The Curse of Skeleton Munroe

Category: Captain Marvel

  • REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 020

    Where would comic books be without real people, after all?

    Easter Island: 

    Lance O’Casey and his pal Dan’l Doom fight some wreckers on Easter island, and while I can’t tell if the place saw enough ship traffic in the 1940s to make shipwrecking a profitable enterprise, I will say that the concept of Lance and Dan’l just casually passing by one of the most isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean while travelling from place to place is an eyebrow raiser.

    The whole Easter Island aspect of the adventure honestly seems to just be a bit of set dressing, but I sure do love these extremely flat moai statues.(Whiz Comics 013, 1941) 

    Fort Knox: 

    As “Fort Gnox,” robbed by Dr Sivana. (Whiz Comics 014, 1940)

    FDR: 

    Spy Smasher saves the president from being assassinated by probable-Nazi spy the Dark Angel, leading to what I can only interpret as a very awkward meeting between the two. (Spy Smasher 001, 1941) 

    Fiorello La Guardia (Not): 

    Wow Comics 004 features not one but two mayors who are not Fiorello La Guardia in comics previously established to be set in New York City. I’d say poor guy for not getting elected in two different versions of Earth-S but neither of these guys are exactly having a good time. (Wow Comics 004, 1941)

    Harry “A” Chesler: 

    The Zip Comics 007
    Steel Sterling story involves a crooked moneylending firm called the
    Uwana Loan Company, and here we see the door of that company with H. “A”
    C. listed as president. Comic book publisher Harry “A” Chesler was a
    decent boss as far as I can tell, so once and future Chesler employee/
    “Steel Sterling” scribe Charles Biro is probably indulging in some
    classic comic book yuk-em-ups here rather than a trenchant skewering.
    (Zip Comics 007, 1940) 

    Henry L. Stimson: 

    US Secretary of State. As “Secretary Simpson,” almost gets assassinated and mummified by the Black Thorn. (America’s Greatest Comics 001, 1941) 

    J Edgar Hoover:

    As “FBI Chief Doover” almost gets assassinated by the Ghost. (am greatest 001 1941)

    Ken Crawford: 

    The Mask adopts a reporter alias as part of an attempt to find out the Spy Smasher’s secret identity, and there is no doubt in my mind that “Crawf Kenford” is a classic syllable-flip reference to venerable political correspondent Ken Crawford. (Whiz Comics 013, 1941)

    Mort Meskin: 

    You have to squint to read it, but that red sign says “M. Meskin, Fish” on it. (Zip Comics 007, 1940)

    William Tell: 

    Golden Arrow plays William Tell in a local school pageant, with love interest Carol Braddock as the apple-headed son. (Whiz Comics 012, 1941) 

  • FASCIST GOON CLEARING HOUSE 011

    The fools! The fascist fools.

    the Steel Guard: 

    The Steel Guard are a home-grown fascist group in the Balkan country of Murania, who plot to sell out their country and its oil wells to the Nazis. They fail to recognize the threat inherent in leaving a camera in the hands of crack magazine photographer Fran Frazer and she ruins their entire setup with a few evidence-heavy snaps. (Top-Notch Comics 010, 1940)

    the Redshirts: 

    The Redshirts are a homegrown US fascist group whose ideology is unexplored in their sole appearance, as some of their members have already been captured as the story begins and thus their focus is on freeing them via a quick gubernatorial kidnapping. The Dart, as can be seen above, does not take this lying down. (Weird Comics 006, 1940)

    the Termania Bund:

    Yet another German-American Bund stand-in, the Termania Bund has the temerity to appropriate the flag of Switzerland (or possibly the Red Cross) as their symbol before being destroyed by the Flame. (Wonderworld Comics 018, 1940)

    the Gnatzis: 

    It’s not quite the same as our usual collection of subversives and bundists, but I simply had to highlight one of the most dismissive stand-ins for the Nazi Party I have ever encountered. Gnatzis, heh. Plus a lot of them get beaten up by Captain Marvel, which you always like to see. (Whiz Comics 012, 1941)

  • FASCIST GOON CLEARING HOUSE 011

    The fools! The fascist fools.

    the Steel Guard: 

    The Steel Guard are a home-grown fascist group in the Balkan country of Murania, who plot to sell out their country and its oil wells to the Nazis. They fail to recognize the threat inherent in leaving a camera in the hands of crack magazine photographer Fran Frazer and she ruins their entire setup with a few evidence-heavy snaps. (Top-Notch Comics 010, 1940)

    the Redshirts: 

