Number 2578: ...and the 2021 Thanksgiving Turkey Award goes to...

It is that day.  I put on my tuxedo and stand on the dais declaring the award to my readers. The Thanksgiving Turkey Award has been given every year since the inception of this blog, with the exception of one Thanksgiving (and perhaps someone out there gave thanks that I didn't show it that year). The Award, as I usually say at this time, is judged and given by me and is up to my choice alone. This year I have broken one tradition, which is to find a story (singular) to present, instead I am giving two stories. Both are by the inimitable Fletcher Hanks. Hanks got the Award last year, also, which makes him the first repeater in our yearly tradition.

With Hanks it is almost too easy, but stacked up against other comic book creators from the early years of the comic books, he was then an original, and still lives in our hearts as the man whose creations, artwork, dialogue, etc., are unique. I say “unique” although several comic book creators from the late '30s and early '40s had their own bizarre visions, but no one seemed to be as bizarre as Hanks, and that isn’t just my opinion, but the opinion of everyone who writes about Hanks.

I rarely give four turkeys as an award, but Hanks undoubtedly gets about as close as one can get to my vision of a perfect turkey, therefore today’s choice earns the rare four turkeys.

The episodes of “Space Smith” and “Stardust” by Hanks were published in the same issue of Fantastic Comics #3 (1939].

Number 2577: Jo-Jo’s hot medicine

Jo-Jo Congo King was yet another white man swinging from trees in the comic book jungle. Published by Fox Features, and done for Fox by the Jerry Iger shop, where artists, even one or two, did the actual drawing in the familiar Iger style.

Fox had a comic book called Jo-Jo Comics, which was designed for young children. It was canceled and the former title became the Congo King's name. It was done because second class mailing permits were expensive. Keeping the title, albeit with totally different contents, made it possible to continue the title and not have to pay for a new permit. A tactic I have mentioned a few times in this blog.

The Public Domain web site gave the names of women, who appeared as Jo-Jo’s girlfriend (“love interests," as claimed by PDSH). In this story the voluptuous two-piece garb wearer is Gwenna. Other names of the sexy female leads are Geesha, Yolda, Safra, and Mioa. Jo-Jo’s girlfriend list was packed.

From Jo-Jo #7A,* 1946:

*There were two issues numbered “7”, so for purposes of keeping track, one is #7A, the other #7B. This story is from #7A. The Grand Comics Database says, “There are two #7s. Numbering is corrected with #14, skipping #13.” Skip #13? Was someone at Fox Features superstitious?

Come back tomorrow for the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Awards. 

Number 2568: The naughty L and I

Flick Falcon is an unusual name for a science fiction hero. Flick appeared in Fox Features' Fantastic Comics. This was the the last issue he went by the moniker Flick; in the next issue he was re-named Flip. Someone at Fox probably realized the "flick problem" in comic books. Because of the all-capitals lettering in comics some publishers prohibited words with the letters “L” and “I” close together in a speech balloon. And also in the large display lettering, FLICK FALCON, in the splash panel. The fear was that a dirty-minded letterer, or the fast and and sloppy printing of comic books might make the L and I appear close together and create the forbidden “F-word.” We can imagine critics of the comics in that era seeing that word. 

Flick/Flip was created by comic book journeyman, Don Rico, still in his and the comics' early days (Rico did comics at least through the mid-'50s). The online Marvel Database lists Rico as a triple achiever: writer, artist and inker. Grand Comics Database gives Rico the credit for this story. Some of the publishers Rico worked for are Marvel, Atlas, Timely (all published by Martin Goodman), Fox Comics, Lev Gleason, Fiction House, Ace Magazines, and Gilberton Publications (Classics Illustrated).

As for me, I am not very impressed by Flick, but I do like his sexy, pretty girlfriend.

From Fantastic Comics #3 (1939):

Number 2559: Phantom Lady and the Ace of Spades see through the disguises

                                       

I have commented (more than once) that Sandra, who is Senator Knight’s daughter, does not wear a disguise as Phantom Lady. She wears an abbreviated costume, but no mask on her face. In this tale Phantom Lady and the villainous Ace of Spades, wearing a sexy cowgirl outfit, meet up, and there is a showdown.

The enemy Ace of Spades is more observant than the friends and loved ones of those who hang out with Phantom Lady. In her first look at Phantom Lady the Ace of Spades thinks, “She looks enough like Senator Knight to be his daughter!” And Phantom Lady is no slouch, either...she sees through the Ace of Spade’s costume, and knows who she really is.

If only the myopic men and other characters in Phantom Lady had the power to see the obvious truth, that Sandra, sans costume, and Phantom Lady look exactly alike.

From Phantom Lady #20 (1948). Artwork attributed by the Grand Comics Database to Matt Baker.                                                                                

Number 2555: An all-wet drama

Navy Jones was a character inspired by Sub-Mariner. He was created as an undersea dweller through surgery, despite being a great-great-grandson of Davy Jones. The artwork, by Bert Whitman, who also created the character for Victor Fox’s line of comic books, is okay as an artist, but not exceptional. Jack Kirby appears in this particular issue, and there is a Joe Simon cover, so Navy Jones, done by Whitman, appears in the company of fair to excellent artists. Styles and drawing ability were all over the place in a typical Fox Features comic published over 80 years ago. Comic book fans eight decades ago could flip through the pages of a comic book like Science Comics and and not feel that anything was too far removed from that of other publishers.

I admit to being interested in the Navy Jones story because I like the villains of the tale, which include a huge one-eyed octopus. Its master, the evil and ugly prime minister, says to Navy Jones and his princess sweetheart, “The octopus will strangle you to death and drink the blood out of your crushed body.” A dire threat. But never fear, Navy Jones has a pepper shaker handy to fend off the octopus. That sounds somewhat original. Really. I kid you not.

From Science Comics #4 (1940):

Number 2548: “Do my bidding through your frozen brains...”

Weird Comics is aptly named, or at least as far as is shown in this chapter of the Sorceress of Zoom series. The sorceress has her own magic city, which she can send anywhere. That sounds good. Why travel the old fashioned way, airplane, car, horse-and-buggy, if you could just take your home and city, and plop it down where you want to go?

Toonopedia’s Don Markstein says of the Sorceress of Zoom, who appeared in the first 20 issues of Weird Comics, that she was a villain who later became a hero, but more of “an ambiguous hero like Sub-Mariner.” Would you trust anyone who was described as ambiguous? Not me.

The article also says the early adventures were drawn by Don Rico, and he may have created the Sorceress of Zoom. It appears the history of the feature is also ambiguous.

From Weird Comics #5 (1940):