{{Short description|Comic book anthology}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}} {{Infobox comic book title <!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics--> | image = Police Comics 1.jpg | caption = ''Police Comics'' #1 (August 1941), art by Gil Fox | schedule = Monthly | format = Standard | publisher = Quality Comics | date = August 1941 – October 1953 | issues = 127 | main_char_team = Mouthpiece <br> Plastic Man <br> Phantom Lady <br> Human Bomb <br> Firebrand <br> #711 | writers = Jack Cole <br> Will Eisner <br> Paul Gustavson | artists = Jack Cole <br> Reed Crandall <br> Will Eisner <br> Gil Fox | pencillers = | inkers = | colorists = | creative_team_month = | creative_team_year = | creators = }} '''''Police Comics''''' is a comic book anthology title published by Quality Comics (under its imprint "Comic Magazines") from 1941 until 1953. It featured short stories in the superhero, crime and humor genres.<ref name=Companion>{{cite book |last1=Koolman |first1=Mike |last2=Amash |first2=Jim |title=The Quality Companion |date=2011 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490373 |page=223}}</ref>
==Publication history== The first issue of ''Police Comics'' featured the debuts of Plastic Man, Phantom Lady, Human Bomb, Firebrand, and Mouthpiece, all of which (except the latter) are characters that continued to be published decades later by DC Comics after it acquired Quality's properties.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Benton |first1=Mike |title=Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History |date=1992 |publisher=Taylor Publishing Company |location=Dallas |isbn=0-87833-808-X |url=https://archive.org/details/superherocomicso0000bent/page/176 |accessdate=1 April 2020 |page=177}}</ref> Firebrand, the initial lead feature, was soon eclipsed by Jack Cole's popular Plastic Man, who took the cover and the lead from issues #5–102. Other notable characters featured in ''Police Comics'' include Manhunter, who was introduced in ''Police Comics'' #8; 711, who was introduced in ''Police Comics'' #1; and Will Eisner's The Spirit, in the form of reprints of the character's newspaper comic strips.
[[Image:Police Comics 124.jpg|thumb|right|''Police Comics'' #124 (Feb, 1953), pencils by Reed Crandall, inks by Chuck Cuidera]] After the popularity of superhero comics waned, ''Police Comics'' shifted with issue #103 (December 1950) to more naturalistic detective and crime-themed stories. The series ended in October 1953 with issue #127.
==Character runs== * ''Firebrand'' (#1–13) * ''Mouthpiece'' (#1–13) * ''711'' (#1–15) * ''Chic Carter'' (#1–18) * ''Eagle Evans'' (#1–19) * ''Phantom Lady'' (#1–23) * ''Human Bomb'' (#1–58) * ''Plastic Man'' (#1–102) * ''Manhunter'' (#8–101) * ''The Spirit'' (#11–102) * ''Destiny'' (#16–36) * ''Flatfoot Burns'' (#24–67) * ''Candy'' (#37–102) * ''Honeybun'' (#59–88) * ''Ken Shannon'' (#103–#127)
==References== <references/>
==External links== * [http://www.comics.org/series.lasso?SeriesID=226 ''Police Comics'' at the Grand Comics Database] * [https://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?cid=32 Read or download public domain issues of this series at the Digital Comic Museum]
{{Plastic Man}} {{GoldenAge}}
Category:Comics magazines published in the United States Category:Quality Comics titles Category:1941 comics debuts Category:1953 comics endings Category:Magazines established in 1941 Category:Magazines disestablished in 1953 Category:Golden Age comics titles Category:Comics about police officers
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