    The Redshirts are a homegrown US fascist group whose ideology is unexplored in their sole appearance, as some of their members have already been captured as the story begins and thus their focus is on freeing them via a quick gubernatorial kidnapping. The Dart, as can be seen above, does not take this lying down. (Weird Comics 006, 1940)

    the Termania Bund:

    Yet another German-American Bund stand-in, the Termania Bund has the temerity to appropriate the flag of Switzerland (or possibly the Red Cross) as their symbol before being destroyed by the Flame. (Wonderworld Comics 018, 1940)

    the Gnatzis: 

    It’s not quite the same as our usual collection of subversives and bundists, but I simply had to highlight one of the most dismissive stand-ins for the Nazi Party I have ever encountered. Gnatzis, heh. Plus a lot of them get beaten up by Captain Marvel, which you always like to see. (Whiz Comics 012, 1941)

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 895: THE GHOST OF THE DEEP

    MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 895: THE GHOST OF THE DEEP

    (America’s Greatest Comics 001, 1941)

    The Ghost of the Deep, a dastardly fellow indeed. As the comic opens, a captive scientist named Hugo has just completed a mysterious formula for him, only to be rewarded with murder.

    In the following days, the Ghost attacks US West Coast shipping, each time leaving behind a calling card in the form of a message in a bottle.

    The Ghost even tries to silence Billy Batson’s fairly routine reporting on the attacks (but why leave a calling card if you don’t want everyone to know you’re responsible?) by taking Billy and his boss Sterling Morris for a proverbial ride. When this is predictably foiled by Captain Marvel, the Ghost of the Deep shows up long enough to demonstrate that he is also a classic comic book Bad Boss by drowning his hapless Teutonic minions.

    There is a bit of radio-based taunting, since Billy is a radio guy. Again, this kind of thing brings into question just why the Ghost of the Deep wants to shut Billy up.

    So just what is the Ghost of the Deep’s plan? And what is this mysterious formula that poor Hugo died for? Why, it’s the recipe for making a transparent, invulnerable alloy called Z-Metal, and using a fleet of tank-submarines composed of the stuff, the Ghost intends on conquering the United States. First stop: blowing up the Panama Canal.

    As for the Ghost’s real identity, well, it’s not revealed until later, but any cagey comics reader will immediately peg this smarmy rival radio man named Spriggins as the top suspect the instant that he walks on-panel. Presumably his cover serves the same purpose as Billy Batson’s: as a way of gathering information and justifying a lot of globetrotting as being in pursuit of a story.

    Ultimately, Spriggins’ plan has one fatal flaw: it fails to account for the presence of a magically super-strong fellow like Captain Marvel, who succeeds where the might of the US Navy cannot and smashes the Z-Metal fleet to smithereens. And then does the same to the Ghost of the Deep’s cool Z-Metal chainmail.

    The captured Spriggins makes one last attempt at striking out at the US by stealing an MP’s gun and taking out a nearby General, only to be intercepted by Captain Marvel and suffer the oft-joked-about but seldom-seen fate of the person who fires a bullet into an invulnerable super-hero’s chest only to have it bounce back and kill them instead. 

  • NOTES – NOVEMBER 2025

    Honours – Captain Marvel: 

    Not only does Billy Batson win the award for Outstanding Radio Work of the Year, but he has his ver own fan club! (Whiz Comics 015, 1941) 

    Honours – Smasher Spy:

    Spy Smasher, turned evil and sometimes but mostly not known as Smasher Spy, is doing such a good job of sabotaging America that he is offered a medal and a position from the euphemistically-named War Lord by two Nazi stereotypes. If there’s one thing that Smasher Spy is, however, it’s an equal-opportunity hater, and he rejects a fascist government just as vociferously as a democratic one. (Whiz Comics 018, 1941)

    Super-Heroes Attending Costume Parties as Themselves: 

    Not only does Captain Marvel attend this party as himself but Billy Batson also came in just his street clothes and a mask. The height of arrogance for a young celebrity, and a radio-based one at that! 

    Please also note the horrible off-brand Mickey Mouse costume worn by Billy’s assistant Whitey Murphy. (Whiz Comics 023, 1941)

  • SUPER-VILLAIN 001 UPDATE: DR SIVANA (1940)

    How fitting and extremely predictable that Dr Sivana, our inaugural full-fledged Super-Villain, is also our first villain to receive a Super-Villain Update! 

