Comic Coverage

Gold Nuggets: Billy "Hot Lips" Batson

Although it's been over fifty years since the fabled Golden Age of Comics came to a close, the grit and heroism of those simple tales can still inspire the jaded audience of today.  That's why I'm kicking off a new feature titled Gold Nuggets, offering glimpses of the jaw-dropping courage and no-nonsense moxie (and occasional stupidity) of the Greatest Generation of comic book characters.

Our inagural Gold Nugget comes from Fawcett's Captain Marvel Adventures #1 (1941).  In a story titled "Captain Marvel vs. Z" (by the team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, no less), Billy Batson is captured by Dr. Sivana and his super-powered minion "Z", who then leave him bound and gagged in Sivana's burning hideout.

With the gag preventing Billy from yelling "SHAZAM", he's done for, right?

WRONG!

Billy uses his quick wits (and freakish
flexibility) to burn the gag off of his face!

If that doesn't gain Billy Batson an instant induction into
the Testosterone Hall of Fame, I don't know what will.

Gold Nuggets: Pyroman!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

For anyone who's still under the impression that the Golden Age of Comics was a genteel time of Golly-Gee-Whiz wholesomeness, I'll let Pyroman of America's Best Comics #18 (Nedor Comics, 1946) convince you otherwise.

Gaining electro-magnetic powers after a mistaken trip to the electric chair (oops!), research student Dick Martin (not the Laugh-In guy) apparently still had enough faith in the justice system to fight crime as Pyroman.

On a quest to regain the stolen Electrosorber device, Pyroman is all business as he dispatches a gang of costumed thugs...and by "dispatches" I mean horribly and painfully seared by electricity!

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Like I said....ALL-BUSINESS!

One unlucky stiff gets strangled while being electrocuted (click to enlarge), as his crudely-drawn face shows equal parts horror, pain, and stunned disbelief.  After the smoke of smoldering, electrocuted flesh clears, Pyroman reassures the uniformed Authority Figure the Electrosorber is now in safe hands...only to suffer a snotty retort from his standard-issue haughty girlfriend.

---

BONUS!

Gaze upon the stangely doodled-looking facial hair of Rex Topsed, arch enemy of Pyroman (click on his mug for a better look).

"Topsed"?  What's that all about?

Ah, you see, "Topsed" read backwards is "Despot", making it clear to Rex that he was "born to rule"!  Mwah ha haaaa!

Gold Nuggets: The Comet!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

"What has been will be again, what has been done
will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."
-Ecclesiastes 1, verse 9

When Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created Cyclops for their 1963 X-Men title, you'd think a character who shoots destructive eye-beams through a protective visor was something truly unique in the "nothing new under the sun" world of comic book superheroes.

Actually, MLJ Magazines (later known as Archie Comics) beat Stan and Jack to the punch more than 23 years earlier with a character named The Comet, who made his debut in Pep Comics #1 (1940). 

Written and drawn by future Plastic Man creator Jack Cole, the Comet was actually scientist John Dickering, whose repeated injections of a mysterious gas gave him lighter-than-air leaping ability (yay!) and eyebeams that could completely disintegrate anything (yikes!). Fortunately, Dickering designed a special visor made of glass to block his deadly optic rays (much like the ruby-quartz visor of Cyclops) and decided to use his powers to benefit humanity.

Like most Golden Agers, The Comet had a brusk, no-nonsense way of dealing with bad guys, as this little scene illustrates:

(click on the panels for a larger view)

However, that pales in comparison to the story's thrilling climax, as a vengeful Comet raises his visor wide open to melt the thugs into nothingness!

WHEW!  Justice....Golden Age Style! Ironically from the guy best known for the wacky and whimsical adventures of Plastic Man!

Gold Nuggets: Doll Man vs. The Baseball Bandits

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

What could be worse than baseball being used for evil?  Why, with Opening Day a mere six days away, how could anyone commit such borderline blasphemy to The Great American Pastime?  Good thing the Doll Man was on the case!

Created in 1939 by the legendary Will Eisner (of Spirit fame), chemist Darrell Dane developed a formula that allowed him to shrink to a height of 6 inches while still retaining his normal-size strength....making him the first of a number of shrinking superheroes (as far as I can tell).

