Hit Comics

By some accounts, Hit Comics was perhaps Quality's least successful title. It launched before the war boom, but then even afterwards it suffered from low paper quotas and a bimonthly schedule. Hit Comics also did not make the War Department's distribution list, which would have boosted sales. There were also no standout "hits" to be found. The first issue featured the Red Bee, a character that is now a symbol of Golden Age ??. But greats like Lou Fine contributed cover art (rare for the time) and Reed Crandall's work on "Hercules" and "Stormy Foster" was good as ever. Will Eisner often cited Hit as a title he co-owned, which was ironic because the first issue featured art by artists from Jerry Iger's studio (who subcontracted from Eisner). The Statement of Ownership from Hit #20 cites "Editor: S.M. Iger", giving credence to the fact that half of the money Arnold paid for producing went to Iger. With issue #22 Quality rushed to add three new strips in response to the U.S. entry into the war; all lasted for only three issues. With issue #35, the title went largely over to funny animal features, which kept it afloat for another five years.

Cover scans and creator identification courtesy of the Grand Comics Database.