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Register and Tribune Syndicate

July 04, 2023

The Register and Tribune Syndicate was a syndication service based in Des Moines, Iowa, that operated from 1922 to 1986, when it was acquired by King Features to become the Cowles Syndicate affiliate. At its peak, the Register and Tribune Syndicate offered newspapers some 60 to 75 features, including editorial cartoonist Herblock, comic strips, and commentaries by David Horowitz, Stanley Karnow, and others.

Register and Tribune Syndicate
IndustryPrint syndication
Founded1922; 101 years ago (1922)
FoundersJohn Cowles, Sr.
Defunct1986; 37 years ago (1986)
FateAcquired by King Features Syndicate to become Cowles Symdicate affiliate
Headquarters715 Locust Street,
Des Moines, Iowa
,
U.S.
Key people
Henry Martin, Charles E. Lounsbury
ProductsComic strips, newspaper columns
OwnersCowles family (1922–1935)
Cowles Media Company (1935–1986)
Hearst Publications (1986-present)

Throughout the 1940s the syndicate distributed the weekly "The Spirit Section," a 16-page tabloid-sized newsprint comic book supplement eventually sold to 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million copies. The Register and Tribune Syndicate's most successful comics feature was The Family Circus (launched in 1960), eventually distributed to more than 1,000 newspapers; other long-running strips included Channel Chuckles, Jane Arden, The Better Half, and Tumbleweeds.

History

Origins

In 1922, The Des Moines Register publisher Gardner Cowles, Sr.' son John Cowles Sr. launched the Register and Tribune Syndicate (the family also owned the Des Moines Tribune). The manager was Henry Martin,[1] who served in that capacity until 1960.[2]

Jane Arden was the syndicate's first breakout hit, launching in 1927 and eventually running until 1968.

Charles E. Lounsbury became the syndicate's chief editor in 1930,[1] serving in that capacity until his death at age 84 in 1952.[3]

Supplier to comic books

In 1937 the Register and Tribune Syndicate partnered with two other syndicates, the McNaught Syndicate and the Frank Jay Markey Syndicate, as well as with entrepreneur Everett M. "Busy" Arnold, to provide material to the burgeoning comic book industry;[4] many of the syndicate's strips found their way into Arnold's Feature Funnies. In 1939, Cowles Media Company (the syndicate's corporate owner, formed in 1935) and Arnold bought out the McNaught and Markey interests.[5]

The Spirit Section

In the 1940s, Will Eisner's The Spirit debuted as the main feature of a 16-page Sunday supplement known colloquially as "The Spirit Section". Launched June 2, 1940, this was a tabloid-sized newsprint comic book sold as part of eventually 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million copies. In a 2004 interview, Eisner elaborated on the origins of the supplement:

"Busy" [Arnold] invited me up for lunch one day and introduced me to Henry Martin . . . [who] said, "The newspapers in this country, particularly the Sunday papers, are looking to compete with comic books, and they would like to get a comic-book insert into the newspapers." . . . Anyway, I agreed to do the Sunday comic book and we started discussing the deal [which] was that we'd be partners in the 'Comic Book Section,' as they called it at that time.[6]

The Spirit Section generally included two other, four-page strips (initially Mr. Mystic and Lady Luck), plus filler material. Eisner was the editor, but also wrote and drew most entries — after the first few months, he had the uncredited assistance of writer Jules Feiffer and artists Jack Cole and Wally Wood, though Eisner's singular vision for the strip was a unifying factor. The Spirit Section continued until October 5, 1952.[7]

Later years

Bil Keane's television-themed panel Channel Chuckles was launched in 1954; he debuted The Family Circus in 1960. Bob Barnes' The Better Half debuted in 1956.

The Old West-themed Tumbleweeds launched in September 1965. That same year, the syndicate broke new ground when it picked up Morrie Turner's Wee Pals, the first comic strip syndicated in the United States to have a cast of diverse ethnicity, dubbed the "Rainbow Gang."[8]

Beginning in 1977, the syndicate was the unofficial home of Marvel Comics strips, including The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1986; continued by King Features), Conan the Barbarian (1978-1982), Howard the Duck (1977–1978), and The Incredible Hulk (1978–1982).

In 1985, the syndicate was merged into its parent Cowles Media Company.[citation needed] In 1986, the syndicate was sold to Hearst Publications for $4.3 million,[9] becoming a division of King Features Syndicate.