In Doll Man #13 (Quality Comics, 1947), Spade Solenko and his prison baseball team escape and commit baseball-themed crimes all over town...leaving it up to the Bare-Legged Wonder's pistol-packin' prowess to strike 'em out (click on the panels for a super-sized view):

It should be noted that a common (and disturbing) theme running through Doll Man's Golden Age career was how often he was subdued and tied-up. This adventure was no exception, as the Baseball Bandits eventually get the best of the Tiny Titan, duct tape him to a baseball bat, then lob baseball grenades at him! 

Of course, Mr. Dane eventually escapes and takes out the rest of the gang...but not before losing whatever remaining crumbs of dignity the six-inch adult man might have possessed.

Gold Nuggets: Captain Marvel...HARDCORE!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Much like the early adventures of Superman (to whom he's often been compared), the nascent Captain Marvel was a surprisingly ruthless fella. So much so, one would think the "H" in his magic word "SHAZAM" should have stood for hardcore instead of "Hercules".

Case in point: This little incident from Captain Marvel Adventures #1 (1941), as told by a couple of guys named Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

(click on the panels for a larger view)

HOLY MOLEY!

Gold Nuggets: Blondes vs. Brunettes!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

The universe is on the cusp of a bloody war, as
two intergalactic rulers battle over....hair color?

Who can stop this follicle-based conflagration?

Enter...Rock Braddon
of The Space Legion!

Created by Vernon Henkel for Quality Comics, The Space Legion regularly appeared in Crack Comics (yes, Crack Comics), and starred the dashing Rock Braddon and Commander Crosby.  Now, let's rejoin Rock as he practices the delicate art of diplomacy!

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.

   

Gold Nuggets: Madam Fatal...Drag Queen of Justice!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

The Golden Age of comics was a time overflowing with oddities and eccentricities, but few of them equalled the all-encompassing weirdness of Madam Fatal.

You see, Madam was actually Mister Richard Stanton, a former actor who posed as an old woman to rescue his daughter from kidnappers. Believing his elderly female appearance would be underestimated by criminals, Stanton embarked upon a crime-fighting career as Madam Fatal.. .becoming comics' first transvestite superhero (though certainly not the last).

Created by writer/artist Art Pilajian, Madam Fatal made his/her debut in Crack Comics #1 (1940) and appeared in 22 issues.  Let's join the crime-busting cross-dresser in issue #11, as Madam Fatal faces the threat of a tiny gangster named Dwarf Rogan...

Dwarf Rogan's challenge:

Fatal's riposte...

Thus, a happy...yet vaguely unsettling ending.

Gold Nuggets: Bulletman...the Original Head-Banger.

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Could there anything cooler
than having the ability to fly?

Of course not.  Well, unless you count having the ability to fly while crashing through stuff head-first!

Such was the life of Jim Barr, who developed the amazing Gravity Regulator Helmet to fight crime as Bulletman!  Realizing the importance of a couple having shared interests, Jim made a Gravity Regulator Helmet for his girlfriend Susan, who became his partner Bulletgirl (and later his wife). Heck, he even made a helmet for his dog (as...you guessed it...Bulletdog).

Published by Fawcett Comics, Bulletman was second only to Captain Marvel in popularity, who was even outselling Superman at one point..so obviously kids of the 1940's appreciated the intrinsic coolness of flying through stuff head-first while wearing canary yellow tights.

In Bulletman #5 (1942), Jim and Susan encountered the skeezy Dr. Riddle.  Much like the the Riddler of Batman fame, Dr. Riddle enjoyed leaving cryptic riddles for victims and pursuers alike.  After multiple pages of riddles, traps, narrow escapes and cat-and-mouse pursuit, Bulletman finally turned the tables on Dr. Riddle and offered him a riddle of his own...

Ahh...nothing like the smell of due process in the morning, hmm?

Note to my fellow Children of the 70's:  The Golden Age Bulletman should in no way be confused with Bulletman, the Human Bullet of the G.I. Joe Super Adventure Team....despite having the same name, bright red tunic and the cool ability to fly through stuff head-first.

Gold Nuggets: Buckskin...Crusading School Principal!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Answer: BUCKSKIN, terror of all saboteurs and traitors!

Secretly a mild-mannered high school principal named Robert Blake (no, not the guy from Baretta), Buckskin defended the United States homefront in the pages of Super-Mystery Comics, published by Ace Magazines.

In the July 1942 issue, a Nazi operative named the Black Buzzard plots to crash an airplane into a "giant munitions plant"!  Ahh...but how would he get past the diligent anti-aircraft squadron guarding the plant? 

