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Notable Christian Comics Series
The Oral Roberts comics
HAPPINESS AND HEALING FOR YOU
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Oral Roberts' first comic was a 32-page, full-color comic, one-shot/one-off production. Entitled Happiness And Healing For You, it featured the story of Adam and Eve and a presentation of the Gospel. First printed in 1955, apparently it was reprinted more than once with a different cover (two cover versions shown here).
According to a newspaper article in The Bee (Danville, Virginia USA), on 14 May 1956, one million copies of the book had been printed and were being distributed.
It was packaged by Commercial Comics Company, written by company owner Malcolm Ater, and apparently drawn by secular comics professional Jack Sparling.
This comic so impressed Oral Roberts that he launched the Oral Roberts' True Stories (ORTS) series.
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ORAL ROBERTS' TRUE STORIES
Christian cartoonist Charles Lowe Ramsay was brought to Tulsa, OK USA in 1955 to help produce new comics for Oral Roberts. According to the indicia information located on the inside front cover, or at the bottom of the first page of each ORTS issue, C.L. Ramsay functioned at various points as its Editor, Art Editor, and/or interior illustrator. His signature is also seen on a number of the early painted covers in the series. Other printed credits in various books included G.H. Montgomery (Editor-in-Chief), Hart R. Armstrong (Publications Director), Joyce Wells Booze (Script Editor), and Lona Loyd (Color).
The ORTS series began in 1956 as a 32-page series, published quarterly. It became a bimonthly title as of issue #107 (January 1958). There was a "Tele Pix Publications" imprint on the covers of the early issues that stopped appearing after issue #111 (September 1958). The exact meaning of this imprint is unknown. ORTS became a monthly series in a 16-page format as of issue #113 (January 1959).
True Stories
Numbers 1-19
(Issue #2-19 are numbered #102-119)
Oral Roberts True Stories Vol.1, No.1: "The Miracle Touch," 1956 - 32 pages - No printed credits [artwork by C.L. Ramsay?] - Two true stories of healing, one adapted from the Bible and one about a boy named Willie Phelps from Lynchburg, Virginia USA. ("An Oral Roberts Tele Pix Publication" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #102: "Now I See," October 1956 - Reportedly, this issue features a story of Jesus restoring sight to a blind beggar, and the modern miracle of Ben J. Walker of Leland, North Carolina who regained this vision after being blind. ("Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #103: "Out of the Shadows," January 1957 - 32 pages, quarterly - Two stories of healing, one from Bible times [art by Sevki Cankaya, signed] and the story of Betty Baxter and how she was healed from a crippling disease [art by Robert Price, credited]. ("Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #104: "Released", April 1957 - 32 pages, quarterly - Interior artwork credited to C.L. Ramsay - This issue features a Bible story from Acts 3 in the New Testament and the story of Bill and Anna Williams, plus a 3-page text feature.
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Oral Roberts True Stories #105: "Tom's Big Story", July 1957 - 32 pages, quarterly - Interior art credited to Paul Fallat - The story of Tom Shelton, an aviation machinist's mate 3/c, and how he was wounded in WW II and later healed.
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Oral Roberts True Stories #106: "The Mayor of Capitol Avenue", October 1957 - 32 pages, quarterly - Interior art credited to C.L. Ramsay - The story of Arthur "Bunk" Lock and the consequences of alcohol abuse. ("Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #107: "A New World", January 1958 - 32 pages, bimonthly - This issue features two stories of people who were healed of their deafness "A New World Part 1," a Bible times adaptation from Mark 7:31-37, and Part 2 which is a "contemporary" story about a woman named Nancy Imel. ("Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #108: "Keeper of the Garden Tomb", March 1958 - 32 pages, bimonthly - [Cover painting by C.L. Ramsay, signed] The story of Solomon Mattar, the man in Jerusalem in the 1950s who took care of the garden tomb where Jesus Christ was buried. ("Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #109: "Dusty Boyd, the Happy Cowboy", May 1958 - 32 pages, bimonthly - [Cover painting by C.L. Ramsay, signed] The story of TV cowboy Dusty Boyd whose back was injured when he served in Japan and Korea. Contains the account of 1 Samuel 17 as a story-within-a-story ("Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #110: "Unfettered", July 1958 - 32 pages, bimonthly - [Cover painting by C.L. Ramsay, signed] The story of the healing of Bob Bell, a professional football player who became an alcoholic. ("Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #111: "The Sky Ranger", Sept. 1958 - 32 pages, bimonthly - [Cover painting by C.L. Ramsay, signed] The story of Vera Strodl, a flying instructor from Upshire, England. (Last issue with a "Tele Pix Publications" imprint)
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Oral Roberts True Stories #112: "King of Kings", November 1958 - 32 pages, bimonthly - [Interior art by C.L. Ramsay?] Tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. This Christmas issue contains an extra story "The Year We Nearly Missed Christmas," various puzzles, text pages, and the music and lyrics to "Away In A Manger."
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Oral Roberts True Stories #113: "Song of Freedom" (Part 1), January 1959 - 16 pages, monthly - [Interior art by C.L. Ramsay?] Tells the WW II story of Peter Van Woerden, a Dutch boy who loved music and his country
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Oral Roberts True Stories #114: "Song of Freedom" (Part 2), February 1959 - 16 pages, monthly - [Interior art by C.L. Ramsay?] The WW II story of Peter Van Woerden, a Dutch boy who loved music and his country
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Oral Roberts True Stories #115: "Sandy Jenkins" (Part 1), March 1959 - 16 pages, monthly (the inside front cover indicia has the correct information - a second indicia at the bottom of page 1 which reads "No. 114, March, Published bimonthly" is an error) - The story of the healing of Sandy Jenkins, a man from the fishing village of Summerford on the east coast of Newfoundland.
