The Curse of Skeleton Munroe

Category: gang

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 331: THE LEGION OF DESPAIR

    (Human Torch v1 006, 1941)

    A fairly simple one today: am man named Haskell advertises for people with no hope in life, then selects the most desperate of them into a gang. Since they were all prepared to die already, the members of the Legion of Despair are prone to, say, blowing themselves up with grenades in order to see that their compatriots get away with whatever loot they’re scampering off with.

    Aside from this radical investment in the goals of the group, Haskell’s other thematic concept for the Legion is the Dice of Death, which are used to determine who goes on these potential suicide missions by who wins a game of craps (I think? It’s not exactly spelled out).

    It all comes tumbling down once the Human Torch and Toro get involved, because even with five guys willing to blow themselves up to ensure success there’s only so much you can do against a couple of fire men. Haskell turns out to have been cheating in order to avoid risking his life on missions but only after everyone has been captured, offering no real comeuppance other than, presumably, a bad reputation once they’re all in prison. Unsatisfying!

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 331: THE LEGION OF DESPAIR

    (Human Torch v1 006, 1941)

    A fairly simple one today: am man named Haskell advertises for people with no hope in life, then selects the most desperate of them into a gang. Since they were all prepared to die already, the members of the Legion of Despair are prone to, say, blowing themselves up with grenades in order to see that their compatriots get away with whatever loot they’re scampering off with.

    Aside from this radical investment in the goals of the group, Haskell’s other thematic concept for the Legion is the Dice of Death, which are used to determine who goes on these potential suicide missions by who wins a game of craps (I think? It’s not exactly spelled out).

    It all comes tumbling down once the Human Torch and Toro get involved, because even with five guys willing to blow themselves up to ensure success there’s only so much you can do against a couple of fire men. Haskell turns out to have been cheating in order to avoid risking his life on missions but only after everyone has been captured, offering no real comeuppance other than, presumably, a bad reputation once they’re all in prison. Unsatisfying!

  • GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 005

    They’re back! They’re insufficiently interesting! They’re costumed! For the fifth time! 

    This fella is just a regular degular Nazi spy, but I like his confidence, even if Super Spy G-5 does wrangle him almost instantly. (Hit Comics 015, 1941)

    These fellas are a rare example of subway pirates, who derail and loot in the New York underground. My delight in this is dampened somewhat by their habit of carrying off ladies for unspoken but surely unpleasant reasons – happily the Human Torch gets ’em pretty quickly. (Marvel Mystery Comics v1 013, 1940)

    This here fellow is another Nazi, operating out of London. His plan to simultaneously turn the US against England by pinning the murder of a movie star on an Englishman and also enrich himself by making that Englishman his wealthy cousin is overturned by reporter ‘Headline’ Hunter. I do appreciate how grotesque his weird mask makes him look. 

    If I was feeling a bit more generous some of these guys would get entries of their own under the name the Leader, but low-effort Nazi spies can be happy with a tag and go screw. (Captain America Comics 007, 1941)

    This trio of bank robbers might not have made the cut if they weren’t constantly hamming it up like this while battling Father Time. Mike, Mugsy, Other Guy: welcome to the club. (Captain America Comics 008, 1941)

  • GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 005

    GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 005

    They’re back! They’re insufficiently interesting! They’re costumed! For the fifth time! 

    This fella is just a regular degular Nazi spy, but I like his confidence, even if Super Spy G-5 does wrangle him almost instantly. (Hit Comics 015, 1941)

    These fellas are a rare example of subway pirates, who derail and loot in the New York underground. My delight in this is dampened somewhat by their habit of carrying off ladies for unspoken but surely unpleasant reasons – happily the Human Torch gets ’em pretty quickly. (Marvel Mystery Comics v1 013, 1940)

    This here fellow is another Nazi, operating out of London. His plan to simultaneously turn the US against England by pinning the murder of a movie star on an Englishman and also enrich himself by making that Englishman his wealthy cousin is overturned by reporter ‘Headline’ Hunter. I do appreciate how grotesque his weird mask makes him look. 

