(Fight Comics 003, 1940)
This Skull is a smuggler notable only for his name and for being the first foe of Rip Regan, the Power-Man. I do appreciate the fact that these three panels are his only actual appearance in the story and they are exclusively concerned with him attempting to run away like a filthy coward.
SKULL SCORE: A generous 1/5 for a somewhat cadaverous face.
(Wonder Comics 001, 1939)
A gun runner doing business with rebel forces in the probably-South American country of Mauchako, the Mask doesn’t bring a lot to the table beyond a fairly snazzy take on the low-effort costume. He’s also the first foe faced by super-spy K-51 (is his original callsign of K-5, as you may have noticed). He’s also a US Senator, which is a heckuva job to split your attention from – also, weirdly he’s not our first one. He ends up employing K-51’s childhood pal and then murdering said pal so it’s not too surprising that he himself does not survive the adventure.
In conclusion, the Mask isn’t terribly exciting. He does have a good look, so that’s something.
(Wonder Comics 001, 1939)
A gun runner doing business with rebel forces in the probably-South American country of Mauchako, the Mask doesn’t bring a lot to the table beyond a fairly snazzy take on the low-effort costume. He’s also the first foe faced by super-spy K-51 (is his original callsign of K-5, as you may have noticed). He’s also a US Senator, which is a heckuva job to split your attention from – also, weirdly he’s not our first one. He ends up employing K-51’s childhood pal and then murdering said pal so it’s not too surprising that he himself does not survive the adventure.
In conclusion, the Mask isn’t terribly exciting. He does have a good look, so that’s something.
(Big 3 005-006, 1941)
As far as super-villains go, the Condor is a simple concept: the modern pirate. But the modern pirate is a classic character type! Murder on the high seas! Sneering braggadocio! Calling people swabs!
And the Condor himself fits the role to a T. It doesn’t hurt that he’s such a well-designed character: who knew that a guy in a black suit would look so good as a pirate with the simple addition of a cape and tricorn hat? I couldn’t find a good picture of his face in profile but it is similarly well-designed, with a combination of intense eyes, beaklike nose and slight overbite really giving the predatory bird vibe.
It’s not quite as on-theme, but the Condor’s plan to loot NYC York City is suitably villainous. Plus:
… he has crooked politicians on his side! Including the mayor! (and here we must indulge in a brief aside: the Blue Beetle, like many super-heroes, operates out of a nonspecific urban landscape strongly influenced by New York City. It gets referred to as York City once or twice early on but for the most part goes nameless. But the thing is, it’s near a lot of places like Westchester and New Jersey that place it in the NYC neighbourhood, so I’ve been saying that it’s New York for a while now. Mayor Dorth here is just one too many anomalous mayors for me to ignore – I’m forced to conclude that the Blue Beetle operates out of a metropolis that may or may not be called York City and like Golden Age Gotham City essentially occupies the same geography as New York without being New York)
And while many criminal mayors in comics are merely corrupt, Mayor Dorth is a proper wrongun – not only does he cover up the murder of Councilman Hals here by framing Joan Mason but he both helps set up the Condor’s raid on the city and attempts to betray him and make off with the loot himself. This of course only gets him killed but you have to appreciate the dynamism.
The Condor is seemingly drowned by the Blue Beetle at the end of his first appearance but pops right back up again in the next issue to attack Dr Lane of the city museum. It’s a bit low-stakes after looting the entire city but the Condor still gives it his all.
It’s all rather tawdry at the end: Dr Lane and the Condor have been smuggling uncut diamonds and Lane is for some reason attempting to double-cross a notably murderous pirate. There’s a lot of running around and attempted murder before the Condor is once again seemingly killed by the Blue Beetle, this time via a sock to the kisser that sends him into a ship’s boiler.
Like Countess Belladonna before him, the Condor has all the hallmarks of a villain who would continue to return to plague the Blue Beetle if only Fox Features hadn’t had that unfortunate financial trouble and lost control of the character for a couple of years. Alas, he was forgotten during the Beetle’s time at Holyoke.
(Big 3 005-006, 1941)
As far as super-villains go, the Condor is a simple concept: the modern pirate. But the modern pirate is a classic character type! Murder on the high seas! Sneering braggadocio! Calling people swabs!
