Number 681


Ectoplasmic Giggles


Two goofy ghost stories from Giggle Comics.

Moonlighting animators wrote and drew the humor comics for what became the American Comics Group. These early issues were produced for the publisher by the Sangor Shop. Hubie Karp wrote the Spencer Spook story, but the writer isn't credited for Spooky. Ken Champin, who did Spencer, was a longtime animator and comic book artist. The Grand Comics Database is spotty on information for this title, but I think Spooky was succeeded by Spencer, who appear to be similar characters. Over the years the feature was handled by several artists. In my opinion the greatest artist of them all was Jack Bradbury. Go here for several of Bradbury's hilarious Spencer Spook stories, lovingly preserved and scanned by Jack's son.

"Spooky" is from Giggle Comics #8, 1944, and "Spencer Spook" is from #22, 1945.

Number 680


Scourge of the Nazis! The origin of Miss America


After a long hiatus, Miss America returns to Pappy's, this time with her two-part origin story from Marvel Mystery Comics #'s 49 and 50, from 1943.

Her look was a bit different in her earliest adventures. I like the hood; later on it changed and looked like a beanie perched on her hair.

According to the Grand Comics Database, the origin was written by Otto Binder. Part 1 in Marvel Mystery #49 was drawn by Al Gabriele, and Part 2 by Charles Nicholas.

I've shown some other adventures of Miss America, a very entertaining second banana feature from 1940s Timely Comics. Click on "Miss America" in the link below to see the others. I took the scans from the internet about 2003, on a website devoted to Miss America. I'm glad I saved these because I believe the site is gone. The only thing I did to the scans was enlarge them from 500 pixels to 600 for easier reading.

Number 679


Gang War in Brooklyn!


"Gang War In Brooklyn" is a curiously titled story, since the gang "war" is internal to the gang, not a going-to-the-mattresses war between beer barons or Mafia families. It's a fair but typical crime comics heist story; nothing exceptional about it except for the fine artwork of Joe Maneely. Maneely, one of the top Atlas bullpen artists, could handle his assignments with ease. He did horror, crime, adventure, Western...he covered the genres. He was also said to be extremely fast, handling 6 or 7 pages a day, while other artists were lucky to finish one.

Maneely died young, before the so-called "Marvel Age." I've wondered what Maneely's part in that Marvel Age would have been. I'm sure whatever he'd have done for Stan Lee during the '60s would have been great.

From Crime Cases Comics #27, 1951:

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Also from the issue: I'm guessing these guys are eager to see what she does with that Tootsie Roll in her mouth.

Number 678


Bride of the Swamp Monster


On December 26, 2008 I wrote about writer/director/actor Allen Baron, who made the 1960 noir classic, Blast of Silence (available on DVD).

Baron was a comic book artist in his younger days. In a documentary on the making of the movie, some tantalizing glimpses of original art are shown. I asked if anyone knew where the stories had appeared.

I found one recently, in Forbidden Worlds #9, 1952. "Bride Of the Swamp Monster" is a fairly typical ACG supernatural programmer. Baron's artwork is a bit crude, but not much worse than some other ACG artists.

My original posting is an adjunct to Pappy's #442.

Number 677


Two Lady Dangers


This is the final "Lady Danger" story drawn by Carmine Infantino. It's from Sensation Comics #89, 1949. The series went on for a few more episodes before being replaced by a couple of romance-styled strips, "Dr. Pat," and "Romance, Inc.," as Sensation bowed to the then-current love comics craze. For its last four episodes "Lady Danger" was drawn by Emil Gershwin. Nothing against Mr. Gershwin, who went on to ACG and the supernatural comics, et al., but to me the peak of "Lady Danger" was when Infantino was pencilling and Bob Oksner was inking. This particular episode was inked by veteran Joe Giella. No credit is given by the Grand Comics Database for the writer, but it was most likely editor Robert Kanigher.

We've shown some Infantino/Oksner stories in the past. Go to the link below and click on Lady Danger.