The Major Returns to Paris

Paris after WWI was the scene of a burst of creativity in literature, art, jazz and fashion. Women referred to as flappers, wore shorter skirts, bobbed their hair and dared to smoke and drink in public. For our grandmother Elsa and her sister Clary set free from a more restrained Swedish environment, it must have been exhilarating.

Image: Imago blog

The Eiffel Tower at the time featured a restaurant with a full orchestra. The family story is that Nick proposed to Elsa there—naturally. One story has it that the Major asked the band to play “Fascination” over and over until Elsa said yes. Another story claims that he bribed the elevator operator to hold the elevator until she said yes. It was a romantic gesture of one kind or another and in keeping with the Major’s sense of a good story.

Eiffel Tower 2009 NWN

In the mid 1920’s, after leaving the army and beginning a career as a writer, Elsa and Nick returned to France in 1928 with their now four young children. The Major’s career as an author provided a comfortable living. They rented an apartment in Paris and an ancient chateau in Vic sur Aisnes a few hours north of Paris.

It was an idyllic time with family from Sweden visiting and a steady influx of visitors from the states and the European continent. The chateau, dating to 800 AD and steeped in history, influenced a number of the Major’s pulp adventure stories. These included “The Road Without Turning” nominated for the prestigious O’Henry Award. It is one of his most reprinted works.

In 2009 while in France I had the opportunity to visit the chateau at Vic sur Aisnes. You can read it here on the blog.

Chateau Vic sur Aisnes 2009 NWN

The stock market crash of 1929 eventually caught up with the family. Along with other Depression era difficulties, pulp adventure magazines were no longer able to pay the rates that sustained popular writers. The loss of income forced the family to return to New York in May 1930.

Image: NY Times, January 29, 2019 via NYC Municipal Archives

In spite of the challenges of the Depression, the Major, always the innovator and visionary, set up shop in the fall of 1934 at 49 West 45^th St. in New York City. The company, National Allied Publications, Inc., the precursor of DC Comics, was created to publish a magazine featuring all original comics. New Fun #1 appeared on newsstands January 11, 1935 89 years ago. It was tabloid sized and featured original comics rather than reprints from newspapers.

Although New Fun was not the first comics magazine with all original comics, it is essential to acknowledge because it is the foundation of modern comics and the beginning of a continuity developed from the vision of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson that has lasted for almost 90 years. New Fun, More Fun, New Adventure Comics and Detective Comics developed in just under 4 years are the basis of the 89 years of continuity of DC comics.

Thanks to French Journalist Xavier Fournier and Franck Souborin, librarian at the Ecole militaire, the Major returned to Paris once again. Monsieur Souborin included the Major as an important influence in American Comics in this exhibit on comics in war which took place February through March.

Xavier, who frequently writes about American comics and popular culture has been an encouraging supporter of the Major’s history. Here is the link to his review of the exhibit. You can use google translate.

Good friend, Alyce Birchenough, who was in Paris during the exhibit sent photos. Super thanks to Xavier, Franck and Alyce.