Tuesday, February 20, 2024

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 455: THE DEVIL OF THE DEEP

(Mystic Comics v1 001, 1940)

The Devil of the Deep AKA the Deep Sea Demon AKA the Water Ghost, like the Sea-Devil before him, is a fellow who dresses up in a modified diving suit in order to scare pearl divers away from a particular oyster bed.

Unlike the Sea-Devil, the Devil of the Deep costume is quite elaborate and convincing - you can't, for example, clearly see the breathing apparatus strapped to his back. He's also gone for a mermaid-style swimming setup, a frankly bold choice given that he's theoretically killing everyone who sees him - why not have use of your legs?

Also unlike the Sea-Devil, the Devil of the Deep has a pretty indefensible reason for his actions, in that he's trying to scare people away from the oyster bed because that's where all the evidence that he murdered his cousin in order to inherit the family fortune is. His lack of forward planning is everyone elses' problem, apparently.

(this is a good skeleton)

UPDATE May 2024: this story originally appeared in Centaur comic Funny Pages v2 001, 1937, with a less-fun colouring job. The monster suit was a very disappointing grey throughout.

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