(Amazing-Man Comics 023, 1941)
The Sewer Rat is actually Major Strabo, who says that he just wanted to graft off the government by selling military supplies to foreign governments but actually just ran a gang that, like, robbed museums and held up nightclubs and so forth. Aside from his rad name is notable for being the only foe of minor Centaur hero the Marksman.
(Amazing-Man Comics 023, 1941)
The Sewer Rat is actually Major Strabo, who says that he just wanted to graft off the government by selling military supplies to foreign governments but actually just ran a gang that, like, robbed museums and held up nightclubs and so forth. Aside from his rad name is notable for being the only foe of minor Centaur hero the Marksman.
(Amazing-Man Comics 019, 1941)
Mighty Man was always a lot for crooks to deal with even when he was just a 12 foot tall guy with super strength but after he gained complete control over his physical form he really gave them a run for their money. I assume that’s why he was assigned an actual, factual magic-using witch as a recurring enemy. At least, at first.
In her first appearance, the Witch had a magic broom that allowed her to fly, changer her shape, pass through walls and paralyze others (plus more, presumably). She came into conflict with Mighty Man over a munitions company executive who had the formula for a mind control gas and was understandably reluctant to reveal it to a gang of crooks. The Witch made her getaway, swearing revenge.
The Witch returns in Amazing-Man Comics 020 without her broom (no reason is given). She is now equipped with a potion that allows her to changer her appearance, which she uses first in an attempt to kill Mighty Man by claiming to herself be the targeted for assassination. This of course does not work, so in issue 21 she captures Mighty Man and declares that she will keep him prisoner until she discovers the secret of his powers.
This is where things get weird, dynamic-wise. The Witch’s sedatives turn out not to work on Mighty Man, but he realizes that as her prisoner he is in a prime position to learn of and foil her various schemes. So for the next couple of issues (plus an issue of Stars and Stripes Comics), Mighty Man is theoretically paralyzed in a cell back at the Witch’s hideout while actually sneaking around and shapechanging his way through the massed ranks of her criminal army.
The best thing to come out of all of this is this little kid super-hero identity that Mighty Man adopts and who I, like the Witch, like to call “Little Squirt”, even though he technically never has a name. Mighty Man’s writers eventually solved the problem of him being too powerful by having him assign himself the task of following Super-Ann around and helping her out without being seen by her, which is pretty fun but I kind of wish he’d leaned into this idea of fighting under different identities.
The Witch, meanwhile, eventually drowned in a flood during one of her many schemes. I’m sure she wished she still had that broom.
(Amazing-Man Comics 019, 1941)
Mighty Man was always a lot for crooks to deal with even when he was just a 12 foot tall guy with super strength but after he gained complete control over his physical form he really gave them a run for their money. I assume that’s why he was assigned an actual, factual magic-using witch as a recurring enemy. At least, at first.
In her first appearance, the Witch had a magic broom that allowed her to fly, changer her shape, pass through walls and paralyze others (plus more, presumably). She came into conflict with Mighty Man over a munitions company executive who had the formula for a mind control gas and was understandably reluctant to reveal it to a gang of crooks. The Witch made her getaway, swearing revenge.
The Witch returns in Amazing-Man Comics 020 without her broom (no reason is given). She is now equipped with a potion that allows her to changer her appearance, which she uses first in an attempt to kill Mighty Man by claiming to herself be the targeted for assassination. This of course does not work, so in issue 21 she captures Mighty Man and declares that she will keep him prisoner until she discovers the secret of his powers.
This is where things get weird, dynamic-wise. The Witch’s sedatives turn out not to work on Mighty Man, but he realizes that as her prisoner he is in a prime position to learn of and foil her various schemes. So for the next couple of issues (plus an issue of Stars and Stripes Comics), Mighty Man is theoretically paralyzed in a cell back at the Witch’s hideout while actually sneaking around and shapechanging his way through the massed ranks of her criminal army.
The best thing to come out of all of this is this little kid super-hero identity that Mighty Man adopts and who I, like the Witch, like to call “Little Squirt”, even though he technically never has a name. Mighty Man’s writers eventually solved the problem of him being too powerful by having him assign himself the task of following Super-Ann around and helping her out without being seen by her, which is pretty fun but I kind of wish he’d leaned into this idea of fighting under different identities.
