Number 347


The Devil Dancers


Remember a few years ago people were talking about the lambada, the so-called "forbidden dance"? They made a couple of cheesy movies out of the "forbidden dance." Well, this story has nothing to do with the lambada, it's just me trying to sound like I know something about something, and being generally irrelevant. But "Spell of the Devil Dancers" is about a dancer and some dancing. Carma Gartland gives her all, and I do mean all, for her art. The story is from Web Of Mystery #13.

Number 346


"...through the sewer like a cannonball!"


Captain Battle came to us, eyepatch and all, by way of Lloyd Jacquet's Funnies, Inc., a shop that provided comic book stories and art, pre-packaged for publishers. Lots of folks were jumping into the field in the time right before World War II, and Lev Gleason used the Funnies, Inc. shop for his books. Captain Battle, the comic book, not the character, had a confusing history: the first series in 1941 had issues #1 and #2, then became Boy Comics with #3. There was a Captain Battle #3 in Winter 1942-43, then #4 and finally #5 in 1943 which reprinted the contents of #1. Number 5 is where I got the scans for this story.

To add to the confusion, there were also two issues of Captain Battle Jr. I guess they figured if it worked for Captain Marvel, it'd work for them.

Frank Borth, who had a long, long career in comics, supplied the artwork, although because of the shop production, could have other artists' hands in it. It's a fairly typical kick-the-Nazis-butts-type story, with our hero triumphing over the bad guys by using good ol' American smarts and ingenuity. I especially like the "Lucetubes" rockets...borrowed from Buck Rogers?

And speaking of borrowing, the scene of the Nazi officers in the nightclub and the singer doing "The Marseillaise" is "borrowed" from the movie, Casablanca.

Number 345


The doomed frat boys



My son and his family moved to another state earlier this year. The plan is for him to finish his schooling. I'm in the stands cheering him on, waving the ol' college flag, yelling, "Go, Dave, go!" Luckily he's taking his classes online, because after reading this story, I'm sure I don't want him joining any fraternities.

This story is from a really bad copy of Superior's Strange Mysteries #13. A previous owner shot a BB hole through it. Someone stuck some tape over some of the holes. One page has a corner missing. Those are all problems with my particular copy, but a worse problem, the really crappy printing, is thanks to the Canadian publisher's printer.

Number 344


Walt Kelly's Brownies and the Baby Chick


This is the 10th appearance of Walt Kelly in Pappy's, which shows both that he was prolific--lots to choose from--and good. The public demands Walt Kelly! Pappy gives what the public wants. Sometimes he gives what the public doesn't want, but hey...

Where was I? Oh yeah, Walt Kelly. This story is the first from The Brownies, Dell Four-Color Comic #244, dated April, 1949. Like all of Kelly's funny and whimsical adventures, regardless of the characters involved, the story goes where Kelly sends it. One description I read of Kelly was that he wrote these as he went along. Kelly was a fast artist and the artwork might seem a little rushed, but even rushed Kelly is good, if not downright great. There was never anyone quite like him.

Other stories from this issue of The Brownies are posted in Pappy's #13, and Pappy's #143.

Number 343


Man O' Mars


The cover above is one of my favorites. The Grand Comics Database guesses it's by Sid Check, but it looks more like Gray Morrow to me. It looks like it was inspired by Famous Funnies #212, a Buck Rogers cover by Frazetta.

Man O' Mars is a reprint of a Fiction House one-shot from the early '50s. The original cover from Fiction House is also good, but I'm not sure of the artist on that one either. Maybe Maurice Whitman?

While the 10-page lead story, "Man O' Mars" looks to have been new in 1953, the rest of the comic is made up of reprints from Planet Comics.

I.W. Comics (later Super Comics) was Israel Waldman, who would buy printing plates and the rights to reprint from the original publisher, then issue the books three to a bag for 25¢. Since he wasn't going through newsstand distribution channels he didn't have to deal with the Comics Code. I have great affection for these comics. I bought the I.W. comics in 1959. I was too young to have read their original printings, so they were my introduction to those wicked pre-Code comics. I became an innocent seduced!