Just Hear Those Sleigh Bells

"The Greatest Comic A Dime Can Buy" was weirdly true when Great Comics Publications released the second issue of their flagship title as financially a 68-page book from 1941 would be about $2.10 nowadays is a pretty good deal as your average modern day 32-page comic would be at least $2.99. The peculiar publishing company decided to add a holiday theme to this cover featuring the majority of its stars in one big sleigh powered by eight canines instead of your regular reindeer. Inside the sleigh are The Great Zarro whose single superpower is flying, plus his junior sidekick Rags. Also included are jungle explorer Buck Johnson in his premiere issue along with a miniature elephant that just happened along in the snowy weather. The rest of the riders are from Great Comics' Barrel Of Fun Section which are more cartoonish including the ape Snarzan that for some reason wears an animal skin to cover his privates, the silent Montmorency Twerp, Clambake the Magician who always has a racist stereotype of a black kid in his strip, the medieval duo of Knight and Daye, plus detective Foreclose Holmes and his assistant Bastin from The Ghost Of Snaggle Castle. Not included on the cover but still advertised are the bikini-clad spy fighter Madame Strange which might not invite much of a family vibe to their holiday setting, also left out is Guy Gorham who is a self-proclaimed wizard of science. Another thing advertised on the cover is a free Magic Tab if you join The Great Zarro Victory Club that already offered a cheapo member button, but now the Magic Tab is something filled with magic tricks that will provide hours of amusement which only makes gullible mystery addicts thirsty for. This absurd assortment of characters is clearly an eye-catching cover, especially all in one big snowbound excursion. Imagine seeing this colorful crew knocking on your front door demanding hot chocolate for their tone-deaf Christmas carols. Great Comics limited time was a wet squib compared to other actually great comic publishers of the Golden Age, however this is one time that they managed to make their diverse cluster of a cast into something of a selling point, even though this run only lasted for one more issue.

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