Number 2114: Human Bomb’s explosive origin

The Human Bomb (Roy Lincoln, a scientist helping his dad develop a super explosive for national defense) debuted in Police Comics #1, in 1941. Roy has another of those superhero origins, where what does not kill him gives him powers. In his case, he can blow things up with his touch. (I think of him as a suicide bomber who doesn’t blow himself up with his targets.) I don't remember ever reading a Human Bomb story before. Probably because his bomb suit is visually uninteresting to me, although the artwork by Paul Gustavson (as Paul Carroll) is dynamic and well drawn. Those early Quality Comics under the aegis of the Eisner and Iger shop were noticeably better drawn, not to mention more colorful* than most of the competition.

Creator Gustavson was born in Finland, and at age five came with his family to the U.S. He did several successful comic book features over the years, but in later life did what a couple of other artists I have mentioned before did. He went to work for the government. In his case as a surveyor and civil engineer for New York State. Gustavson, born in 1916, died in 1977 at age 60.

*Quality publisher, Everett “Busy” Arnold, although color blind, insisted on a lot of color in his comics. Later on they toned down the vibrant hues, but those early Quality Comics had a scorched eyeball effect.

Number 2033: Jack Cole at Midnight

Jack Cole created the Spirit lookalike, Midnight, in late 1940 for Smash Comics at the behest of publisher Everett “Busy” Arnold. According to the story told, Arnold was worried that if Spirit creator (and copyright owner) Will Eisner went to war and — I don’t even like to think about it — was killed, then Arnold would have a back-up character. (As a publisher, Arnold was as interesting as the talent he had working for him.) Midnight was not the same as the Spirit, though...he was Dave Clark, a radio guy, who put on his fedora and mask and fought crime, but at least he didn’t live in a cemetery and pretend his alter-ego was deceased. Well, I am sure we are glad all over that Dave Clark became a masked crime fighter.

Because he was created by Cole, during Cole’s time on the strip he did what he could do very well, and that was to infuse humor as well as excitement into each panel. Midnight might have been based on another character, but there was really no one who was like Jack Cole.

Midnight had a support group, which included Doc Wackey and Gabby, a talking monkey.

From Smash Comics #29 (1941):

I love Haunted Love!

I was so delighted after reading Haunted Love, I put this self-produced plug for the book on the Haunted Horrors Facebook page.

I think what Steve “Karswell” Banes has done is terrific, finding  horror stories with love subplots. Anyone who follows Karswell’s blog, The Horrors of It All will recognize the special care with which Steve has picked the stories. Every one of them is a gem, and if any gems can be found in the pestilential, putrid swamp of pre-Code horror comics, Steve will find them.

So, highly recommended. As with all of the books in Yoebooks’ series, The Chilling Archives of Horror Comics!™, the book is made for permanence in any fan’s library. Haunted Love is available through all of the regular sources.

Number 1170: Gentlemen and Blackhawks should remove their hats

I can't remember where I read that artist Reed Crandall arranged with Quality Comics publisher Everett "Busy" Arnold to be paid extra for drawing Blackhawk stories. There are a lot of Blackhawks. The other thing I read was that Crandall found a way to get hats off the Blackhawks by having them knocked off, or otherwise removing them. Apparently Crandall didn't like drawing those hats.

This story is drawn by Crandall, and yes, in most of the panels most of the Blackhawks are not wearing hats. The Grand Comics Database credits Crandall with both pencils and inks.

From Modern Comics #59 (1947):