Eastern Color Printing

An earlier short history of Eastern Color, appeared in this blog (now removed)  and afterwards added some information from Wikipedia.  Wikipedia did have (as of Dec 2011) some major bloopers, basically from not being familiar with the material published. That's not to say I don't have any bloopers....but at least my material is taken mainly from  contemporary newspaper accounts, and   the focus below is on them as a comic book printing company.   I'll be happy to, and want to, update with new information and with\ the names of comic book companies that they printed for.


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