The Curse of Skeleton Munroe

Category: Clyde Beatty

  • MEDIA IN COMICS 002

    Fictional books, fictional movies, fictional stage shows: it’s media in comics time! 

    Books:

    Dexter, a friend of Ellsworth “the Sphinx” Forrester, has written a book titled Who’s Who in Murder which is one of those grand exposes that causes everyone in crimedom to attempt to kill the author before they can publish. That’s gotta be great publicity. (Exciting Comics 010, 1941)

    While Guns Make Dust is very plot relevant in this Ellery Queen mystery, as a doped-up stamp thief hides his prize in one of three copies in a local bookstore and subsequently murders several people in search of the right one, we never learn much about the book itself. I think it’s a Western, personally. (Crackajack Funnies 024, 1940)

    We learn even less about Life of Lee, the book that gives DA Tom Kerry the idea that solves a big murder case. Could this be a biography perhaps? Of Robert E. Lee? (Big Shot Comics 007, 1940)

    As we have established, there are many faux Hitlers in comics. Much more rare is the Hitler-alike who has written his own Mein Kampf analog, but such a one is Nargoff, aka the Leader, whose book The New Order is ultimately weaponized against him by the Spirit. (The Spirit, “The Leader,” 29 December, 1940)

    Magazines:

    Roving photographer Fran Frazer works for Strife magazine, an obvious play on LIFE but one which neatly justifies the action-packed lifestyle of the comic book photog. (Top-Notch Comics 009, 1940)

    Movies:

    Real-life animal trainer Clyde Beatty plays some role in the fictional film Jungle Drama, but what it is we cannot say, other than the fact that it involves a lion. (Crackajack Funnies 023, 1940)

    “Gabby Scoops” was a short-lived strip that was an awkward hybrid of goofy humour and crime action that ended after the titular hero went Hollywood and starred in the movie It’s a Scoop! (Crackajack Funnies 030, 1940)

    Shadow Devils, an espionage thriller with an unusual name, is one of those comic book movies that goes on shooting even after female lead Norda Noll is shot dead on-camera. Detective Charlie Chan eventually sorts it all out: it’s all about horse racing somehow. (Big Shot Comics 001, 1940)

    Dick Cole, aka the Wonder Boy, is roped into doing the stunts for a movie called Shining Star over his summer vacation. Interpersonal conflicts and murder attempts stretch the filming over a couple of issues, but it does eventually get made. It’s even well received, despite being an incoherent hodgepodge of action setpieces! (Blue Bolt v1 005, 1940)

    Theatre:

    Like the movie that finishes production despite death an calamity, the play that continues its run while actor after actor is killed on stage is a real staple of the Golden Age mystery comic. Espionage is such a play, albeit with only one murder and a series of near-misses as the show’s conductor fires poisoned darts out of his baton at those who he sees as standing between him and his love of the female lead. (Keen Detective Funnies v2 007, 1939)

  • REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 018

    World leaders and others. 

    Adolf Hitler: 

    I’m pretty sure that the “Navy Jones” strip is set in an undefined near-future time, which makes the Dictator of Europe here a future analog of Adolf Hitler rather than a stand-in for him. I’m almost certain that that’s the case. Anyway, he tries to invade the US with a fleet of amphibious tanks and gets his ass handed to him by Navy Jones and his fish men. (Weird Comics 008, 1940)

    Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling: 

    Styled as Madame and Generalissimo “Kang Shy-check,” the former comes to adventurer Shanghai Sheridan for aid after the latter is captured by Japanese collaborator Wu Fang. (Top-Notch Comics 005, 1940)

    Clyde Beatty: 

    Famous animal trainer and circus mogul Clyde Beatty had a long-running strip across several Dell Comics titles, though given that the supporting cast and premise tended to reset to zero every time the strip changed hands it might be more accurate to say that he had a sequential series of features linked only by his presence. (Crackajack Funnies 001, 1938)

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

    A fairly off-model FDR chairs an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about an alien invasion. (War Comics 002, 1940)

    J Edgar Hoover: 

