Tuesday, February 6, 2024

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 445: DR DODO

(Mystery Men Comics 024, 1941)


Gotta say: while I was initially quite excited to have a non-gang boss foe for the Blue Beetle after a run of four or five of them and even moreso after seeing that it was a guy named Dr Dodo who looked like a brute mob from a mid-tier FPS with a supernatural theme (you know, he'd be dressed in a bloody butcher's apron and take like a minute to kill until you figure out the trick to it) but upon realizing that he was just copying the Sky-Ruler and extorting inventors with the threat of fatal deplaning (albeit without bothering with the cars). It's dispiriting.

A point in Dr Dodo's favour for his clearly-stated gals: he has an explosive ray weapon and he is threatening to blow up NYC York City with it unless he's paid off.

Unfortunately for Dr Dodo, it's just not enough. Yes he looks very cool and menacing and like it's going to eat up your supply of plasma grenades to take him out. Sure he has a workable scheme. Yes he has a great name. But he spends a considerable portion of the story working to keep anyone from finding out who he is - exploding the body of that poor inventor, burning up the records at the local newspaper, kidnapping and attempting to murder Joan Mason and the Blue Beetle - while going around extorting the city under what is evidently his real name, Dr Dodo! And the background information that he is so keen to safeguard, that he was dismissed from somewhere for growing poisonous roses, has no bearing on his schemes and no part in his downfall! Maddening!

Lets all look at him one last time, though. He really does look cool, doesn't he? You're going to have to reload like five times to take this bad boy out with the starting weapon.

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