Why, with poisoned coffee, of course!

This looks like a job for BUCKSKIN and his trusty pet eagle TALON!

As Buckskin gives the saboteurs a thorough thrashing, the escaping Black Buzzard guns him down! Like all fictional animal companions, Talon follows Buckskin's complex instructions and flies to warn their Liberty Club pals!

Buckskin soon awakens from "insensibility", heroically drags himself to the nearby airfield, and takes to the skies to stop the Black Buzzard.  When he and his remarkably fast-flying eagle catch up to the Nazi fiend, Talon loops a rope around his tail fin(!)...allowing Buckskin to climb onto the moving airplane (despite a bullet in his shoulder and heavy blood loss)!

With his costume fringes flapping madly in the wind, Buckskin finally makes it into the cockpit, knocks the plane into a death dive, then escapes at the last possible second into a convenient pond!

With yet another Nazi threat foiled, what better way for Principal Blake to celebrate than to be casually humiliated by a young Buckskin fan?

Gold Nuggets: Fighting the Jungle Hordes of Hitler!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

I've had some fun with the obscure heroes of Golden Age comics here in the Gold Nuggets feature, all courtesy of the fantastic Golden Age Comics site.  They've got hundreds of old comic books available to download (pending registration), all of which have passed into the public domain...so anyone can view them or use the characters in their own comics.  In fact, Dynamite Comics will be featuring many of these forgotten heroes in their upcoming Superpowers series...with new stories, updated costumes (reimagined by Alex Ross, no less) and a chance to regain their Golden Age glory.

One of the front-and-center stars of Superpowers will be the eternally cool Daredevil (known as simply "Devil" for obvious copyright issues), whose skintight, cape-free costume was the basis of so many modern-era costume designs (such as Spider-Man's).

Daredevil made his debut as the headliner of Daredevil Battles Hitler (July of 1941), a fascist-bashing jamboree featuring the heroes from the Lev Gleason line of comics: Silver Streak, Lance Hale, Dicky Dean, Cloud Curtis, and the Pirate Prince! 

Throughout the issue, the hapless Hitler and his fiendish inner circle (such as Goebbels, Goering, and Himmler) randomly wander the globe and encounter the fists, boot heels, and...yes...charging elephants of our fighting-mad patriots.

The second story finds Hitler preparing to take over the jungles of Africa, going so far as to lead the invasion himself!

Let's join Herr Schickelgruber and his generals are they're interrupted by a certain red and black-garbed visitor (along with his own "personal shock troops")...

And that's how they did it back then.  No "talks".  No "diplomacy".
Just fists and feet, pal!

Oh, and since tonight is another round of Friday Night Fights, Bahlactus decrees another knuckle sandwich for Uncle Adolph!

Gold Nuggets: Deck the Halls (and Santa, too)!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

As nutty as things can get during the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, it doesn't come close to the madness experienced by Massey's Department Store customers back in Captain Marvel Adventures #19 (1943). In "The Phantom of the Department Store", Christmas shoppers were frightened away by a mysterious force that caused store merchandise to move and talk!

Young Billy Batson decided to investigate by transforming into his adult alter-ego Captain Marvel, who then went undercover as a Massey's store employee (click on the panels for a larger view).

Deducing the Phantom was using magnetism make objects move, Cap
foiled a number of his tricks before finally tracking down the shocking culprit...

OUCHIE!  After Cap drilled Pseudo-Santa into a
marble column, the mystery was finally revealed...

Atta boy, Billy!  If your Christmas wisdom wasn't enough to warm our hearts, that bland wreath hanging on the blank pink wall behind you certainly will.

Gold Nuggets: Captain Marvel Falls in Love!

The Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Nobody is safe from Cupid's arrow, not even the mighty Captain Marvel!

Back in Whiz Comics #53 (1944), young Billy Batson gets a part time job at a wartime munitions plant.  While working his shift, his demanding lady boss drops her makeup compact, which Billy returns to her in his alter ego of Captain Marvel.  Little does Cap suspect that Billy's no-nonsense"Rosie the Riveter" boss is actually...a babe! (click on the panels for a larger view)

Before you know it, Cap's head over heels in love, courtesy of the "wily Cupid"!

