(Green Mask v1 003, 1940) Radion first comes to the attention of the Green Mask and Domino the Miracle Boy when he makes an attempt on the life of their beloved laundry delivery boy, Jerry. After much running around after the hooded mastermind and his gang and multiple concussions for both of our heroes, Radion is eventually unmasked as… Jerry’s boss, Mr Pelson. There are two things to take away from this: 1) The increased chance of being a super-villain…
(Green Mask v1 001, 1940) The Grim Circle! A mysterious hooded group responsible not only for killing the Green Mask’s father but also for causing the injury that leads to the creation of the Green Mask himself! And the creation of Domino the Miracle Boy a bit later in the issue! Truly they are the engines of their own destruction. SIDE NOTE: Criminals targeting politicians for introducing tough-on-crime legislation is a trope in various media to this very day. I…
Guess what? More minor super-heroes, that’s what. the Black Arrow: Black Arrow, aka Rex Norton, is a detective/pilot, ho-hum. As per standard he has a great codename. (Green Giant Comics 001, 1940) the Researcher: A dapper super-scientist armed with x-ray flashlights, paralysis-inducing walking sticks and mind-reading rays. Perhaps the most charming thing about him is that everyone from his enemies to his friends to his lab assistant/love interest refer to him solely as “the Researcher.” (Green Giant Comics 001, 1940)…
(Green Giant Comics 001, 1940) The Raiders are a piratical group with a two-pronged approach to acquiring gold on the briny deep: 1. learn of gold shipments via a spy network operated by a member known only as “the Spy Chief” 2. employ the super-scientific creations of submarine captain Dirck to wreak havoc on gold bearing ships and then escape. The whole thing is going swimmingly and even Rex Norton, the Black Arrow, is making very little headway against them…
Just look at all these guys. Power-Man: Power-Man, aka Rip Regan, private detective or possibly just nosy guy, gets his powers in one of the classic ways: his friend Dr Austin gives him a special suit. It’s the simplest of origins and also one that puts a lot of weight on Austin’s assessment of Regan’s character. The Power-Man suit is one of the more hand-wavy bits of comic book super-science I have encountered, when you get down to it. Billed…
(Funny Pages v4 008, 1940) Betty Thomas is the recipient of the sort of inheritance that seems to be aimed at causing trouble: her uncle Henry has left her a fortune, provided that she is of sound mind thirty days after the will reading. If she isn’t, the money goes to a secondary inheritor. This is of course the cue for someone to employ a huge hook-handed goon and start a nightly campaign of terror designed to drive her out…
Once again I present the worst that comics has to offer. The Great Green Turtle: The Great Green Turtle is just your standard Yellow Peril Chinatown ganglord, albeit one with a fantastic name. He does try to throw Sub-Zero, a man with ice powers, into a shark tank so we can safely say that he is not a villain with fantastic intelligence. His gem-smuggling ring gets thoroughly kiboshed. (Blue Bolt v1 004, 1940) The Lama: The Lama is a bandit…
Just a great bunch of guys. David: I read the Samson stories in Big 3 before those in his home comic Fantastic, so while I knew about his sidekick David I didn’t really know what his whole deal was. I had read that Samson just found him sitting around somewhere and assumed that that was hyperbole but no, it’s not: Samson is investigating some mysterious plane crashes in the Rockies when he just finds a kid, who turns out to…
(Fight Comics 008, 1940) I like to criticize scientist-villains a lot for their limited vision, for their inability to see the legitimate money-making options they have after inventing say a super-efficient tunnel digging machine that they view solely as a way to rob banks easily. The Monk is the opposite of that kind of guy, I reckon. (brief aside about the name: this is not in reference to the religious calling but rather the old-school, now-defunct gangster nickname, where “Monk”…
(Fight Comics 006, 1940) The Lizard was (will be?) the leader of a group of Grotonian spies working to sabotage the military of Greater America in the far-off future year of 1998 AD. He had (will have?) the pretty clever idea of being arrested as a petty thief and running his operation from inside a jail cell but unfortunately for his reputation as a smart guy he then fell for the most obvious trick in the world when Saber the…