    The Sparkler accepts an assignment from “head G-Man”/his old college roommate’s dad M.L. Roover. (Wham Comics 002, 1940)

    Sténio Vincent: 

    I don’t necessarily trust the creators of the “Voodoo Man” feature to even remember that it is set in Haiti, let alone go to the trouble to accurately represent Haiti’s president on-panel, so I have to give it to them: this is an okay drawing of Sténio Vincent, the President of Haiti c. 1940. Was it done on purpose? Nobody can say. (Weird Comics 004, 1940) 

    Gaius Marius & Sulla: 

    It’s impossible to be certain if Marius and Sulla, the Roman figures associated with the origin of super-hero the Dart, are in fact meant to be Gaius Marius and Sulla, the political figures from the late Roman Republic, but the timeline almost matches up. Plus, there really weren’t that many Sullas running around Rome. (Weird Comics 005, 1940) 

    Mata Hari: 

    Just a notorious spy named Hattie Mary in the comedy melodrama comic strip “Hairbreadth Harry”. (Famous Funnies 074, 1940) 

    Winston Churchill: 

    Inspector Blake of Scotland Yard is called to 10 Downing Street to talk to the Prime Minister, and it sure doesn’t look like he’s Winston Churchill. I do like to roast comics for not getting the appearances of world leaders right, but when it’s somewhere like Madagascar you might at least have the excuse that finding a picture of the current leader of that country might be difficult in the US in 1940, but surely this not so for the Prime Minister of the UK.

    The other possible defense for this, of course, is that this comic came out in June 1940 and Churchill took power in April so Neville Chamberlain might still have been PM when this was drawn, but this is hampered somewhat by the fact that it doesn’t really look like him either. (Whirlwind Comics 001, 1940)

  • REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 018

    World leaders and others. 

    Adolf Hitler: 

    I’m pretty sure that the “Navy Jones” strip is set in an undefined near-future time, which makes the Dictator of Europe here a future analog of Adolf Hitler rather than a stand-in for him. I’m almost certain that that’s the case. Anyway, he tries to invade the US with a fleet of amphibious tanks and gets his ass handed to him by Navy Jones and his fish men. (Weird Comics 008, 1940)

    Chiang Kai-shek and Soong Mei-ling: 

    Styled as Madame and Generalissimo “Kang Shy-check,” the former comes to adventurer Shanghai Sheridan for aid after the latter is captured by Japanese collaborator Wu Fang. (Top-Notch Comics 005, 1940)

    Clyde Beatty: 

    Famous animal trainer and circus mogul Clyde Beatty had a long-running strip across several Dell Comics titles, though given that the supporting cast and premise tended to reset to zero every time the strip changed hands it might be more accurate to say that he had a sequential series of features linked only by his presence. (Crackajack Funnies 001, 1938)

    Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

    A fairly off-model FDR chairs an emergency meeting to discuss what to do about an alien invasion. (War Comics 002, 1940)

    J Edgar Hoover: 

    The Sparkler accepts an assignment from “head G-Man”/his old college roommate’s dad M.L. Roover. (Wham Comics 002, 1940)

    Sténio Vincent: 

    I don’t necessarily trust the creators of the “Voodoo Man” feature to even remember that it is set in Haiti, let alone go to the trouble to accurately represent Haiti’s president on-panel, so I have to give it to them: this is an okay drawing of Sténio Vincent, the President of Haiti c. 1940. Was it done on purpose? Nobody can say. (Weird Comics 004, 1940) 

    Gaius Marius & Sulla: 

    It’s impossible to be certain if Marius and Sulla, the Roman figures associated with the origin of super-hero the Dart, are in fact meant to be Gaius Marius and Sulla, the political figures from the late Roman Republic, but the timeline almost matches up. Plus, there really weren’t that many Sullas running around Rome. (Weird Comics 005, 1940) 

    Mata Hari: 

    Just a notorious spy named Hattie Mary in the comedy melodrama comic strip “Hairbreadth Harry”. (Famous Funnies 074, 1940) 

    Winston Churchill: 

    Inspector Blake of Scotland Yard is called to 10 Downing Street to talk to the Prime Minister, and it sure doesn’t look like he’s Winston Churchill. I do like to roast comics for not getting the appearances of world leaders right, but when it’s somewhere like Madagascar you might at least have the excuse that finding a picture of the current leader of that country might be difficult in the US in 1940, but surely this not so for the Prime Minister of the UK.