Can a guitar serenade be far behind?  Ahh, but alas...Cupid's arrow did not strike the fair Miss Curtis, as she proceeds to shut down the World's Mightiest Mortal. What's left for Cap to do but to sit in the gutter lamenting he couldn't even "get to first base with a girl"?

Why wasn't Cap her "type"?  Now, before our naughty modern minds join Cap in the gutter, it's revealed that Miss Delia Curtis was engaged to another man when Cap was trying to woo her...

What's that?  A double "Bah" to women and love?  Sadly, it's true...as Billy Batson confirms later during a radio recap of Cap's brush with romance.

Gold Nuggets: Stardust Memories

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

I'd been hearing about the infamous Fletcher Hanks for quite awhile.

So much so, that I finally decided to order Paul Karasik's I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets, a collection of Hanks' incredibly eccentric Golden Age stories.  Would the stories be as weird and wonderfully strange as I'd heard? 

Well, after receiving it in the mail earlier today....oh, absolutely!

Often referred to as the "Ed Wood of Comics", Hanks created a number of bizarre characters for Fox Comics, among them Fantomah (a female hero pre- dating Wonder Woman), Tabu the Jungle Wizard, and Stardust the Super-Wizard.

In a story reprinted from Fantastic Comics #13 (1940), Stardust...an intergalactic crime buster and "the most remarkable man ever known"... encounters the insidious threat of "Yew Bee's Fifth Column". Determined to end democracy and civilization forever, the oddly-named Yew Bee and his gang plot to overthrow the United States with their own military force. However, after Stardust arrives in the nick of time to destroy their super tanks and giant bombing planes, the Super-Wizard turns his wrath toward Yew Bee and his gang...

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Don't worry. Stardust is just getting started. Read on...

Okay, then. As you can clearly see, Fletcher Hanks' stories are every bit as strange and unsettling as the legends say they are. If you're a comics history buff...or a fan of flat-out weirdness...pick yourself up a copy of I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets. 

Quite simply, it's the Excalibur of Eccentricity!

UPDATE: My little post seems to have caught the eye of the book's editor, Paul Karasik, who's also got a great Fletcher Hanks website going. Click here to read a bonus Fantomah story that doesn't appear in the book. Thanks, Paul!

Gold Nuggets: Spy Smasher!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Despite being the most confusing first issue of all time, Whiz Comics #2 (yes, you read that correctly...#2 was actually the first issue) featured the debut of several characters from fledgling publisher Fawcett Comics .

Of course, the most famous member of this first issue fraternity was Captain Marvel, who would one day surpass even Superman in comic book sales.  Other new characters included a bowman named the Golden Arrow, the crime-fighting magician Ibis the Invincible, and Spy Smasher, arguably the second most popular Fawcett character behind Captain Marvel (and the various Marvel Family spin-offs).

Eventually gaining his own series, as well as starring in a 12-part film serial, Spy Smasher was secretly Alan Armstrong, one of seemingly hundreds of wealthy socialites throughout the Golden Age of comics who decided to use his wealth and assorted talents to fight crime. In Armstrong's case, he used his aviation knowledge to build the Gyrosub, an amalgamation of an airplane, helicopter, and submarine. 

As his name implies, Spy Smasher hunted down Axis spies and saboteurs for the duration of World War II.  One of these America-hating schemers was named Herr Von Fere, who made his first (and only) appearance in Whiz Comics #53 (1944). Best classified as a sort of "Axis Botanist",  Von Fere created "Flowers of Fear", which could cause overwhelming fear in any who caught a whiff of their scent. Planning to send the flowers to various members of the U.S. government (including the President), the monocled maniac hoped to bring America to its knees in a wave of irrational fear...that is, until Spy Smasher intervened!

Holding his breath to avoid breathing the flower's scent, a chair to the head soon knocked the wind out of Spy Smasher, which forced him to inhale the fear-inducing fumes.  Shaking with fright, our hero faced an impossible dilemma...

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Hah!  Take that Fritz and Horst! Nothing like a good table-turning on Nazi scum...unless you top it off with some poetic justice! Spy Smasher does just that by subjecting the Axis agents to the fumes of their own Fear Flowers, which make them sing like America-fearing canaries for all of Germany to hear!

Gold Nuggets: Bare Legs and Hot Coals Don't Mix

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

What do you do when you're an expert in jiu-jitsu who also happens to be an acrobat? Well....become a costumed superhero, of course! 

