Holyoke Publishing

Holyoke Publishing Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Publishing (magazines and comic books)
Founded	1942
Defunct	1948
Headquarters	Springfield, Massachusetts , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Sherman Bowles (manager)
Products	Magazines, comic books

The Holyoke Publishing Company was a U.S.-based publisher of magazines and comic-books, operating from offices located in Holyoke, Springfield, and New York City. Among its most recognized comic book characters were Blue Beetle and the superhero pair Cat-Man (later known simply as Catman) alongside Kitten, all originally created by former clients associated with Holyoke's printing services.

Holyoke Publishing is often mistakenly identified with firms owned by Frank Z. Temerson, such as Helnit, Et-Es-Go, and Continental; with Worth Carnahan’s Bilbara Publishing Company; or with Narrative Publishers and Aviation Press, which were packaging clients of Temerson’s art director L. B. Cole.

Publication history

The origins of Holyoke Publishing trace back to Sherman Bowles, who managed his family’s newspaper enterprise in Springfield, Massachusetts, including the title The Republican. Bowles expanded into comic book publishing through his printing division by acquiring two series from Frank Z. Temerson’s Helnit Publishing Company: these were the superhero title Cat-Man Comics and the wartime-themed Captain Aero Comics, both beginning with issues dated January and February 1942. Production of these series continued under Temerson’s creative team, including artist Charles Quinlan. Quinlan had formerly collaborated with publisher Worth Carnahan at Bilbara Publishing and Hit Publishing, which has occasionally caused confusion in attributions. Subsequently, Holyoke obtained the superhero series Blue Beetle from the bankrupt Fox Publications owned by Victor A. Fox, starting with issue #12 in June 1942.

After Holyoke released Cat-Man Comics volume 3, issue #7 (the 17th overall) and Captain Aero Comics volume 2, issue #4 (the 10th overall) in January 1943, these two titles reverted to Temerson’s new firm Et-Es-Go Magazines (later known as Continental Magazines). Later that same year, Fox Publications won back Blue Beetle through legal action; Holyoke’s last published issue was #30 in February 1944.

By the year 1949, Holyoke had established its headquarters in Springfield and was producing the magazine The Open Road for Boys. Additionally, in April 1944, Holyoke secured commercial premises at 1475 Broadway in Manhattan.

Misattributions Regarding Temerson Titles

Owing to the lack of comprehensive early records in the American comic book sector, certain references mistakenly credit Holyoke for roles it did not fulfill. For example, one source inaccurately attributes to Holyoke "imprints such as Et-Es-Go Mags, Continental Magazines, Helnit Publishing Co., and Tem Publishing Co." The publication The Comic Book in America erroneously reports that Holyoke "entered the comic-book superhero market with Crash Comics (May 1940)," despite Crash Comics Adventures being a title from Temerson that predates Holyoke. Furthermore, it incorrectly claims that Temerson established Holyoke, subsequently renamed his company Holyoke Publishing, and that by 1943 the firm was known as Continental Publishing. In Golden Age Comic Index 1935-1955 (Revised Edition), Howard Keltner groups Bilbara, Tem, Helnit, Et-Es-Go, Narrative Publishers, and Aviation Press alongside Holyoke. Narrative and Aviation were clients served by Temerson's art director, L. B. Cole, which explains the stylistic similarities among their publications.

The Grand Comics Database clarifies that Bilbara Publishing Company, owned by Worth Carnahan, is frequently and mistakenly associated with both Holyoke and Temerson's firms because artist Charles Quinlan contributed to Carnahan's projects and adapted the character name "Volton" (though not other character traits) for Helnit/Holyoke. Moreover, Bilbara's Cyclone Comics (featuring Tornado Tom) was released simultaneously with Temerson's earlier Whirlwind Comics (featuring Cyclone).

Notable Creators

Several prominent comic artists began their careers at Holyoke. Joe Kubert contributed to titles such as Volton, Flagman, and Alias X within Cat-Man Comics and Captain Aero Comics. Dan Barry provided artwork for the Hood and Tiger Squadron series. Additionally, Carmine Infantino worked on the war-themed "Hell's Angels" series published in Sparkling Stars.

Sherman Bowles

Sherman Hoar Bowles represented the fourth generation of the Bowles family overseeing the Springfield, Massachusetts newspaper The Republican and affiliated publications from 1797 until he took charge in 1919. His mother, Elizabeth Hoar, served as the inspiration for Beth in Louisa May Alcott's novel Little Women. Bowles completed his studies at Harvard in 1912, where he held the position of business manager for The Harvard Crimson. After spending a year working at The Republican, he moved on to serve as circulation manager for Philadelphia's Public Ledger, followed by a similar role at the family's own Springfield Daily News. After two years of service in the US Marine Corps during World War I, he became publisher of his family’s newspapers including the Morning Union and The Springfield Union and Republican.

In addition to his publishing career, Bowles held executive positions with Atlas Tack Company located in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, as well as with the Longchamps and Buffet Exchange restaurant chains. His investments extended to Bell Aircraft, Reo Motors, Inc., Bowles Agawam Airport in Agawam, Massachusetts, Western Union, and Alliance Manufacturing based in Alliance, Ohio. Eventually, he placed his assets into a trust designed to benefit approximately 500 employees of his newspapers.

Bowles passed away on March 3, 1952, at age 61 or 62. He experienced a heart attack while conducting business in New York City, received medical attention but was discovered deceased in his apartment the following morning. He was survived by his wife Esther Johnson Bowles; sons Francis T. and John; along with daughters Elizabeth and Amy. His cousin was Chester Bowles, who served as governor of Connecticut and ambassador to India.

Titles

Comic Book Series

• Blue Beetle — Published across 19 editions, issues #12 through #30 (June 1942 – February 1944)
• Captain Aero Comics — Spanning 9 issues from volume 1, #8 (2) to volume 2, #4 (10) (February 1942 – January 1943)
• Cat-Man Comics — Released in 12 issues, from volume 1, #11 (6) to volume 3, #7 (17) (January 1942 – January 1943)
• Sparkling Stars — A total of 32 issues, numbered #1 to #33 (issue #32 was not issued) (June 1944 – March 1948)

Unconfirmed Titles:

• Holyoke One-Shot — A collection of ten uniquely titled comics issued during 1944-45, mostly reprinting prewar Frank Z. Temerson works; exact publication details remain unclear.
• Veri Best Sure Fire — Presumed to be a retitled inventory edition of Captain Aero Comics containing unpublished stories; precise timing unknown.
• Veri Best Sure Shot — Possibly connected to Veri Best Sure Fire, though publication specifics are uncertain.

Created at Holyoke

• Ali Baba
• Blackout (later continued under Frank Temerson's companies)
• Boxie Weaver
• Gargoyle
• Hell's Angels
• Phantom Falcon
• Red Cross (continued by Frank Temerson's firms)
• Tiger Squadron
• Volton (not to be confused with Bilbara's Volton the Human Generator)

Created at Frank Z. Temerson Companies

• Alias X
• Captain Aero
• Cat-Man and Kitten
• Commandos of the Devil Dogs
• Deacon
• Flagman
• The Hood (distinct from Marvel's Hood character)
• Miss Victory
• Pied Piper (published solely by Helnit and Holyoke)
• Ragman (not related to DC Comics' Ragman)
• Solar (final publication by Holyoke before Frank Temerson regained rights)

Created at Fox Publications

• Blue Beetle

Featured in Temerson Publications and Holyoke One Shot

• Captain Fearless

External links

• The Lost Heroes of Holyoke, FizzPop on YouTube
• Cat-Man and Kitten at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
• Frank Temerson – fan site overview