When we last saw Madame Doom, she had been bested at the game of espionage by the Black X and was fleeing the US for friendlier shores at the end of Smash Comics 004. Madame Doom returns with a fresh new attitude for 1940 in Smash Comics 008, as now she is not just working for an analog of the Axis powers but explicitly for the Nazis. It’s a lateral move at best but an important one nonetheless. She only…
(Smash Comics 012, 1940) The Hunchback of Notre Dame is just that, a modern version of the fictional character, and seemingly just as damaged by society as his predecessor. He is manipulated into working as an assassin for Madame Doom, who is in Paris (presumably on behalf of the Nazis) to disrupt peace talks helmed by US Ambassador Blank but is being effectively countered by the Black X and so must operate through a deniable dupe asset. Just what the…
Lotta Hitlers in this one. Adolf Hitler: Thalga, supreme dictator of Govania, is a clear Hitler analog. (Smash Comics 006, 1940) This unnamed Hitler-with-a-goatee comes with a bonus, very tired-looking, FDR! (Smash Comics 006, 1940) Hitler look-alike Rudolph Hitz acts as political representative and spy chief for Hitler act-alike dictator Holtz in a plot to rob the US gold reserve at Fort Knox-alike Fort Adam, only to meet defeat at the cold metal hands of Bozo the Iron Man. (Smash…
(Smash Comics 011, 1940) If there’s one thing that Kent Thurston, aka the Invisible Hood, has in spades, it’s wealthy friends who are having crime problems. In this case, the friend is financier John Barr and the problem is the Green Ghost, a costumed thief who has been popping up all over the local area to rob the rich, even when they’re being extra sneaky about what they’re doing. Sure enough, the Green Ghost shows up to rob Barr of…
(Smash Comics 011, 1940) London is in the grip of terror! An ominous figure with huge glowing eyes is terrifying/attacking people in the streets and in their homes! The city is in an uproar – where could the Luminous Eyes strike next? And to make the whole situation even more confusing, the only purpose of these attacks appears to be the theft of various common items, all green. When there’s trouble in this particular fictional version of London, Captain Cook…
(Smash Comics 010, 1940) I had a little intro to this entry all mapped out in my head, something along the lines of how in a super-hero universe, super crimes are just as obvious a choice as mundane ones, like hiring a scientist to mind control your political opponents instead of merely blackmailing them, and so we shouldn’t judge super-villains for over-complicating things, but as a part of actually writing it out I had to go over the details of…
(Smash Comics 009, 1940) Proxoff is an example of a Kind of Guy that you see in Golden Age Comics: he came through the chaos of the Great War and said to himself “if this ever happens again then I’m going to come out on top.” Together with his aides van Damm and Count Trini, Proxoff has established secret airfields and fortresses in Siberia and presumably elsewhere and is waiting for his moment to swoop in and conquer the weakened…
(Smash Comics 008, 1940) Times are tough in Unionville: the local factories are all suffering accidents which appear to be due to systemic worker negligence but which add up to a campaign of sabotage, and since it’s a factory town, if things continue as they are then everyone is completely screwed. Luckily for the good folk of Unionville, the steel mill that the latest incident occurred at is managed by a guy named Tom, and Tom is friends with a…
(Smash Comics 007, 1940) The Voice! A classic and popular alter ego for a reason – all you need is to be heard more than you are seen and you have yourself a gimmick, and if you have some sort of voice-based super power, well that’s a real bonus. In this case, the Voice is a mysterious figure who has kidnapped Lola Barnes, daughter of wealthy gem collector Sir Sidney Barnes. The Voice demands 100 000 pounds and the Red…
(Smash Comics 007, 1940) Sometimes a villain is as simple as a hooded gun-runner called the Masked One, and that’s who we have here. Also, he is captured by Quality Comics adventure character Abdul the Arab, a name that isn’t technically problematic but sure does make the corner of your eye twitch when you read it (plus the comics it appears in meet all the problematic specifications, so your eye is right to react). The Masked One is actually Webb,…