(Amazing-Man Comics 011, 1940) On the surface Drago seems to merely be a guy who looks like an evil cat and shoots his henchmen rather than paying them (not only a nightmare for HR but a bad financial decision as you’ll be spending more in headhunting and training new goons than you will save in salaries), and that’s just what he is. There are no hidden depths. He kidnaps world-class scientists and sells them to the Axis-equivalent belligerent governments of…
(Amazing-Man Comics 010, 1940) I am heartbroken. Here’s a bit of trivia: most of the 465 entries before this were written about characters in comics I had already read and if there was something in them that made me feel particularly strong emotions then I had had time to process it and mull it over. Going forward, however, we’re looking at a lot of comics that are brand new to me. In that spirit, I must admit: the first few…
(Amazing-Man Comics 010-011, 1940) The Magician from Mars’ final foe is a two-issue affair, but the first one is a bit of a nothing story: a mysterious terror attack at an airport turns out to be the work of a villain named the Hood who has found a way to… play a loud sound into a glass ball and then use it as a grenade. It’s a weird contrivance even by sci-fi super-hero comic standards. In any case, the Magician…
The Foot Test For Guns: I sincerely can’t believe we’ve found another person trying the Foot Test For Guns, the worst of all ways to see if a gun is working. (Big Shot Comics 004, 1940) Kids Playing Super-Heroes: Jibby Jones is a pretty weak sauce comic strip (seen here in comic book reprint, natch) but dang if I’m not intrigued by this Moon Man character. (Big Shot Comics 005, 1940) Honours: Jeff Cardiff, Spy-Chief saves Washington DC from being…
(Amazing-Man Comics 009, 1940) The Elemental! An extradimensional intruder who insinuates itself into the unspecified future world of hero the Magician from Mars via the music of unwitting dupe Bill Wend. Is this a future with wildly relaxed standards for professional music performance or has the musical director of Concert Hall also being influenced by the Elemental? This question will go unanswered, alas. Having achieved its goal of entering our reality, the Elemental feeds not only on the crowd’s fear…