Before Superman...before there were even comic books...there was the Great Mystery and Adventure Series , the first-ever adaptation of classic literature to comics form. It spawned a host of imitators and launched an entire genre that included the highly-regarded Classics Illustrated comic books. The man behind it all was Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, who enjoyed an illustrious career as a U.S. Army officer and author of pulp fiction adventure stories.But his biggest claim to fame was as founder of the company now known as DC Comics, home to Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.What's less known is that, a decade earlier, Wheeler-Nicholson headed a syndicate that provided comic strips and features to daily newspapers. This material has been unavailable in any form for 100 years. But now for the first time since its original publication, JD Press is proud to offer the complete Great Mystery and Adventure Series and its successor, the Famous Short Story Series. Thrill then to ten tales by the world's greatest authors, originally presented by comics innovator Wheeler-Nicholson and lovingly rendered by artist Nicholas Afonsky (Little Annie Rooney). Included in this volume are essays providing in-depth historical context, written by comics historians Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson (granddaughter of Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson) and Jim Davidson. "JD Press has done a fine job, presenting these rare strips and designing a book that's very accessible and readable. There's so much here that I've never seen before-once again proving what a visionary Wheeler-Nicholson was. Here is the origins of the entire Classics Illustrated line, years before their first published comic. I'm so impressed with the breadth of work finally collected for the first time, as well as more about this enigmatic Wheeler-Nicholson and his place in the origins of the comic book." -Bud Plant of Bud's Art Books, elder statesman of comic book retailing "Jim Davidson and Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson have provided an invaluable resource for both fans and specialists in this scholarly, entertaining volume. Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's Great Adventure and Mystery Series is essential for anyone interested in the convergence of comics history, "classic" literature, adaptation theory, and artistic restoration." -William B. Jones, Jr., author of Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History , Third Edition "Before Superman ever laced up his red boots, Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson was already hurling Ivanhoe, D'Artagnan, and Long John Silver onto the funny pages with pulp-rocket velocity.This resurrection of his Great Mystery and Adventure Series is pure time-machine fuel. Every panel pops like a lost nitrate reel, fusing N. C. Wyeth bravado with proto-DC comics cliff-hanger energy while showing the exact moment American comics learned to swing a literary broadsword. Crack it open and experience a Big Bang of graphic storytelling in your hands. History, hijinks, and high adventure, all in one gloriously restored book!" -Alex Grand, author of Understanding Superhero Comic Books Jim Davidson is the founder and past president of the National Association for the Advancement of Perry Mason and former publisher/editor of the periodicals NAAPM Newsletter and Classic TV. His articles, interviews, and reviews have appeared in Films in Review, Filmfax, Tower Records' Pulse! magazine, and The TV Collector. He has contributed research to the books The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows (Fifth Edition) by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh (Ballantine Books), Primetime Proverbs by Jack Mingo and John Javna (Harmony Books), Donna Reed: A Bio-Bibliography by Brenda Scott Royce (Greenwood Press), and was a member of the expert panel that ranked shows for The Best of Crime & Detective TV by Max Allan Collins and John Javna (Harmony Books). He has appeared on TV in The Case of the Courtroom Legends, a Showtime special about Perry Mason author Erle Stanley Gardner and star Raymond Burr, and was co-producer of the Perry Mason 50th Anniversary Edition DVD set from CBS-Paramount. He's the author of The Perry Mason Book: A Comprehensive Guide to America's Favorite Defender of Justice and maintains the websites Classic TV Info and JD's Comics History Hub. Jim attended the New England Conservatory of Music and is a professional jazz musician and retired employee of The Clorox Company. Nicky Wheeler-Nicholson has been researching her grandfather Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson for more than 25 years. She has published DC Comics Before Superman (Hermes Press, 2018), Applying the Lasso of Truth to The Secret History of Wonder Woman (International Journal of Comic Art, 2018), The Texas-Siberia Trail (Off-Trail Publications, a reprint of the Major's pulps), and contributed an essay to the Famous 1st Edition reprint of New Fun #1 (DC Comics, 2020). She has written the comic stories Sondra of the Secret Service: The Cuban Affair (art by Lee Marrs, Aces Weekly, Volume 56) and Adventures i