The lead feature in Fox Feature Syndicate’s Weird Comics #5 (Aug. 1940) takes us back to the days of ancient Rome, when men and swords were made of sterner stuff. Here we meet one Caius Martius, the “terror of Roman…
Crime-fighting attire is all about style. You wouldn’t dress in your finest raiments for Derby Day or the Easter parade without including awesome headgear, so neither should you don a brightly-colored spandex super-suit while neglecting a senses-shattering chapeau. The only…
Jasper Rasper is a mean man! So begins Action Comics #105 (Feb. 1947), and rather accurately, too, since we first glimpse the wealthy sourpuss in the act of firing his long-term, loyal employee “Cartwright” despite the man’s advanced years and…
This week I learned of the passing of Mike Voiles, creator and caretaker of “Mike’s Amazing World of Comics,” an accurately named online resource that catalogs the output of the major American comic book publishers from 1933(!) to today. Along…
In Man of War Comics #2, Cal Dalton finds himself in a tough spot. He has a burning desire to bring criminals to justice, but he’s stuck in a boring, dead-end government job as…umm…the Police Commissioner. Obviously that’s not going…
Sure, Superman and Captain Marvel can perform some awesome feats, but let’s face it, it’s sweaty work lifting cars over your head, leaping tall buildings in a single bound, etc. Wouldn’t it be better if you could achieve the same…
Within months of Superman’s debut, it was already getting hard to come up with cool names for his many imitators. A common solution was to turn to the animal kingdom for inspiration; after all, the wilderness is full of fearsome…
Stan Carter, All-American male, is reporting for his Army induction physical when the attending physician finds an odd mark on his otherwise perfect physique. This explanation is good enough for the doctor, but really, what the heck? Who gets a…
Although he started off by merely “leaping tall buildings,” Superman soon evolved the power of flight, inspiring generations of kids across America to break their legs jumping off of roofs with towels tied around their necks and initiating a veritable…
There’s at least three things a superhero needs to succeed in the comic book business: a cool costume, an interesting power set and a catchy name. Here we meet a hero who proudly fails all three tests. I give you…
