Uncovering Pre-Code Horror Comics in Australia: Venus

In my article, 'A Design for Depravity: Horror Comics and the Challenge of Censorship in Australia, 1950-1986' (published in Script & Print, vol.36, no.3, 2011), I'd stated that very few American horror comics were reprinted in Australia during the 1950s. At the time when I wrote this article, I'd established that just three such titles had been published under licence in Australia at the height of the anti-"horror comics" campaign: Black Magic (Young's Merchandising, NSW), Journey into Unknown Worlds (Jubilee Publications, NSW) and Adventures into the Unknown (Atlas Publications, VIC).

Well, a recent visit to an antiquarian bookstore proved me wrong, when I unearthed a copy of  Venus ("Strange Stories of the Supernatural"), no.2, which, according to the indicia printed on the back cover, was "Drawn in Australia by Jayar Studios for the Publishers, JUBILEE PUBLICATIONS, 149 Castlereagh Street, Sydney." This was, of course, an Australian reprint of Venus, an American comic originally published by Marvel/Atlas Comics during 1948-1952, which ran a confusing gamut of the superheroine adventure and romance-comedy genres, before finally becoming a fully-fledged horror comic.

The cover for the Australian edition's second issue (shown above) was most likely the work of an Australian artist, but it is unsigned, and the artist's style is completely unfamiliar to me. The contents are as follows: 'The Creeping Death' (Venus); 'The Last Day on Earth' (Venus); 'The King of the Living Dead' (Venus); and 'Invasion from Mars' (a stand-alone sci-fi/horror story illustrated by future Mad Magazine cartoonist, David Berg (signed "Davy Berg"). All of these stories were originally published in Venus, no.13 (US), April 1951, when the title had undergone a full-scale conversion to the horror genre.

The 8d (eightpence) cover price would indicate this Australian edition was published sometime between 1952-1954. There was also a 1-page 'filler' cartoon, titled "The Moon", signed by "Roots", which I believe was the work of George Roots, an Australian cartoonist who drew the "Muscles Cockle" strip for The Silver Jacket magazine in the 1950s.

But what of the mysterious Australian production companies, Jayar Studios and Jubilee Publications, associated with this comic? James Zanotto at AusReprints.com believes there is strong circumstantial evidence to suggest that Jubilee Publications was affiliated (along with several others) with the Australian publisher, Ayers & James. He also suggests that Jayar Studios mainly provided new cover illustrations for Australian reprints of American comics and, where necessary, traced and/or copied American comic-book artwork for black & white reproduction by Australian publishers.

Who knows if any other pre-Comics Code American horror comics slipped through the Australian censors' net and were reprinted here under licence?