Number 2098: The Terrible Gennas

The Genna Brothers were prohibition-era gangsters operating in Chicago in the early 1920s. It was a violent era and each of the brothers came to a violent end. Despite their reputations at the time, after death the “Terrible Gennas,” as newspapers of the day called them, have been mostly forgotten. Especially after Al Capone took over the rackets.

The Gennas, from Sicily, had the American entrepreneurial spirit for their criminal enterprise. While other gangs owned breweries, the Gennas set up stills in the apartments of fellow immigrants. While a centralized brewery could be shut down, a whole lot of home-brewers could not. The Gennas paid the people $15 a load, not a bad payday for the times. Of course, the Gennas were reaping much greater financial rewards. And by having other people do their manufacturing, the Gennas did not face the risks of the folks making the illegal brew. Sometimes the stills would explode, sending shrapnel into hapless amateur brewers. It reminds me of the meth cooks of today, some of whom blow themselves up. “No risk, no reward,” I have heard.

Rudy Palais drew the story for Ace Comics’ Crime Must Pay the Penalty #4 (1948).

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GOODBYE TO FOUR-COLOR SHADOWS

On a personal note, Steven Thompson, known as Booksteve, has closed his Four-Color Shadows blog. Since 2010 Steve has kept a steady stream of Golden Age material popping up in his blog. Steve is leaving his blog’s archive online for the time being.

I want to wish Steve the best of luck on his future projects, one of which is Steve’s current book compiled from his pop culture blog, The Best of Booksteve’s Library, available now. Check his website for details.

Number 1923: Thomas Dun, undone

Thomas Dun was a real-life highwayman in England circa the year 1100. He was no Robin Hood. He disguised himself. He robbed, he murdered. His victims piled up.

For the most part Dun’s story, from Crime Must Pay the Penalty #4 (1948), describes Dun's criminal career in much the same fashion as the biographical information I have read online. The main difference is in the manner of Dun’s ultimate fate. History tells us that Dun was executed, without trial, in one of the most hideous ways the human mind can think of. Even a crime comic book dared not show something that gruesome. If you’re up to it, you can read about Dun, including his true demise here. 

The Grand Comics Database gives Ken Battefield credit for the artwork.

Number 1911: Britain’s most wanted

Charley (or Charlie, or more properly Charles) Peace was a real-life criminal in Victorian England. The Daily Mail has this interesting short article with illustrations about Peace, who was a murderer and all around bounder, villain and miscreant in his day. He was also, as the article is headlined, “...the son of a one-legged lion tamer.” (The effect of his father on his later criminal career can only be guessed at.)

The description of Peace in the splash panel, “England’s worst murderer of the 19th century, and perhaps of all time . . . the acme of evil in all lands, in all times!” is pure hyperbole. When the story was published originally in 1948 there were a lot of war criminals of the late world war whose zeal for mass murder was much more the worst “in all lands, in all times.”

I give credit to Sid Greene, the artist, for doing a good job on the period atmospherics of this ripping yarn from Crime Must Pay the Penalty #3. My scans are from a reprint in issue #36 (1954).

Number 1581: Joe the Boob: Bullets, Booze and Blood

Blood. Lots of blood. Killings on nearly every page of this lurid 11-page story from Crime Must Pay the Penalty #1 (#33 on cover; 1948). Not only killings, but killings with bloody head shots. Even a couple of knifings. If you like your crime comics fast and violent this fits that description.

Page 7 has two head shots, including a panel of a crook still talking after being shot in the forehead. Crooks were tough in those days!

Jim Vadeboncoeur gives Ken Battefield credit for pencils, and hedges with a question mark on an artist named Wilcox for the inks.

Number 1547: From that wonderful artist who brought you Casper the Friendly Ghost and Richie Rich...

I’ve shown another crime story (check the link under this story) by Warren Kremer. He is probably best known as being the master cartoonist who for years drew Casper and Richie Rich, Stumbo the Giant and other Harvey Comics characters. In his early career Kremer was known to do crime stories, and also did work as designer of some of the most gruesome early ’50s horror covers for Harvey Comics.

“Frisco Mary” is from Ace Comics’ Crime Must Pay the Penalty #37 (1954), which is a reprint from issue #3 (1949) of the same title.

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More Kremer crime. Just click on the thumbnail: