(Human Torch v1 004, 1941) The Patriot is the heroic alter ego of Jeff Mace, reporter for the Consolidated Press. He is a pretty bay-the-book patriotic hero who would certainly be relegated to the ranks of the minor super-hero page if not for the fact that the integrity of Marvel Comics continuity had become important enough by the mid-70s that the question “if Captain America was frozen in 1945, just who was having all those adventures?” had to be answered….
I’ve threatened to do it for long enough, it’s time for the creatures to have their day. Alligator Men: Our very first creatures are also our first tough call. Steel Sterling fights these Alligator Men in Brazonia, South America while on the trail of Dr Yar (aka the Black Knight), and with any group of intelligent humanoids there is the question: did our villain make them using the power of mad science, or did he find them in the jungle…
We’ve got some real early media for you today, so get ready for the crustiest scans of microfiche you ever saw. Movies: Steve Rogers and Bucky almost get to the movies to see a flick called Million Dollar Robbery before being interrupted by a real, if smaller-scale, robbery. BONUS: a classic case of real movies stars barely obfuscated by having their first names swapped, in Humphrey Raft and George Bogart, aka George Raft and Humphrey Bogart. (Captain America Comics 004, 1941) Hired…
Once again we point and go “Hey. It’s that guy.” Adolf Hitler: Captain Courageous has to deal with a few pseudo-Nazis working for Hitler-alike Hinkler. (Banner Comics 003, 1941) Real Hitler takes a scheme-foiling by Vulcan pretty hard. (Four Favorites 001, 1941) Devil’s Island: Captain America and Bucky infiltrate Devil’s Island to free a prisoner who is not only a victim of carceral justice taken to unjust extremes but also as an arm of the Nazi government in France. (Captain America Comics…
(Captain America Comics 009, 1941) The Black Talon is honestly such a disappointing character. Two-thirds of him is composed of concepts that I love, but that remaining third is very rough. A hard character to endorse. First good Part: The Black Talon, aka Pascal Horta, is a mad artist who kills both as a way of eliminating his rivals and as a means of deriving inspiration for his series of horror-themed portraits. I always love seeing the mad arts represented…
If comics are reflections of the real world then why should we be surprised to find them so full of real people? Adolf Hitler: Hiller is the “mad dictator” who inspires Hercules to reincarnate and eventually become Marvel Boy. He’s about as close as you get to putting a Hitler in your comic as you can get without actually saying the name. The whole name. The “t” part. (Daring Mystery Comics 006, 1940) This otherwise-unnamed Fuehrer of a likewise nameless…
Now that’s entertainment. Magazines: Are magazine titles in comics more likely to be plays on real ones than other forms of media? Perhaps. We’ll just have to see how many variations on Life and Time we can find over the years. Pretending to work for Living has enough caché that it gets these fascists into a secure aircraft plant – how long has it been since magazines were so relevant? (Big Shot Comics 014, 1941) Movies: I never actually mentioned it in the entry on the Hunchback of…
(Captain America Comics 001, 1940) I probably wouldn’t have thought of this before writing so many entries about Golden Age super-heroes and their hastily shoehorned-in boy companions, but Bucky really is a top-tier sidekick, conceptually. Probably not the top, since Robin really set the gold standard, but close! Consider: In terms of the How Does He Acquire the Boy aspect of things, it couldn’t be simpler. There’s no need for some contrived (or ridiculously omitted) adoption process because Bucky is the…
(Captain America Comics 001, 1940) Captain America! Hitler-Puncher Number One! Quite possibly in the top five of super-heroics’ most well-known origins – a young man, physically unfit for the military but wishing to serve his country, is transformed into a super soldier with a combination of chemicals and radiation. The scientist responsible for this is murdered by an enemy spy rendering the young man a unique hero rather than the first of many. His first act as a hero is…