The Curse of Skeleton Munroe

Category: bring ’em back

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 063: CHALO

    (Action Comics 024, 1940)

    Chalo was a stage magician who murdered his own brother to acquire real magical secrets which in turn he used for crime. He took a page from the Mad Lama’s book and hired at least one other magical crook as a henchman, a fire- and snake-summoner named Arko.

    By far the best thing about Chalo, however, is that his major use of the powers he murdered his brother to get is summoning a weird toad that freaks everyone out. He does it twice! Solid minor villain, should be BROUGHT BACK in the background of the Oblivion Bar or somewhere like that.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 063: CHALO

    MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 063: CHALO

    (Action Comics 024, 1940)

    Chalo was a stage magician who murdered his own brother to acquire real magical secrets which in turn he used for crime. He took a page from the Mad Lama’s book and hired at least one other magical crook as a henchman, a fire- and snake-summoner named Arko.

    By far the best thing about Chalo, however, is that his major use of the powers he murdered his brother to get is summoning a weird toad that freaks everyone out. He does it twice! Solid minor villain, should be BROUGHT BACK in the background of the Oblivion Bar or somewhere like that.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 054: SLAUGHTER SLADE

    (Special Edition Comics, 1940)

    Here is a list of pertinent details about Slaughter Slade:

    -He talks like Swamp Thing for no discernable reason

    -He is stronger and more intelligent than the human norm. Together with the prior point and some general odd behavior throughout the story this kind of leads one to think he might be revealed as a robot or alien or something. He is not.

    -He has three henchmen: a regular gangster named Butch, a weird little freak named Spider and an intelligent gorilla named Doctor Allirog. Oh, and a giant spider:

    -Doctor Allirog is not an intelligent gorilla at the beginning of the story, but his name is Doctor Allirog at the beginning of the story.

    -Slaughter Slade’s plan is to destroy the entire US government and install himself and Doctor Allirog as President and Vice-President, respectively.

    -Part of Slaughter Slade’s plan involves buying a book of knowledge from this man:

    Professor Universe is possibly the single-appearance character whose failure to make a return has hurt me personally the most. Just the idea of this mercenary genius living somewhere near Fawcett City is so delightful to me. Obviously I want them to BRING BACK everyone involved in this story, down to Butch and the two Spiders.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 054: SLAUGHTER SLADE

    (Special Edition Comics, 1940)

    Here is a list of pertinent details about Slaughter Slade:

    -He talks like Swamp Thing for no discernable reason

    -He is stronger and more intelligent than the human norm. Together with the prior point and some general odd behavior throughout the story this kind of leads one to think he might be revealed as a robot or alien or something. He is not.

    -He has three henchmen: a regular gangster named Butch, a weird little freak named Spider and an intelligent gorilla named Doctor Allirog. Oh, and a giant spider:

    -Doctor Allirog is not an intelligent gorilla at the beginning of the story, but his name is Doctor Allirog at the beginning of the story.

    -Slaughter Slade’s plan is to destroy the entire US government and install himself and Doctor Allirog as President and Vice-President, respectively.

    -Part of Slaughter Slade’s plan involves buying a book of knowledge from this man:

    Professor Universe is possibly the single-appearance character whose failure to make a return has hurt me personally the most. Just the idea of this mercenary genius living somewhere near Fawcett City is so delightful to me. Obviously I want them to BRING BACK everyone involved in this story, down to Butch and the two Spiders.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 049: HOBO-MILLIONAIRE

    (Whiz Comics 006, 1940)

    Like many Ibis the Invincible villains, the Hobo-Millionaire found the mystic Ibistick when it was lost for a time and who eventually attempted to kill Ibis with it, leading to is own death via magic feedback. Unlike most Ibis the Invincible villains, Hobo-Millionaire is great.

