Number 2495: The killers are dead shots with head shots

 

Quoting Heritage Auctions, when they sold a near mint copy of the comic book, Underworld #1 in 2006: “Mile High pedigree (D.S. Publishing, 1948) Condition: NM-. This issue's body count is high even for a crime comic, there's someone getting rubbed out on almost every page, with death by a point-blank shot to the head more often than not! Hence Overstreet's "excessive violence" tag. No less a talent than Sheldon Moldoff rendered the issue's cover.”

Those head shots, and other graphic shootings, are there in this tale of a pair of brothers, “The ‘Mad Dog’ Murderers.” It may have been noticed by the vigilantes who had declared war against the comics, and always eager to throw a comic book on a bonfire. We slavering crime comic junkies are fortunate that some comic book readers kept their copies of Underworld #1 away from the book burners.

No writer named, but along with the cover, Sheldon “Shelly” Moldoff did the skull-shootin' story art. From Underworld #1 (1948):

Number 1838: Killers Inc

Dutch Morgan is the head of Killers Inc. He and his gang will bump off anybody, including business partners, for half the business. He does that to the owner of a shipping company and takes complete control of the business with another killing.

The cops must have been busy somewhere else. It does not appear they investigated Dutch Morgan when the owners of the shipping company went missing, and Dutch suddenly became the owner. And that after Dutch had his picture over a newspaper article calling him the suspected head of Killers Inc.  Dutch feels mighty powerful, because not only is he the shipping company owner, he eliminates all other competition — on the docks, yet. Despite his luck at not getting caught for his nefarious deeds, justice catches up to Dutch when he presumes he can take over the ship itself.

It all ends bad, in that way that crime comic books end their stories. There is a final panel of justice being administered, after pages of showing criminals commiting their foul deeds. It’s from Underworld #1 (1948). The Grand Comics Database doesn’t accuse any artist or writer of a first degree felony for creating this story.

Number 1822: The Outlaw Frazetta

Frank Frazetta did this Western crime story for Outlaws #9 (1949). The artwork is not up to the standards he achieved later, yet is interesting as much for what is wrong as what is right. I am looking at the hat on Boone Marlow in the splash panel, which is perched awkwardly on his head. I am also aware of what a prairie looks like (as in “Prairie Jinx,” the story’s title), and yet the drawings in this story are set in the mountains. Maybe Frazetta, being a Brooklyn boy, didn’t have first-hand knowledge of the difference.

Boone, the bad man, is a psychopath who has allegiance to no one, including his own brothers. He also doesn’t know his right from his left, which is probably why he is a “jinx.” He is bad luck for the rest of the gang. Dumb people will do that to others engaged in a criminal enterprise.

Born in 1928, Frazetta was about 20 or 21 when he drew it. As we all know, he got much better over his distinguished career.