(Mystery Men Comics 018, 1941)
This here is the Rook, the only recurring antagonist of Golden Age duo the Lynx and Blackie the Mystery Boy. In terms of crime, he's your basic thief and murderer with a sideline in opportunistic kidnapping and extortion. He does have several notable attributes, however:
Tactics: The Rook has a hypnoray and he is going to use it, dammit. He's not one of those fickle super-villains who blame their tools every time a plan doesn't come together. The hypnoray is SOLID, it's a VALUED MEMBER OF THE TEAM and it's STAYING.
The Rare Hate Triangle: In his first appearance, the Rook kills his henchman Killer Burke rather than split the take of their latest job with him. Killer's brother Baldy Burke swears revenge and attempts to get it for the next four issues. It's a very fun dynamic because Baldy also hates the Lynx, so his allegiance is fluid. Sometimes he teams up with the Lynx to get the Rook, sometimes the opposite. At least once, Baldy just pops up out of the Rook's back seat and attempts to shoot him.
More books should feature a wildcard antagonist! I can't think of too many examples off the top of my head but those I can are terrific additions to the plot. Also, more super-villains should have non super-hero enemies given how they behave - if nothing else a guy like the Joker should be taking fire from opportunists any time he shows his face in public.
Eyes: Not only does the Rook have really great staring eyes (and they just keep getting more intense - by the end of his appearances he's got Muppet-style half ping pong balls going on) but the subjects of his hypnoray also have them. It's a nice touch and I appreciate it.
Physical Resilience (or Possibly a Series of Carefully-Planned Escape Routes): The Rook ends his first six appearances in the same way: missing, presumed dead. Specifically, he meets his theoretical end, in order, by fire, a fall, quicksand, drowning, explosion, and being thrown out a window onto sharp rocks and pounding surf far below. The Rook, in other words, operates on slasher movie villain rules - if he surely must have been killed but you don't have a body then he isn't dead. And the Lynx must have figured that out because in their final encounter he just breaks both of the Rooks legs rather than trying to kill him like he usually does.
In conclusion: while the Rook himself isn't the greatest villain in the world, virtually everything about him is worth incorporating into a villainous MO. Except for the part where he teamed up with literal Nazis. None of that.
No comments:
Post a Comment