Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis stormed stages, televisions, phonographs and movies on their way into the hearts of a very adoring public. After initial successes as solo performers, they began working together as an act in January 1947, though they had been on the same bill several times previously by that point. With their music, comedy and lively banter, they quickly became in demand for radio shows and eventually television. This lead to 16 movies, as well as licensed products such as puppets, note pads and many other items. It’s difficult today to understand just how popular they were, but they could sell out large venues for weeks, make the girls scream with delight, and make America laugh. But did you know that the comedic reign of Martin and Lewis extended to comic books?

The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis was published by DC Comics (then National Periodical Publications) for 40 issues from July-August 1952 until October 1957, the year after the duo actually ended the act. The comic, of course, tried to capture the humor and camaraderie that they exuded in their on-stage personas. In fact, that might have been the real part of the act that people fell in love with, and that would go a long way to explain the decades-long fascination with their split.

The subject of endless speculation and even a fairly recent TV movie, the journey of Martin and Lewis has been highly documented by entertainment writers, but perhaps only they know why they only appeared together in public three times after their 1956 split.