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Oral Roberts True Stories #116: "Sandy Jenkins" (Part 2), April 1959 - 16 pages, monthly - Conclusion of the story of the healing of Sandy Jenkins from Newfoundland.
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Oral Roberts True Stories #117: "Cry No More" (Part 1), May 1959 - 16 pages, monthly - The story of Go Puan Seng, a Chinese newspaper editor who was hunted by the Japanese.
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Oral Roberts True Stories #118: "Cry No More" (Part 2), June 1959 - 16 pages, monthly - The story of Go Puan Seng, a Chinese newspaper editor who was hunted by the Japanese.
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Oral Roberts True Stories #119: "Jimmy Imel", July 1959 - 16 pages, monthly - The story of a young boy in Indiana who was cured of mysasthenia gravis. (The back cover announces that the next issue will be called Junior Partners, "replacing Oral Roberts True Stories.")
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Oral Roberts True Stories
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JUNIOR PARTNERS
In 1959 the Oral Roberts True Stories series was replaced by (or actually renamed as) Junior Partners. The first issue of JP is dated one month after ORTS #119. It is numbered as #120 in the indicia on the inside front cover, but also as "Vol.1, No.1" in the masthead on that same page. The first cover logo was very similar to the style of title lettering used on several of the early ORTS issues. The redesigned cover logo (shown above) was used from the Vol. 1, No. 2 issue onward. The JP series was apparently published as a monthly throughout its entire 2+ year run.
As with ORTS, C.L. Ramsay was Editor or Art Editor of all issues. Some interior comics artwork is done by him, and possibly some covers as well. Other printed credits in various books included Oral Roberts or G.H. Montgomery (Editor-in-Chief), William P. Sterne (Managing Editor), Joyce Wells Booze (Script Editor), Estella Cox (Script Editor or Copy Editor), and Lona Loyd or Geraldine Beach (Color).
Junior Partners
Vol. 1, Numbers 1-12
(#1 is noted as #120 on the inside front cover and/or in the indicia)
Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 1 (#120) - August, 1959 - Contains the comics "An Indian Boy Finds God" (True Story of Charles Adams of Alaska), "God Helps His People" (from Exodus 14), "Oral Roberts' Life Story", plus several text pages and a letters page.
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 2 - September, 1959 - Contains comics "Samson's Folly" (Bible story) [artwork by C.L. Ramsay?], "God Gave Me a New Heart" (True Story of Gene Friend), "Oral Roberts' Life Story", plus a number of text pages, puzzles, picture games.
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 3 - October, 1959 - Fall issue - Contains the comics "The Kidnapped Maid" (from 2 Kings 5), "Oral Roberts' Life Story", "A Prince of Ashanti" (True Story of Kwame Yiadom Boakye of Ghana), & several text pages.
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 4 - November, 1959 - Thanksgiving issue
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 5 - December, 1959 - Christmas issue
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 6 - January, 1960
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 7 - February, 1960
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 8 - March, 1960
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 9 - April, 1960
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 10 - May, 1960 - Mother's Day issue
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 11 - June, 1960
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Junior Partners Vol. 1, Number 12 - July, 1960 - Fourth of July issue
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Junior Partners
Vol. 2, Numbers 1-5
Junior Partners Vol. 2, Number 1 - August, 1960
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Junior Partners Vol. 2, Number 2 - September, 1960
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Junior Partners Vol. 2, Number 3 - October, 1960 - Fall issue
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Junior Partners Vol. 2, Number 4 - November, 1960 - [cover by C.L. Ramsay?] - Thanksgiving issue
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Junior Partners Vol. 2, Number 5 - December, 1960 - Contains comics "Star of the East" (Bible story adapted from Matthew 2:1-12), "Oral Roberts' Life Story", "Faith that Won" (True Story of Judy Kay Steele), several text pages & a puzzle.
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Junior Partners Vol. 2
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Junior Partners
Vol. 3, Numbers 1 - 12
Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 1 - January 1961
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 2 - February 1961
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 3 - March 1961
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 4 - April 1961
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 5 - May 1961
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 6 - June 1961 - Contains comics "A Father Who Used His Faith" (Bible story adapted from John 4) [artwork by C.L. Ramsay, signed], "Fight for Life" (True Story of Pat Wiggins), several text pages & a puzzle.
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 7 - July 1961 - Fourth of July issue
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 8 - August 1961 - Contains comics "The Prisoner of Egypt" (Bible story adaptation of Joseph from Genesis), "No Distance in Prayer" (True Story of Johnny Pack), several text pages & puzzles.
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 9 - September 1961 - Contains comics "Elijah a Man of Action" (Bible story adaptation), "A Musician Play Again" (True Story of Ruth Franklin), several text pages & puzzles. Cover is signed "MacMaster '61".
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 10 - October 1961 - Fall issue
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 11 - November 1961 - [Cover art by C.L. Ramsay, signed] -
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Junior Partners Vol. 3, Number 12 - December 1961 - Contains comics "The First Christmas" (Bible story adaptation), "Blood Donors Not Needed Now" (True Story of Johnny Torres), several text pages & puzzles.
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Additional notes on the Oral Roberts comics:
The back cover of the final issue of Junior Partners was still offering subscriptions ("6 one-year subscriptions for $4.79"). The reasons for the Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association ceasing publication of their comics titles are unknown currently.
All interior comics are in full mechanical (not painted) color. Most issues are around 7" x 10.25" in size
Some of the inside artwork, starting with issue #108 of ORTS, appears to be the inking (and sometimes possible pencilling) work of comics industry professional Pete Costanza, who assisted C.C. Beck on the original Captain Marvel comics in the 1940s and also drew Jimmy Olsen and Legion of Superheroes stories for DC Comics in the 1960s.
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