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Category: 1939

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 533: THORGA

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 533: THORGA

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(Fantastic Comics 001, 1939)  Thorga! Exiled from Western society because of his “mad plans”, he emerges from the mountains of Tibet with a high-tech army, intent on conquering Europe! Thorga! He fields a mighty airforce of advanced planes, a mechanized infantry of advanced tanks! Thorga! He is the first foe faced by Fox Features’ Samson and so his main role is as a demonstration of Samson’s power as he destroys not only the planes and tanks but the regular infantry…

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REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 002

REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 002

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How did these real people come to be trapped in the 2D realm? We may never know Adolf Hitler: This one is more tenuous but Blitz Krieg here is Fuehrer of the pseudo-Nazi Bundonian forces in America. He’s not not a Hitler analog. (Blue Ribbon Comics 006, 1940) This is Boris Thorax, first foe of Rex Dexter of Mars, who collaborates with the Moon People in order to take over the Earth of 2000 AD. Look at that hair: that’s…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 011

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 011

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Lotsa lil guys. Mr Justice:  Like the Spectre or the Wraith (or Sergeant Spook or the Gay Ghost or the Ghost Patrol…), Mr Justice is your classic restless spirit who remains on Earth to mete out justice to the wicked. Specifically, Mr Justice is the 200 year old ghost of the fictional English Prince James, cruelly slain by followers of Prince Richard during the Rogers Rebellion of the 1740s. Astute readers and students of history might have noticed a few…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 009

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 009

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All Archie/MLJ edition! Rang-a-Tang the Wonder Dog: The Wonder Dog is an uncommon but distinct type of comic book hero and Rang-a-Tang here is typical of the breed: essentially a dog with human intelligence. Rang-a-Tang escaped from a cruel but evidently very talented circus dog trainer and almost immediately teamed up with police Detective Hy Speed, who was perhaps lashing out at the world for his own moniker when he gave his new dog one of the all-time worst names….

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NOTES – MAY 2024

NOTES – MAY 2024

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Cops Shooting:  I’ve been reading old Dick Tracy strips and while tracking all of the times that Tracy fires on a fleeing suspect would be a fool’s errand I would like to note that so far in the 1933 he has been responsible for the shooting deaths of two non-criminals. Nova Scotia: Speaking of Dick Tracy and filled with home-town pride: this July 1933 strip and the next week or so take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Honours: Black X…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 008

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 008

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Some real highs and lows in this one. the Twister:  The Twister is a quite minor Golden Age super-hero – he managed more than one appearance but not more than seven – who has the distinction of having one of the most well-designed costumes of the era. Not my favourite costume, mind you, but boy oh boy, you can really tell that his creators (Ray Gill and Paul Gustavson as it happens) really sat down for a good think about…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 008

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 008

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Some real highs and lows in this one. the Twister:  The Twister is a quite minor Golden Age super-hero – he managed more than one appearance but not more than seven – who has the distinction of having one of the most well-designed costumes of the era. Not my favourite costume, mind you, but boy oh boy, you can really tell that his creators (Ray Gill and Paul Gustavson as it happens) really sat down for a good think about…

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NOTES – APRIL 2024

NOTES – APRIL 2024

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Nazi Superweapon: There’s nothing terribly special about this giant dirigible that the Phantom Sub encounters after it starts to fly as well as submerge, but I do appreciate a dirigible that can not only camouflage itself as a stormcloud but has a proper old-school lightning cannon mounted underneath. And is filled with hydrogen, nuch to its later detriment. (Blue Bolt v2 007, 1941) Honours: Corporal Collins, Infantryman earns the French Croix de Guerre. (Blue Ribbon Comics 002, 1939) Rang-a-Tang the…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 472: THE GREAT QUESTION

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 472: THE GREAT QUESTION

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(Amazing-Man Comics 005, 1939) The Great Question is a member of the Council of Seven, the mysterious body of scientists and mystics who trained and orphan boy into John Aman aka the Amazing-Man. The inner dynamics of the Council of Seven can be a bit hard to parse but early on it seems like the Great Question is if not in charge at least an unofficial leader. Later, as he has more and more conflict with Amazing-Man that role is…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 434: THE PHANTOM OF THE SKY

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 434: THE PHANTOM OF THE SKY

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(Popular Comics 046, 1939) The Phantom of the Sky (AKA the Phantom Sky Raider AKA the Black Phantom) is a mysterious pilot who has been flying around the American West, viciously attacking and shooting down civilian planes and painting a skull-and-crossbones calling card on them. He turns out to be a nameless French WWI flying ace, shot down and left for dead but actually just trapped in a delusion of an unending war in which he is essentially conducting guerrilla…

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