Angel Of Death

Long before Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow bad-assed her way through America’s No. 1 movie, Golden Age comic-book heroines displayed just as much – if not more – fire and competence.

(Which seems to be a reoccurring theme of this blog, now that I think of it … )

The Black Angel was a particularly notable example of the trend, as she more than held her own amid the blood-and-thunder of Hillman Publications’ Air Fighters Comics, home to Airboy, The Heap, Sky Wolf and other two-fisted sentinels of the skyways.

Created by artist John Cassone and an unknown writer, the Black Angel’s true identity was Sylvia Manners, an (extremely) mild-mannered socialite who flew as well as any male aviator and seldom let an enemy survive beyond a single tale.

The following story features Nazi bat-men for an extra dose of awesomeness.

“The Bats Of Berlin” originally appeared in Air Fighters Comics vol. 1, #6 (Hillman Publications, March 1943). The art is by John Cassone.

Heart Of Gold

In 1944, Ken Crossen (creator of the Golden Age pulp hero, The Green Lama) launched a comic-book company to publish the adventures of his then-famous character as well as a small stable of other heroes.

Called “Spark Publications,” the three titles published by the company prominently featured the work of Mort Meskin, Jerry Robinson and Mac Raboy, who were among the most distinctive and skilled creators of the era.

(Unfortunately, such quality didn’t translate into sales and Spark Publications folded in 1946.)

Aside from the Green Lama, the most notable characters of the Spark line were Atoman and Golden Lad.

Created by Meskin, Golden Lad was a young boy who discovered he could access the strength of a “thousand martyred warriors” by grasping an ancient Aztec artifact and intoning the magic words, “Heart Of Gold.”

The Freddy Freeman-esque hero only lasted five issues, which was at least enough time to introduce a “Golden Girl” spin-off. Meskin’s typically excellent storytelling skills – which included his trademark “Johnny Quick” super-speed effect – made the series memorable enough to win the hearts of most Golden Age comics devotees.

From Golden Lad #5 (Spark Publications, June 1946), here’s “The Chinese Vase” by Mort Meskin.

Simon And Kirby

Magic Man

Will Eisner’s Spirit debuted more than 70 years ago in an innovative format that combined the storytelling format of newsstand comic books with the distribution and frequency of newspaper comic strips.

Called – appropriately enough – “The Spirit Section,” Will Eisner’s masked gumshoe headlined a 16-page, tabloid-sized newsprint comic that appeared in 20 Sunday newspapers from 1940 to 1952. It was a revolutionary move that enabled Eisner – and his many assistants – to perfect the techniques he picked up from the fledgling comic-book field and create material aimed for more mature audiences.

(Another plus: Eisner retained full ownership of the characters he created …)

The early Spirit Sections were rounded out by back-up features Lady Luck (created by Eisner, but artist Klaus Nordling’s version is considered definitive) and Mr. Mystic, a Mandrake-style adventure co-authored by Eisner and Bob Powell.

Mr. Mystic’s origin was typical of the era. An adventurer named “Ken” (no surname required, apparently) gained his powers in Tibet after receiving a tattoo of a powerful, magic symbol on his forehead.

Powell initially drew the stories based upon Eisner’s scripts, but he eventually took over the strip in its entirety until the artist was drafted to fight in World War II. Although Powell’s art on Mr. Mystic was widely hailed by peers, the character itself never achieved much popularity.

Unlike The Spirit and Lady Luck, the crusading magician’s adventures were never reprinted as Quality Comics features.

Mr. Mystic ended its run in 1944, by which time Fred Guardineer had taken over the strip.

The following story is credited to “W. Morgan Thomas” (a pseudonym used before by Eisner for Sheena, Queen Of The Jungle) and Powell. Since the “Shadowman” character bears a striking similarity to one of Powell’s most famous creations,  The Man In Black, I suspect the artist’s involvement in this particular adventure extends beyond pencilling and inking duties.

This story was originally published in the March 30, 1941 edition of The Spirit Section.

Catch Of The Day

After super-heroes like Doc Strange, The Liberator and American Crusader lost their popularity in the late ’40s, the publishing house known at various times as “Better,” “Standard” and “Nedor” decided to sex up their product a bit by casting their lot with the always-popular Jungle Girl genre. Super-heroine Miss Masque was subsequently tossed from her berth at Exciting Comics in favor of the more scantily clad Judy Of The Jungle, a character created and drawn by Ralph Mayo.

The plan must have worked, because Judy soon took over the cover slot and received the benefit of Alex Schomburg’s typically attractive – and provocative – “good girl art.”

Aside from featuring Mayo’s attractive art, one of Judy’s adventures was illustrated by a young gun named Frank Frazetta. If you ever thought Frazetta would be the perfect artist to helm a jungle girl comic … well, let’s just say other people obviously found the idea equally appealing.