    I would love for them to BRING BACK this great man. It wouldn’t be hard, either! Imagine a scenario in which the Ibristick is passed down to a legacy character (this is always the best way to handle bringing back magic item-based characters, BTW) and they try to get advice on how to use their new possession by summoning its previous owners. SURPRISE: most of them were dicks, and Hobo-Millionaire rules them all.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 041: THE SPEAKING FROG

    (More Fun 045, 1939)

    The Speaking Frog is possibly the most obscure villain in the DC Universe, and that’s including Fawcett, Quality and Charlton characters in the mix. This is a shame because simply based on their name and appearance they are the strongest BRING THEM BACK candidate I have ever encountered. 

    Some backstory: in 1938 a strip called “Marg’ry Daw” began in More Fun Comics, running for just a few issues. A Little Orphan Annie knockoff, it featured the titular little girl and her dog having adventures with evil scientists and the like while being left alone by her wealthy but distracted father. Or it would have, but someone wasn’t feeling it and it was wrapped up in about four issues.

    Flash forward a year and “Marg’ry Daw” is back. This time it involves a more attentive Luther Daw taking his daughter on a train trip across the country. Over the course of five installments the following happens:

    -They befriend a Hindu mystic on the train. He has a vision of impending calamity and convinces them to disembark with him in Idaho. The train subsequently crashes.

    -They accompany Ahm, the mystic, to his friend’s secluded mansion. There they meet Stephen Dean, a wealthy vegetarian technophile who collects mummies and Indian artifacts, wears a robe and chortles constantly. A wide array of other eccentric servants and houseguests are alluded to.

    -Dean shows off his various gadgets to his new guests, including a voice-activated vault door and the Speaking Frog, a metal statue that talks if a specific object is placed in its mouth.

    -A guest is shot in the gardens. Ahm goes for help. Dean disappears. Someone wearing the Frog as a headpiece threatens Luther Daw’s life. He knocks them out and looks under the mask but the person’s identity is not revealed on-panel. Subsequently Dean’s adopted daughter indicates that there may be multiple people in Speaking Frog outfits and tells Daw to kill the real one. (his easy willingness to do so, plus some talk of the Frog not being a man plus Dean being a tech nerd leads to my private theory that the Speaking Frog is meant to be a robot) 

    AND THAT’S IT. The feature ends with Daw firing at a Speaking Frog and could have been intended either to wrap up immediately or go on for a dozen more episodes – if there’s a person alive who has any idea what was intended then I for one will be as shocked as any person has ever been.

    That’s about it: all setup, no payoff. The perfect candidate for revival, as they could be anyone! The greatest costume of all time! The most obscure villain of the DCU is ready to walk again! 

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 041: THE SPEAKING FROG

    (More Fun 045, 1939)

    The Speaking Frog is possibly the most obscure villain in the DC Universe, and that’s including Fawcett, Quality and Charlton characters in the mix. This is a shame because simply based on their name and appearance they are the strongest BRING THEM BACK candidate I have ever encountered. 

    Some backstory: in 1938 a strip called “Marg’ry Daw” began in More Fun Comics, running for just a few issues. A Little Orphan Annie knockoff, it featured the titular little girl and her dog having adventures with evil scientists and the like while being left alone by her wealthy but distracted father. Or it would have, but someone wasn’t feeling it and it was wrapped up in about four issues.

    Flash forward a year and “Marg’ry Daw” is back. This time it involves a more attentive Luther Daw taking his daughter on a train trip across the country. Over the course of five installments the following happens:

    -They befriend a Hindu mystic on the train. He has a vision of impending calamity and convinces them to disembark with him in Idaho. The train subsequently crashes.

    -They accompany Ahm, the mystic, to his friend’s secluded mansion. There they meet Stephen Dean, a wealthy vegetarian technophile who collects mummies and Indian artifacts, wears a robe and chortles constantly. A wide array of other eccentric servants and houseguests are alluded to.

    -Dean shows off his various gadgets to his new guests, including a voice-activated vault door and the Speaking Frog, a metal statue that talks if a specific object is placed in its mouth.