Register and Tribune Syndicate strips and panels

References

  1. ^ a b "Who's Who Among Leading U.S. Syndicate Executives," Editor and Publisher (September 7, 1946). Archived at "News of Yore 1946: Syndicate Executives Profiled," Stripper's Guide (July 21, 2010).
  2. ^ "Henry Martin Retires," The Des Moines Register (November 24, 1959): effective January 1, 1960.
  3. ^ "C. E. LOUNSBURY, EDITOR, IS DEAD," The Des Moines Register (November 2, 1952), p. 13.
  4. ^ Steranko, Jim (1972). The Steranko History of Comics 2. Reading, Pennsylvania: Supergraphics. p. 92. ISBN 0-517-50188-0.
  5. ^ . Connecticut Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007.
  6. ^ Will Eisner interview, Alter Ego No. 48 (May 2005), p. 10
  7. ^ Spirit, The (Register and Tribune Syndicate, 1940 Series) at the Grand Comics Database
  8. ^ "Wee Pals" at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed January 27, 2014. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015.
  9. ^ Strentz, Herb. "John Cowles," Cowles Family Publishing Legacy: Drake University, Cowles Library. Accessed Jan. 3, 2018.
  10. ^ Maley, Don. "New Panel Pokes Fun at Suburban Housewife," Editor & Publisher (August 9, 1969). Archived at "News of Yore 1969," Stripper's Guide (December 3, 2013).
  11. ^ Markstein, Don. "AMERICA’S BEST BUY: THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE," Don Markstein's Toonpedia. Accessed Jan. 4, 2018.
  12. ^ Gary Dowell, Greg Holman, Don Mangus, James L. Halperin (editor). HCA Comics Dallas Auction Catalog #824. Heritage Capital Corporation. p. 268 (link). ISBN 978-1-59967-133-8. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ Strickler, Dave. Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index. Cambria, California: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1
  14. ^ "ASK THE ARCHIVIST: BOB BARNES CENTENNIAL," Comics Kingdom (November 27, 2013).
  15. ^ a b c Schoenke profile, Who's Who of American Comic Book Artists, 1928–1999. Accessed Jan. 5, 2018.
  16. ^ Holtz, Allan (January 27, 2010). "Obscurity of the Day: Howard the Duck". Stripper's Guide. from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012. The newspaper strip version began on June 6, 1977 at the height of Howard-mania. At first Steve Gerber and Gene Colan, the creative team on the comic book, handled the strip as well. Colan, however, dropped out after just five months, and his job was taken over by Val Mayerik, who was occasionally spelling Colan on the comic book.
  17. ^ Holtz, Allan. American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide (University of Michigan Press, 2012).
  18. ^ Markstein, Don. "The Red Knight," Don Markstein's Toonpedia. Accessed Jan. 4, 2018.
  19. ^ Celardo profile, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Accessed Jan. 5, 2018.