Appearing in all three issues of the short-lived Whirlwind Comics (Nita Publications, 1940), Peter Blake dedicated his special abilities (and hairless bare legs) to the cause of justice as The Cyclone.

However, even with elaborate flighting and flipping skills, sometimes being a superhero involves nothing more complicated than knowing when to duck. As our hero battled a ring of spies aboard a speeding train, one of the spies flings a shovel of red-hot coals right into Cyclone's face (or "mush" in 1940's-speak)...leading to a well-timed duck and then the very definition of a "bad day" for one of the other spies...

(Click on the page for a larger view)

Serves him right for wearing that all-yellow 
suit with the matching yellow hat and shoes!

Gold Nuggets: A Fallen Comet

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

In the modern age of comics, it's almost become routine for superheroes to fall in the line of duty (many of which are casually resurrected later on).  However, back in the so-called Golden Age of Comics, superhero deaths were nowhere near the over-used gimmick they are today...in fact, back in those early years, superheroes simply didn't die. 

Sure, there were a few ghostly heroes running around (chief among them the Spectre), but in those cases death was just the beginning of their superhero gigs, not the end of them. But were there truly any living heroes who were killed in action?

Which brings us to the Comet, whom I featured in a previous Gold Nuggets post early last year. Little did I know that the Comet may have been the very first superhero to die in the line of duty! Recapping the events of Pep Comics #17, the debut issue of The Hangman (1941) recounts the death of the Comet, a.k.a. John Dickering, who gave his life for his brother Bob (who, like most comic book guys, then became a superhero himself).

(click on the panels for a larger view)

So...am I on to something here?  Could the Comet have been the first superhero death, long before it became a gratuitous gimmick?

Gold Nuggets: The ORIGINAL Iron-Man!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

It's not a stretch to say that a huge chunk of comic book fans will be streaming into stores today to pick up a copy of the new Iron-Man DVD. However, in addition to the teeming hordes of Comicdom, the high-tech hero seems to have hit a chord with the general public as well, making Iron-Man not only one of the best comic book adaptations but also one of the most successful. With that popularity comes the question a curious public might ask: Where did the concept of Iron-Man come from in the first place? Well, the oldest and most obvious sources of inspiration are the armored warriors of antiquity and the knights of the Middle Ages....but in the context of the 20th century comic book, the first armored superhero was none other than...

BOZO THE ROBOT!

Making his debut in Quality's Smash Comics #1 (1939), Bozo the Robot was invented by the evil Dr. Van Thorp, who...like many mad scientists...wanted to rule and/or destroy the world. After overhearing Van Thorp's ranting monologue, a dashing passer-by named Hugh Hazzard rushed in, gave Van Thorp a well-deserved thrashing, then "resuced" Bozo the Robot. Discovering the robot could be controlled from the inside, Hugh decided to wear the "Iron-Man' suit to fight crime. Let's join Hugh as he listens to an urgent news update on the radio (click on the panels for a larger view)...

Note the dish-like propeller spinning atop Bozo's helmet, which (somehow) allowed him to fly in an awkward verticle position. Of course, this story took place before the standard horizontal flying positions of superheroes were worked out (even Superman was still kinda-sorta leaping), so I guess we can cut Hugh/Bozo some slack. Essentially just a sheet metal shell, there's no indication as to what sort of technology or power source ran the Bozo suit...since this was long before the day of miniturized transistors or microcircuits. But...that was the simple thrill of early science fiction.  It just somehow worked. No questions asked.

But I digress.  Let's rejoin Hugh/Bozo as he tracks down the elusive green sedan and employs the armor's "telescopic eye" to scope out the gang's getaway car...

As the word "ain't" confirms the low-brow criminality of the passengers (since it's a fact that bad guys have poor grammar), Bozo administers some harsh Golden Age justice to the carload of escaping felons...

By the way...what is it with late 1930's superheroes and green sedans? Were they the vehicle of choice for the criminal class? Did their undercarriage design make them easier to deadlift? Was it part of a primitive product placement/viral marketing campaign?  What?

Oh, and that goofy, grinning face design on Bozo's helmet? 

Scary enough to kill a guy!

 

Gold Nuggets: A Perfect Night's Work

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

From Shield-Wizard Comics #5 (1941)

Gold Nuggets: A Captain Marvel Christmas Carol

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

One of my absolute favorite stories (especially this time of the year) is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
The story's powerful messages of redemption and social responsibility are timeless and transcend its original Victorian England setting...which is why I enjoy its adaptations into so many different media, time periods, and social settings.

