KFS Blue Books
History
Among its forties and fifties promotional material, King Features Syndicate printed booklets called "Blue Books" which were a sort of catalog of their main comic characters. These booklets were intended make newspaper publishers aware of the choice of comics distributed through the syndication company.
This kind of material - also used by others comics syndicates - was sent only to professional publishers. The "Blue Books" printed by "King Features Syndicate " contain samples of daily strips and Sunday pages as well as samples of other articles and columns.
The 1943 Blue Book
The 1946 Blue Book
11.25 x 16.5" spiral-bound softcover / 88 pages featuring features daily strips (bl.& w.), Sunday pages (color) distributed by the syndication company in 1945. It also contains sports articles, crosswords. To note an half-page promo with photo of Milton Caniff mentionning his next creation "Steve Canyon", an adventure comic strip beginning on January 13, 1947.
1946 Blue Book cover
1946 Blue Book back cover
Mandrake presentation page
Written Texts
KFS character ("The Phantom" Sunday page)
Alex Raymond creations (Sunday pages).
The 1949 Blue Book
9.5 x 12" spiral-bound softcover / 140 presentation pages printed as fold-outs in bl.& w. and full color featuring KFS 1948 daily strips and Sunday pages, also including articles about sports or fashion. Also presented full page arts by the most famous artists of the Company.
1949 Blue Book cover
Mandrake + others daily strips sample
Mandrake presentation page
page sample of Sunday page
KFS character ("The Phantom") presentation page.
The 1954 Blue Book
9.5 x 12" spiral-bound softcover / 138 presentation pages printed as fold-outs in bl.& w. and full color featuring KFS 1953 daily strips and Sunday pages, also including articles about sports or fashion. Also presented full page arts by the most famous artists of the Company and a full page promotional insert for modern retelling of "The Old Testament".
1954 Blue Book cover
1954 Blue Book back cover
page samples of daily strips
sample of Sunday page.
The 1955 Blue Book
The 1961 Blue Book
1961 Blue Book cover
page samples of daily strips
page sample of Sunday page.
| Team Ups, Mandrake outside the comic strips, Varia | |
|---|---|
| Team Ups |
Defenders of the Earth • Kings Watch • King: Mandrake the Magician • Kings Quest |
| Adaptations |
1939 Movie Serial • 1940 Radio Show • 1954 TV Pilot • 1967 Killing vs Mandrake • 1979 TV Movie • Unproduced and Unfinished Films • Musical: Mandrake the Magician and the Enchantress • Prose Stories • Defenders of the Earth • Comics on TV • Pop Art |
| Memorabilia | |
| Other |
Easter Eggs and Cameos • Fanzines and Fan Magazines • Reference Books |