July 04, 2023
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The Register and Tribune Syndicate was a syndication service based in Des Moines Iowa that operated from 1922 to 1986 when it was acquired by King Features to become the Cowles Syndicate affiliate At its peak the Register and Tribune Syndicate offered newspapers some 60 to 75 features including editorial cartoonist Herblock comic strips and commentaries by David Horowitz Stanley Karnow and others Register and Tribune SyndicateIndustryPrint syndicationFounded1922 101 years ago 1922 FoundersJohn Cowles Sr Defunct1986 37 years ago 1986 FateAcquired by King Features Syndicate to become Cowles Symdicate affiliateHeadquarters715 Locust Street Des Moines Iowa U S Key peopleHenry Martin Charles E LounsburyProductsComic strips newspaper columnsOwnersCowles family 1922 1935 Cowles Media Company 1935 1986 Hearst Publications 1986 present Throughout the 1940s the syndicate distributed the weekly The Spirit Section a 16 page tabloid sized newsprint comic book supplement eventually sold to 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million copies The Register and Tribune Syndicate s most successful comics feature was The Family Circus launched in 1960 eventually distributed to more than 1 000 newspapers other long running strips included Channel Chuckles Jane Arden The Better Half and Tumbleweeds Contents 1 History 1 1 Origins 1 2 Supplier to comic books 1 3 The Spirit Section 1 4 Later years 2 Register and Tribune Syndicate strips and panels 3 ReferencesHistory EditOrigins Edit In 1922 The Des Moines Register publisher Gardner Cowles Sr son John Cowles Sr launched the Register and Tribune Syndicate the family also owned the Des Moines Tribune The manager was Henry Martin 1 who served in that capacity until 1960 2 Jane Arden was the syndicate s first breakout hit launching in 1927 and eventually running until 1968 Charles E Lounsbury became the syndicate s chief editor in 1930 1 serving in that capacity until his death at age 84 in 1952 3 Supplier to comic books Edit In 1937 the Register and Tribune Syndicate partnered with two other syndicates the McNaught Syndicate and the Frank Jay Markey Syndicate as well as with entrepreneur Everett M Busy Arnold to provide material to the burgeoning comic book industry 4 many of the syndicate s strips found their way into Arnold s Feature Funnies In 1939 Cowles Media Company the syndicate s corporate owner formed in 1935 and Arnold bought out the McNaught and Markey interests 5 The Spirit Section Edit In the 1940s Will Eisner s The Spirit debuted as the main feature of a 16 page Sunday supplement known colloquially as The Spirit Section Launched June 2 1940 this was a tabloid sized newsprint comic book sold as part of eventually 20 Sunday newspapers with a combined circulation of as many as five million copies In a 2004 interview Eisner elaborated on the origins of the supplement Busy Arnold invited me up for lunch one day and introduced me to Henry Martin who said The newspapers in this country particularly the Sunday papers are looking to compete with comic books and they would like to get a comic book insert into the newspapers Anyway I agreed to do the Sunday comic book and we started discussing the deal which was that we d be partners in the Comic Book Section as they called it at that time 6 The Spirit Section generally included two other four page strips initially Mr Mystic and Lady Luck plus filler material Eisner was the editor but also wrote and drew most entries after the first few months he had the uncredited assistance of writer Jules Feiffer and artists Jack Cole and Wally Wood though Eisner s singular vision for the strip was a unifying factor The Spirit Section continued until October 5 1952 7 Later years Edit Bil Keane s television themed panel Channel Chuckles was launched in 1954 he debuted The Family Circus in 1960 Bob Barnes The Better Half debuted in 1956 The Old West themed Tumbleweeds launched in September 1965 That same year the syndicate broke new ground when it picked up Morrie Turner s Wee Pals the first comic strip syndicated in the United States to have a cast of diverse ethnicity dubbed the Rainbow Gang 8 Beginning in 1977 the syndicate was the unofficial home of Marvel Comics strips including The Amazing Spider Man 1977 1986 continued by King Features Conan the Barbarian 1978 1982 Howard the Duck 1977 1978 and The Incredible Hulk 1978 1982 In 1985 the syndicate was merged into its parent Cowles Media Company citation needed In 1986 the syndicate was sold to Hearst Publications for 4 3 million 9 becoming a division of King Features Syndicate Register and Tribune Syndicate strips and panels EditThe Alumnae by Mary Gauerke 10 Sept 8 1969 April 24 1976 America s Best Buy The Louisiana Purchase by John Chase 1953 1954 early nonfiction strip 11 Amy originally by Henry Mace 1962 1988 continued by King Features also known as Our Girl Amy Bats in the Belfry by Frank Beaven 1935 1937 Benchley by Jerry Dumas and John Reiner and Mort Drucker 1984 1986 12 The