The paper was as cheap as the executives and, yes, the cofounders met in jail.
But for decades it was the third largest comic book company in the industry. It was the scrappy, street-fighting cousin of heavyweight champion publishers DC and Marvel.
“It” was Charlton Comics, a Derby company at the corner of Division Street and Pershing Drive that went out of business in 1986.
The company has become legendary in the comic industry, and now a group of Connecticut-based producers are trying to get it all on the record with “Charlton: The Movie,” a feature-length documentary that started shooting several months back.
This wonderful trailer gives you a glimpse of that co-producers Keith Larsen and Jackie Zbuska are going for. The article continues after the video.
Charlton was the comic industry’s version of American International Pictures, the film production company headed by Roger Corman. Corman’s productions were sometimes laughably cheap — but Corman’s B‑movies launched the careers of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Jonathan Demme.
Similarly, Charlton employed guys like Steve Ditko and Dick Giordano. Ditko went on to co-create Spider-Man. Giordano, a Charlton editor, became a legend as an executive at DC comics.
The characters in “The Watchmen,” a critically acclaimed and hugely influential comic that was adopted into a movie in 2009, was based on Charlton Comics characters.
Yet Charlton is equally known for its “WKRP in Cincinnati” vibe. Think “Mad Men” minus the money, clothes and cocktail bars (the Charlton folks just kept rum in their desks, according to interviews).
And yes, as several Derby residents pointed out, Charlton Publishing, the larger company of which comics were a division, printed soft porn at one point. The porn titles have yet to enjoy a rejuvenation from the masses in the way the comics have.
In addition, Charlton in the 1950s briefly employed alleged mob-connected lawyer Morris Levy, according to this blog, citing FBI files the writer obtained through a Freedom of Information request to the federal government.
Levy is thought to be the inspiration for Hesh Rabkin, a character on “The Sopranos.”
Larsen and Zbuska appeared Sept. 21 on “Valley Navel Gazing,” this publication’s FM/streaming radio show.
The full show is embedded below. The Charlton discussion starts at the 24-minute mark. Note — the podcast itself starts after about 30 seconds of silence. We didn’t have time to ask about the porn or the mob.
Charlton’s founders met in jail in the 1930s. Derby’s John Santangelo, Sr. was serving a stint, believe it or not, for copyright infringement. Waterbury’s Ed Levy, a lawyer, was behind bars for some some sort of “white collar crime.”
The comics they created at Charlton — which now have a cult following — were a way to maximize the use of the company’s printing press (which were originally intended to print cereal boxes, according to legend). They printed super hero stuff, horror comics, romance — and just about any other comic trend between 1940 and 1980.
The Charlton documentary currently filming is the latest step in the revival of interest regarding the old Derby company.
In about 2013, a lad named “Fester Faceplant” started a Facebook page, “The Charlton Arrow.” It was a way to share his love for the company’s work.
It took off, and now there’s something called Charlton Neo, a website actually creating new comics in the Charlton spirit.
Also, Charlton tributes and retrospectives have become increasingly popular at comic conventions, which is where the “Charlton: The Movie“ producers first got the idea for their documentary.
The documentary has done a ton of interviews so far, but the filmmakers need funding to keep it going. They’re planning to launch a crowd-sourced fundraiser in October.
Meanwhile, the filmmakers are looking for Valley residents who worked at Charlton, or people locally who have images from the old business.
They’re especially interested in talking to women who were employed there. And they’re planning to reach out to the Santangelo to discuss the company’s long history in Derby.
For more information on the documentary, please press play and listen to the Valley Indy interview with the producers.
Click here for the official website.
Click here for the documentary’s Facebook page and click here for its Twitter page.
Click here for the documentary’s production blog.
Finally, here’s an entertaining panel discussion of Charlton Comics, Neo Charlton and the documentary. It was recorded over the summer at CT ComiCONN.