    In Whiz Comics 003a, Sivana attempts to conquer the US, first via simple extortion, followed by full-fledged invasion = please note that he even goes to the trouble to declare war before mobilizing his forces. Captain Marvel of course is more than a match for any conventional army, and Dr Sivana seemingly meets his end when a deathtrap meant for Marvel blows up his entire fortress with him inside.

    (this is likely also when Sivana figures out that Billy Batson is Captain Marvel. There’s no on-panel acknowledgement of this fact, but he does know it by the next issue, and frankly given the fast-and-loose way that Billy approaches having a secret identity in the early days it’s a miracle that everyone who he passes on the street doesn’t know. I’m pretty sure that they eventually have to retroactively add a mind-clouding aspect to his transformations to explain why the hundreds of people who have seen a famous boy reporter transform into a famous super-hero don’t retain that fact without making Captain Marvel a secret mass murderer)

    In Whiz Comics 003b, a disguised and not-dead Sivana, operating under the name of Professor Xerxes Smith, entices Billy Batson (and by extension Captain Marvel, who he clearly knows into accompanying him on a rocket trip to the planet Venus. There, with the aid of his ally Beautia, Empress of Venus, he captures Marvel and performs the classic super-villain manoeuvre of placing him in a seemingly-inescapable deathtrap that he does not stick around long enough to watch to completion.

    Once back on Earth, Sivana attempt to take over the US again, this time by way of a paralyzing gas that will leave the populace more susceptible to domination by a charismatic leader like Beautia. This scheme has a tragic flaw: the machines are all easily smashed up by a Captain Marvel type, which is probably why Sivana stranded him on Venus in the first place. Luckily for humanity, Captain Marvel is able to harness the Wisdom of Solomon to build his own rocket ship to return to Earth and smash them up good. Beautia and Sivana escape… 

    …only to return in Whiz Comics 004 with a plan to get Beautia elected President of the United States by employing her great charisma and hotness to capture the entire US male vote. This is possibly Dr Sivana’s most viable and least illegal plan, only he has to spoil it all by immediately making plans to murder huge swaths of the government and populace and to loot the nation’s coffers.

    Knowing that Captain Marvel wouldn’t take this kind of thing lying down, Dr Sivana arranges to get Billy Batson into a machine called the Memory Mangler that removes his ability to remember any details of his past, let alone that he needs to say SHAZAM. He is only cured when he just kind of aimlessly wanders back into the Wizard Shazam’s cave and rediscovers the word written on the wall there. 

    The real downfall of Sivana’s plan this time is the fact that he hired such misogynist henchmen who attempt to murder him and Beautia rather than take orders from a woman, which is how Billy Batson escapes in the first place.

    So far we’ve seen three separate attempts by Dr Sivana to take over the United States, but in Whiz Comics 006 we get the other kind of Sivana plot, in which he attempts to get ahold of a lot of money that he can then use to finance his takeover of the United States. In this case, Sivana has imported a load of Venusian animals, including some sabre-toothed tigers, a dragon, a mastodon, some “crocosaurs” and the amazing-looking gorilla/lion centaur chimera called the gorillion. Unusually for him, Sivana isn’t even using these animals to rob banks or the like – he’s just exhibiting them at a circus and banking on getting large enough crowds to make a fortune.

    Things don’t even go wrong until a jealous circus performer releases the animals in an attempt to kill Captain Marvel, upon which he kills them all by dropping them into the ocean (or just dropping them, in the gorallion’s case). A depressing end for some innocent if hostile animals.

    Whiz Comics 010 features a plot to destroy the US Pacific Fleet using information gathered by Beautia under the alias of Dot Darling, Newsreel Reporter. This is the beginning of the end for the Beautia/Sivana partnership, as she suffers a change of heart when the time comes to actually blow up a whole lot of sailors and Sivana responds by attempting to kill her. He is of course prevented from doing this by Captain Marvel and escapes in style on a very phallic aerial torpedo.

    Dr Sivana’s final appearance of 1940* is in Special Edition Comics 001 and is another money-making scheme. This time it’s some good old fashioned high-tech insurance fraud, involving Sivana buying cheap disaster insurance against, say, a cyclone destroying some properties in downtown NYC and then causing those disasters himself.

    *Okay so it probably goes in between Whiz 006 and 010, but I forgot about it until the last second, so sue me.

    As usual, Captain Marvel is all over this scheme. He prevents most of the disasters from landing and ultimately destroys the disaster causing machine with the body of the criminally underused Grandfather Locust, a plague whose descendants was used to attack some well-insured cropland earlier in the issue. Sadly, he only gets a couple of panels to shine before he head is knocked clean off.

