Donald Bayne Hobart (1898-1970) (aka Hobart Donbayne, aka Bayne Hobart) was a prolific Pulpster especially in the 1940s. He wrote many of the Masked Rider novellas as well as his own series about the Whistling Waddy for Argosy. There is very little biographical info on him but we can see a few things from his credits. He got started writing song lyrics and poems for Romance magazines. Once he moved onto fiction the Western quickly became his mainstay with the Whistling Waddy stories running from 1928 to 1947.
Being prolific and reliable he was a feature in the Thrilling magazines as well as others, writing occasionally under pseudonyms or house names. Surprisingly, not that often. In 1929 he penned his first Mystery tale (three of which appeared in hard cover Clue of the Leather Noose and Hunchback House (both 1929) and The Murder Cell Mystery in 1931.) Through the 1940s he was as likely to appear in a Mystery Pulp as a Western. Appearing in dozens of magazines, it is rare for his name to make it onto the front cover. The same can be said for Louis L’Amour. Hobart never ventured into Science Fiction or Horror. Since these paid less, there may have been no attraction for a professional Pulpster.
When the Nedor chain ventured into comic books, Hobart wrote many of the one-page fiction pieces that publishers included so comics could get the 4th rate mailing designation like magazines. Along with house names like Jackson Cole, Hobart used his vast experience to create Western and boy detective tales for Exciting Comics and a few of its sister publications. The majority of the tales feature Herbie Johnson, a tougher version of Encyclopedia Brown. These pieces, though obviously geared towards younger readers, are entertaining all the same. He is even credited with coloring a few stories.
Could comics have tried to draw him away from the Pulps? Ultimately, if so, they failed. Hobart’s comic tales end in 1949 but he continued to write through the 1950s until the death of the Pulps. Like Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour, Hobart moved onto paperbacks in the 1960s, reprinting, and possibly expanding old Pulp stories in a series of Masked Rider novels for Curtis. Despite this final phase of his career, he remains a shadowy Pulp creator.
Nobody paid much attention to filler stories, which is a shame because Hobart (and others like Mickey Spillane, Patricia Highsmith and Eando Binder) published many great stories here. Hobart wrote filler stories exclusively for the Pines chain, beginning in May 1940 to May 1952. Pines and Hobart moved out of comics and into paperback publishing in the 1950s. I’ve broken Hobart’s comic stories down by genre. (Many of these comics are available free at DCM.
Adventure Stories
“Engineer’s Son” Exciting Comics #38 (April 1945)
“Stormy” Exciting Comics #45 (March 1946)
“Big Game Hunters” The Black Terror #17 (January 1947)
“Eyes of the Jungle” Startling Comics #44 (March 1947)
“Rhythm of the Jungle” Exciting Comics #56 (July 1947)
“Lucky For the Law” The Black Terror #20 (October 1947)
“Jungle Drums” Thrilling Comics #71 (April 1949)
Detective Stories
“Danny Remembers ” Startling Comics #2 (August 1940)
“Picture of Guilt” Exciting Comics #7 (January 1941)
“The Crime Chase” Startling Comics #5 (February 1941)
