Following quickly on GANG BUSTERS, DC launched a second crime comic in early 1948 again based on a popular radio show. This one had a recurring character, but he was never given any name other than the one used in this logo by Ira Schnapp. Like GANG BUSTERS, the logo is very Art Deco, and has similar letter shapes, though it leans to the right and has a drop shadow rather than a double border. The two logos are close enough to seem related, as they are, mainly by genre.

In the same month, DC jumped fully into westerns that were having success for other publishers, often with series featuring movie-star cowboys. COMICS is again picked up from previous DC logos not by Ira (but giving some of their titles a cohesive look), while WESTERN is rough and notched, I think an appropriately weathered approach.

While one feature, Vigilante, had a long history at DC, the others were new, and were given feature logos by Ira. Notice how different they are from each other. COWBOY uses rope to make letters, always tricky. RODEO RICK is in the style of wood, perhaps meant to suggest fence rails. WYOMING KID is not very western, but has an appealing open script style.

Vigilante’s logo had been in use since 1945 in ACTION COMICS, where the character had a number of different logos before that going back to 1941 and probably drawn by the artists. It could be by Schnapp, but I can’t be sure, so I’m not counting it for him.

Having had success with A DATE WITH JUDY, the company started this second teen humor title soon after. Unlike JUDY, it was not based on a radio show, but had similar story ideas drawn from family life and dating. Ira chose an upper and lower case treatment for BINKY, which relates to JUDY but gives it a different feel, while the top line is in bouncy capitals. I like the Y which is similar to the N turned upside down, and I also like the large circle atop the I. Ira seems to have learned that if he didn’t have a double outline or drop shadow to help the open letters stand out, their outlines should be thick. It’s kind of surprising the top line is solid black, and it’s a bit hard to read on the green background, but most covers on the series had simple art that allowed it to work well enough, and really BINKY was the important part.

With issue #4, A DATE WITH JUDY got a revised logo that made A DATE WITH much larger, but JUDY was also redrawn. I don’t like this version as well as the first one, but perhaps there was a legal reason to make this change, or it was requested by someone from the radio show.

This new feature began in STAR SPANGLED #83 with a fine Art Deco logo from Ira, who also lettered most of his stories. It’s not particularly nautical, but I like it.

DC launched a second western title soon after their first one, and this time they had a movie star in the lead, though one that was perhaps not as popular as her husband Roy Rogers, who had a comics line from another publisher. Dale’s title lasted a few years and had this simple but effective block letter logo from Ira on all of them, though often not stacked so vertically as on the first issue.

In addition to several stories in each issue featuring Dale, this backup series appeared in some issues with a feature logo by Schnapp. It’s not particularly appropriate to the genre, but does the job.

Over in WESTERN COMICS, this new feature began with a nice logo by Ira, one using his familiar upper and lower case THE. It has movement and style, and I like it.

Judy’s brother Randolph began getting solo stories in issue #7 with this logo by Schnapp.

FUNNY FOLKS was another funny animal title that had begun at National’s sister company All-American Comics in 1946 right before the two merged, and the cover and features in it had little early work by Ira, but I think he did design the logo for this new feature that began in issue #16. It combines a humorous bounce with serif letters that sell the pun well.

Goofy Goose got a new logo by Schnapp in ANIMAL ANTICS #17 that includes character art by Rube Grossman, one of DC’s funny animal stalwarts.

Toward the end of 1948, DC added another western title by converting ALL-AMERICAN COMICS to ALL-AMERICAN WESTERN with issue #103 dated November 1948 featuring a new logo by Schnapp. The word WESTERN is the important one, and Ira makes it stand out with a double outline. The top banner is not well matched or evenly filled, making me at first wonder if this logo was actually by Ira, but I think it is. The star at the left end of the banner helps some, but that vanished after this issue. Not one of Ira’s best, but certainly readable from a distance.

Four new features filled the pages of the issue, all with logos by Schnapp. By this time Ira was hitting his stride as a feature logo designer, and these are full of great details. I like the musical note theme of Minstrel Maverick, though the notes are oddly shaped, and the black and yellow banner for Foley.

A new science fiction series began in ACTION COMICS #127 with a feature logo by Schnapp. The character had been around for a few years, but not had a logo before. The strokes that extend beyond the corners is an interesting idea, though the overall look is more retro than futuristic. Ira would do a better one later.

Finally we have this feature logo from a character that few remember. Merry Pemberton was the sister of the original Star-Spangled Kid. She began appearing in his stories as this heroine, and eventually took his feature for herself for a while before the run ended. MERRY is very Art Deco, and I love the long tail on the Y. The banner is nicely done, too.

That’s 21 logos by Ira Schnapp in this year, almost as many as the two previous years. Plenty more to come. Other articles in this series and more you might enjoy are on the LOGO LINKS page of my blog.