(Marvel Mystery Comics v1 004, 1940) Dr Manyac here is a perfectly fine criminal scientist with a very good name. It’s just too bad for him that he is in the very common position of being completely overshadowed by his henchmen: THE GREEN FLAME! Very very cool looking guys who are also some of our first simple examples of evil opposites, as their green flame burns cold to contend with our pal the red-hot Human Torch. Using the threat of…
(Marvel Mystery Comics v1 003, 1940) The Sacred one is a pretty bog-standard cult leader in a way that was cliched even in 1940: he’s got a bunch of people in a castle in the New York countryside somewhere and they kidnap beautiful white women to sacrifice to their Fire God until the Angel shows up to murderize them. The only really interesting things about him are the questions that the loose plotting leaves you with: he has hypnotic powers…
(Marvel Mystery Comics 003, 1940) These Martian invaders who showed up for one Human Torch story in 1940 are definitely my favourite comic book aliens in a while, if only because of this extremely cool car stunt.
(Hit Comics 006, 1940) Just a couple of cool bank robbing bad boy brothers living high on the hog. Just a fun panel from the same adventure. Jimmy darling indeed.
(Hit Comics 006, 1940) Once again we find ourselves profiling the interesting henchmen of a run-of-the-mill villain: the Swords of Death, in this case. A trio of assassin/ thieves armed with electrified rapiers and high opinions of themselves, the Swords have the misfortune to run into perennial-punching-bag-but-actually-fun-character the Red Bee on what seems to be their first mission, whereupon he promptly kills two of them. I like the Swords of Death – any time a hero has to beat up…
(Hit Comics 005, 1940) Hercules clears up some rotten doings at an auto plant and takes home *Rod Roddy voice* A NEW CAR!
(Hit Comics 001, 1940) Hey, it’s Morgan Crookes, a retired man of great wealth! He tries to take over the world and gets stomped by Neon the Unknown in his first adventure! It’s probably one of the most racist comics of the Golden Age! Which is saying something!
(Hit Comics 001-021, 1940-1942) There’s nothing too special about Hercules – he’s a super-strong guy who shrugs off small-arms fire and is a champion of the people after seeing his mother ruined by unscrupulous businessmen – but I really like the callout text at the start of his first adventure. He’s not an alien, you rubes! No mad scientist created our boy Joe Hercules! No, he’s just a regular super-powered American with no explanation! Named Joe Hercules, I must repeat. Check…
Like costumed villains, there are a lot of scientists out there doing crimes involving superscience but just missing the levels of interest, ambition or scale to graduate to true super-villain status. Sometimes this is because of poor planning or lack of vision and others just have the misfortune to run into a protagonist while still in the initial stages of their venture. And don’t they deserve a forum just as much as the generic costumed villains we all love? Julius…
New Powers: An injured Hawkman is tended to by birds and learns to speak their language. (Flash Comics v1 023, 1941) Just some of my favourite alien designs ever: the Kriglo AKA Martian Spider-Men (Flash Comics v1 024, 1941) Super Hero Costume Party: Hawkman attends a costume party with Shiera Sanders as Hawkgirl. Though not the first time she wore the costume, this does mark the start of the two as a crime-fighting duo ongoing, no matter what stinky ol’ Hawkman…