(Military Comics 001, 1941) Aviation comics are, to me, one of the more boring of the sub-genres which makes it especially galling that they are filled with gimmicky pilots with special names and super planes and so forth who clearly meet all of my criteria for being counted as a super-hero or -villain. But even if I let the boredom I felt at reading page after page of lovingly-detailed airplanes zooming around rule me and discounted all the pilot-heroes and…
We’ve got no time for major super-heroes around here. We’re too busy with the minor ones. the Black Ace: The Black Ace, aka Captain McRae, is yet another American pilot serving in the RAF in advance of the US entrance into WWII. As such, he is not only a highly accomplished pilot and bombardier but fully versed in the arts of prison escape, hand-to-hand combat, impersonating German soldiers and leaping from plane to plane in mid-flight. (Four Favorites 002, 1941)…
Welcome to “The Four Characters Least Likely to Return in a Modern Comic” Theatre. Marvex the Super-Robot: Marvex the Super-Robot! Created to be a slave by a Fifth Dimensional jerk named Bolo, Marvex rejects his fate, kills Bolo and his associates and accidentally blasts himself to Earth while smashing up Bolo’s lab equipment. If you’re already aware of who Marvex is then it’s likely because of the Michael Kupperman strip featuring the character during Marvel’s 70th Anniversary run of comics,…
Obscure Marvel super-heroes, you say? But of course! Monako, Prince of Magic: Monako is a classic comic book magic hero in the Zatara vein, right down to the top hat, tuxedo and little mustache, though he does eventually switch to wearing a fez. His major distinction from his legion of peers is that he was brought back in a fairly recent Doctor Strange run, though as is so often the case he was dug up only to be horribly killed off. Monako…