Timely text writers - prewar

Most folks know that the early Marvel Comics (AKA Timely) were produced for Martin Goodman by Funnies, Inc - Lloyd Jacquet Shop.   Much questions remained about editorship of the first year (November 1939 to November 1940), did Jacquet edit that, did Goodman or one of his brothers, or one of the editors of his magazine line?  And what do we mean by editing in this context?
   I won't attempt to answer that question!  But i will look at the early text writers to see if we can figure out who they were and what connection they had with either Goodman or Jacquet.

Beach Allen    text pages dated August 1940 - no information

Russell Arden Bankson ( 1889 -1975)  text pages dated February 1940. Novelist, short story writer, and newspaper editor. He lived in the Spokane Washington area during 1940.  wrote for Dell Comics in 1929.
His files include letters from Goodman's pulp editor, Robert O. Erisman.

S. S. Bedford     text page dated  June 1940. Only other known credit was in a Goodman pulp magazine in August 1937

John H. Compton (1900 - ) text pages dated from July to September 1940. former pulp writer, editor at Jacquet

David C. Cooke (1911-2000) Text stores dated December 1939 to January 1941.  First published work appeared in September 1938, and in the early days he specialized in aviation material.  At Jacquet at this time.. He had graduated high school  Spring 1939.  Continued as a full time writer up to 1970.

Jack D'arcy (1902-1968) text pages dated   June 1940 - October 1940.Pen name for D'arcy Champion.
Worked for the Jacquet shop during this time. Well known pulp writer, best known for creating the Phantom Detective. (He has two stories in the first Phantom Detective Magazine, and John H. Compton has one story there).


Rex Evans  text pages dated May 1940.  This is apparently a pen or house name, Evans worked only for the Goodman magazines from 1936 to 1940, and 1943. 


Ray Gill  (1918 - 1984) text pages dated  November 1939 -  June 1941, worked for Jacquet during this time.


T. K. Hawley    text page dated June 1940  again house or pen name, only worked for Goodman's pulps 1936-1942.

Eddie Herron (1917 - 1966)   text page dated April 1940 possibly from the Chesler shop, but maybe freelance.  Herron had a long history working in comic, from 1940 to 1942 has an editor at Fawcett.

Bill Jay    text page in Fall 1941. No information.

Stan Lee   (1922 - )  text pages from May 1941 - December 1941.  Lee was the nephew of Martin Goodman's wife, and started writing for editor Joe Simon, and then became editor of the line around cover date February 1942.  He remained active in comics up to (at least) 2012.

Andrew McWhiney (1911-1956)  Text pieces from  April 1940 to   Winter 1941/2,   Apparently wrote through  the Jacquet shop, as he had material published in the Centaur books.  Newspaper reporter.

James P. Olsen  text page  April 1940         Yes, Jimmy Olsen did indeed write for Marvel.  He was a prolific and well known  pulp writer from 1929 to 1955.

W. Peters text page  September 1940

Mickey Spillane (1918 - 2006)  text page   Winter 1941; in the Jacquet shop.  He joined the military on December 8, 1941.  Best seller author of  "I, The Jury".

Leo Stalnaker    text page in April 1940.     Wrote pulps from 1936-1942.   The Leo Stalnaker Jr , who was a professional writer after the war,  would have been too young (12) in 1936 to likely be the pulp and comics writer.  


Irving Werstein (1914-1971)   text page December 1941 worked for the Jacquet shop. Continued a career in comic books up to 1955, when he wrote for EC Comics.