“Herbie Thinks Fast” Exciting Comics #8 (February 1941)
“The Smart Cat” Startling Comics #6 (April 1941)
“Subway Cowboy” Thrilling Comics #15 (April 1941)
“Two Kinds of Courage” Thrilling Comics #16 (May 1941)
“Blind Man’s Dog” Startling Comics #8 (July 1941)
“Taffy to the Rescue” Exciting Comics #12 (September 1941)
“Flying Rescue” Exciting Comics #13 (October 1941)
“Tim’s Good Deed” America’s Best Comics #1 (February 1942)
“Christmas Spirit” America’s Best Comics #1 (February 1942)
“Herbie Helps the Law” Startling Comics #14 (April 1942)
“Herbie’s Parrot” Startling Comics #17 (October 1942)
“Blackout Burglar” Exciting Comics #25 (February 1943)
“Carrier Pigeon” America’s Best Comics #4 (February 1943)
“Money On Ice” The Black Terror #1 (February 1943)
“Birthday Gift” Thrilling Comics #35 (May 1943)
“The Mystery Wallet” Thrilling Comics #37 (August 1943)
“Model Airplane” Exciting Comics #29 (October 1943)
“Winter Visitor” Thrilling Comics #41 (April 1944)
“The Rescue” The Fighting Yank #8 (June 1944)
“Blind Man’s Bluff” The Black Terror #7 (August 1944)
“Good Deed” Startling Comics #29 (September 1944)
“Dog Rescue” Startling Comics #32 (March 1945)
“Herbie Helps the Police” America’s Best Comics #15 (October 1945)
“Strange Bodyguards” The Fighting Yank #14 (December 1945)
“Bellboy Detective” Exciting Comics #50 (August 1946)
“The Climbing Cat” The Fighting Yank #18 (November 1946)
“Noon Visitor” The Fighting Yank #24 (April 1948)
“Cure For Uncle Dan” The Black Terror #25 (December 1948)
“Stormy Night” Thrilling Comics #69 (December 1948)
Funny Animal Stories
“The Little Red Fox Learns” Funny Funnies #1 (April 1943)
“Refugee Cat” Coo Coo Comics #6 (July 1943)
“Commando Raid” Coo Coo Comics #7 (September 1943)
“Gabby Tabby Talks” Goofy Comics #5 (October 1943)
“Fifth Columnists” Coo Coo Comics #8 (November 1943)
“General Beaver’s Army” Coo Coo Comics #10 (March 1944)
“The Talking Shadow” Coo Coo Comics #12 (July 1944)
“Busy Little Beaver” Coo Coo Comics #14 (November 1944)
“Animal Tricks” Barnyard Comics #3 (December 1944)
“Buster Bunny Goes Traveling” Goofy Comics #7 (December 1944) reprinted in Happy Comics #17 (January 1947)
“Buddy Bear’s Music” Coo Coo Comics #16 (March 1945)
“Seesaw Rescue” Happy Comics #9 (July 1945)
“Buddy Bear Goes Boating” Coo Coo Comics #18 (July 1945)
“The Boastful Chipmunk” Coo Coo Comics #19 (September 1945)
“The Laughing Chipmunk” Happy Comics #11 (January 1946)
“Freddy Bear, Cowboy” Coo Coo Comics #22 (February 1946)
“The Forest Robbery” Happy Comics #12 (March 1946)
“The Tall Visitor” Happy Comics #18 (March 1947)
“The Boastful Bully” Barnyard Comics #11 (April 1947)
“Little Brother” Barnyard Comics #12 (June 1947)
“Busy Billy Beaver” Coo Coo Comics #34 (July 1947)
“The Grateful Bear” Barnyard Comics #13 (August 1947)
“High-Flying Squirrel” Happy Comics #21 (September 1947)
“The Lonely Turtle” Coo Coo Comics #35 (September 1947)
“Jungle Prince” Barnyard Comics #14 (October 1947)
“Pat Pony Heads West” Coo Coo Comics #36 (November 1947)
“Beware the Xerus” Barnyard Comics #15 (December 1947)
“Baby Bunny” Barnyard Comics #16 (February 1948)
“The Wanderers” Goofy Comics #24 (February 1948)
“The Playful Bear” Coo Coo Comics #38 (March 1948)
“The Talking Giraffe” Barnyard Comics #17 (April 1948)
“The Flying Possum” Coo Coo Comics #39 (May 1948)