And the Condor himself fits the role to a T. It doesn’t hurt that he’s such a well-designed character: who knew that a guy in a black suit would look so good as a pirate with the simple addition of a cape and tricorn hat? I couldn’t find a good picture of his face in profile but it is similarly well-designed, with a combination of intense eyes, beaklike nose and slight overbite really giving the predatory bird vibe.
It’s not quite as on-theme, but the Condor’s plan to loot NYC York City is suitably villainous. Plus:
… he has crooked politicians on his side! Including the mayor! (and here we must indulge in a brief aside: the Blue Beetle, like many super-heroes, operates out of a nonspecific urban landscape strongly influenced by New York City. It gets referred to as York City once or twice early on but for the most part goes nameless. But the thing is, it’s near a lot of places like Westchester and New Jersey that place it in the NYC neighbourhood, so I’ve been saying that it’s New York for a while now. Mayor Dorth here is just one too many anomalous mayors for me to ignore – I’m forced to conclude that the Blue Beetle operates out of a metropolis that may or may not be called York City and like Golden Age Gotham City essentially occupies the same geography as New York without being New York)
And while many criminal mayors in comics are merely corrupt, Mayor Dorth is a proper wrongun – not only does he cover up the murder of Councilman Hals here by framing Joan Mason but he both helps set up the Condor’s raid on the city and attempts to betray him and make off with the loot himself. This of course only gets him killed but you have to appreciate the dynamism.
The Condor is seemingly drowned by the Blue Beetle at the end of his first appearance but pops right back up again in the next issue to attack Dr Lane of the city museum. It’s a bit low-stakes after looting the entire city but the Condor still gives it his all.
It’s all rather tawdry at the end: Dr Lane and the Condor have been smuggling uncut diamonds and Lane is for some reason attempting to double-cross a notably murderous pirate. There’s a lot of running around and attempted murder before the Condor is once again seemingly killed by the Blue Beetle, this time via a sock to the kisser that sends him into a ship’s boiler.
Like Countess Belladonna before him, the Condor has all the hallmarks of a villain who would continue to return to plague the Blue Beetle if only Fox Features hadn’t had that unfortunate financial trouble and lost control of the character for a couple of years. Alas, he was forgotten during the Beetle’s time at Holyoke.
(Mystery Men Comics 027, 1941)
As is so frequently the case, this here ghost is in fact an elaborate hoax carried out to keep people away from a particular location. This time it’s a gang of smugglers operating out of an old abandoned inn evocatively named “the Tombstones” by the locals. The Green Mask makes short work of these rascals despite the extra effort they put in, including wholesale grave robbing in order to keep themselves stocked up with enough spooky skeletons to scare off the rubes.
(Mystery Men Comics 027, 1941)
As is so frequently the case, this here ghost is in fact an elaborate hoax carried out to keep people away from a particular location. This time it’s a gang of smugglers operating out of an old abandoned inn evocatively named “the Tombstones” by the locals. The Green Mask makes short work of these rascals despite the extra effort they put in, including wholesale grave robbing in order to keep themselves stocked up with enough spooky skeletons to scare off the rubes.
(More Fun Comics 072, 1941)
The Hook is in reality cannery cwner Rand Greer, who has a lucrative sideline in smuggling jewels inside of frozen fish (and a less lucrative hobby of murdering FBI agents).
To justify the name, Greer has a hook hand concealed under a fake plastic hand (a pretty good one honestly – I reckon he’s holding a fish with it in the first image). There’s really nothing to this guy and I’d ordinarily banish him to the ranks of the generic villains if only to have a bit more excitement in entry number 400, but this marks the last appearance of Captain Desmo and I must say I’ll miss him. Truly he was the best of the pilot/ adventurers, even if his foes weren’t always worth writing home about.
(Detective Comics 046, 1940)
Love this guy. The head of a gang of smugglers who looks like a goldfish and is sensitive about it and tortures his foes by imprisoning them in a huge goldfish bowl where they have to stand for days or drown and the only thing to eat is what raw goldfish they can catch and they eventually go mad? Terrific.
All that but it’s actually a mask and the Goldfish is actually a frustrated former actor? So much better.
UPDATE: In a rare callback, a remnant of the Goldfish’s gang is the antagonist of the ‘Spy’ story in Detective Comics 048. Neat!