SUPER-HERO FILE 005: THE HUMAN TORCH

SUPER-HERO FILE 005: THE HUMAN TORCH

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(Marvel Comics 001, 1939) The Human Torch! The first major (and first overall) Marvel super-hero, despite the fact that my disorganized ass is writing about him third! The Human Torch is a synthetic man, aka an android (aka a synthezoid, which as far as I can tell means “cooler android” and won’t come into use until the 60s anyway) and created by Professor “Not Yet Phineas” Horton. Later stories will add all kinds of influences on and collaborators with Horton…

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DIVINE ROUND-UP 035

DIVINE ROUND-UP 035

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Time to revise the Comparative Religion curriculum again because we found some new gods. Adobi: Just to what extent these Molemen worship the god Adobi is impossible to say. This particular Moleman hold him in high enough esteem to implore him to sanctify a forced political marriage, if that counts for anything much. I really wish we had a better angle on Adobi’s front side so I could see the big gems in his chest and forehead better. God Style:…

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MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 104

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 104

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Here are some very minor Marvel Comics super-heroes, or at least super-hero adjacent comic book adventurers. the Masked Raider: The Masked Raider is actually Jim Gardley, a small-time rancher in the town of Cactusville (which has apparently been officially placed in California? the hell?) is run off his land and framed as a rustler by crooked business interests. Adopting his masked persona and acquiring a souped-up horse named Lightning, he strikes back at his persecutors and goes on to spread…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 1004: THE GREEN HOOD GANG

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 1004: THE GREEN HOOD GANG

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(Lightning Comics v2 002, 1941) The Green Hood Gang, who are unsurprisingly a gang who wear green hoods (and please note the rare and stylish nose cutouts on those numbers), make their debut by barging in and robbing the Raven after he himself had just gone to the trouble of holding up the guests of a party at the home of retired gangster Joe Russo. From there, the Green Hoods embark on a crime spree so ambitious in scope that…

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ALIENS AND SO FORTH ROUND-UP 054

ALIENS AND SO FORTH ROUND-UP 054

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Comic book aliens: one of the few inexhaustible resources. Martians: Just as Doc Strong and his followers are starting to get the post-apocalyptic, WWII-lasted-a-century world of 2041 sorted out, a bunch of robot-looking Martians show up to ruin things by invading their territory on the Isle of Right. It’s just one thing after another with that year. Though they are fairly generic hostile invaders, these fellows really distinguish themselves among their class by immediately abandoning whatever plans that they had…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 1003: THE CHIEF

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 1003: THE CHIEF

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(Lightning Comics v2 001, 1941) The Chief is that most low-tier of costumed criminals: the masked manager of an underground casino. And not a particularly well-hidden casino either, seeing as Detective Danny “the Raven” Dartin just kind of stumbles upon its existence one night while eating in the beanery that is its front business, and Dartin’s boss Chief Lash leads a raid on the place almost simultaneously. I guess that’s why he wears the mask. Here we must explore the limits of…

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CATALOGUE OF WOUNDS 014

CATALOGUE OF WOUNDS 014

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I’ve finally caught up on all the backlogged wounds! Only new wounds for the catalogue going forward. the Dart: The Dart has come all the way from Ancient Rome to the present day (1940) only to be shot in the left arm. (Weird Comics 006, 1940) Doc Strange: Though the text box says that Doc Strange is “riddled with bullets” in this exchange, the subsequent first aid suggests that his left arm bore the brunt of the damage. (Thrilling Comics…

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MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 1002: MASTERMIND

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 1002: MASTERMIND

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(Lightning Comics v2 001, 1941) Lash Lightning, while aimlessly flying around the countryside at night, encounters a footsore scientist named Amy Lane. Turns out that her castle (!) has been stolen by a man named Mastermind and that she has been walking for several hours in an attempt to get help. In a move that always seems kind of rude to me, Lightning immediately flies her all the way back to the castle to investigate. The mysterious Mastermind is no longer present…

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MONSTER, CRITTER AND CREATURE ROUND-UP 003

MONSTER, CRITTER AND CREATURE ROUND-UP 003

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I hope everyone likes monsters as much as I do because there are a whole lot of them to cover. Beaked Tyros: When polar explorer Anthony Conrad gets lost in an Arctic storm and falls through a hole in the pack ice, he reasonably expects to meet his demise. Instead, he falls into the subterranean kingdom of Artica and is chosen by the elderly Artican king – also a stranded former surface explorer – as his successor.  As part of…

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GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 046

GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 046

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Here’s to all the crooks who just didn’t have enough oomph. the Despot: The Despot (not really his name, but literally the only thing he is called throughout the story) has the magic power to transform himself and others into living plants and animals, a power which he uses to trap Camilla and Sir Champion in his mountain fastness after luring them there on a magical golden road. Thus stripped of its leaders, the Lost Empire proves no match for…

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