"The Black Condor leads the amazing experience of both deceased U.S. Senator Tom Wright, and the Flying Avenger of Justice, his original role." Well, that sounds nifty. And he has a "superior native sense of detection," as well as a "Black Ray pistol." Add to that his ability to fly and he's not just nifty...he's super cool. Louis K. Fine's comic book creation goes against the evil Jasper Crow, who wants to buy a copper mine and is willing to kill 2500 workers to get it.
Molly the Model has a date with prize fighter Danny, who is very tired from his workouts. Danny falls asleep, hears the alarms of a passing fire truck, and comes out fighting, chasing Molly's fther up a chandelier. Ho-hum for this one-pager.
Then, at the beach, Molly's father thinks he recognizes the cashier from Murphy's Bar and sneaks up to surprise her. She isn't who he thought and she sics her boyfriend on him. Molly's dad ends up with two black eyes that look like the sunglasses she just bought. Double ho-hum.
Drew Allen's The Red Torpedo is a former captain in the U.S.N. He "has made a navigable torpedo which flies, swims and is the most powerful weapon in the world. He wears a mask and fights for democracy from his secret island headquarters in the South Seas..." He doesn't wear a shirt. Once again he is pitted against "his most skilful [sic] foe," The Black Shark, who attack's Red's secret island with amphibious tanks. There's also a beautiful but willful, turnip-brained fathead of a girl to up the stakes.
"Jim Slade, the roving press photographer, is also Tor the Magician. As Tor he disguises himself with a mustache and a magician's outfit, thus keeping his real identify a secret." (That should work as well as Superman putting on Clark Kent's glasses.) While fishing off Cape Cod in his motor launch, Susie Q, A distant flare leads him to a sunken submarine. Tor uses his magic powers to get fish -- many. many fish -- to lift the submarine to safety. But enemy agents fly by and are about to bomb the submarine. No worries -- Tor orders flying fish to attack the airplane. The bomb, however, is still bobbing in the ocean so Tor transforms to Jim Slade and shoots the sucker. a rdiculous hero and a ridiculous story.
Slap-Happy Pappy gets into a spitting contest with another hillbilly to see who has the best control over tobacco juice. Has there been a one-pager that was actually funny?
"With the whole universe as its patrol 'beat,' The Space Legion has many gallant men, but none more daring than its flagship commander, Rock Braddon." He's going to need all that daring as The Space Legion goes against the Outlaws of Jupiter. The story is signed by "Vern," who was Vernon Henkel, who drew such strips as Abdul the Arab, Comet Kelly, Chic Carter, and Gallant Knight for Quality Comics.
Jane Arden was a syndicated comic strip created by writer Monte Barrett and artist Frank Ellis It ran for forty years from 1928 to 1948. Crash Comics #16 includes four pages of the continuity from after Russell E. Ross took up the artist's pen. The bottom of each page has a "humor" comic featuring Lena Pry, as well as a cut-out wardrobe for Jane (and one for Jane's men). In this issue, Jane a plucky girl reporter and perhaps prototype for Lois Lane and Brenda Starr, wraps up one adventure and begins another as someone is trying to assassinate General Voonick, who has escaped the purge in Eurania. To be continued...
"A champion of justice whose weapons are a steel bow and blazing arrows which carry his seal...this is Alias the Spider...in reality young Tom Hallaway!!" As death threatens heiress Jean Horton, Alias the Spider watches from the trees and swoops into action. (There's something creepy about a guy watching a young girl in a spooky mansion from the tree limbs at night. or is that just me?) The bad guy turns out to be the lawyer in charge of executing the will of Jean's great-uncle; he was plotting to take over the great-uncle's estate. Paul Gustavson created the character. The Spider began as an unequivocal hero but later, when the character was bought out by DC Comics, he was a criminal pretending to be a hero. Sic transit gloria...
Ned Brant was another syndicated comic strip, this time about a college athlete. It was created by Bob Zuppke and drawn by B. Walt Depew. This issue has four one-pagers that takes Ned and the Carter College Orchestra on the road. They're real hep cats.
Spitfire by A. McWilliams takes Tex Adams on an uneventful flight from the west coast. delivering a plane to Canada for later European delivery. Uneventful, that is, until he lands at the Cleveland airport. The plane has been overheating and has to remain in Cleveland for a couple of days for repairs. In the meantime, Tex agrees to fly a bomber to Canada. German agents use a false radio signal to lure Tex and the bomber to a remote location. Captured, Tex discovers that the spies have used that trick to capture a number of planes that will then be shipped to Germany and used against our allies. The Germans should have known not to mess with someone named Tex. Some fancy flying and Tex spoils their plans and causes the Germans to crash. This adventure earned him the nickname "Spitfire."
A two-page unsigned text adventure has adventurer Eric Vale (the hero of a number of these stories) in search of the "Lake of Missing Men."
Who was the first cross-dressing comic book hero? None other than Madame Fatal, the creation of Art Pinajian. "She" was Richard Stanton, a handsome, rich, middle aged widower with a young child. He is also a renown stage and screen actor who was instantly recognized by the public. Disguised as an old, red-cloaked lady with a yellow walking stick cum quarterstaff, "Madame Fatal" goes after a gang of phony Hindus who have stolen the five rare Bloodstones of Mu. The cross-dressing gimmick was not popular and soon Madame Fatal hung up her orthopedic stockings.
"One name send the criminal element into a nervous frenzy...The Clock, and he is really Brian O'Brien, born to riches, but with the needy's interest at heart..." George Brenner's the Clock was the first costumed crime fighter to appear in American comic books. With a black tux, hat, and cloth covering the upper part of his face, the Clock used his hypnotic skills nd a number of gadgets to fight both gangsters and Nazis. In this issue Bat Nillon escapes from prison intent on getting revenge on those who sent him up, starting with O'Brien's friend Judge Maxin. Luckily the Clock is on hand to foil his plan.
There's also a few more one-pagers that are so meh that I won't mention them.
All in all, a pretty good issue with a few clunkers. but on the whole the artwork is great.
No comments:
Post a Comment