948 through August 1967)
• Blazing West issues #1–20 (Fall 1948 to November 1951); later continued as The Hooded Horseman volume 1
• Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub issues #1–7 (July 1954 to August 1955)
• Confessions of the Lovelorn issues #52–114 (63 installments, August 1954 to June 1960); a continuation of Lovelorn
• Cookie issues #1–55 (April 1946 to September 1955)
• Dizzy Dames issues #1–6 (September 1952 to July 1953)
• Forbidden Worlds issues #1–145 (July/August 1951 through August 1967); after issue #34, briefly renamed Young Heroes before reverting back
• Funny Films issues #1–29 (September 1949 to May 1954)
• Gasp! issues #1–4 (March 1967 to August 1967)
• Giggle Comics issues #1–99 (October 1943 to January 1955); obtained from Creston Publications; continued as Spencer Spook
• Ha Ha Comics issues #1–99 (October 1943 to December 1954/January 1955); followed by TeePee Tim
• Hi-Jinks issues #1–7 (July 1947 to July 1948)
• Herbie issues #1–23 (April/May 1964 to February 1967)
• The Hooded Horseman volume 1, issues #21–27 (7 editions, January 1952 to January 1953); continuation of Blazing West
• The Hooded Horseman volume 2, issues #18–22 (5 editions, November 1954 to August 1958); follows on from Out of the Night
• The Kilroys issues #1–54 (June/July 1947 through June/July 1955)
• Lovelorn issues #1–51 (August/September 1949 to July 1954); later continued as Confessions of the Lovelorn
• Magic Agent issues #1–3 (January/February 1962 to May/June 1962)
• Midnight Mystery (7 editions, January to October 1961)
• Milt Gross Funnies issues #1–2 (August-September 1947)
• Moon Mullins issues #1–5 (December 1947 to August 1948); subsequently continued by St. John Publications
• My Romantic Adventures issues #49–138 (90 installments, September 1954 to March 1964); continuation of Romantic Adventures
• Operation Peril issues #1–16 (October 1950 to May 1953)
• Out of the Night (17 editions, February 1952 through November 1954); followed by The Hooded Horseman volume 2
• Romantic Adventures issues #1–48 (March/April 1949 through August 1954); succeeded by My Romantic Adventures
• Search For Love issues #1–2 (February-April 1950)
• Skeleton Hand in Secrets of the Supernatural (6 editions, September/October 1952 through July/August 1953)
• Soldiers of Fortune issues #1–12 (March/April 1951 through January/February 1953) — acquired from Creston Publications
• Spencer Spook issues #100–101 (2 editions, March-May 1955); continuation of Giggle Comics
• Spy and Counterspy issues #1–2 (August-October 1949); followed by series titled Spy Hunters
• Spy Hunters issues #3–24 (22 editions, December 1949 through June 1953); continuation of Spy and Counterspy
• Teepee Tim issues #101–103 (3 editions, February-June 1955); follows from Ha Ha Comics
• Unknown Worlds issues #1–57 (August 1960 through August 1967)
• Wrangler Great Moments in Rodeo series spanning 50 editions from 1955 to 1966
• Young Heroes issues #35–37 (3 editions, February-June 1955); continuation from issue #34 of Forbidden Worlds
• One-shot publications include: Chuckle (1945), Hi-Jinx (1945), Merry-Go-Round (1944), The Sheriff of Coshise (1957), and The Clutching Hand (1954)

Imprints

• B & I Publishing Company, Inc.
• B. & M. Distributing Company, Inc.
• Best Syndicated Features, Inc.
• Creston Publications Corporation
• Culver Publications
• Custom Comics, Inc.
• La Salle Publishing Company
• Michel Publications, Inc.
• Milt Gross, Inc.
• Modern Store Publications
• Modern Store Publishing
• Preferred Publications, Inc.
• Regis Publications, Inc.
• Scope Magazines, Inc.
• Titan Publishing Company, Inc.

External links

• American Comics Group on Don Markstein's Toonopedia (archived)
• Herbie and The Fat Fury featured on Don Markstein's Toonopedia (archived)
• Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub available at Don Markstein's Toonopedia (archived)