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447:. Jack and Harry had little in common, but Jack soon emerged as a man who could run finances. Whereas Harry would promise the world to clients without understanding the economic realities, Jack was bookish and ensured bills were paid on time and helped create respectability in the firm. Soon the two men were spoken of as a partnership. With the financial backing of
250:, and at the age of five emigrated to the United States with his parents and his brother Irving. A few years later the family was joined by Harry's two elder brothers Charlie and Mike. Little is known of his early life, as is common with many people entering America during the days of mass immigration; but the family entered America via
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dropped in the US in late 1920, Harry and Gussie's store fell on hard times and by early 1921 they were in debt. Harry's skills of flattery and fast-talking were of no use when the country was in economic decline and despite Gussie's best efforts the store went broke. Under pressure to find a steady
323:
district. 1923 also saw the emergence of the competitive business side of
Donenfeld as he took control of Martin Press and forced his two older brothers out of the company, leaving Irving as a minority partner and head printer. In 1931, Donenfield changed the company name from Martin Press to Donny
269:
enterprise. Harry became a clothing salesman working in the city, saw himself as a class above the ordinary working man, and wanted a better life, preferably without hard work. After he avoided the draft in 1917, he married Gussie
Weinstein (1898–1961) in 1918, and thanks to a loan from her parents
515:
featuring the character. At the end of 1941 Donenfeld's comic businesses took in $ 2.6 million. Shuster and Siegel had sold the rights for the character to
National Allied Publications, so as Donenfeld became rich, they continued on flat employee fees. Legal actions between the creative pair and
402:. In 1934, after getting charged with obscenity, and narrowly escaping jail, Donenfeld changed the name of Super Magazines to Culture Publications. In January 1943, again trying to clean up their image, he changed the word 'Spicy' to 'Speed' in the four magazines with that name.
565:
In 1962, the week before he was set to marry his second wife, Donenfeld fell, injuring his head, which resulted in a lack of memory and speech from which he never recovered. He died at a care home in New York City in 1965, and is buried in Mount Ararat
Cemetery,
486:, in which Wheeler-Nicholson was forced to take Donenfeld and Liebowitz as partners. In 1938, Donenfeld sued Wheeler-Nicholson for nonpayment and Detective Comics Inc. went into bankruptcy. Donenfeld then bought up the company and Wheeler-Nicholson's
291:
income, Harry found work with his brothers' printing company, now called Martin Press, as a salesman and fourth partner. During the 1920s Martin Press saw a vast expansion in capital. It is speculated that Harry, through links with gangster
468:, having lost his previous backers due to poor sales and debts. Donenfeld accepted to distribute the comic but with a heavy loss of rights for Wheeler-Nicholson. The major produced two more titles to be handled by Independent News,
299:, along with legitimate Canadian pulp paper across the border. By 1923 Donenfeld had managed the most important sales deal of his life, acquiring the rights for Martin Press to print six million subscription leaflets for
552:
in 1939, in conjuction with Paul
Sampliner, Frank Armer and Michael Estrow, to distribute the company's pulp magazine line, later branding under the moniker Trojan Magazines. The company later distributed titles by
367:, and put them out under the name of Donenfeld Magazines (D.M.). He used the names Irwin Publishing (formed 1926) and later Merwil Publishing (formed 1932) to release more magazines along the same lines:
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Donenfeld spent his early life in and out of school, and later in and out of gangs, refusing to settle down or find an occupation like his brothers, who had set up a
598:, holding the titles of editorial director and executive vice president. Harry's daughter Sonia (known as "Peachie") was born in 1927. She was married to
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National Allied
Publications for compensation would continue for decades to come, but Donenfeld allowed Liebowitz to handle this side of his empire.
386:. In November 1933, he drafted Armer as editor to form a company called Super Magazines which ended up specializing in the mixed girlie/genre pulps
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in 1932. Now
Donenfeld was a distributor as well as a publisher and was now no longer reliant on others to run his business.
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Donenfeld was posthumously named in 1985 as one of the honorees by DC Comics in the company's 50th-anniversary publication
222:
512:
536:, in 1943 Donenfeld helped Sangor start ACG, which was published until 1967. (ACG was also distributed by Donenfeld's
209:; October 17, 1893 – February 26, 1965) was an American publisher. He is known primarily for being the co-owner with
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451:, Irving Donenfeld as head printer, Harry as salesman and Jack Liebowitz running the finances they launched the
315:. This was partly due to his new underworld contacts having close connections with Hearst newspaper salesman
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In 1924–25, Donenfeld, through his Elmo Press (formed in 1924), began printing Frank Armer's film magazine
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557:, as well as Mainline Publications and Mikeross Publications. The company went defunct in 1956.
