Fox Feature Syndicate was an American comic strip syndication company founded in 1937 by Victor S. Fox. The company produced many popular comic strips in the 1940s, including « The Flame, » « The Blue Beetle, » and « Phantom Lady. » Fox Feature Syndicate was also known for publishing comics with more mature and violent content than its competitors at the time.

However, due to poor management and financial problems, Fox Feature Syndicate closed its doors in 1950. Over the years, the rights to the characters created by the company were sold to various comic book publishers, and some of these characters are still being published today.

Fox Feature Syndicate remains an important name in the history of American comics, particularly for its influence on the development of the superhero comic book genre, as well as for its impact on the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, which introduced restrictions on the content of comics in the United States.

Samuel Jacob Victor Fox, born on either April 13, March 23, or July 3, 1893 in Nottingham, England (the exact date is unclear), is best known for his contributions to the comic book industry. His parents, Joseph and Bessie Fox, were Russian immigrants of Jewish ancestry who moved to America in 1896 and settled in Fall River, Massachusetts. Victor began working at a clothing store at the age of fourteen, but eventually moved to New York City with his family in 1914 to work in the women’s clothing business.

In 1916, Victor S. Fox, along with Harry T. Johnson and E. Goodman, founded a new ladies’ apparel business in New York City. However, his true success came in the comic book industry. In the late 1930s, Fox established his own comic book publishing company, Fox Feature Syndicate. He created and published a number of popular characters, including the superhero the Blue Beetle and the jungle hero Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.

Fox’s Blue Beetle was one of the first comic book superheroes to feature a full-face mask and to be featured in his own solo title. The character was created by writer Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski and artist Charles Clarence « CC » Beck, and made his first appearance in Mystery Men Comics #1 in 1939. Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, co-created by Will Eisner and Jerry Iger, debuted in Wags #1 in 1937, and was later published by Fox Feature Syndicate.

Despite the success of his comic book ventures, Fox experienced financial troubles and legal disputes throughout his career. In 1941, he was sued by Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster for copyright infringement, as Fox had created a character called « Wonder Man » that was similar to Superman. The case was settled out of court. Fox Feature Syndicate also faced legal challenges from National Comics Publications (now DC Comics) over their character, Wonder Man.

Despite these difficulties, Fox Feature Syndicate continued to publish comics into the 1950s. Fox himself passed away on October 20, 1959. While his comic book career may have been overshadowed by legal disputes and financial difficulties, his contributions to the industry, particularly with the creation of the Blue Beetle and Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, helped to shape the superhero and adventure genres in comics.