Avon (publishers)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Avon Publications was a paperback book and comic book publisher. It today exists only as an imprint of HarperCollins.
Avon Books was founded in 1941 by the American News Corporation to create a rival to Pocket Books. They hired Joseph and Edna Meyers to establish the company. They bought out J.S. Ogilvie Publications, a pulp magazine publisher, and renamed it "Avon Publications". They also got into comic books.
Avon was bought by the Hearst Corporation in 1959. In 1999, the News Corporation bought out Hearst's book division, and merged Avon with HarperCollins.
Avon now publishes only historical romance titles, though in the past it has published many genre works.
[edit] Avon Comics
In the 1950s, Avon published comics. Their titles included horror, science fiction, western, funny animals, and more. Avon is considered the first professional work of comic book artist Wally Wood. Most titles lasted only a few issues, but they did have a few long lasting titles. Among those are:
- Eerie (17 issues, 1951-53)
- Jesse James (29 issues, 1950-56)
- Peter Rabbit (34 issues, 1950-56)
- The Saint (12 issues, 1947-52)
- Strange Worlds (22 issues, 1950-52; 54-55)
- Wild Bill Hickock (28 issues, 1949-56)
