The Curse of Skeleton Munroe

Category: Hook

  • GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 046

    Here’s to all the crooks who just didn’t have enough oomph.

    the Despot:

    The Despot (not really his name, but literally the only thing he is called throughout the story) has the magic power to transform himself and others into living plants and animals, a power which he uses to trap Camilla and Sir Champion in his mountain fastness after luring them there on a magical golden road. Thus stripped of its leaders, the Lost Empire proves no match for the Despot’s invading armies (who might be animals that have been turned into humans or might also have the power to turn into animals – it is unclear). 

    The Despot’s reign over the Lost Empire is short, as Camilla and Sir Champion are able to outwit the single, albeit magical, dog that he had left to guard them. Cornered, he makes a real shapeshifter mistake and turns into a potato, whereupon he is trapped in that form forever by Sir Champion’s magic sword. 

    This adventure comes at the very end of Camilla’s time in the original Lost Empire location, which is very sad because I think that knowing that a magical evil potato was stuck to the floor somewhere just off-panel would have really enhanced those stories. (Jungle Comics 014, 1941)

    the Acrobat Bandits:

    The Acrobat Bandits are a trio of rope-swinging jewel thieves who terrorize NYC for a few weeks before they tangle with reporter Dopey Day and are undone by his semi-slapstick ways. They are in fact pretty cool villains but really don’t get a lot of time to shine while Dopey is tripping over himself and dropping things, alas. (Liberty Scouts Comics 003, 1941)

    Jasper Fennel:

    Seemingly mild-mannered jewellery store clerk Jasper Fennel turns out to be the brains behind the notorious Panther Gang in this Marvo the Magician story. He might never have been caught if he hadn’t robbed his own place of employment – a valuable lesson for all would-be criminals not to shit where you eat. He also has one of the more upsetting masks I have seen in a while. (Lightning Comics v2 004, 1941)

    Hook:

    Hook is the leader of a gang who are attempting to run a protection racket on New York’s dry cleaners. He’s just a guy with a hook prosthetic who has decided to go with it and that’s what this lowest level of super-villainy is all about. Plus that nail bomb that he attempts to kill Ferret with is truly gnarly. (Marvel Mystery Comics v1 009, 1940)

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 490: THE HOOK

    (Big Shot Comics 003, 1940)

    Is a hook hand the most basic gimmick that automatically flips a gang boss over to being a super-villain in my mind? We don’t have enough data to call it yet but all signs point to Probably. 

    This Hook is Hook Horner and there’s not too much to say about him: he kidnaps a young woman sometime between the death of someone she is set to inherit millions from but before she herself knows about it, ie, while the money is still going to be in legal limbo for a while yet, ie, way too early. He gives the Face a run for his money but like a lot of hook-handed villains in the end he dies because his hook gets caught on something, in this case a speeding car.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 490: THE HOOK

    (Big Shot Comics 003, 1940)

    Is a hook hand the most basic gimmick that automatically flips a gang boss over to being a super-villain in my mind? We don’t have enough data to call it yet but all signs point to Probably. 

    This Hook is Hook Horner and there’s not too much to say about him: he kidnaps a young woman sometime between the death of someone she is set to inherit millions from but before she herself knows about it, ie, while the money is still going to be in legal limbo for a while yet, ie, way too early. He gives the Face a run for his money but like a lot of hook-handed villains in the end he dies because his hook gets caught on something, in this case a speeding car.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 400: THE HOOK

    (More Fun Comics 072, 1941)

    The Hook is in reality cannery cwner Rand Greer, who has a lucrative sideline in smuggling jewels inside of frozen fish (and a less lucrative hobby of murdering FBI agents).

    To justify the name, Greer has a hook hand concealed under a fake plastic hand (a pretty good one honestly – I reckon he’s holding a fish with it in the first image). There’s really nothing to this guy and I’d ordinarily banish him to the ranks of the generic villains if only to have a bit more excitement in entry number 400, but this marks the last appearance of Captain Desmo and I must say I’ll miss him. Truly he was the best of the pilot/ adventurers, even if his foes weren’t always worth writing home about.