Number 2115: The Grimm ghost spotter

“Grimm, Ghost Spotter” appeared in the four issues of Bomber Comics, from 1944. But this episode is a reprint of a story that appeared a couple of months earlier in Harvey’s War Victory Comics #3 (Winter, 1943). I am not sure how all of this happened, but the contents of Bomber #1 appear to be reprinted from various sources, with the indicia listing the publisher as “Elliott Publishing Co.” I believe it may have been a company formed to print some comic books using a willing third party’s paper ration. To compound confusion, the Grand Comics Database lists the story as it appeared in War Victory as having art by Rudy Palais with a ? after his name, to show they aren’t sure. For Bomber Comics they list the artist as just ?

I am used to seeing comic book stories by Rudy Palais having characters dripping sweat. I don’t see sweat, but I think it may be a comic book sweatshop job with various artists working on it.

I like that Grimm goes to work carrying a ghost disintegrator, which in his line of work would be a handy device to have. But the unknown writer* must not have consulted the Monster Manual. Grimm says the countess is a zombie, but she doesn’t cast a reflection in the mirror. I thought it was vampires who don’t have reflections. Well, neither do I, but that's because I close my eyes when I look into a mirror so I don’t have to see myself.

From Bomber Comics #1 (1944):

*I assume the name “Don Weaver” is a pseudonym.

Number 2114: Human Bomb’s explosive origin

The Human Bomb (Roy Lincoln, a scientist helping his dad develop a super explosive for national defense) debuted in Police Comics #1, in 1941. Roy has another of those superhero origins, where what does not kill him gives him powers. In his case, he can blow things up with his touch. (I think of him as a suicide bomber who doesn’t blow himself up with his targets.) I don't remember ever reading a Human Bomb story before. Probably because his bomb suit is visually uninteresting to me, although the artwork by Paul Gustavson (as Paul Carroll) is dynamic and well drawn. Those early Quality Comics under the aegis of the Eisner and Iger shop were noticeably better drawn, not to mention more colorful* than most of the competition.

Creator Gustavson was born in Finland, and at age five came with his family to the U.S. He did several successful comic book features over the years, but in later life did what a couple of other artists I have mentioned before did. He went to work for the government. In his case as a surveyor and civil engineer for New York State. Gustavson, born in 1916, died in 1977 at age 60.

*Quality publisher, Everett “Busy” Arnold, although color blind, insisted on a lot of color in his comics. Later on they toned down the vibrant hues, but those early Quality Comics had a scorched eyeball effect.

Number 2113: The short tall tale

I hold animator/cartoonist Jack Bradbury in high regard. I think he was one of the top artists of funny animal comics in the late forties-early fifties. I love Bradbury’s art for the same reason I love Walt Kelly...their background in animation helped them give life to the characters, movement and action, even in the non-moving panels of the comics.

Jack died in 2004, but one of his sons has kept his spirit alive with a website devoted to his comic book work. Spunky, Junior Cowboy #3 (1949), the comic book from which today’s story was published, was created, written and drawn by Bradbury.

I showed this hilarious tall tale back in 2007. These are brand new, much superior scans, from my personal copy.

You can see more of Jack Bradbury’s funny animals in his Hepcats. Just click on the thumbnail:

Number 2112: Bozo the ’bot

Bozo the Robot was “born” in Smash Comics #1 as “Hugh Hazzard and His Iron Man.” After awhile the feature’s name was changed to “Bozo the Robot.” Hugh and Bozo were created by artist George Brenner, whose career went back to the very early years of comic books. In 1943 Brenner took over the editor’s job at Quality, and lasted there until 1949.

Brenner died young, at age 43, of an apparent heart attack. Even his son, John, in an interview, has had trouble finding out more information about his father’s role in the history of comic books. You can read an interesting interview with John Brenner  at the Quality Companion blog.

Early comics often played fast and loose with the United States Constitution, or acted like it didn’t exist. There are all sorts of problems with the plot device of having a law passed with a penalty of immediate death for spies and saboteurs. [SPOILER!] Not only that, the villain here, Emil Kurt, is taken into custody by Bozo, found guilty and executed the same night by firing squad.[END SPOILER]  There is such a thing as due process, and it does not look like it was done in this case. A law like the one in this story would not get signed by any President of the U.S. Well...I sure hope not, anyway...

From Smash Comics #29 (1941):

Number 2111: Legs Diamond, the human target

Jack “Legs” Diamond, infamous Prohibition-era gangster, was the target of killers four separate times. In the first three attempts at rubbing him out, Legs got a total of ten bullets in him. He survived each of those attacks. He might have felt invincible. But he ran with a rough crowd, and he did not survive the last attack in 1931, when a couple of goons put two bullets in his head. Goodbye, Legs!

Legs had a girlfriend, Marion “Kiki” Roberts. In this crime comics version of Legs’s life and career, Kiki becomes “Diki.” The editors would do that sometimes when the person they were referring to was still alive. Kiki, who had been a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl, went on the road with her newfound notoriety, after Legs was safely dead.

Artwork by Bob Q. Siege. From Crime Does Not Pay #44 (1945).

“It’s the Truth”

With this issue of Crime Does Not Pay, a 16-page rotogravure section was included with the comic book. It was done in standard detective magazine style, with lurid text articles like “The Riddle of the Bludgeoned Beauty!” and “‘That’s the Killer!’ Shrieked the Parrot!” The section included little fillers called “It’s the Truth” with things every young crime comics reader should know about hanging, the gas chamber, and accidental death by firearms. Also, an informational bit for young murderers: how not to make the mistake of placing a gun in a dead man’s hand, to make it look as if he used it on himself.

Numbner 2110: Red Comet sends criminals on holiday

The Red Comet is a character from early issues of Planet Comics. He has “magical abilities,” which, to me, is any power the writer can think up for a particular story to combat villains. As stated in the Public Domain Superheroes website: “His powers include telekinesis, super-strength, extrasensory crime detection, the ability to shrink to the size of an insect or grow to over 5 miles tall (using an intra-atomic space adjuster), and the ability to make things explode with his mind. He flew a ship that could travel over 660 million miles per hour. ”

I would like to learn the trick of making things explode with my mind. It sounds like a handy super power.

Fortunately for criminals, in this entry from Planet Comics #5 (1940), he doesn't use that super power. But Red Comet is able to stop crime for two weeks. He has rounded up all the criminals, and is depositing them one-by-one to “inhabitable planets.” Then he takes some war profiteers and flings them into space. While the artwork is credited to Don Rico by the Grand Comics Database, the story has the fingerprints of Fletcher Hanks, or someone using Hanks's techniques for getting rid of bad guys. Hurling them into space is a real dire punishment, and next to it making the war profiteers explode through the power of his mind might have been considered merciful.