The Witch, meanwhile, eventually drowned in a flood during one of her many schemes. I’m sure she wished she still had that broom.
(Mystic Comics v1 003, 1940)
Just a gang boss running an arson scheme, but a particularly ruthless one with a particularly great name.
Having a cool name doesn’t help you when a couple of brothers rock up with their super-powered rubber robot. Still, the Iron Duke! What a name!
(Mystic Comics v1 003, 1940)
Just a gang boss running an arson scheme, but a particularly ruthless one with a particularly great name.
Having a cool name doesn’t help you when a couple of brothers rock up with their super-powered rubber robot. Still, the Iron Duke! What a name!
(Mystery Men Comics 023, 1941)
I think that Gat Arat’s name doesn’t mean anything, that it’s just a guy with the unusual surname “Arat” and the nickname “Gat”, but it bothers me. I feel like I should be able to extract meaning from it. Is it a reference to 40s popular culture? Is he supposed to look like a rat? No idea.
Confusing name or not, it turns out that Gat Arat has taken a lesson from the dearly departed Dr Krug, he of the exploding gorillas, only instead of trying to destroy NYC York City using hard-to-acquire primates he is extorting NYC York City using easily-sourced birds. He also demonstrates his temper via one of the more striking methods I have ever seen: hurled explosive pigeon.
There’s a lot of running around and birds exploding and deathtraps but what it all comes down to in the end is that Gat Arat never considers that any of his explosive pigeons might return to him, a frankly major oversight. Still, he manages to survive a bird-based train explosion unlike his three cronies so he has a chance to learn from his mistakes.
BONUS HONOURS: the Blue Beetle is thanked on the radio by the Mayor of New York York City, whoever he is.
(Mystery Men Comics 022, 1941)
Magog clearly has some big plans – he repeatedly sends taunting notes to the police and announces his criminal debut by blowing up a playground full of children – but he is almost immediately baited into the open by a fake newspaper and dies in a struggle with the Blue Beetle so we will never know what they were.
(Mystery Men Comics 020, 1941)
Hey kids, it’s Galgo! A seemingly regular gang boss! Just how did he hack the system and end up on this illustrious list of no-name losers?
He dressed his men like gorillas for no apparent reason. That, my friends, is the simple life hack that will take your regular villainy (such as stealing a device which reportedly forces criminals to confess) to a super level.
(Tip-Top Comics 054-056, 1940)
The Glove here is the head of a gang of international criminals that come to the attention of super-hero brothers the Triple Terror when they make off with a load of radium. Why the radium, you ask? Why, so that the Glove and his pal Mr Mario (good name) could run their death ray cannon.
Unfortunately for the Glove he only ever managed to capture 2/3 of the Triple Terror. The final confrontation does reveal the reason that he is called the Glove: like our old friend the Hook he has a prosthetic hook hand covered by a false plastic one. The hook proves to be his ultimate undoing, as a fumbled grab for a light switch ends in his electrocution (and, through some literary contrivance, that of most of his men. Only Mr Mario survives).
But who are the Triple Terror? They are triplets Barton, Richard and Bruce Brandon, who operate respectively as Chemix, Lectra and Menta, the masters of chemistry, electricity and men’s minds. Though they are technically nonpowered they are sufficiently adept at their specialties that they effectively are. Chemix has for instance created what is essentially Spider-Man’s webshooter while Menta has access to hypnotic powers that are tantamount to mind control. All three are of course physical paragons capable of bursting chains and scaling walls with ease
The only real weak point in the Brandons arsenal of abilities is in their faculty for naming: “Triple Terror” and “Chemix” are okay but “Lectra”? “Menta”? Even the family estate is called “Brandwell” which is frankly mid-tier.
I do enjoy their Platonic Ideal super-hero outfits, complete with dumb logos and a variable number of pouches depending on how many accessories each uses as part of their role in the team. I will be starting a pool to bet on how long the belt thing lasts.