From Exciting Comics #59 (Better Publications, January 1948), here’s “The Deadly Quest” as pencilled and inked by Frank Frazetta.

Mommy Dearest

Al McWilliams started writing and drawing comic books in the mid-1930s and never left the field until his death in 1993.

His name has been somewhat forgotten by modern fans of the medium, but McWilliams’ sleek Mac Raboy-styled work appeared in just about every genre of comic book and comic strip possible and earned the respect of countless peers and employers. Some of the best examples of his handiwork appeared in such syndicated strips as Twin Earths and Dateline: Danger.

McWilliams also lent his skills to the romance genre, where slick art was deemed a necessity by publishers and editors to hammer their magazines’ melodramatic plots home.  The following story, about a musician who really needs to cut the cord with his mother, is a particular stand-out.

“Mama’s Apron Strings” originally ran in Darling Love #2 (Archie, December 1949). The art is by Al McWilliams.

MMMMMM …. cheese furters!

Plant Vs. Primate

Most stories starring The Heap tend to fall under two categories: 1. He’s a rampaging monster causing terror throughout the land; or 2. He’s an elemental force for justice causing terror in the hearts of evildoers.

There are a few elements common to each tale, however. One, obviously, is “terror.” (The Heap is a shambling muck-monster after all …) The other is that many of the creature’s adventures are somehow tied to his former identity as a German World War I flying ace.

The following story straddles just about every category as The Heap avenges an insult to his honor as a former pilot, teaches some shady characters a lesson about respect and picks a fight with a natilly dressed ape to boot. Along the way, there’s the requisite amount of collateral damage and terror.

All in a day’s work for comics’ original Swamp Man-Thing!

“The End Of The World Cafe” originally appeared in Airboy Comics Vol. 5 #9 (Hillman Periodicals, Oct. 1948). The art is by Mike Roy And John Belfi.

I actually feel sorry for Albert the Ape …

Full Of Bull

Dick Briefer is primarily remembered today for his exemplary work on the classic horror/surreal humor strip Frankenstein. His 16-year career in comic-books spanned numerous genres however, as Briefer’s skills as a writer and an artist proved just as adept in the genres of science-fiction, high-seas adventure and super-heroes.

Prize Comics, the anthology title that birthed Briefer’s Frankenstein, lost its super-hero features in 1948 due to the genre’s declining popularity after World War II. The legends and mystique of the Wild, Wild West proved far more alluring to readers of the time, so the book was renamed Prize Comics Western and published the exploits of such noted fictional – and at times historical – frontier heroes as “Dusty” Ballew, Wild Bill Hickock and the American Eagle.

Although he continued producing Frankenstein, Briefer also contributed to the Western fad by drawing – and perhaps writing – the inaugural adventure of a faux Zorro known as “The Black Bull.” The story itself is fairly standard, but Briefer’s “bigfoot” approach to the art adds a surreal element to the proceedings that place the feature – and its protagonist – far from the usual one-horse-town shoot-em-ups.

From Prize Comics Western #71 (Prize Comics Group, September-October 1948), here’s “Bullets At Salt Lick”.

With Great Chutzpah …

In the midst of the imbroglio over Alan Moore and Before Watchmen, Rob Steibel’s Kirby Dynamics blog reminds us that Marvel’s record of caring for creators isn’t any better.

In a new documentary about Stan Lee, “The Man” takes sole credit for creating the Black Panther when history indicates that some guy by the name of Jack Kirby had just as much – if not more – involvement in conceiving the character.

Lee also claims credit for The Falcon, when the idea – as originally revealed in the forward to a Marvel Masterworks Captain America volume – apparently originated from the mind of Gene Colan.

Guess those constant cameos in every single Marvel film, cartoon and video game weren’t enough to stroke Stan’s ego…

The Lion King

Epitomizing the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality of the Greatest Generation, the denizens of Golden Age comic-books had little or no trouble embarking on super-heroic careers. Sure, there may be a slain loved one or two along the way but for the most part civic-minded citizens usually decided to don colorful uniforms and smash criminals in the puss because it was the right thing to do.

The Black Lion, one of Fox Feature Syndicate’s many answers to Batman (an illustrious list that includes Black Fury, The Moth and The Lynx), has a well-defined reason for seeking justice but no “on-panel” training or even rationale for his code-name. He presumably designed a costume, picked up a teen side-kick and got to work.

The following story – Black Lion’s first appearance, by the by – appeared in Wonderworld Comics #21 (Fox Feature Syndicate, January 1941). The art is by Charles A. Winter, a creator with several Golden Age credits who apparently left little biographical material behind.