Leading off the inaugural issue of Lucky Comics from the small press Consolidated Magazines is Lucky Starr, cameraman for the Silver Motion Picture Studio. After receiving disappointing news that the studio did not get a contract for war information films from the government, Lucky heads out for a routine assignment -- shooting a school football game. On the way, Lucky's one good tire blows out. He's feeling definitely unlucky when he hears gunshots coming from a nearby bank. Grabbing his camera, he films a gang of blasting their way out of the bank. The police, who arrive on the scene almost immediately, are mowed down by machine guns and the robbers make their escape in their getaway car. Still filming, Lucky hails a cab and follows them. The robbers shoot at the cab, causing it to crash, and get away. During the crash, Lucky's camera is hurled into some bushes. Both Lucky and the cab driver are injured. Fearful that they could be identified from Lucky's film, the gang kidnaps Lucky from the hospital to find where his camera is. Can Lucky escape and bring the bad guys to justice? Of course he can. And in the end Lucky and his boss decide to become partners in a news reel business, setting Lucky up for further adventures, which may or may not have as many plot holes as this one.
"The Ring of Darius" takes us back two thousand years to ancient Rome. Darius, a prince of Gaul, has been captured and sold into slavery. He is bought by a wealthy Roman to drive in a chariot race. Somehow (presumably because he has kept his hand hidden in his toga all along) no one had previously notice the large diamond ring on his right hand. His new owner tries but cannot get the ring of Darius' finger. The Roman's beautiful but heartless daughter covets the ring and arranges to have Darius slain for the ring. When she has the ring, the diamond has turned to a vivid blood red. She herself is killed for the ring while dead Darius pronounces from beyond that the ring is now the Diamond of Blood and that to each man who wears it shall bring death, setting up an on-going story for future issues.
Nomie and Hoiman are a sad-looking pair of a boy and his dog. Despite a warning from an owl, they decide to explore a haunted house. They, too, will return in future issues.
The cover for this issue features Bobbie, a beautiful blonde girl, fighting Japanese agents. "Who is Bobbie? Well, she might be the girl next door -- or she could be your sister -- anyone's sister! Bobbie is all american girls rolled into one! As we meet her now, she's busy doing her share to win the war and to keep peace on the home front..." Sorry, no Japanese agents this time and nothing war-related, just a group of thugs determined to close the teen hangout Bobbie created. Maybe next time...
In "Junior Minds the Baby," the Red Ravens are scheduled to play the Goosenibble gang on their own turf, but Junior (the star pitcher) cannot go because he has to watch his baby sister while Mom cleans the house. Has anyone ever had such bad luck? Luckily Dad saves the day but the game -- as with any game with the Goosenibble gang -- ends in a melee. The story itself ends on a positive note: "Listen kids -- most dads are like that -- they're just 'regular fellers' if you give them a chance to be.."
Professor Grund is a bad 'un. He's working for the Nazis and has developed "Liquid X," an extremely caustic substance capable of melting the city of London! Luckily, British intelligence is on the case and we end up with a tale of the biter bit. Just as well, nobody reading this comic book really wanted to see London melted "like butter."
Not a truly great comic book, but an interesting one with some good artwork by Harry Sahle, Harold De Lay, H. C. Kiefer, Jack Warren (as "Alonzo"), and Leonard Starr.
Enjoy.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=73912&b=i
No comments:
Post a Comment