Fifteen year-old Toronto youth Leo Bachle had just been dismissed from the Canadian army for lying about his age and through a chum, had taken a job delivering lenses. During one delivery at the Percy Hermont building, Bachle came across a stack of comic books in front of an office for Bell Features. He began to thumb through several, when a middle-aged man stormed out of the office and confronted him. A heated exchange ensued, which led to the gent challenging Bachle to do a rehearsal...

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     When Canada declared war on Germany in 1939, it inadvertantly resulted in an embargo on U.S. based fiction literature. It caused an entertainment vacuum, which four Canadian owned publishers feverishly positioned themselves to fill. Maple Leaf Publishing, was based in Vancouver, while the other three: Anglo-American Publishing, Hillborough Studios, and Commercial Signs of Canada, called Toronto home.
     In March of 1941, Maple Leaf and Anglo-American hit newsstands, while Hillborough a...
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