In his original incarnation for the weekly Valiant he lasted from 1962 to 1973, but since then has been revived a few times. I got that information from Wikipedia, but otherwise I know very little about the Steel Claw. What attracted me to the character was the story in Valiant Space Special from 1967. I like that big walking eye. It certainly caught my eye!
No credits given for writing or drawing.
9 comments:
Now-a-days, we could give a hero a still better name: “Reed Crandall”.
That vehicle was surely repulsive, with arachnid-like form, a furry body, an a protruding pupil!
But the story really just has the protagonist stumble by chance onto victory, as if in an episode of Jerry Lewis.
In some of the old serials, characters escape crashes, relatively unscathed, by leaping out of vehicles, not-withstanding that these vehicles were barreling down roads or plunging from the sky at high speed. And, in real life, many people imagine that the way to survive a crash is to be thrown clear of the vehicle. Crandell's escape is likewise implausible.
Daniel, the gruesome reality of many car crashes probably kept them from being shown in movies (or comics). A guy jumps out of his car before impact, and walks away. He would probably survive today with air bags, but not in the past. A driver could be killed by impact when a steering wheel column went through their chest. Not to mention the passengers going through the windshield.
On a personal note, Mrs Pappy survived a crash just last year that killed a woman. My wife was going about 40 mph when a van turned in front of her, leaving her no time to brake. Airbags saved her life, but did damage to her, anyway. She had many physical therapy sessions over the months since the accident. The woman driving the van was taking her mother to a doctor's appointment. Her mother died three days later as a result of the crash. Obviously there would have been no chance for her to jump out of the car.
The other thing I take from your note on the story is that I should read them more carefully. If I wrote about it more than a couple of hours after reading it then it is likely I just forgot the car crash. What I was impressed by was that big robo-spider!
I'm very sorry that your wife had such a terriblle experience, though I'm glad that it wasn't worse. I hope that the physical therapy has resolved or will resolve the physical issues.
Some people aren't aware that safety equipment can hurt them even as it saves their lives. About 25 years ago, an EMT told me that, in accidents in which seatbelts saved lives, they often destroyed kidneys. (I was and remain a consistent user and advocate of seat belts, though not of laws requiring their use.)
When people overestimate the effectiveness of vehicular safety equipment, the Peltzman effect is worsened. They take still greater risks not only for themselves but for other motorists and for pedestrians.
Me too. The robo-spider immediately reminded me of The Robot Spy episode of Jonny Quest (Nov 1964).
Sorry to hear about Mrs. Pappy's crash, glad to hear it wasn't even worse for her, and on a far more incidental note grateful that your post got me to find this entire issue at the archive.org site because the British annuals have long fascinated me.
Arben, hooray! Pappy's blog has finally influenced someone! Thanks for telling me.
P.S. I like the British annuals, also; I am not crazy about the weekly comics, where a continued story might get only two pages an issue.
Darci, back in my high school days when reading and collecting comics were not shared with any of my friends or classmates lest I be up for public ridicule, I also did not tell them I was watching Jonny Quest on Saturday mornings. In retrospect, many of those I thought might tease me were probably doing the same thing.
After we were married and Jonny Quest was in re-runs Mrs Pappy was doing the razzing for "watching kid stuff."
I hung my head in shame, but went back every week.
P.S. I found the first season on DVD a few years ago.
Daniel, yes, it took over a year but Mrs Pappy is back doing well. Don't tell her I said this, but her good health means she will fix the meals, and not depend on me. I won't be on any cooking shows as Chef Pappy, that's for sure.
We did engage a lawyer and got a financial settlement. From his experience when in a bloody freeway crash that killed a mom and permanently crippled a young child, her brother advised that when there is a death involved, your fault or not, it's best to have a lawyer interceding.
Seat belts saved lives and destroyed kidneys? Egad. But then as a teen I drove cars that weren't even equipped with seat belts.
Thanks for sharing
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