Gold Nuggets: All You Need is a Great Catch Phrase

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Who can forget the great superhero catch phrases?  Echoing down through the ages, these timeless "war cries" are almost as renowned as the heroes themselves...

At this point I know you're thinking, "Hold the phone, Mark! The 'Yah Yah Yah' guy...what gives?"

Why, he's none other than The Fox, who made his debut in MLJ's Blue Ribbon Comics #4 (1940).  The epic tale begins as newspaper photographer Paul Patton "larns" a lesson from the evil Night Riders!

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Things went from bad to worse when Paul's editor demoted him to Inquiring Photographer, the paper's "most loathsome job".  The reason for his rash of bad luck?  According to Paul himself: Not foxy enough!

As the only superhero to be inspired by a song
on the radio, Paul gets down to business....

Was Paul's incorporation of the  "synchro-flash automatic camera" into his costume the first example of high-tech superheroics?  Sure, stuffing a camera (and bulb-flash) into a costume looks pretty silly by 21st century standards of miniaturized tech...but in 1940? Uber-Snazzy!

With his costume complete, Paul Patton stands before his mirror as The Fox!

Later: Behold!  The sheer terror of a guy in a baggy outfit
with bunny ears yelling "Yah Yah Yah Yaahhhhh!"

So, the next time you hear that legendary cry of "Yah, Yah, Yah, Yaaahhh!", you'll know you're under the watchful eye (and hidden camera) of The Fox!

That, or you're about to be attacked by a crazy bag lady.

   

Comments

[Bill S.]

Don't foxes have, y'know, eyes?

[Mark Engblom]

Arguably, eyes could have made the costume an angstrom cooler, as would coloring it red...and a bushy tail.

Scratch that last one.

[Siskoid]

I've got a friend who "collects" "ideas that Stan Lee stole". He's gonna get a kick out of the friendly neighbourhood camera shtick!

[Mark Engblom]

Yeah, but at least Stan lost the flashbulb set-up the Fox lugged around.

As for "stealing" ideas...what ideas in comics are absolutely original? I think everything is an amalgamation of what came before...whether consciously or unconsciously.

Superman...the so-called "first" superhero? Yeah, maybe officially...but he's a combination of a lot of pre-existing concepts...chief among them Philip Wylie's character from Gladiator, some Doc Savage and who-knows-how-many elements from the sci-fi than osmosized into the minds of Siegel and Shuster.

[Siskoid]

Totally agree. In defense of my friend, it's just a game he plays. He does the Stan Lee voice and talks about having the original artist sign a piece of paper that said it was Stan's.

It's a pretty funny shtick in person.

[buttler]

i love how his radio epiphany is played almost exactly like bruce wayne's encounter with the bat in the window . . . only much, much lamer.

[kid419]

I'm surprised you didn't use the Runaways' rally cry; " Try not to die."

[Mark Engblom]

Funny you should mention the Runaways. I've recently started reading the trade collections of their stories. Great stuff! I'm not aware of the "Try not to die" rally cry...but it definitely fits with the tone of the books I've enjoyed so far.

[zubzwank]

Believe it or not, they made a Fox action figure in the 80's...and I
mean this guy!

Also, the Red Rube--It's a bird!...It's a plane!...It's Red Rube!--in Zip Comics had a battle cry of "Hey Rube!", known to strike fear in the hearts of evil-doers everywhere!

Beatles did pretty good with "Yah, Yah, Yah!"

[Bonhomme]

The song he's listening to was a hit at the time. It was played by the Glenn Miller orchestra, sung by the Andrew Sisters and called the "The Little Red Fox" (N'ya N'ya Ya Can't Catch Me).

It tell the story of a little fox who mocks his pursuers.

So it did fits, but indeed it's the only time a funny novelty tune inspired a guy to become a superhero. Easier way to go than having your parents murdered or being exposed to an atomic blast I guess...