So just what did the Human Torch get up to in 1940? Well, in Marvel Mystery Comics v1 004 he makes the name Jim Hamond on the fly during a police stop and evidently likes it enough to adopt it as his full-time secret identity. Not sure when he adds the second ‘m’ to make it Hammond. Will report back when he does. In Marvel Mystery Comics v1 007 the Human Torch, as Jim Hamond, decides to become a police…
(Marvel Comics 001, 1939*) No character in comics history swings more wildly and frequently between super-villain and super-hero than Namor the Sub-Mariner, Prince of Atlantis, and since as established in the case of Spy Smasher and Smasher Spy we treat the villainous and heroic actions of the same individual as different subjects we must start with Namor the villain (Namor the hero here). Namor’s origin is a relatively simple one, and to my knowledge one that has remained fairly unchanged to…
(Marvel Comics 001, 1939) A two-fisted vigilante in the Batman mode, the Angel was a big enough name in Marvel’s Golden Age comics that it would be kind of surprising that he has never really been revived post-Silver Age if not for the fact that his name was, and that the subsequent and ongoing popularity of the X-Men means that there was always a full “Angel” slot on the Marvel roster. On top of this (and probably because of this) the Angel…
Time for a heaping dose of real folk from Golden Age Marvel comics. Adolf Hitler: Kalph Belgri, dictator of Torpis, takes his own life when his invasion of neighbouring Molivia is thwarted by Electro. (Marvel Mystery Comics v1 005, 1940) The Human Torch encounters Adolphe Hiccup, dictator of Slaveland, while foiling a plot to fool his sidekick Toro into aiding their war effort. He is seen colluding with his ally Benny Musclein, who is such a clear Mussolini stand-in that…
(Marvel Comics 001, 1939) The Human Torch! The first major (and first overall) Marvel super-hero, despite the fact that my disorganized ass is writing about him third! The Human Torch is a synthetic man, aka an android (aka a synthezoid, which as far as I can tell means “cooler android” and won’t come into use until the 60s anyway) and created by Professor “Not Yet Phineas” Horton. Later stories will add all kinds of influences on and collaborators with Horton…
Time to revise the Comparative Religion curriculum again because we found some new gods. Adobi: Just to what extent these Molemen worship the god Adobi is impossible to say. This particular Moleman hold him in high enough esteem to implore him to sanctify a forced political marriage, if that counts for anything much. I really wish we had a better angle on Adobi’s front side so I could see the big gems in his chest and forehead better. God Style:…
Here are some very minor Marvel Comics super-heroes, or at least super-hero adjacent comic book adventurers. the Masked Raider: The Masked Raider is actually Jim Gardley, a small-time rancher in the town of Cactusville (which has apparently been officially placed in California? the hell?) is run off his land and framed as a rustler by crooked business interests. Adopting his masked persona and acquiring a souped-up horse named Lightning, he strikes back at his persecutors and goes on to spread…
(Lightning Comics v2 002, 1941) The Green Hood Gang, who are unsurprisingly a gang who wear green hoods (and please note the rare and stylish nose cutouts on those numbers), make their debut by barging in and robbing the Raven after he himself had just gone to the trouble of holding up the guests of a party at the home of retired gangster Joe Russo. From there, the Green Hoods embark on a crime spree so ambitious in scope that…
(Lightning Comics v2 001, 1941) The Chief is that most low-tier of costumed criminals: the masked manager of an underground casino. And not a particularly well-hidden casino either, seeing as Detective Danny “the Raven” Dartin just kind of stumbles upon its existence one night while eating in the beanery that is its front business, and Dartin’s boss Chief Lash leads a raid on the place almost simultaneously. I guess that’s why he wears the mask. Here we must explore the limits of…
I’ve finally caught up on all the backlogged wounds! Only new wounds for the catalogue going forward. the Dart: The Dart has come all the way from Ancient Rome to the present day (1940) only to be shot in the left arm. (Weird Comics 006, 1940) Doc Strange: Though the text box says that Doc Strange is “riddled with bullets” in this exchange, the subsequent first aid suggests that his left arm bore the brunt of the damage. (Thrilling Comics…