    BODY COUNT: at least 1402

    END OF YEAR STATUS: At large 

  • ALIENS AND SO FORTH ROUND-UP 021

    A motley crew of mostly cavemen await ye. 

    Pleistocene Men: 

    When rich jerk Rodney Stark wants to take over the world, he know just where to go: the Arctic, where he can use his heat ray to thaw out a frozen tribe of prehistoric men to act as his personal army. Did he already know that they were there or was he just assuming that he could dig up a few guys just by sinking a hole any old place? Unclear.

    In what must have been an unexpected boon for Stark, the Pleistocene Men turn out to have been altered both physically and mentally by their long stay in the ice. Not only are they now super strong and invulnerable to harm, but they are also super smart for some reason? Stark just handwaves it by saying that the cold sharpened their intelligence, but in practical terms it means that they learn to speak English and fly planes super fast.

    Captain Marvel ends up dropping Stark and his entire caveman air force back down the hole he originally dug them out of, where presumably they froze solid again. Who knows how powerful they will become before next they are thawed? (Whiz Comics 007, 1940)

    Ape-Men:

    A simpler type of prehistoric remnant, these Ape-Men are encountered by boxer/adventurer Socko Strong on an isolated Atlantic island full of dinosaurs before the entire place blows up courtesy of a local volcano. (Adventure Comics 042, 1939)

    Bat Men of Venus: 

    These Bat Men have come from Venus to Earth c.50 030 CE to engage in some friendly diplomatic relations. Unfortunately for them, this is not long after a global catastrophe has not only drastically reduced the human population but unleashed the hostile Crust Dwellers onto the surface of the planet, and they are almost fatally menaced before being rescued by heroic Earthling survivor Blaze Barton. 

    Really appreciate a) bat people designs that really commit to the weirdness of bat faces b) gliding bat people c) seeing some different Venusian designs before the Venus = aquatic paradigm really sets in in the 1950s. (Hit Comics 002, 1940)

    Beast Men of Boota: 

    The Beast Men of Boota are just what it says on the tin: beast men (or at least hairy guys) who are from Boota, which I assume is what this forest village is called. They live in one of the innumerable lands beneath the Antarctic that are traversed by Cotton Carver, and briefly worship him as the Tunder Man, thanks to his surface world guns. (Adventure Comics 054, 1940)

  • MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 862: BEAUTIA

    (Whiz Comics 003b, 1940)

    Captain Marvel first encounters Beautia after being tricked into taking a trip to Venus with a disguised Dr Sivana. There, she rules over a kingdom of wonderful frog aliens called Glompers

    If you’ve read any supplemental material about Dr Sivana then you probably know that Beautia is actually one of his four children, but this is not established since 1941, and honestly the Beautia/Sivana interactions in her first handful of appearances do not support the relationship as having been planned from the start. Dr Sivana is more of a Bad Boss than a Bad Dad here. 

    Dr Sivana is of course back on his quest to take over the US in this issue, with Beautia being brought in to act as his figurehead using her preternatural charm. After Captain Marvel disables the paralysis gas machine that the two are using to subdue the population, they flee into the night – after a bit of a flirtatious note for Captain Marvel. 

    The Beautia/Sivana team return in Whiz Comics 004 with an extremely simple and effective plot: use Beautia’s effect on the American male in order to get her elected President of the United States. 

    The plan might just have worked, too, if Dr Sivana had been able to curtail his villainous instincts for just a few weeks. Instead, he kidnaps Billy Batson in an attempt to rid himself of his great enemy and ends up giving him enough information to publish an expose, ruining Beautia’s chances for election and sending her back to Venus in disgrace.

    Beautia returns in Whiz Comics 009, as Dot Darling, beloved newsreel reporter, and also spy for Dr Sivana. By means of a concealed locket camera, she acquires information on US Naval manoeuvres so that Dr Sivana can destroy the US fleet and make yet another bid to take over the country.

    Though she has been happy to go along with Sivana up until now, the reality of the widespread death and destruction necessary for Sivana’s plan causes Beautia to rebel and attempt to warn the fleet away, upon which he attempts to murder her. This marks the beginning of Beautia’s reformation, though it would take one or two more appearances before she was fully distanced from her former ally/future father.

    UPDATES: 

    UPDATE 1941 

  • GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 027

    Rascals the lot of ’em. 

