Dick Cole, top-notch cadet at Farr Military Academy, began his adventures in Novelty Press's Blue Bolt Comics #1 (June 1940), where he appeared in 100 consecutive issues. The character was created by writer/artist Bob Davis. Dick Cole lasted for five issues with Novelty Press, and then contionued for five additional issues with Star Publications, although these five issues were mainly reprints from Blue Bolt Comics and Novelty Press's 4 Most, after which it morphed into the Dick Cole-less Sports Thrills #11. Dick Cole was a regular character in 4 Most from 1941-1948.
As an infant, Dick was left on the doorstep of Professor Blair of the Farr Military Academy. Blair wanted to ensure the boy was raised to be a perfect speciment, physically, mentally, and spiritually, and he used his scientific principles to that end, including a specialized diet and occassional bouts of light radiology and other technical stuff. Despite the radiation treatments, Dick is not a superhero, although he had remarkable healing powers. As the series went on, the whole "scientifically-designed to be a perfect speciment" storyline was dropped and Dick became a normal teen-aged boy who happens to be super-good at all kinds of sports. Most of Dick's adventures take place on the sporting fields, although he was quick to go against criminals and evil-doers.
Dick's best friend is Simba Karno, who, like Dick, had been raised "scientifically" to maximize his potentail. Simba, however, was raised by the evil Dr. Karno to be...well, evil. After clashing with Dick in Blue Bolt #13 (June 1941), Simba's innate goodness shone through and he and Dick became the best of buddies.
In 1942, Dick Cole was a syndicated half-hour radio program aimed at a juvenile audience and starring Leon Janney. This may have been the same program whose fifty-two episodes were available for syndication during 1946-1947 as Adventures of Dick Cole at Farr Military Academy.
Although Dick Cole does not go against, Nazis, croked sports gamblers, or out-and-out racists in this issue, he does have his hands full in Dick Cole #1. Also, in the introduction to this issue, we learn that Dick will never graduate from Farr because his readers want to continue reading stories about him at the academy.
Not everyone at Farr Military Academy loves Dick Cole. In the first story, two jealous cadets -- Jed Jaxon and Slinky Black -- sneak into the offices of the academy's student newspaper, The Farr Cry, and substitute a story about Dick that had been written for the next issue. The story that ended up published -- instead of detailing Dick's hobbies -- falsely proclaimed his love for Trixie Dow, a dancer at the Silver Nook nightclub. Dick's girlfriend Laura Bradly, gets angry and breaks up with Dick, leaving the way for Jed Jaxon to step in and date her. Also jealous is Bongo Jones, the 300-pound wresler with a short fuse who happens to be dating Trixie Dow. Things get a bit dicey when Dick is bound to a dunking stool and left to drown in a pond while a mad dog is about to attack Laura and Jed.
In Dick's second adventure in this issue, chemistry professor Harvey Perkins has been acting stangely lately, but most assume it's just from nerves with his upcoming marriage to lovely Ann Peters the following week. If that were only the case. Perkins is being blackmailed by his twin brother Harry, a three-time looser looking at a possible life sentence. Although Harry is a total ne'er-do-well, Perkins does not want to see him spend the rest of his life in prison. But Ann has seen Harry puitting on the moves with the dancers at the Silver Nook and, thinking it is Harvey, breaks off the engagement. Then Dick is comes upon a robbery of the Academy payroll at the school's administration building. Wrestling the thief to the ground, Dick is shocked to see that it is Harvy Perkins! (It isn't. It's the twin brother, 'natch.) The thief gets away but Harvey is soon arrested at his lodgings. With the eye-witness testimony of such an unimpeachable character as Dick, Harvey is locked up. Later, Dick and Simba see Harry carrying a valise in town. Thinking Harvey must have escaped from jail, they go after him, chasing him into a the grounds of a nearby circus. Desperate to escape, Harry climbs up the staging of a rollor coaster, figuring he could lay low in one of the cars at the top, but a searchlight happens to land on him and Dick and Simba begin climbing op after him. A well-placed kick from Harry has Dick falling, Dick's only hope of surviving is a shallow tub of water that has been set on fire for a high-diving act. Will he make it? Will Dick be able to get Harvey out of jail? Will Harvey and Ann be able to get married and live happliy ever after? You guess is as good as mine.
Also in ths issue is an adventure of Sergeant Spook, the ghost of a police officer who helps young Jerry. This time Jerry is in Egypt with archaeologist Dr. Digges, searhing for a cursed diamond at the tomb of an ancient Egyptian king. Jerry is the only who can see or hear Sergeant Spook, who this time around introduces to Jerry to the pharaoh Rameses for help in deciphering an ancient placque. Eventually, Jerry and Spook solve a secret code, stop a pair of jewel thieves, rescue Dr. Digges, and recover the diamond.
Halloween can be the spookiest season of the year and that's the case for farmer Riggs, whose place is being haunted by a headless horseman, frightening the farmer and his wife into selling their farm to rich realtor Calvin Chislett. But Edison Bell smells a rat and he and his buddy Jerry (there's that name again, and it's such a noble name!) decide to investigate. Ed and Jerry don phosphorescent skeleton costumes that Ed had prepared for a Halloween party and scare the bejeezus out of the bad guys, In gratitude, Framer Riggs loads up a wagonful of pumpkins for Ed and Jerry to take to the party.
Take a gender:
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=85087&comicpage=&b=i
No comments:
Post a Comment