Only a few more weeks to go, fellow Americans, and the torture of a presidential election will be over for another cycle (hang in there!) Going back a few elections (think 1952), candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower was running on the Republican ticket against Democrat Adlai Stevenson. So it seemed appropriate to reference elections in comic books, but one of the few election stories I've been able to find is this Captain Marvel Jr tale.
It addresses a situation many voters face when going to the polls. Do they really know a candidate? Is he really who he is portrayed to be? In this case the candidate made it through the process to the nomination, and he's definitely not what he pretends to be.
The second story has a misleading title. “Vampira, Queen of Terror” doesn't even bite anyone. But, she’s got a gorilla, and that's enough for me.
“The Space Voters” is credited by the Grand Comics Database as being drawn by Joe Certa, and “Vampira” is drawn by Bud Thompson. Both are from Captain Marvel Jr #116 (1952).
Now that they've been exposed by Captain Marvel Jr, those Martians will just have to take over the country the old-fahioned way: with campaign contributions.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Pappy, you just gave the birthers a new talking point :)
ReplyDeleteThat second story. Wow. First, other than the "why do we have wars with super heroes around" problem, he just smashed up some stuff but still gave the troops a "good luck, go get shot!" Why doesn't the bullet proof guy just beat back the other army?
Second: It might be me, but the sexual undertones of that story make me want to take a shower after reading it. Jr (who's just a child underneath) beats up her old "lover" the ape and "wins" her. Again: Comics fire the imagination!
Pap, I'm loving the Marvel Family posts!
ReplyDeleteLove the art on both the Capt. Marvel Jr. stories.
ReplyDeleteWell, Brian, I don't write comic books but I spend an awful lot of time in my office alone with a computer and keyboard. It sends my mind off in unusual directions, and I imagine that's what happens with a comic book writer who is told to "write a story about Jr., an ape and a girl named Vampira."
ReplyDeleteHEH, thanks for the comment. I like this thing, too, and will do more theme weeks in the future. I have a Quality Comics week scheduled for the second week in October.
ReplyDeleteKirk, very astute observation, my friend!
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