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In August 1933, Donenfeld formed Tilsam
Publications to produce a mixed girlie/film magazine,
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In 1929, as a favor to an old client, Julius
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793:"How a U.S. Postal Service Crackdown on 'Indecency' Led to DC's First All-Humor Comic"
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in 1947, had 2 children and the marriage ended in divorce after 15 years.
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626:. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
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The fourth publication under
National Allied Publications would be
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Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book
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approached Independent News in a bid to relaunch his comic book
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Donenfeld also owned a stake in a competitor comics publisher,
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was born in 1926, and worked for the firm from 1948 to
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998:). "Harry Donenfeld Detective Comics Inc."
897:
Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Accessed Aug. 29, 2011.
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406:lasted the longest, ceasing publication in 1948.
1103:
973:, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
478:(which would later see the first appearance of
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839:
755:"Schnapp, Donenfeld and the Pulps – Part 1"
499:(1938). Issue #1 introduced the superhero,
1122:American people of Romanian-Jewish descent
1002:, p. 6 (1985). DC Comics.
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780:Uncovered: The Hidden Art of Girlie Pulps
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270:he was able to open a clothing store in
1137:Romanian emigrants to the United States
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221:). Donenfeld was also a founder of the
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1157:People with traumatic brain injuries
159:Charlie, Mike, and Irving (brothers)
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223:Albert Einstein College of Medicine
13:
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768:"REH Splashes the Spicys – part I"
344:. In 1932, Donenfeld acquired the
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870:The Comic Book History of Comics
857:Jones, pp. 101–102, 107–108, 125
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420:
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238:Harry Donenfeld was born into a
215:National Periodical Publications
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1147:People from the Lower East Side
990:), Petruccio, Steven (
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41:promotion on July 3rd, 1940 at
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638:
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1:
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16:American comic book publisher
1127:American publishers (people)
895:"The American Comics Group,"
548:He also founded the company
488:National Allied Publications
439:National Allied Publications
228:
7:
959:Our Hero: Superman on Earth
812:"Birth of the Girlie Pulps"
645:Social Security Death Index
482:), now under the banner of
341:Artists and Models Magazine
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95:East Farmingdale, New York
1033:. New York: Basic Books.
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532:and traveling partner of
460:Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson
254:and took up residence in
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961:. Yale University Press.
868:Van Lente, Fred (2012).
656:Donenfeld death notice,
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453:Independent News Company
143:Sonia "Peachy" (b. 1928)
1000:Fifty Who Made DC Great
986:and Hill, Thomas (
576:Fifty Who Made DC Great
1071:. Simon and Schuster.
778:Douglas Ellis. 2003.
526:American Comics Group
520:American Comics Group
484:Detective Comics Inc.
43:New York World's Fair
798:Comic Book Resources
503:, created by artist
66:, Kingdom of Romania
1063:Stapinski, Helene;
936:www.pulpartists.com
912:www.pulpartists.com
757:at kleinletters.com
550:Leader News Company
872:. IDW. p. 32.
782:. Adventure House.
741:at PulpArtists.com
534:Benjamin W. Sangor
303:magazines such as
248:Kingdom of Romania
1078:978-1-9821-7166-7
1040:978-0-465-03657-8
982:Marx, Barry,
846:Jones, pp. 89–92.
766:Damon C. Sasser,
739:"Harry Donenfeld"
714:Jones, pp. 42–46.
692:Jones, pp. 19–22.
338:and art magazine
312:Good Housekeeping
288:consumer spending
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624:"Say How: D"
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596: 1968
544:Leader News
507:and writer
505:Joe Shuster
377:Juicy Tales
373:Joy Stories
353:Pep Stories
297:prohibition
234:Early years
141:(1926–2004)
1106:Categories
941:2024-07-12
917:2024-07-12
751:Todd Klein
606:References
513:radio show
470:New Comics
335:Screenland
276:New Jersey
242:family in
102:Occupation
56:1893-10-17
932:"Catalog"
908:"Catalog"
600:Fred Iger
555:EC Comics
530:gin rummy
528:(ACG). A
369:Hot Tales
359:(renamed
246:, in the
229:Biography
219:DC Comics
156:Relatives
106:Publisher
1067:(2023).
1049:62311432
1029:(2005).
957:. 2010.
501:Superman
267:printing
135:Children
38:Superman
1020:Sources
465:New Fun
363:) from
324:Press.
321:Chelsea
258:in the
217:(later
129:
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583:Family
480:Batman
361:Snappy
301:Hearst
272:Newark
262:area.
240:Jewish
148:Parent
112:Spouse
97:, U.S.
85:, U.S.
611:Notes
286:When
139:Irwin
123:(
119:
1073:ISBN
1045:OCLC
1035:ISBN
632:2019
472:and
445:Jack
398:and
375:and
355:and
309:and
244:Iași
72:Died
64:Iași
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168:(
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