Number 2520: “As evil a wench as ever carried a gun!”

 

Lady Serpent is the evil wench who kills. She not only strikes fear in the hearts of her gang, but also the police. Sergeant MacGooligan has a “fierce headache” caused by the Lady Serpent busting out of jail. He tells the story of her escape to Black Terror and his young companion, Kid Terror, in their civilian identities as a pharmacist and a soda jerk. The prison break ends tragically because Lady Serpent guns down the prison warden and a police detective, which gets the Terror Twins, as they are called, into action.

Black Terror had a long run in the 1940s. I counted 127 issues of comic books where Black Terror appeared between 1941, in America’s Best Comics, Black Terror, and Exciting Comics, when Black Terror's run ended in 1949.

This story is drawn by the team of Jerry Robinson and Mort Meskin, and is from Black Terror #23 (1948):

Number 2165: London and Nightro during wartime

London was created for Charles Biro’s Daredevil #2 by Jerry Robinson, as was Nightro, drawn by George “Inky” Roussos. Both Robinson and Roussos were courted by Biro because they worked for Bob Kane. Robinson came up with London, Dick Wood and Roussos did Nightro. Biro probably thought he could get some sales spillover from some of the talent behind Batman, but no. The strips created by these two men for Biro both disappeared within a short period of time.

The no-boost-from-Batman last London strip can be seen by going to the link below today’s strips.

London’s last appearance in Daredevil #11, is here. Just click on the thumbnail.

Number 1183: Caught with her panthers down

"Fangs of the Panther," from Harvey's All-New Comics #11, which is cover-dated Spring 1945, is probably at least partially inspired by the movie, Cat People, which was a big hit in 1942. Jerry Robinson, who had started his career assisting Bob Kane on Batman, is the artist. He was proud of this story, or appeared to be, since he signed it in both the splash and last panels. Signed comic book stories weren't unusual, but signed in two places was unusual.

Robinson died December 8, 2011, at age 89. He was active at that late stage in his life, based on this drawing of Robinson which appeared in The New Yorker magazine in May, 2011. Robinson was one of the pioneers of comic books, having joined Kane's studio as a teenager in those days when comics were finding their form.

Another pioneer, Bob Powell, was also represented in the same issue of All-New Comics, with a predecessor to the character, The Man in Black Called Fate*, the Man in Black Called Death, a name with a morbid air about it. It's the same character, though, with the gimmick of the Fate/Death character's face always in shadow.

*The Man in Black Called Fate is represented here by issues number 1 and 2 from 1957 in Pappy's #822, and Pappy's #1019. In 1947 the character appeared in Green Hornet Comics as The Man in Black, who introduced himself as Mr. Twilight! I showed a story in Pappy's #867.

Number 884


The Green Hornet and the mummy murders!


I see that The Green Hornet, the movie, was number one at the box office last weekend. So I thought I'd show folks what the original comic book Green Hornet looked like.

As we fans know, the Green Hornet was created as a radio show by the same folks who created the Lone Ranger, George Trendle and Fran Striker. Before the current hit movie, and over several decades, the Green Hornet has been featured in radio, movie serials, comic books, and a TV series.

This story is from Harvey Comics' The Green Hornet #29, 1946, drawn by Jerry Robinson, in much the same style as he put into his Batman pages.

I'm the type who waits for the DVD of a movie, so I imagine I won't see The Green Hornet for another few months, but only if you guys who've seen it tell me it's worth watching.