One of the many media forms to adapt Dicken's classic morality tale is, of course, comic books...such as the (somewhat looser) adaptation found in Captain Marvel Adventures #42 (1945). 

"The Plot Against Christmas" opens with young radio journalist Billy Batson being sent to cover a special Christmas surprise at the Smith Toy Company. Billy learned that Happy and Jolly Smith were planning to give a sleigh full of free toys to the children of a local orphanage. Sounds great, right?  Well, not according to their older brother (and president of the company) Gouge Smith. Yes, that's "gouge" as in "chisel" or "swindle". Like any Scrooge stand-in would do, Gouge pulled the plug on the good-hearted plan....

An orphan himself, Billy Batson vowed to set things right as Captain Marvel!

(click on the panels for a larger view)

Fulfilling the role of Scrooge's ghostly guides, Cap flew Gouge to a local
 family's home to witness the simple joys of the Christmas season...

 

Undeterred, Cap took the anti-Christmas curmudgeon to 
visit a noble home of civic responsibility and sacrifice...

Finally, Cap brought greedy Gouge to the very orphanage
 the old man had turned his back on earlier that day...

Upon awakening, those troubled dreams (resulting from Cap's heart-tugging tour) inspired Gouge to not only change his ways and help the orphans...but to also dress up as Santa Claus and get stuffed down a chimney while doing it! Now that's a turnaround!

Like all the closing scenes of countless Christmas Carol adaptations, a spirit of giving and fellowship enveloped Gouge and his new-found friends...ending in a toast that echoed Tiny Tim's immortal "God bless us...every one!"

Gold Nuggets: Life of the Modern Cowboy

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

The Vigilante

Two-fisted, trick-ropin', crime-fightin', straight-
shootin', motorcycle-ridin' modern cowboy.

Also: Giant varmint killer.

From Leading Comics #2 (1941)

Gold Nuggets: The Man of Steel! (No, the OTHER one)

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Before they changed their name and full-time focus to "Archie Comics", MLJ Comics published a modest selection of superhero titles during the Golden Age of Comics. One such title was Zip Comics, starring a guy named Steel Sterling, Man of Steel. Despite sharing Superman's famous sobriquet (Steel actually beat him to it), there was one aspect of Steel Sterling that made him utterly unique in the history of comics: having the only origin story to involve skinny dipping in a vat of molten steel!

After gangsters financially ruined and then killed his father, scientist John Sterling vowed to battle "gangdom" by making himself invulnerable to physical harm. Coating himself with a chemical of his own invention, Sterling then jumped into the red-hot cauldron and emerged with the "resistance, the magnetism, and strength of steel" (and rivet-encrusted swim trunks).

That's right...Steel was protected from
 ALL forms of destruction, including...

And that was just his first story!

Of course, the only thing Steel Sterling was vulnerable to were the low sales that struck down most superhero comics following World War II. Disappearing for several years, Sterling has briefly resurfaced for various revivals of the old MLJ heroes.

But let's not dwell on the decline of Steel and his fellow 4th-stringers.  Instead, let's think of the happier times...like when Steel would activate his magnetism-powers by running his fingers through his hair!

Gold Nuggets: No Powers? No Problem!

The Obscure Adventures of Comics' Greatest Generation!

Long before superheroes could routinely bench press buildings and funnel the power of suns, a huge percentage of Golden Age mystery men (and women) took care of things without superpowers. Many of these more humble heroes fought on the home front protecting America from common criminals and enemy saboteurs, but many others took the fight right into the heart of the Axis itself...armed only with only their fists and a feisty, can-do spirit.

One of these two-fisted terrors was The Grim Reaper who, though not the personification of death like his mythic namesake, could still kick the living crap out of Nazis....as this montage from Wonder Comics #1 (1944) makes perfectly clear (click on the panels for a larger view).

Isn't that final panel of the Grim Reaper cutting a swath through a Nazi horde spectacular in a sprawling, Cinerama kind of way? Better yet, he didn't need laser vision, cosmic brain blasts, or flame breath to do it. Just a costume, courage, and two flashing fists (and the occasional firearm)!  

Oh...and don't forget:

 

(I had to look twice to make sure there wasn't an "S" after the word "rubber")