![]() Tales from the Crypt changed the industry. Thinking kids might like to read a comic with scary stories, they published the first issue of “The Crypt of Terror”… ![]() Then, inspiration struck: Bill and Al discovered they shared a love of horror and sci-fi radio dramas of the 1930’s and 40’s. Here, Al and Bill relax at an EC Christmas party at 225 Lafayette: Bill and Al were soon writing and editing numerous comics together, but barely making a dent in the market – there was just too much competition. His first step was to change his company’s name from Educational Comics to the more appealing Entertaining Comics, and following that, began publishing knock-offs of what was popular in the early 1950’s: westerns, crime, and romance.īill met an artist named Al Feldstein, and a friendship quickly formed. However, the sign on the wall offers a sense of what was to come: “Everything I like is illegal, immoral, or fattening.”īased on the window lay-out, his office was almost definitely located in the corner space:įaced with impending bankruptcy, Bill finally made the decision to try and compete in the world of comics. Terrified at messing up what his father had built, Bill spent his first few months essentially signing checks and playing card games with friends. This is Bill seated at the 7th Floor of 225 Lafayette Street, and his expression might give you a sense of how happy he was to take over EC, which was going through difficult times with mainly Bible and historical comics to their name (not very popular with the kids). He was on track to become a high school chemistry teacher, taking courses at Brooklyn Polytechnic (now part of NYU), when tragedy struck: his father had been killed in a boating accident, and he was now the heir to a struggling comic book company known as Educational Comics. Max considered his son worthless, and as he entered his 20’s, Bill was starting to think his dad might be right. Bill was a constant prankster, and regularly found himself in trouble. Max Gaines had a son named William, or Bill to friends. It wasn’t long before an entire industry exploded out of Max’s creation in fact, just four years later, the first issue of Action Comics featuring a new character named Superman was published in 1938. The dimensions, essentially mirrored to this day by comics, were simply the standard tabloid format folded in half. Thinking kids might enjoy them too, he put together a magazine of old strips called Famous Funnies, which was distributed through Woolworths. Gaines, a salesman, had been cleaning out some old newspapers in his basement when he found himself reading some old funny pages…and laughing. In 1934, the very first comic book was created by a New Yorker named Max Gaines. Growing up in Massachusetts, the biggest city I knew was Boston, and it was nothing like what I imagined New York to be. On the one hand, I couldn’t imagine why anyone would choose to live in such a crazy place. A personal favorite that could still be played today (click for larger size): Greenwich Village was home to wackos, hippies, and wannabe bohemians, while a jog in Central Park was less a workout and more a way of escaping the mugger chasing you. Times Square was a primal circus, while Fifth Ave was full of elitist ultra-rich snobs. I’ve mentioned before that I was first introduced to New York City as a kid after first seeing Ghostbusters, but I really came to be enchanted by it through the pages of Mad, in which it was depicted as a place of extremes. Spy, Sergio Aragones’ A Mad Look At…, Duck Edwing and Don Martin one pagers, and the fold-in…but a lot of it presented a view of the world that, lacking any real-world experience, really made me wonder: is this what life is really like? Sure, I could laugh at the simpler (though brilliant) stuff like Spy vs. And I gotta admit, though I loved it at first sight, I didn’t entirely understand it. The first issue of Mad I ever bought was issue #310 in April, 1992, at the ripe age of 10. Located on the 7th Floor was a small comic book company known as E.C., or Entertaining Comics, who you might recall for one publication in particular: Because before it became overpriced condos, 225 Lafayette Street was a typical Manhattan office building with one very atypical tenant. Quite possibly, it even had an effect on you. Thing is, 225 Lafayette indirectly played a very important role in my childhood, along with the childhoods of millions of kids across the globe. The ground floor space, formerly the East River Savings Bank, has housed a number of upscale retail stores in recent years. Built in 1909, it was converted to condos in 1988 a typical unit now goes for over $1.5 million. You’ve probably passed 225 Lafayette Street at the corner of Spring Street in Soho a zillion times in your travels and not thought much of it.
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