HONOURS – JOHNNY THUNDER
(Flash Comics v1 001, 1940) Johnny Thunder is given a medal and a promotion to head window washer. In true Johnny Thunder fashion he is fired the next day.
SUPER-VILLAIN YEARBOOK: HATH-SET 1940
What was Hath-Set up to in 1940? That’s actually a tricky question, because Hath-Set is a tricky character! Technically, he did absolutely nothing in 1940, because he died somewhere in the 1200s BC. Because, yes, Hath Set is mixed up in the unholy mess that is Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s origin story. Of course, it didn’t start out complicated: Hath-Set was an evil priest of Anubis who murdered Prince Khufu and his lover Shiera and then they all got reincarnated some…
MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 229: THE FAULTLESS FOUR
(Flash Comics v1 001, 1940) I have a lot of fondness for the Faultless Four, the first super-foes of original Flash Jay Garrick. Firstly and most simply, they are a perfect illustration of the power creep that super-heroes introduced to comic books: where this group of criminal scientists armed with mildly-fantastic skills and tactics would have been sufficient to occupy your traditional adventure hero for months if not years, the Flash walks all over them without a care in the…
MINOR SUPER-HERO 027: THE DESTROYING DEMON
(Feature Comics 039-040, 1940-1941) This is a bit of a complicated one. So: “Captain Bruce Blackburn – Counterspy” was a strip that started in Feature Comics 032 in media res with the cover of the titular Captain and his colleague Lieutenant Jackson having been blown. The two then fake their deaths and a government plastic surgeon alters their appearances so that they are virtually identical, thus allowing them to operate as an incredibly efficient spy team with a flawless ability to generate…
MINOR SUPER-HERO 026: ZERO, GHOST DETECTIVE
(Feature Comics 032-074, 1940-1943) Eyyy, it’s Zero the Ghost Detective! I have a blanket love of the psychic detective genre and unusually for the Golden Age Zero’s cases almost always end up being actually supernatural as opposed to being a crook in a sheet – the above panels are from a case wherein a bitter old man dies and comes back as a three-fingered ogre to drag the rest of his family into death with him. It’s usually something gruesome…
MINOR SUPER-HERO 025: ACE OF SPACE
(Feature Comics 038-041, 1940-1941) Pretty fond of the Ace of Space. As you can see above he has the fairly common origin of finding an alien spaceship and [getting powers accidentally from alien technology/ getting powers as a reward for helping the alien/ looting the deceased alien/ taking on the dying alien’s mission and technology]. In this case, he has to defend the Earth from invading Slogoms. Also, I demand that you appreciate that cool looking alien. What a cool…
SUPER-VILLAIN YEARBOOK: THE JOKER 1940
What did the Joker get up to in 1940? 1. Batman Comics v1 001, ‘Untitled’ **first appearance** The Joker really hits the ground running in his first crime-outing. He establishes his character – prideful, mercurial and on-theme – and methods that are still in his repertoire to this day He indulges in the old standard of warning the police ahead of time, then killing his target and stealing their named gems (uh, this is a personal term for any gem…
SUPER-VILLAIN YEARBOOK: HUGO STRANGE 1940
What did Hugo Strange Get up to in 1940? 1. Detective Comics v1 036, ‘Untitled’ **first appearance** Hugo Strange starts his crime career pre-seasoned with a goodly dose of “I’ve heard of this guy. This guy is a big deal” from Batman. His actual plan is nothing special: using a machine he stole, Strange floods Gotham with fog night after night, leaving the police helpless to stop his gang as they loot and plunder at prearranged locations. The biggest thing…
SUPER-VILLAIN YEARBOOK: CLAYFACE 1940
What did Clayface get up to in 1940? Detective Comics v1 040, ‘Untitled’ **First Appearance** I’m not surprising anyone when I reveal that Clayface is actually Basil Karlo, an oldtime horror movie star who tanked his own career and couldn’t take it when they started remaking his old movies, thus necessitating a costumed murder spree to ruin the filming of Dread Castle. Batman and Robin get involved because one of the prospective victims is Julie Madison, Bruce Wayne’s fiancĂ© (in…
SUPER-VILLAIN YEARBOOK: CATWOMAN 1940
I have decided that I’m neglecting non-minor super-villains! Thus: super-villain yearbooks! We’re hopping back in time slightly to round up the ones who appeared in comics I have already read as I revisit them, so here comes a big blob of Batman villains! So, what was Catwoman up to in 1940? 1. Batman Comics v1 001, ‘Untitled’ **first appearance** In Catwoman’s first appearance, she’s a mysterious figure known as the Cat about whom little enough is known that Robin’s chief suspects…