Eastern Color Printing
formed in August 1928 as a separate company and successor to the newspaper supplement publishing of the Waterbury Republican and Waterbury American.
(per Wikipedia: William B. Pape, VP and principal executive officer of the newspapers)
1928 Per Wikipedia - printed "The Funnies" for Dell from 1928 to 1930. Wikipedia say "published", but they mean "printed".
1933-1941 (Per Wikipedia) printed "Gulf Funnies Weekly"
1933 Spring "Funnies on Parade" published and printed in Waterbury, 32 pages 10,000 copies
1934 Famous Funnies: Series One - first modern style comic book, - available for purchase in chain stores.
1934 July (cover date) Famous Funnies #1 - first modern style newsstand comic book
1937 per Wikipedia - builds new plant to print comic strip supplements for newspapers.
March 1942 Curtiss Way Co. sold to Eastern Color.
Curtiss Way prints covers and binds comic books.
April 1950 Eastern Color prints 1.5 million comics weekly
1954 - Wikipedia cites that Eastern Color prints 40% of all comic books.
1955 - Eastern Color ends their own comic book titles.
June 1960 Sells the Curtiss Way Co. and the Domonel Co.
the Curtiss Way division was publishing magazines and comics, and under the name Domonel for their new owner will continue printing magazines and newspaper inserts. The former Curtiss Way company plants are closed in 1968.
January 1961 Eastern Color named co-conspirator in monopoly controlled by the Greater Buffalo Press.
April 1963 - in Appellant court
April 1967 strike
circa December 1967, Eastern Color prints their last Marvel Comics, with cover date of February 1968
1972 sells Waterbury plant, moves printing to Avon.
1973 Wikipedia says stops printing comic books
October 1973 still printing comics sections - shortens some due to newsprint shortage
October 1974 tax court decision
February 1981 toxic gas released in plant.
March 1983 month old strike settled
February 1987 - wikepedia says fire destroys one of the presses.
1988 - prints comics for 11 newspapers
1989 Wikipedia says loses Sears circular printing account, which was 40% of the business.
July 2001 - the final printing assets were sold, but the name and shell of the company continue to
exist.
March 2002 -files for bankruptcy Wikipedia says closes June 2002
Dec 2003 former CFO, Lackerbee pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud
June 2004 former CEO, A. Robert Palmer sentenced - He was President in 1987-1992+
William J. Pape (1873 -1961) founder and owner; President 1931-1955
Chairman of the Board 1957 - 1959
George G. Janosik (1889-1943) secretary: 1931- 1937+
director +1939+
listed as retired in 1942.
born in Budapest, immigrated as a child, business manager for Ticker Publications at least in 1921-1922, and McClure's' Newspaper Syndicate in 1926.
Eric Pape (1899 - 1962) son of William J. Pape
assistant secretary 1931-1937
secretary 1939 -1948+
vice president 1957 - 1959
James Darcey (c1896 - 1964) , treasurer 1930 -1945, 1951-1955+
also on staff of the American-Republican, Inc.
William B. Pape (1899 - 1974) son of William J. Pape
vice president 1931- 1957+, President 1959
treasurer +1942-1944, 1945-1951
Business Manager 1944-1955+
Chairman of the Board
Richard J. Pape grandson of founder CEO 1961-1987
A. Robert Palmer President in 1987-1992+
owners of Eastern Color -1944-1951-
American-Republican, Inc. (which was also co- owned by the Pape family); Eric A. Pape; William B. Pape; E. Robert Stevenson; James H. Darcey; B. H. Dupuy
Eric Pape didn't make it to President of Eastern Color, but he was President of the family owned radio stations in the 1950s instead.
Elias Robert Stevenson (1882 - ?) editor of the newspaper
Benjamin H. Dupuy (c1877 - 1953) superintendent of press room
employees known (and connected to comics):
Maxwell Charles Gaines
Harry Wildenberg
Lev Gleason
comic book companies that were clients
Marvel: 1940s to 1968
IW-Super ?
28 December 2014 (two blog posts from December 14,& 15 2011 combined for clarity. No additional information added. 25 July 2016: information on George Geza Janosik added
