Manic Monday Bonus--The True Beneficiaries Of Comics' Low Circulation Numbers!

Every issue, Wanted would run a feature like this...

...followed by a traditional comic story revealing the perp's heinous crimes.

They'd also sometimes blast a similar "reward" poster on the top of the cover:

Now, some readers suspected that this was just a gimmick, with no practical value in catching criminals:

Two million?!?!

Yes, I know there's no verification for that number, and I'm too lazy to research it; and yeah, even if it were true, surely a large percentage of that was actually copies that went unsold and got pulped; and yeah, different era, different distribution channels, etc.

Still, it makes you think. If a comic book were to try that stunt today, the circulation means the crook would never be caught, unless he showed up at Comic-Con or something.

Now if you put the wanted posters in the front of comic book movies, well, now you're talking...

From Wanted #48 (1952)