    If I was feeling a bit more generous some of these guys would get entries of their own under the name the Leader, but low-effort Nazi spies can be happy with a tag and go screw. (Captain America Comics 007, 1941)

    This trio of bank robbers might not have made the cut if they weren’t constantly hamming it up like this while battling Father Time. Mike, Mugsy, Other Guy: welcome to the club. (Captain America Comics 008, 1941)

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 260: THE SIX BIG MEN

    (Marvel Comics v1 001, 1939)

    The Six Big Men ain’t much, just a bunch of guys who teamed up to do the maximum amount of Crime possible in an unidentified American city. But I am including them in this list, for two reasons: 1. they’re the first even marginal minor super-villains in Marvel Comics (I of course know about Timely Comics, pedants, but I round up) history, and 2. the Six Big Men are actually Seven Big Men and One Big Woman, and I love me some nominative misdirection.

    So it’s like this: the Six Big Men work for Dr Lang (above, middle, bottom) and his associate Lil, with an agreement to split all earnings evenly at the end of one year. Lang and Lil, preferring to reap the entire profit themselves, hatch a plot that involves Lang forming a citizen’s group to combat crime and influencing that group to bring in bigger-deal-in-the–golden-Age super-hero the Angel to kill everyone.

    And it almost works! The Angel kills basically everyone! The one flaw, of course, is that Lang does very little to cover his tracks and also drew attention to himself in the first place. Ah well, it’s early days in the Timely Marvel Universe.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 260: THE SIX BIG MEN

    (Marvel Comics v1 001, 1939)

    The Six Big Men ain’t much, just a bunch of guys who teamed up to do the maximum amount of Crime possible in an unidentified American city. But I am including them in this list, for two reasons: 1. they’re the first even marginal minor super-villains in Marvel Comics (I of course know about Timely Comics, pedants, but I round up) history, and 2. the Six Big Men are actually Seven Big Men and One Big Woman, and I love me some nominative misdirection.

    So it’s like this: the Six Big Men work for Dr Lang (above, middle, bottom) and his associate Lil, with an agreement to split all earnings evenly at the end of one year. Lang and Lil, preferring to reap the entire profit themselves, hatch a plot that involves Lang forming a citizen’s group to combat crime and influencing that group to bring in bigger-deal-in-the–golden-Age super-hero the Angel to kill everyone.

    And it almost works! The Angel kills basically everyone! The one flaw, of course, is that Lang does very little to cover his tracks and also drew attention to himself in the first place. Ah well, it’s early days in the Timely Marvel Universe.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 136: THE LEGION OF THE MASKED

    (Adventure Comics 058, 1941)


    The Barry O’Neill serial in Adventure Comics had basically been about Barry battling the dastardly villain Fang Gow (Minor Super-Villain 001) from its inception in 1935 to his death by sea mine six years later and evidently someone thought that it could continue as more of a free form adventure strip despite losing that structure (as well as its setting, having started as a comic set in Paris that had quietly moved to London about the time that the German Army marched in). In fact, it lasted for two issues before Barry and his pal Inspector LeGrande retired to New York City and Starman took over the page real estate.

    The Legion of the Masked are the one other super-foe that Barry faced after the death of Fang Gow and… they did okay, getting up to a little arson, a little insurance fraud and a fair bit of theft and murder. Why they chose to dress like they are in the Klan while doing it, we will never know.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 120: THE BLUE DEVILS

    (Nickel Comics 006, 1940)

    A costumed gang that managed to take over a small town under the direction of head devil Lucifer. Not the most distinguished costumed gang ever but you gotta give them credit for trying. And not only do they have devil horns on their hood but there’s a skull-and-crossbones on both the hood and the chest! Sartorially speaking, they’re years ahead!

    Anyway, most of them get drowned by Bulletman.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 120: THE BLUE DEVILS

    (Nickel Comics 006, 1940)

    A costumed gang that managed to take over a small town under the direction of head devil Lucifer. Not the most distinguished costumed gang ever but you gotta give them credit for trying. And not only do they have devil horns on their hood but there’s a skull-and-crossbones on both the hood and the chest! Sartorially speaking, they’re years ahead!

    Anyway, most of them get drowned by Bulletman.