    L-17 is a spy from an extremely unspecified foreign power who vexes pilot Wings Bordon throughout his three appearances. He is remarkable both for his longevity – three whole appearances for a simple letters-and-numbers spy is astonishing – and for the fact that he managed to get a promotion between his first appearance and his last, from field agent reporting to a shadowy Chief to being the shadowy figure whom other report to. It’s possible that someone just misremembered L-17’s position, but that doesn’t take away from the achievement. (Whirlwind Comics 001, 1940)

    Sir Neville Towse, “England’s most famous explorer” has been threatened with death by a mysterious character known only as the Avenger, and it’s up to Inspector Blake of Scotland Yard to solve the mystery and prevent the murder from happening.

    The Avenger turns out to be Sir Neville’s butler Owens, who just wants to get ahold of the money left to him in the explorer’s will without all that tedious waiting around first. He does employ a pretty sweet booby-trapped phone to do the deed, but that doesn’t make up for the disappointingly callow motivation for the crime. (Whirlwind Comics 001, 1940) 

    Clarence the Maniac Man is a circus sideshow wild man, one of a number of groups of people who are just a crime or two away from super-villainy (or a selfless act or two away from super-heroism, I suppose) on any given day. In Clarence’s case, simple jealousy over the affection shown to Captain Marvel by Lovelia, the jerk Queen of the High Wire, drives him to release alien circus animals as revenge on society. That’s toxic, Clarence. (Whiz Comics 006, 1940)

    This gang boss, evocatively and simply named “Power” has taken a page out of Dr Sivana’s book and is using a radio wave jamming setup to blackmail broadcasters in California. He didn’t really think through the mechanics of concealing a huge compound full of guys and electrical equipment, even out in the desert, and is rounded up by private detective Dan Dare in short order.  (Whiz Comics 009, 1940)

  • ALIENS AND SO FORTH ROUND-UP 019

    ALIENS AND SO FORTH ROUND-UP 019

    Today we have, per usual, something from the comic I’m currently reading followed by some stuff from the archives. It’s a good system!

    Glompers: 

    We first meet the Glompers on the planet Venus after Dr Sivana has tricked Billy Batson and by extension Captain Marvel into joining him on an experimental rocket trip, with the intention of killing and/or stranding him there. They are immediately the most charming aliens I have ever seen, despite or perhaps because of the fact that they are just large frogs wearing trunks and little conical hats.

    The Glompers are ruled over by Beautia, Empress of Venus (later revealed to be Sivana’s daughter), and again I must emphasize just how friggin’ charming they are. Just look at his little spear! (Whiz Comics 003b, 1940)

    Sadly, as far as I can tell the Glompers only reappear one other time, as part of a plan by Dr Sivana to unleash them on Earth (Whiz Comics 015, 1941). The reformed-except-for-occasional-bursts-of-filial-duty Beautia expounds on the Glompers somewhat, revealing that they, like terrestrial frogs, are rapacious carnivores. Still charming! 

    In conclusion, since as far as I know the current DC Universe does not have a canonical native species on Venus and I have to say that I think that the Glompers should fill that roll. Make ’em big ol’ acid-spewing frog men!

    Alligator Men/Mermaids: 

    Rod Rian is an officer of Earth’s Sky Police in the year 2500 CE who finds himself on the planet Mephistos, having adventures among the various intelligent species that reside there. Perhaps the least explored of these are the friendly Alligator Men, who either coexist with a species of Mephistan mermaids or are yet another species with extreme sexual dimorphism. Either way: love a reptile man. (Flash Comics v1 011, 1940)

    Amazons of the Winged Death: 

    Don Drake, like Rod Rian, is an Earth man who finds himself on an alien world populated with all kinds of different species of intelligent life, in his case the planet Saro. Unlike Rod, Don’s adventures take place in the then-present day of 1935.

    The Amazons of the Winged Death are, as the name suggests, statuesque humanoid females. They ride horrible insects (the Winged Death of the name, natch) and are generally hostile, though Don does manage to ally with at least a few of them. (New Fun Comics 004, 1935)

    the Ape Men: 

    Brad Hardy, like Rod and Don, is an adventurer who finds himself in a world full of strange and often hostile creatures. Like Don, he is contemporary to the comic that he appears in, but unlike both of them, the world he finds himself in exists on Earth, in a cavernous realm below Mongolia. 

    The Ape Men (also Ape-Men and Apemen) are pretty typical: monkey faced humanoids with tails and a bad attitude. I do enjoy their Living Ape-God, who seems to just be the largest Ape Man. (More Fun Comics 009, 1936)