C-M-O (or C. M. O.) stood for Chicago Mail Order Company and the first issue of this title was a combined comic book/catalogue. The Chicago Mail Order Company billed iself as "The House of Style -- The Home of Quality." Accordin to their avertising, more than 19 people order from C. M. O. every minute, order fillers use roller skates to get around the six-floor warehouse with its thirteen miles of moving belts to move nearly 34,800,00 pounds of packages a year for shipping. More than 6,000,000 catalogues were mailed in 1942 -- with 250 of the more than 1000 pages printed in color! (Their exclamation point.) Incorporated in the various stories in the book are links to where one can find the clothes and props used by the characters in the comic book in the C.M.O. catalog, which explains why some of the characters are wearing some of the most gawdawful trendy clothes. The second issue of C-M-O COMICS (June 1942) eliminated those ads; I don't know if there was a third issue.
The Chicago Mail Order Comany began operations in 1889, following on the heels of successful Chicago mail order companies such as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. Its original name was The Chicago Mail Order and Millinery Company, although the "and Millinery" was dropped from the name in 1906. In 1947 the name was changed to Aldens, Inc. Was it a coincidence that the featured characters in C-M-O Comics were the borther and sister team of Jack and Judy Alden? the catalogue operation was liquidated in 1986.
Jack and Judy Alden were clean-cut teenagers living on Roseville, a small town on the U.S. Canadian border. The football they are playing with is available (page 487 of the catalogue), as is Mrs. Alden's striped cotton dress (page 91 of the catalogue) and Judy's favorite anklet socks -- available in four beautiful colors (page 172 of the catalogue). Alas, Mrs. Alden's oven is not available, but a toy replica, complete with utensils, is (page 480 in the catalogue), Together with their visiting cousin Dan Wilkens, they go exploring in "The Mystery of the Old Mill," bringing Dan's portable radio. Jack is wearing a plaid deerstalker cap (page 372 of the catalogue) and Judy has a blue babushka (page 131 in the catalogue); Judy also has a coruroy jacket (page 241 in the catlogue), a cotton broadcloth shirt (page 219 of the catalogue), and a demin jerkin and skirt (both page 241 in the catalogue) . On their way they meet friends Reggie and Bob; theu invite Reggie and Bob to go with them but the boys would rather go to Baldy creek to try out Reggie's new rifle. A violent storm comes up ans the trio take shelter in the (scary) old mill. Meanwile, an escaped prisoner pulls a gun on old Herb Small, demanding a place to hide; Small takes the bad guy to the old mill. Herb is wearing a lines sheepskin jacket (page 329 in the catalogue). Back at the Alden's, Mrs. Alden is all aflutter with worry about the kids, who have note returned home. Her husband says he'll call the police. In the Alden's living room is a clock (page 496 in the catalogue), a table lamp (page 421 in the catalogue), and a small table (page 419 in the catalogue). The local radio station sends out an alert on the missing chidren; Jack, Judy, and Dan hear the alert on Dan's portable radio but they are tapped in the old mill because the storm's winds have slammed a door and locked them in (!). But the kids are clever. Dan uses a rope to swing up to a high platform where, on the other side, he sees the escaped prisoner force Herb Small to exchange clothes. Dan is wearing thick corduroy trousers (page 286 of the catalogue) andf a snow and rain repellent mackinaw (page 334 of the catalogue). Dan is also wearing moccisin-style shoes (page 283 of the catlogue). Dan and Herb try to subdue the escaped prisoner, while -- up on the platform -- Judy applies powder to Jack's face to make him look lijke a ghost. Jack then jumps into the fray, wearing a warm, well-cut, and easy to put on jacket (page 301 of the catalogue) and shape-holding trousers (page 264 of the catalogue). As the rook is subdued, the police arive to wrp things up. As a reward, Jack gets a handsomje and handy pen and pencil set (page 504 of the catalogue,), Judy gets a dainty slender wrist watch (page 495 of the catalogue), and Dan gets a swell new bike (which, like Dan's portable, radio, Judy's powder puff makeup kit, and Reggie's new gun, is not referenced in the catalogue -- what happened?). Little brother Billy, who didn't do squat in the story but shows up on the last page anyway to help shill product, has a two-piece suit with a gaily-striped pullover and solid color suspender pants (page 222 of the catalogue) and buckle sandals (page 252 of the catalog). Judy is also wearing a perky red hair bow that looks darling (page 62 of the catalog, while Dan is wearing a diamond pattern plaid sweater (page 277 of the catalogue), and Mr. Alden is wearing one of the "best-looking shirts he's ever owned" (page 316 of the catalog), and Mrs. Alden is wearing a slenderizing (not that she needs it) shirtwaist dress (page 94 of the catalogue). The end.
Well, it's the end og the first story anyway. There's more to come. there are stories about charcaters you've never heard of -- The Gaucho, Super Ann, The Invisible Terror, Ray "Star Spangled" Banners, Plymo the Rubber Man, and Ed Smith, as well as another adventure with Jack and Judy Alden, who find themselves involved in "The Case of the Missing Crook," while they wait for Dan to arrive by train for a visit.
C-M-O Comics was an interesting concept that probably should be filed under "When Product Placement Goes Horribly Bad." Luckily, their mail order business went belly-up almost 40 years ago so you shouldn't be tempted to order all the neat stuff detailed in this issue, so I think it's safe for you to read and enjoy this comic book.
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