Better Half originally by Bob Barnes 1956 1986 continued by King Features Brad and Dad by Rube Goldberg 1939 1941 Channel Chuckles by Bil Keane 1954 1976 13 Citizen Smith by Dave Gerard 1967 1984 Clifford by Jules Feiffer 1949 1950 The Diary of a New Father by Robert E Dickson and Walt DePew 1926 Double Take by Bob Barnes 1951 1957 14 Elmo and Debbie Little Debbie by Cecil Jensen 1949 1961 The Family Circus originally by Bil Keane 1960 1986 continued by King Features Flying to Fame by Walt DePew 1933 Gene Autry Rides by Till Goodan 1940 1941 Graves Inc by Pat Brady early 1980s Herman by Clyde Lamb 1949 1966 Jack Armstrong by Bob Schoenke 1947 1950 15 Jane Arden originally by Monte Barrett and artist Frank Ellis 1927 1968 retitled Laredo and Jane Arden from 1964 to 1968 15 Laredo Crockett by Bob Schoenke 1950 1964 merged with Jane Arden to become Laredo and Jane Arden 1964 1968 15 Marvel Comics strips The Amazing Spider Man originally by Stan Lee and John Romita Sr 1977 1986 continued by King Features Conan the Barbarian originally by Roy Thomas John Buscema and Ernie Chan 1978 1982 Howard the Duck originally by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan June 1977 October 1978 16 The Incredible Hulk originally by Stan Lee Larry Lieber and Ernie Chan 1978 1982 Ned Brant Dick Ember originally by Robert Zuppke and Walt DePew later by Ted Ashby Oct 21 1929 June 4 1949 17 Baseball by Walt DePew Jan 27 1930 topper strip Off the Campus by Walt DePew Jan 27 1930 topper strip Sports by Ned Brandt by Walt DePew 1935 1937 topper strip They re Still Talking by Walt DePew 1930s topper strip Odd Fact by Will Eisner 1975 1976 panel Old Harrigan of Sleepy Eye by Len Maurer 1955 1958 The Red Knight by John J Welch and Jack McGuire June 1940 Sept 1943 18 The Rock Channel by Guy Gilchrist 1980s Side Show by Rube Goldberg 1938 1941 Sundays only The Spirit Section The Spirit by Will Eisner 1940 1952 Lady Luck originally by Will Eisner Chuck Mazoujian John Celardo 19 and Lane French 1940 1946 Mr Mystic originally by Bob Powell and Lane French 1940 1944 Tumbleweeds by Tom K Ryan 1965 1986 continued by King Features Wee Pals by Morrie Turner 1965 1970s moved to United Features Syndicate Zane Grey by Zane Grey John J Welch and Jack Abbott Jan 25 1932 Dec 18 1933 References Edit a b Who s Who Among Leading U S Syndicate Executives Editor and Publisher September 7 1946 Archived at News of Yore 1946 Syndicate Executives Profiled Stripper s Guide July 21 2010 Henry Martin Retires The Des Moines Register November 24 1959 effective January 1 1960 C E LOUNSBURY EDITOR IS DEAD The Des Moines Register November 2 1952 p 13 Steranko Jim 1972 The Steranko History of Comics 2 Reading Pennsylvania Supergraphics p 92 ISBN 0 517 50188 0 Quality Comic Group A Brief History Connecticut Historical Society Archived from the original on September 27 2007 Will Eisner interview Alter Ego No 48 May 2005 p 10 Spirit The Register and Tribune Syndicate 1940 Series at the Grand Comics Database Wee Pals at Don Markstein s Toonopedia Accessed January 27 2014 Archived from the original on January 12 2015 Strentz Herb John Cowles Cowles Family Publishing Legacy Drake University Cowles Library Accessed Jan 3 2018 Maley Don New Panel Pokes Fun at Suburban Housewife Editor amp Publisher August 9 1969 Archived at News of Yore 1969 Stripper s Guide December 3 2013 Markstein Don AMERICA S BEST BUY THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE Don Markstein s Toonpedia Accessed Jan 4 2018 Gary Dowell Greg Holman Don Mangus James L Halperin editor HCA Comics Dallas Auction Catalog 824 Heritage Capital Corporation p 268 link ISBN 978 1 59967 133 8 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a author has generic name help CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Strickler Dave Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists 1924 1995 The Complete Index Cambria California Comics Access 1995 ISBN 0 9700077 0 1 ASK THE ARCHIVIST BOB BARNES CENTENNIAL Comics Kingdom November 27 2013 a b c Schoenke profile Who s Who of American Comic Book Artists 1928 1999 Accessed Jan 5 2018 Holtz Allan January 27 2010 Obscurity of the Day Howard the Duck Stripper s Guide Archived from the original on March 9 2012 Retrieved June 4 2012 The newspaper strip version began on June 6 1977 at the height of Howard mania At first Steve Gerber and Gene Colan the creative team on the comic book handled the strip as well Colan however dropped out after just five months and his job was taken over by Val Mayerik who was occasionally spelling Colan on the comic book Holtz Allan American Newspaper Comics An Encyclopedic Reference Guide University of Michigan Press 2012 Markstein Don The Red Knight Don Markstein s Toonpedia Accessed Jan 4 2018 Celardo profile Who s Who of American Comic Books 1928 1999 Accessed Jan 5 2018 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Register and Tribune Syndicate amp oldid 1127204323, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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