Tuesday, March 5, 2024

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 468: THE GHOST

(Amazing-Man Comics 013, 1940)

In Amazing-Man Comics 010 Minimidget and Ritty accidentally get shot to the Belgian Congo on a guy's homemade rocket (as you do) and the subsequent issues have been a series of trials and tribulations as they make their way back home. The Ghost is another one of those, but a fun one - not racist at all, for one thing!

I may not have much regard for pilot-heroes but air pirates are another matter, and that's just what the Ghost is, complete with all the good good accessories: custom planes with little ghosts painted on them, a hidden airfield, costumed henchmen dressed in a less-cool version of his own costume, a bombastic attitude... he's the complete package for a one-off villain. The only sour note is his name - the Ghost is a perfectly fine name on its own but several people refer to him as a "sky way robber" and the Skyway Robber is a much better name for an air pirate.

(it's hard to tell with the state of search engines nowadays but it seems like "the Skyway Robber" has only been used as a name for a card in Magic: the Gathering. A shame!)

The Ghost dies somewhat ignominiously when his plane is tripped. That's life as a comic book villain, I guess.

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