Number 2424: Lance Lewis and the overgrown amoebas

I think I mentioned once that in the early '70s upon first acquiring some Nedor comics for their Alex Schomburg covers, I was somewhat appalled by the contents, with what I thought were dopey characters and dopey stories. I've read so many comic books since then that I am practically immune to that sort of thing, which means, I suppose, that I am becoming de-sensitized to dopeyness. In those long ago days Lance Lewis was one of the characters I thought to be below my dignity as a “mature” comic book connoisseur to be reading. How things have changed.

Lance didn’t last for long in comic books. He was in two issues of Mystery Comics, and nine issues of Startling Comics.

In its listing for Lance Lewis, Space Detective, Public Domain Super Heroes includes this:

“The Nedor comics were renewed by Popular Library, which was eventually bought out by Fawcett Books. When Fawcett went out of business, Popular Library was sold to Warner Bros. A number of different publishers, however, are currently/have been using these characters without any lawsuits from Warner Bros., so any action over them is (probably) unlikely. They are still, however, ‘use at your own risk’ characters.”

I admire those comic book fans who take the time to look up information like the above. I understand why someone would modernize a public domain hero for their own character, but much of the charm for me in the original is that it comes across as naïve and silly, and of its time.

From Mystery Comics #4 (last issue, 1944). Grand Comics Database doesn’t list an artist, but art spotter extraordinaire Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr says it is Bob Oksner, and I agree.

Number 2270: Doc Strange’s big apes made a monkey of me

I'll be damned! I have been took! I have been fooled...hornswoggled! I found the splash panel for “Doc Strange” from America’s Best Comics, and thought it terrific. Two huge apes threatening a hero! But as I read through the story, to my disappointment I found out those apes do not appear. About the best the creators could muster is a weird-looking crocodile, for which the uncredited artist used no reference photos. The story seems typical of  Nedor comic books, where logic and coherence are thrown out in favor of slam bang action panels.

I originally thought Doc Strange was a Doc Savage knockoff, but found he is more Superman than Savage. Since I feel snookered by the splash panel, and out of pique not willing to write any more, I am including Public Domain Super Heroes’ online capsule history of the character. So, take it away, PDSH!*

Origin Doc Strange

“Dr. Hugo Strange was a brilliant scientist who developed a serum called Alosun, a ‘distillate of sun atoms’ in order to ‘defeat crime.’ He spent many years developing it before he decided to field-test it in his first appearance, when he faced off against the Faceless Phantom. Ingestion of this serum gave him superhuman strength, the ability to fly, and invulnerability. Doc Strange was assisted by his sidekick, Mike, and his fiancée, Virginia Thompson.

“Doc Strange didn't have a secret identity and he was usually recognized on the streets of his native city. The city’s mayor occasionally contacted him to request assistance in some case that was beyond the capacities of mundane law enforcement. However, he wasn't as widely known in the greater United States, which allowed him and Mike to travel incognito on several occasions.”

Real Name Dr. Hugo Strange
First Appearance Thrilling Comics #1 (Feb. 1940)

Original Publisher Nedor
Created by Richard E. Hughes and Alexander Kostuk

Golden Age Appearances: America's Best Comics #1-23, 27, Thrilling Comics #1-64

The untitled story is from America’s Best Comics #15 (1945):

*I did a few small edits in the text for grammar purposes, not any factual information.

Number 2126: “Good American muscle”

Things look slow at pharmacist Bob Benton’s shop. Slow enough he can shut down the store and take off for Wyoming to visit his uncle Richard’s ranch. Bob takes along his young assistant, Tim, and his girlfriend, Jean. Tim isn’t too happy about Jean coming along. A couple of days ago I spoke of underage pals of grown men in the superhero business, and here we are again. Tim probably needn’t have worried about Jean intruding, since Bob sends Jean into the next room of the ranch while pointing out that he and Tim will be staying together.

The story itself is some hokum about a villain called Dr Ghoul who kidnaps people to turn them into his gang members. I am vague on the motives of Dr Ghoul’s gang. All I took from the story is Dr Ghoul aims to steal Uncle Richard’s ranch payroll. I wouldn’t think it would require such an elaborate setup to make a gang by placing kidnap victims in what looks like an iron lung and dosing them with electricity.

As the Terror Twins are about to be put into the machine Black Terror warns Dr Ghoul not to waste his time, because he and Tim are made of “good American muscle!” He failed to mention the reason for his own powers (super-strong, bullets bounce off) is he ingested some drug with “formic ethers.”

The Grand Comics Database lists Ed Moritz and Ed Hamilton as artists. Ed Hamilton is not Edmond Hamilton, science fiction writer and also scripter for Batman and Superman. The GCD doesn’t guess at a writer. From Black Terror #12 (1945):