Number 1950: Talking flag

In answer to a reader’s request for more from DC’s short-lived, early-fifties anthology comic, Danger Trail, here is a story by Alex Toth. Not only did Toth draw it, he did the lettering. Characteristic of Toth’s lettering is the use of underlining for emphasis, rather than the usual bold-faced italic used by other letterers.

This story also depends on a literary device I don’t much care for, told from the point of view of an inanimate object, in this case a battle flag. It is a tricky way to tell a story, and in this case unnecessary except to give the main character someone (or some thing) to talk to.

Grand Comics Database gives credit to Robert Kanigher for the script. “Battle Flag of the Foreign Legion” is from Danger Trail #3 (1950):

Number 1949: Machine Gun Grogan steals Machine Gun Kelly’s story

Unlike many crime comics, there is no BASED ON A TRUE STORY! label anywhere In Crime and Justice #1 (1951) from Charlton Comics. But the story of Machine Gun Grogan is based on truth, just not George Grogan. (The most famous person named George Grogan, based on my googling of the name, is a brigadier general in the British Army during World War I. Grogan won the Victoria Cross, so he is not our gangster George Grogan.) The story is based on the famous story of George “Machine Gun” Kelly, and his wife, Kathryn. Why they chose to use fake names for the story I don’t know. It isn’t like famous thirties gangsters like the Kelly couple weren’t fair game for crime comics. See the link below the story for EC Comics’ version of the Kelly story.

The Grand Comics Database doesn’t guess the artist or writer. They use a tagline on the story, “The Wages of Crime is...DEATH!!!” which is true. It is true because the wages of everything is death, whether we live our lives as good, bad or indifferent. (A recent birthday is making Ol’ Pappy philosophical.)

For the EC War Against Crime version of the Machine Gun Kelly story, go to this 2010 posting:

Number 1948: Lorna: the terror of the deep, and the shallow boyfriend

Lorna is handy when her boyrfriend, Greg, gets into trouble. Not only does Lorna save him over and over, she loves him. In “Terror of the Deep” she hints that she’d like Greg to propose marriage. Greg is not dumb...he knows what Lorna is doing. He just chooses to change the subject. In those days men were expected to be head of the family, and Greg knew that in a marriage to the superbly capable and resourceful Lorna he would not be the one in charge.

From Lorna, Jungle Girl #8 (1954). Story by Don Rico, art by Werner Roth.

Number 1947: Talk Like a Pirate Day, 2016

Today is the annual Talk Like a Pirate Day, and while I have a pirate tale, there's no “Yo-ho-ho” or “Arrrrr, mateys!” in the dialogue. It’s from Dick Briefer, with one of his Pirate Prince stories for Daredevil Comics, this one from issue #16 (1943).

We had a Dick Briefer Frankenstein story a couple of weeks and I commented it appeared to have some of Briefer’s attitudes toward bosses. Briefer, as noted before, did a comic strip for The Daily Worker, the Communist Party USA newspaper. There is another such observation for this story, especially page 2, panel 2, when the Master gives an employee two flintlock loads of reduction-in-force, and a hearty Donald Trump-like “You are fired!” Moving away from politics, the tale turns sexy when a bunch of island girls move to seduce the pirate crew for help in getting rid of the Master.

This may not be the most piratical sounding story I could have chosen for Talk Like a Pirate Day, but scuttle my scuppers if it isn’t a treasure chest full of entertainment!

Number 1946: Phantom Detective: Master of disguise

Considering how long the Phantom Detective appeared in pulp magazines (20 years, 1933-1953), and Ned Pines, the publisher of the Thrilling pulps, had a line of comic books (Nedor/Better/Standard), you would think the Phantom would have had a career in comics as well. But, no. He was featured as a backup feature in Thrilling Comics for 17 episodes, and a one-shot appearance in America’s Best Comics. I haven’t read an explanation as to why he wasn’t a crossover star. Maybe his pulp appeal didn’t work in comic books. The Phantom Detective went about mostly disguised as someone else, unless you count the images of him wearing a domino mask. That probably wouldn’t qualify as a disguise. The Phantom was yet another rich guy using deductive skills to fight crime, a la Sherlock Holmes.

The Grand Comics Database doesn’t guess at a writer, but the artist is Edmond Good, an American born artist who moved to Canada at age 10, then back to America in 1943. He had a career bouncing around various publishers, then went into other art endeavors, including including art director at Tupperware. Good died in 1991 at age 81. There is an interesting 2013 article on Good at the Comic Book Daily site, including a scan of original art Good did for a 1942 Canadian issue of Weird Tales, and other examples of his art.

Edmond Good was the first artist on the long-running Tomahawk feature for DC. Here is the first story, from Star-Spangled Comics #69 (1947):

Number 1945: “He called me a coward!”

I chose this story from Atlas’ Men’s Adventures #4 (1950) because of the giant gorilla on the cover. (Such is how I choose stories...does it have a big ape or gorilla? Okay, it’s on the schedule!) But when I got into it, besides being attacked by a big gorilla, the Lippincott family, out hunting for lions and any other endangered species they can assassinate, have issues bigger than that killer gorilla. The dad is verbally abusive to his son. He sees him as a coward because he’s not out shooting animals. But when young Ronald Lippincott agrees to go along with his dad on the annual safari, the dad doesn’t bother to teach Ronald how to shoot! (Hey, Pop, you weren’t a Boy Scout? Remember their motto, “be prepared.”) Ronald should have pushed the issue before they left for Africa.

For a comic selling itself as red-blooded male adventuring, there is an awful lot of feeling exhibited here. Ronald wants to be a doctor, but his dad wants him to be a two-fisted tycoon like him. What is a boy to do? The thought crossed my mind, when on safari shoot the old man in the back, claim hunting accident and take over empire, but that would just be wrong...so wrong. That would make it a crime comic.*

The Grand Comics Database says it is drawn by Bob Brown, with no idea who wrote the overloaded captions and speech balloons.

*I have a crime story from this issue scheduled for later this month.