(Weird Comics 009, 1940)
Gore, a mad scientist, has just escaped from an unspecified facility in an unnamed city in whatever part of Africa that Marga the Panther Woman hangs out, and while I appreciate how he looks like a little scamp while he’s stealing an airplane from Marga’s pal Ted, this young fellow would be heading straight to the next Mad and Criminal Scientist Round-Up if not for two fun things that he does and that I want to highlight:
1. while siccing a gorilla on Marga isn’t the most original thing a villain has ever done I appreciate both that he has trained apes littering the jungle around his compound and that the ever-resourceful Marga just goes ahead and tears out its throat with her teeth.
2. And speaking of jungle compounds, Gore has one and it’s surrounded by an acid moat, and unlike a lot of other acid moats out there this one actually sees some use, as Gore uses it to gruesomely dispose of his assistant Travers.
Gore’s real goal in escaping was to take revenge on that unnamed city for having the gall to lock him up. It’s no acid moat, but his long-range water evaporation ray is pretty fun, and stealing the city reservoir is a both more restrained and effective a way to harm a city than many we’ve seen.
Acid, gorillas and ray cannons or not, Gore is still a weedy little nerd, and there’s only so long that he can get away with not being beat senseless by Marga the Panther Woman and shipped back to the Unnamed City Insane Asylum.