“Beppo the Monk” Barnyard Comics #18 (June 1948)
“Forest Hero” Goofy Comics #29 (October 1948)
“The Forest Concert” Barnyard Comics #20 (October 1948)
“Bobby Bunny Runs Away” Supermouse #1 (December 1948)
“Mike and Jerry” Barnyard Comics #22 (February 1949)
“The Wistful Bear” Happy Comics #30 (March 1949)
“A Cure For Chubby Chipmunk” Coo Coo Comics #44 (March 1949)
“Woodland Olympics” Happy Comics #31 (May 1949)
“Trouble Twins” Coo Coo Comics #46 (July 1949)
“Bobby and the Cheetah” Happy Comics #33 (September 1949)
“Animal Act” Goofy Comics #34 (October 1949)
“The Busy Bear” Buster Bunny #1 (November 1949)
“Quiz Show” Goofy Comics #38 (July 1950)
“Coo Coo and the Canary” Coo Coo Comics #52 (August 1950)
“Water, Water, Everywhere” Happy Rabbit #44 (August 1951)
“The Unhappy Ghost” Supermouse #16 (December 1951)
Romance Stories
“The Man From Texas” Western Hearts #2 (1950)
“For the Bride” Western Hearts #4 (1950)
“Sweet Music” Leroy #4 (June 1950)
“Heart For Rent” Intimate Love #8 (September 1950)
“All Clear For Love” Popular Romance #9 (October 1950)
“Just For Love” New Romances #6 (July 1951)
“Scrambled Eggs and Love” Thrilling Romance #14 (July 1951)
“You Can’t Tell About Love” Intimate Love #13 (August 1951)
“Bandit Heart” Western Hearts #8 (September 1951)
“Simply Super” New Romance #7 (September 1951)
“Popular Girl” Popular Romance #15 (October 1951)
“Love Laughs at Lawyers” Intimate Love #14 (October 1951)
“Music For Ann” New Romances #9 (January 1952)
“Love and Duty” Today’s Romance #5 (March 1952)
“Help Yourself to Love” Thrilling Romance #19 (May 1952)
Western Stories
“Masked Bandit” Exciting Comics #2 (May 1940)
“Jerry Guards the Gold” Startling Comics #2 (August 1940)
“Trained Horse” Startling Comics #12 (January 1942)
“Saddler Maker’s Son” Startling Comics #38 (March 1946)
“Tommy Leaves Home” Thrilling Comics #53 (April 1946)
“Git Along, Little Dogie” The Fighting Yank #16 (May 1946)
“Tommy Joins the Outfit” Startling Comics #40 (July 1946)
“Doctor’s Patient” Thrilling Comics #56 (October 1946)
“Sandy Stops a Range War” Thrilling Comics #58 (February 1947)
“Wagon Train Raid” America’s Best Comics #21 (March 1947)
“Message From the Boss” Thrilling Comics #59 (April 1947)
“Just Lucky” The Black Terror #18 (April 1947)
“Line Camp Waddy” Exciting Comics #55 (May 1947)
“The Four Strangers” Startling Comics #46 (July 1947)
“The Masked Outlaw” Exciting Comics #57 (September 1947)
“Never Be Too Sure” Thrilling Comics #65 (April 1948)
“Sinister Visitor” Startling Comics #52 (July 1948)
“The Gray Shadow” Black Terror #24 (September 1948)
“Stranger at the Bar-L” Exciting Comics #64 (November 1948)
“Rancher’s Foe” The Fighting Yank #27 (January 1949)
“New Hand” Billy West #5 (February 1950)
“Gun-Shy Johnny” Billy West #7 (August 1950)
“Message For the Sheriff” Billy West #7 (August 1950)
“Silver Saddle” Billy West #9 (February 1951)
“Right Handy to Have Around” Billy West #10 (February 1952)
By no means is this a complete list but it will get you started.
I always thought that ACG writer/editor Richard E. Hughes, who certainly wrote for Pines’ comics, also probably wrote for the pulps, but could never prove it. Can anyone help?
Ill get back to you on that.
After comics, Hughes became an ad writer. I do see a couple books with the byline Richard E. Hughes but I’m not sure it is the same guy.