Short Lived Comic Series #18 - Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter (Dell Comics)

One of the biggest reasons why I love comic conventions (particularly the smaller, local conventions) is that there are always plenty of back-issue comic book boxes to comb through.  Some dealers have their comics in alphabetical order, others have then categorized by theme, others by publisher, and still others simply throw out the comics with no order whatsoever, and you have to really dig to find some great treasures!  No matter which way I find them, it's always the thrill of the hunt that excites me and has me spending literally hours making my way through box after box after box, hoping to come across some obscure book that catches my eye.  And such is the case with this latest short-lived comic book series.

I discovered the first issue of Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter a year or more ago (right before COVID hit) in a box full of old Dell / Gold Key comics that a dealer had set out.  The title of the comic, as well as the tagline - "A Daring Teenage Reporter Uncovers a Menacing Plot Against Wilton High School" - easily caught my attention.  The cover sported painted art of a young man lifting another young man, apparently about to throw him, while in the background, a number of young men and women watch with anticipation.  The title, the tagline, the cover - they all are very reminiscent of those series books of the '50s and '60s, so I splurged and bought the comic.

This issue of Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter sports a cover date of Feb-Apr 1962, and it was numbered as No. 1302 (which number is apparently part of the "Four Color" comics numbering - which, it seems, a lot of Dell Comics followed that numbering, regardless of what the actual title to the book was).  There are absolutely no credits provided in the book, so the writer and artist(s) are unknown.  Online research shows that Don Ameson was the editor for the comic.  And upon further research, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this was not a one-off comic (as Dell Comics was known to do quite a number of one-off stories).  A second issue of Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter was also published later that same year with a cover date of June-Aug 1962.  Oddly enough, the second issue was numbered as No. 2 rather than whatever the next "Four Color" numbering would have been.  Perhaps Dell was hoping since the series spawned a second issue, it might actually spring into an ongoing series.  Sadly, though, that wasn't the case.

The first issue features a story titled "Johnny Goes Dancing" - not exactly the most thrilling title in the world, but it definitely tells the reader what to expect from the story!  Green City's leading newspaper has decided to start a column for, about, and by teenagers, and as you can probably guess, young Johnny Jason, who already edits his own school's newspaper, gets the job.  His first assignment is to cover a dance at Sheridan High (in the tough section of the city), where the students have gotten together to raise money for new equipment for their school basketball team.  When Jason and his girlfriend arrive, however, they discover the dance is a bust, thanks go a neighborhood gang who has threatened everyone away from the dance in order to take their money instead!  Jason and Sheridan High's gym teacher go to confront the gang, which results in a big fight!  As with the series books I enjoy, everything works out in the end - the kids all return to the dance, the money is turned over to the school for basketball equipment, and Jason gets a fantastic story for his first article.  A couple of interesting things I did note about the comic - first, I thought the cover depicted Johnny himself as a part of the scene taking place, but it turns out the scene is actually the gym teacher lifting up one of the gang members, as he prepares to throw him to the ground!  Odd that they would not include the title character on the cover.  Second, it is strange that Johnny himself does very little to solve the mystery or fight the gang members - he pretty much stands in the background and lets the gym teacher, Mr. Barker, take the lead.  Third, the tagline on the cover is misleading, as it claims there is a plot against Wilton High School (where Johnny goes to school), when, in the story itself, it is Sheridan High on the other side of town that is actually facing the menacing plot.

The second issue provides a bit more accuracy on the cover to match the story inside.  The painted art shows Jason carrying on unconscious girl away from the crashed plane, while two thugs are chasing them down.  The tagline reads, "A Death-Defying Plane Ride Leads Teen Reporter, Johnny Jason, and a Young Movie Star Into Terror and Trickery, as Treacherous Kidnappers Close in on Them..."  This pretty much sums up the adventure inside, which is simply titled "The Brat."  And let me tell you, the young movie star, Shelley Marks, is definitely a brat!  She is rude to everyone, including her parents, and very incorrigibly entitled.  The excitement begins on the very first page, when she is kidnapped!  Fortunately for her, the kidnappers blow a tire, and she is rescued while they escape.  Johnny is sent to get the story, spending the weekend at the Marks' family ranch outside of Green City.  He is somewhat awed by her stardom, but the ranch foreman, Chuck, is not thrilled with the attention Shelley is showing Jason.  Shelley decides to show off her flying skills by taking Johnny on an impromptu plane ride, which results in them crashing in the mountains nearby.  Before you know it, the kidnappers show up and take both Shelley and Johnny hostage in an isolated cabin.  But our young reporter manages to escape with the movie star in tow and are ultimately found by a search party.  Upon return to the Marks' ranch, Johnny shocks everyone by revealing the truth behind the kidnapping and unveiling the true mastermind behind the whole thing.  Shelley learns some humility, Chuck admits his feelings for Shelley, and Johnny once again walks away with a great story!

While neither story is "exciting" by today's standards, they both fit the standard formula for pre-teen series stories of that day.  A teenager has some great and sometimes threatening adventures while trying to help someone in need and ultimately stops the criminal and saves the day!  Both comics feature a full 32-pages of story and art with absolutely no ads.  As I don't have a lot of Dell Comics in my collection, I'm not sure if this was a standard for their comics of that day, but I definitely like the idea of getting my money's worth.  Even the inside front and back covers, as well as the back cover, feature one-page comic strips detailing some aspect of newspapers and reporting the news (the first issue showed how a newspaper is printed, what's in a newspaper, and the aspects of a newspaper reporter's life, while the second issue highlights the war correspondent, famous journalists, and the history of how news has been spread over the years).  Thus, back in 1962, for 15 cents, a comic fan got a quite a lot!

 

I really wish there was a way to find out not only the author of the stories, but the artists as well - both for the interior pages and for the covers!  It would be amazing to track down the original art for these two covers - truly a collector's dream to have something like that in his or her collection!

Overall, I enjoyed both issues and wish the series had continued.  While Johnny Jason never made any other appearances in Dell Comics, interestingly enough, he did appear again in 2018.  It seems Dark Horse Comics published a series of comics based on the successful Mystery Science Theater 3000 television show.  However, instead of dealing with cheesy movies, this time around, the comic book series dealt with what they deemed to be cheesy comics.  And, wouldn't you know it, the first comic they feature is our very own Johnny Jason, Teen Reporter!  I am in the process of tracking down these issues so I can add them to my collection with my Johnny Jason comics.  After all, I can't be a true collector unless I have everything, right?

RATING:  8 stolen cash boxes out of 10 for some great series book stories in comic book form!