In this adventure of the duo, they are fighting a perennial villain, the Clown. The Clown also has no origin, and has an elastic criminal career. He is, among other things, a saboteur working for the Nazis, which is what we find him doing in today’s story.
Magno and Davey lasted from 1940 to 1947. The characters were created by Paul Chadwick (not the man responsible for Concrete, as Toonopedia would have us know), and Jim Mooney, who had a long career in comic books. No credits are given by the GCD for writing or drawing this story which appeared in Four Favorites #8 (1942):
Gotta love it when Jane calls The Clown a "fugitive from a one-night stand." Did the author mean "from a nightstand" and had a li'l Freudian slip, or was that a deliberate attempt to slip some adult humor past an editor?
ReplyDeleteThis art's pretty grotty, to be honest. When Magno catches Davey after Davey is thrown from the top of the getaway car, it's difficult to tell who's who--in part because Davey seems to be twice Magno's size. On the very same page, I initially confused the kidnapper and Jane's fiance because they're both wearing purple and are both so poorly defined. Proportions and clarity of action seem to be problematic throughout. But I don't think the story would be half as much fun if the art wasn't so primitive!
These underdeveloped characters are always amusing. Other than flying, I didn't see any other super powers. And if they can fly, why does Davey have to swim for shore? Clowns.....scary! Lol!
ReplyDeleteA entertaining story for 42. I don't know what their powers are, but Davey took a artillery shell directly to the chest, and was only knocked off the digger.
ReplyDeleteWhy the heck do those two need magnetic powers? The kid seem to be invulnerable!
This is one of those interesting low stakes for the hero comics with a twist -- the problem isn't for the hero -- it's for the US. The hero could crush the bad guys, but he just needs to catch them. So the drama is "can he catch them in time."
Billy, I think one-night stand meant the same in 1942 as it does today, so it might have been inserted as a printable way of calling the character a bastard. Whatever...it was interesting to see one-night stand used in a comic book.
ReplyDeleteRick Heg, Brian, you both bring up the inconsistent super powers, and I bring up that I have seen these sorts of inconsistencies before. A few years ago I published a story of Lash Lightning (from the same publisher) driving his car onto a military reservation while wearing his costume, when he can fly. (Maybe he just liked to drive.)
ReplyDeleteAs for Davey taking a hit to the chest with an artillery shell, maybe he was wearing an artillery-proof vest under his shirt!
The term “one-night stand” originally referred to a stage performance that were so unsuccessful as to close after its first night. It was subsequently used humorously to refer to a sexual relationship that were so short-term as not to last beyond one night.
ReplyDeleteI believe "one night stand" was meant in the showbiz sense, as in playing a theatre (or town) for only one night. Which makes sense, as clowns are entertainers.
ReplyDeleteI believe "one night stand" was meant in the showbiz sense, as in playing a theatre (or town) for only one night. Which makes sense, as clowns are entertainers.
ReplyDelete