Jack Cole, The Wizard, and the War in Top-Notch Comics #3, at Auction

Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Jack Cole, MLJ

A stand-out example of pre-Archie MLJ, Top-Notch Comics #3 features the superheroics of The Wizard, plus stories by Jack Cole and Otto and Jack Binder.

With a cover date of February 1940, Top-Notch Comics #3 hit newsstands in a world teetering on the brink of war. Published by MLJ, this issue is a stand-out example of the comic book output of their pre-Archie era, a time when the company was an aggressive competitor in the rising superhero market. Featuring a noteworthy group of creative talent, including formative work from Jack Cole, Mort Meskin, and Irv Novick, the comic is also a fascinating reflection of the global anxieties of its time. A surprisingly difficult-to-find Golden Age superhero comic, there’s a solid Top-Notch Comics #3 (MLJ, 1940) CGC VG+ 4.5 copy up for auction in the 2025 July 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase at Heritage Auctions.

The cover by Edd Ashe is a World War II scene in the classic comic book mold of the era, featuring the book’s lead hero, The Wizard, symbolically defending the Panama Canal from an aerial attack by a foreign enemy known as the “Borentals.” As we’ve seen before with The Wizard stories in Top Notch Comics, the plots were often based on plausible U.S. security concerns of the era, such as the three-issue saga featuring a stand-in for the Soviet Union, and the debut issue issue which famously saw The Wizard foiling a Japanese plot to attack Pearl Harbor — two years before that infamous event occurred in real history.  This issue #3 story was likewise no flight of fancy; the security of the Panama Canal was a paramount national concern, so much so that President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself conducted a high-profile inspection of its defenses shortly after this comic was released. The story taps directly into the anxieties of a nation watching the so-called “Phoney War” in Europe escalate into a full-blown global conflict. MLJ further leaned into this by including features like “Dick Storm in China,” reflecting the ongoing Second Sino-Japanese War, and “Wings Johnson of the Air Patrol,” set on the Western Front.

In addition to the lead Wizard story, this issue features the third overall appearance of the supernatural avenger Bob Phantom, and his first in this title, drawn by MLJ foundational artist Irv Novick. More importantly, it contains “Manhunters,” a gritty, six-page crime comics feature written and drawn by the legendary Jack Cole. This story, with its unflinching style, provides a fascinating glimpse into Cole’s artistic development over a year before he would create his masterpiece, Plastic Man. It’s a strong counterpoint to the superheroics in this issue and a testament to the genre-blending diversity of this Golden Age anthology. This issue also features an adventure strip by Mort Meskin and a science-fiction tale “Scott Rand on Mars,” written by Otto Binder and drawn by Jack Binder.

Long considered a tough comic to find by serious collectors, The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books rates this issue a “7” or “scarce.”  The current CGC census tends to back that assessment up, with only 13 entries for the issue listed. As a snapshot of MLJ before it became the house of Archie, a reflection of pre-Pearl Harbor American war era concerns, and a showcase for some of the best creators of the era, early Top Notch Comics are fascinating and important examples of this period of the Golden Age. There’s a solid Top-Notch Comics #3 (MLJ, 1940) CGC VG+ 4.5 copy up for auction in the 2025 July 18 Golden Age Comics Century Showcase at Heritage Auctions. If you’ve never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information by checking out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.

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