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Category: 1941

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 981: IVAN SHARK

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 981: IVAN SHARK

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(The Funnies 057, 1941) Ivan Shark is the arch-enemy of Captain Midnight, direct from the Captain Midnight radio show. He is the head of a nationwide network of spies and gangsters dedicated to overthrowing the US government. The threat of Shark and his organization is so great, in fact, that it is the impetus for the formation of Captain Midnight’s Secret Squadron, and so efficient that he is aware of the clandestine meeting between Midnight and a heavily-disguised FDR that marks the Squadron’s beginning…

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REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 027

REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 027

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Real people? In comic books? Now I’ve seen everything. Abu Khan: I sincerely cannot tell if this Black Knight foe is supposed to be Abu Sa’id Bahadur Khan, last ruler of the Mongol Ilkhanate, or if they just pulled a couple of syllables out of the air and added “Khan” to the end and called it a day. On the one hand, the real Abu Khan never tried to invade Egypt, as the Black Knight is trying to prevent him…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 980: THE WERE-WOLF

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 980: THE WERE-WOLF

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(Four Favorites 001, 1941) Lash Lightning is one of those characters who is so very powerful that he outclasses all regular human opposition, barring some extraordinary circumstance. That’s why a movie-style, immune-to-all-harm werewolf is a perfect foil for him! The story of the Were-Wolf begins c.1921 (or possibly 1911 – accounts vary!), when Sumter Military Academy student Adolph Krimetz, sick of being bullied and nicknamed “Wolf” because of his unusual appearance, attacks a fellow student and accidentally kills him. Fearing…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 099

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 099

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Super-heroes. Like heroes, but super. Captain Midnight: Like the second, more popular (though still pretty obscure) Captain Midnight that will be published by Fawcett starting in 1942, this fellow is an adaptation of the radio character, and unlike the second Captain Midnight, this one is a pretty direct adaptation. It’s a bit abbreviated and you kind of have to keep referring to the Captain Midnight Wikipedia page to fill in the gaps where your assumed familiarity with the radio show lies, but…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 979: PROFESSOR OCTOPUS

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 979: PROFESSOR OCTOPUS

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(Four Favorites 001, 1941) Professor Octopus was honestly due for a trip to the next Problematic Update, but that is a place for characters who I feel should be acknowledged but who I don’t want to talk about too much. Who could resist talking about a guy like Professor Octopus, even if he is a weird sinister Asian spy caricature? Prof Octopus comes to the attention of Magno when his men round up Magno’s sidekick Davey for defending a too-inquisitive…

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ALIENS AND SO FORTH ROUND-UP 050

ALIENS AND SO FORTH ROUND-UP 050

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All these fictional aliens and we don’t even get one other inhabited planet in our solar system. Moon-Men: These Moon-Men are encountered by Phantasmo (seen here in his less-nude human identity) and his pal Whizzer McGee during an impromptu trip to the Moon. They live deep beneath the satellite’s surface and appear to have a mining-based culture that is pretty hostile to outsiders, and that is all we know. While I must commend the “Phantasmo” team for not automatically making…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 978: THE BLACK LEGION

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 978: THE BLACK LEGION

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(The Flame 007, 1941) The Black Legion is a mysterious cult who recruit members by sending them a sternly-worded letter through the mail. Presumably they have some way of researching their potential inductees to screen for susceptibility to peer pressure and so forth, because the initiation process involves carving a large letter D into your own chest while swearing fealty to the cult’s leader, the skull-masked Master of Death. The Black Legion takes its vows seriously, as member Graves finds…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 098

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 098

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We’ve got no time for major super-heroes around here. We’re too busy with the minor ones. the Black Ace: The Black Ace, aka Captain McRae, is yet another American pilot serving in the RAF in advance of the US entrance into WWII. As such, he is not only a highly accomplished pilot and bombardier but fully versed in the arts of prison escape, hand-to-hand combat, impersonating German soldiers and leaping from plane to plane in mid-flight. (Four Favorites 002, 1941)…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 098

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 098

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We’ve got no time for major super-heroes around here. We’re too busy with the minor ones. the Black Ace: The Black Ace, aka Captain McRae, is yet another American pilot serving in the RAF in advance of the US entrance into WWII. As such, he is not only a highly accomplished pilot and bombardier but fully versed in the arts of prison escape, hand-to-hand combat, impersonating German soldiers and leaping from plane to plane in mid-flight. (Four Favorites 002, 1941)…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 977: THE HOODED MEN

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 977: THE HOODED MEN

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(The Flame 006, 1941) The Hooded Men are a cult of Tibetan fire worshippers who show up one day and kidnap the daughter of the Flame’s friend Doctor Roy. This is a huge coincidence, as the Flame (as I’m sure you all remember) is also a member of a sect of Tibetan fire worshippers! How lucky for Doctor Roy and his child, No First Name Given! The Flame is able to follow the cult back to Tibet thanks to the fact that…

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