From January 1940, this issue introduces that G-Man extraordinary, The Shield! (And if you thought superheroes who wear underpants on the outside was silly, wait until you catch a look at this guy's costume.)
Also in this issue: The Comet (The Most Astonishing Man on the Face of the Earth!), Sergeant Boyle (a Yankee student who joins the British Expeditionary Forces to fight the Germans*), The Rocket (stranded in the Diamond Empire on an alien planet), Fu Chang, International Detective (a "Chinaman" who owns a magic chess set that has all the powers of Aladdin's Lamp...huh?), Bentley of Scotland Yard (vs. the Mayfair Monster!), Flash Calvert, ace reporter, a.k.a. The Falcon, who also is The Press Guardian (got that?), The Midshipman, Kayo Ward, funny talking animals, and more! What more can you ask for on a beautiful April Saturday?
http://archive.org/stream/PepComics11940/Pep001#page/n0/mode/2up
* In case you ever wondered why the Germans lost, here's a clue: their secret code was to write the message backwards...in English.
Jerry, I enjoyed reading the comic. I have, in fact, downloaded several from Archive. I also recall having Pep Comics in my teens. Great fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed it, Prashant.
DeleteI suspect Michael Arlen's Falcon character/stories made the Press Defender rather quickly and incompletely change his name. I'll vote for his costume as worst...but that shield doesn't seem to give much room for support, no...
ReplyDeleteSorry, Press Guardian (the NATIONAL and MANCHESTER GUARDIANs not heard from, particularly in 1940).
ReplyDelete