Centaur

Centaur consisted of Centaur Publications, Inc. and the Comics Corporation of America. Comics published by both of these publishers were advertised together and referred to as being published by the "Centaur Group" in those ads.

Several additional companies have historically been lumped under "Centaur" on the grounds that the titles they published were later purchased and continued by Centaur Publications, Inc. The earliest of these were the Comics Magazine Company, Inc. and Chesler Publications, Inc., both of which sold titles to Ultem Publications, Inc. Many sources include these predecessors as Centaur issues, but the companies are all distinct.

Ultem in turn sold all four of their titles to Joseph Hardie and Raymond Kelly's Centaur Publications, Inc., which had been publishing pulp magazines since at least 1933. Centaur used these to begin their comic book line, and also drew on the back inventory of stories to fill out the early issues of their new titles with reprints. Comic Corporation of America began with Amazing Man Comics in 1939, but did not add other titles until after Centaur Publications, Inc. had ceased production at the end of 1940.

By many accounts, Centaur's titles suffered from poor distribution and as the U. S. was drawn into World War II they ceased publication. Some of their final issues were projects for the Chicago Mail Order Co. "C-M-O Comics" was published for them, (but not by the Chicago Mail Order Co., contrary to some sources), while Liberty Guards Comics may have been published directly by the Chicago Mail Order Co. Even less is known about a third possible CMO-related title, Khaki Komics. All of these issues except possibly Khaki Komics may have been published later in 1942 than the last regularly dated titles.

Comic Corporation of America continued on as a publisher of non-comics titles. Two other Hardie / Kelly companies, Harle Publications, Inc. (seen in the statement of ownership of Funny Picture Stories v3#1) and H-K Publications, Inc., would publish a few comics in the 1950's but mostly published other sorts of magazines.

Other Hardy / Kelly publishers:

Harle Publications: http://www.comics.org/publisher/2596/

H-K Publications: http://www.comics.org/publisher/4030/

Publishers who published titles that Centaur later bought:

Ultem: http://www.comics.org/publisher/7631/

Chesler: http://www.comics.org/publisher/112/

Comics Magazine Company: http://www.comics.org/publisher/7628/