More Fun Comics #5 (17) for Sale - First Appearance of Dan Bowers - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: More Fun Comics (DC, 1936 series)
Issue: #5 (17)
Publication date: January 1937
Key date: 1937-01-00
On-sale date: 1936-12-17
Indicia publisher: Nicholson Publishing Co. Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 68

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Dan Bowers - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Amos Twist - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Jimmy Trent - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Chief - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Vin Sullivan; inks: Vin Sullivan	Spike Spalding
2	-	comic story	1	script: Alger; pencils: Alger; inks: Alger	Johnny
3	The Resbian Affair, Part 4	comic story	3	script: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson; pencils: C Brigham; inks: C Brigham	Sandra; Lorenz
4	-	comic story	0.4	script: Vin Sullivan; pencils: Vin Sullivan; inks: Vin Sullivan	Pincus
6	Prince of Patrania, Part 15	comic story	2	script: Vin Sullivan; pencils: Vin Sullivan; inks: Vin Sullivan	Spike Spalding; Pincus; The Sailor
7	-	comic story	2	script: Ken Fitch; pencils: Clemens Gretter; inks: Clemens Gretter	Don Drake; Betty; Krenon; Queen Zira; Laswan
8	Episode 7	comic story	2	script: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Alexandre Dumas; pencils: Sven Elven; inks: Sven Elven; letters: Sven Elven	D'Artagnan; Athos; Porthos; Aramis; M. De Treville; the King
9	-	comic story	2	script: Leger; pencils: Reuths; inks: Reuths	Dr. Occult, Koth, Zator
10	Episode 16	comic story	2	script: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Sir Walter Scott; pencils: Raymond Perry; inks: Raymond Perry	Fronte-de-Boeuf; the Black Knight; Cedric; Locksley; Isaac; Rowans; Wamba; Maurice de Bracy
11	-	comic story	2	pencils: Creig Flessel; inks: Creig Flessel	Pep Morgan; Jane
12	-	in-house column	2	script: ? (as Jolly Bill) (credited); letters: typeset
13	The Bedouin Adventure, Part 16	comic story	2	pencils: Tom Hickey; inks: Tom Hickey	Wing Brady; Lynn Harding; Ali Ben Saad (villain); Captain Chevigny; Ronelli
14	The Menace of Little Wolf, Part 2	comic story	2	pencils: Tom Cooper; inks: Tom Cooper	Buckskin Jim; Little Wolf
15	Fang Gow of China [Part 17]	comic story	2	script: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson; pencils: Leo E. O'Mealia; inks: Leo E. O'Mealia	Barry O'Neil; Le Grand; Fang Gow (villain); Jean LeGrand
16	People of the Red Planet, Part 3	comic story	2	pencils: Tom Hickey; inks: Tom Hickey	Mark Marson; Monty; Gail
17	Island Adventure, Part 7	comic story	2	script: Alger; pencils: Alger; inks: Alger	Woozy Watts
18	In the Wilderness, Part 5	comic story	1.75	pencils: Creig Flessel; inks: Creig Flessel	Tom Bradley; Jack Bradley; Harry Matson
19	-	cartoon	2	script: Whitney Ellsworth; pencils: Whitney Ellsworth; inks: Whitney Ellsworth
20	-	comic story	2	script: Richard B. Speed; pencils: Creig Flessel; inks: Creig Flessel
21	-	comic story	2	pencils: H. C. Kiefer; inks: A. D. Kiefer	Disraeli; Benedict Arnold
22	The Holdup, Part 9	comic story	2	pencils: Tom Cooper; inks: Tom Cooper	Jake; Ed; Malverne; Slick Carter (villain)
23	Alaskan Adventure, Part 3	comic story	2	script: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson; pencils: Leo E. O'Mealia; inks: Leo E. O'Mealia	Bob Merritt; Prospector Jake
24	Captain Hale, Gun-Runner, Part 4	comic story	2	pencils: Tom Cooper; inks: Tom Cooper	Dewey; Stumpy Smithers; Captain Hale; Haggens (introduction)
25	-	comic story	2	pencils: Tom Hickey; inks: Tom Hickey	Bard Hardy; King Marius (villain); Porgo; Kardos
26	-	text article	1.6	script: Mary Partrick	Ritz Brothers (photo)
27	Dont Forget to Read	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.4	letters: typeset
28	Kidnapped! Part 2	comic story	2	script: Whitney Ellsworth; pencils: Whitney Ellsworth; inks: Whitney Ellsworth	Linda; Ned Flint
29	Sea Gold [Part 2]	comic story	2	pencils: Tom Cooper; inks: Tom Cooper	Captain Grim; Liverpool Johnny (intro), Nubbins (intro); Captain MacPherson; Buck Wilson
30	-	comic story	1	script: Alger; pencils: Alger; inks: Alger	Sam
32	Ask for the Big New Book of Comics!	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.25
33	Gold Gulch, Part 4	comic story	0.75	script: Bill Carney; pencils: Bill Carney; inks: Bill Carney	Pelion; Ossa
34	Damsel in Distress, Part 14	comic story	2	script: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson; pencils: C Brigham; inks: C Brigham	Pancho Villa, Jack Woods
35	Julius Caesar	comic story	2	pencils: H. Fleming; inks: H. Fleming	Bobby; Binks; Julius Caesar; Vercingetorix
36	Episode 6	comic story	2	pencils: Sven Elvén; inks: Sven Elvén; letters: Sven Elven	Jeff Roberts; Captain Dennis; Gregory Roberts
37	-	comic story	2	script: Bill Patrick; pencils: Bill Patrick; inks: Bill Patrick	Hubert
38	The Dan Bowers Case, Part 1	comic story	2	script: Jerome Siegel; pencils: Joe Shuster; inks: Joe Shuster	Dan Bowers First, The Chief First, Sandy Kean, Jimmy Trent First, Amos Twist First
39	-	comic story	0.7	pencils: Henry Kiefer; inks: A. D. Kiefer
40	-	comic story	0.3		Frederic Chopin
41	New Adventure Comics	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.7	pencils: Vin Sullivan; inks: Vin Sullivan
42	-	credits, title page	0.3	letters: typeset

Plus 2.8 pages of advertisements and other matter across 4 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Atomic Comics #1	1946	On eBay ›
Warrior Comics #1	1945	On eBay ›
DC Comics Before Superman: Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's Pulp Comics #[nn] ISBN 9781613451649	2018	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

‹ #4 (16)9 of 119#6 (18) ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com