    -A guest is shot in the gardens. Ahm goes for help. Dean disappears. Someone wearing the Frog as a headpiece threatens Luther Daw’s life. He knocks them out and looks under the mask but the person’s identity is not revealed on-panel. Subsequently Dean’s adopted daughter indicates that there may be multiple people in Speaking Frog outfits and tells Daw to kill the real one. (his easy willingness to do so, plus some talk of the Frog not being a man plus Dean being a tech nerd leads to my private theory that the Speaking Frog is meant to be a robot) 

    AND THAT’S IT. The feature ends with Daw firing at a Speaking Frog and could have been intended either to wrap up immediately or go on for a dozen more episodes – if there’s a person alive who has any idea what was intended then I for one will be as shocked as any person has ever been.

    That’s about it: all setup, no payoff. The perfect candidate for revival, as they could be anyone! The greatest costume of all time! The most obscure villain of the DCU is ready to walk again! 

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 032: MADAME KELLY

    (Action v1 011, 1939)

    There are basically three levels of Zatara enemy: unpowered crooks such as the Tigress (MSV 019) or the Ghost (MSV 021) or a million gangsters over the years who are wildly outclassed and only have a chance if they manage to get the jump on him; villains of roughly equal or even greater power to him such as the Mad Lama (MSV 031) and finally folks like the Mad Lama’s minions: armed with one really good trick that can give them a situational edge against him. The latter are generally the most entertaining, as rather than toying with them like a mouse or bringing all he resources to bear on a genuine threat, he is often forced to take some time to figure out what’s going on. Which brings us to Madame Kelly.

    Madame Kelly is a magic-using spy who wears cute outfits while trying to steal some defense plans that are being transported by cruise ship. Her only demonstrated power is to summon an illusory ghost, which she uses as a distraction while she hunts for her target below decks. Zatara spends a fair bit of the story stumped because he can’t banish what isn’t actually a ghost. It’s fun stuff! They should BRING HER BACK

    ADDENDUM: Gentle reader, I present to you the sea-ghost of Madame Kelly:

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 027: SKULL-FACE

    (Detective v1 032, 1939)

    Skull-Face is a villain I love. He looks, predictably, like a guy with a skull-face, yet he runs a “beauty cult” which might just be a very intense spa? Whatever it is, he steals all of his clients’/ congregants’ money and then kills them with a special drug that makes them drown themselves/ have heart attacks. And he’s very proud of his villainy, which I love. Other salient Skull-Face features:

    -caveman butler named Sam

    -underground, partially-flooded castle in Maine

    -leaves tiny ivory skull as a calling card at the scene of his victims’ deaths, thus undermining his own careful planning of natural-seeming causes

    -hunted by the swimsuit-clad sister of one of his victims

    -despite living in a partially-flooded castle, cannot swim and thus drowns at the end of the story

    Just a really good weirdo villain who they should BRING BACK.

    EDIT TO ADD: Hadn’t really thought about what role Skull-Face would fill in the modern DCU but upon 5 minutes reflection you could absolutely make him the head of a beauty product Multi-Level Marketing scheme and keep everything else the same. 

    SECOND EDIT:

    SKULL SCORE: 3/5 Pretty skully but also unsettlingly fleshy.

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 027: SKULL-FACE

    (Detective v1 032, 1939)

    Skull-Face is a villain I love. He looks, predictably, like a guy with a skull-face, yet he runs a “beauty cult” which might just be a very intense spa? Whatever it is, he steals all of his clients’/ congregants’ money and then kills them with a special drug that makes them drown themselves/ have heart attacks. And he’s very proud of his villainy, which I love. Other salient Skull-Face features:

    -caveman butler named Sam

    -underground, partially-flooded castle in Maine

    -leaves tiny ivory skull as a calling card at the scene of his victims’ deaths, thus undermining his own careful planning of natural-seeming causes

    -hunted by the swimsuit-clad sister of one of his victims

    -despite living in a partially-flooded castle, cannot swim and thus drowns at the end of the story

    Just a really good weirdo villain who they should BRING BACK.

    EDIT TO ADD: Hadn’t really thought about what role Skull-Face would fill in the modern DCU but upon 5 minutes reflection you could absolutely make him the head of a beauty product Multi-Level Marketing scheme and keep everything else the same. 

    SECOND EDIT:

    SKULL SCORE: 3/5 Pretty skully but also unsettlingly fleshy.