    The other possible defense for this, of course, is that this comic came out in June 1940 and Churchill took power in April so Neville Chamberlain might still have been PM when this was drawn, but this is hampered somewhat by the fact that it doesn’t really look like him either. (Whirlwind Comics 001, 1940)

  • DIVINE ROUND-UP 006

    More gods means more options. 

    Katagwah, the Rain God: 

    An unseen Native American rain god whose most fanatical adherent is attempting to perform a human sacrifice to bring rain to the Mojave Desert when Mr Mystic steps in to help the intended victim’s brother put a stop to the ceremony. I felt certain that the story would end with a rainstorm brought on by Mystic chucking the aggressor into the sacrificial canyon, but no such luck.

    God style: invoked. (The Spirit Section, 18 August, 1940) 

    the Sacred Lion:

    Real-life big game trapper Clyde Beatty heads into the African jungle to prevent evil men from stealing the Sacred Lion God from the Ugandi Tribe who worship him. Not because it’s wrong to swan into someone else’s temple and steal their god, mind you, but rather because Beatty wants the Sacred Lion for his own circus.

    God style: animist (Crackajack Funnies 018, 1939) 

    the Living Tribe God: 

    Clyde Beatty is back again, in the Amazon jungle this time, and thanks to the machinations of his rival Bart Slay he almost gets eaten by/sacrificed to the Living Tribe God, an enormous tarantula. Strangely, even after clearing things up and avoiding death, Beatty doesn’t bother stealing this god to take home.

    God style: animist (Crackajack Funnies 037, 1941)

    Naga Goona: 

    Naga Goona, God of the Silvery Moon, is worshipped by the near-human Troglodytes of Matto Grosso. On the one hand, this is just another idol that a white explorer has to be saved from being sacrificed to, but on the other hand… just look at that face! Naga Goona might just be the most charmingly goofy-looking god on record, especially after his idol is animated by Marvelo, Monarch of Magicians and starts walking around and telling people off. 

    God style: idol (Big Shot Comics 010, 1941) 

  • DIVINE ROUND-UP 006

    More gods means more options. 

    Katagwah, the Rain God: 

    An unseen Native American rain god whose most fanatical adherent is attempting to perform a human sacrifice to bring rain to the Mojave Desert when Mr Mystic steps in to help the intended victim’s brother put a stop to the ceremony. I felt certain that the story would end with a rainstorm brought on by Mystic chucking the aggressor into the sacrificial canyon, but no such luck.

    God style: invoked. (The Spirit Section, 18 August, 1940) 

    the Sacred Lion:

    Real-life big game trapper Clyde Beatty heads into the African jungle to prevent evil men from stealing the Sacred Lion God from the Ugandi Tribe who worship him. Not because it’s wrong to swan into someone else’s temple and steal their god, mind you, but rather because Beatty wants the Sacred Lion for his own circus.

    God style: animist (Crackajack Funnies 018, 1939) 

    the Living Tribe God: 

    Clyde Beatty is back again, in the Amazon jungle this time, and thanks to the machinations of his rival Bart Slay he almost gets eaten by/sacrificed to the Living Tribe God, an enormous tarantula. Strangely, even after clearing things up and avoiding death, Beatty doesn’t bother stealing this god to take home.

    God style: animist (Crackajack Funnies 037, 1941)

    Naga Goona: 

    Naga Goona, God of the Silvery Moon, is worshipped by the near-human Troglodytes of Matto Grosso. On the one hand, this is just another idol that a white explorer has to be saved from being sacrificed to, but on the other hand… just look at that face! Naga Goona might just be the most charmingly goofy-looking god on record, especially after his idol is animated by Marvelo, Monarch of Magicians and starts walking around and telling people off. 

    God style: idol (Big Shot Comics 010, 1941)