Number 2597: When Madam Fatal could have been arrested

It is no secret that the character, Madam Fatal, dressed as an old woman. Madam was risking arrest in several cities, including (or all places) San Francisco. It was illegal for a man or woman in less enlightened times to cross-dress. The actor, Richard Stanton, took up the role as the old woman to help him solve the crime of his daughter’s disappearance.

Art Pinajian created the character of Madam Fatal, who appeared in Quality’s Crack Comics #1-22.

I've also included a two page story of Slap Happy Pappy, who is yet another Li'l Abner take off. He was created by artist Gill Fox for Crack Comics #1, and continued on after Crack Comics #9 with stories and artwork by Jack Cole.

Using a mirror as evidence, I, your aging blogger, Pappy, look more like Slap Happy Pappy every day.

From Crack Comics #1 (1940):

Number 1551: The “undiscovered” master

This Rocketman story is from Chesler’s Scoop Comics #2 (1942), credited by the Grand Comics Database to Arthur Pinajian. Pinajian, an old-time comic book artist working with the Funnies, Inc, studio, also drew features such as Madam Fatal and Invisible Justice for Quality Comics.

I’ve been waiting to show work by Pinajian, because he figured in a big art story a couple of years ago. A decorated war veteran, he lived with his sister after the war. He painted landscapes and stored them in their house. He asked that they be disposed of in the county landfill after his death. A relative refused to let the paintings be hauled away, and had them examined by an art historian, Peter Hastings Falk. Falk pronounced Pinajian a brilliant abstract landscape artist, heretofore “undiscovered.” The story made some national news programs on television and in newspapers. At the time the story broke Pinajian, who died in 1999, had been dead for over a decade. As soon as I saw his name I knew that as a comics fan I felt I knew more of Art Pinajian’s early work than all of the art community who pronounced him an unknown, eccentric genius.

Although I knew some of his backstory from his days in comics, the story of his landscapes is one of those tales of some poor artist slaving away in obscurity, starving in a garret. Never recognized in life, suddenly revered in death.

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Some of Pinajian’s early comic book work, featuring Madam Fatal. I showed these stories in 2010. Click on the thumbnail:

Number 760

Let's see Batman do this!

Madam Fatal is one of the most unique concepts in comics, especially 1940, when these two tales originally appeared. Madam Fatal was actually a man, a wealthy "retired actor" who spent his time dressed as a woman, chasing down the man who killed his wife and kidnapped his daughter. There's the crossdressing element that makes it seem titillating today. Or maybe not. Madam Fatal is an old "lady" after all. Despite its originality Madam Fatal as a feature didn't last long. There were a lot of comic books to fill and a lot of ideas for heroes that didn't work out, and Madam Fatal was one of them.

Underground cartoonist Kim Deitch did a hilarious take on Madam Fatal in Corn Fed Comics #1...but it's pornographic and I can't show it, much as I'd like to.

The stories are from Crack Comics #1 and #3, respectively, 1940, drawn by Art Pinajian.