Thursday, May 2, 2024

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 509: KING ROCKY THE FIRST

(Blue Bolt v1 010, 1941)


Some preamble: in Blue Bolt v1 007 the Green Sorceress managed to capture the Blue Bolt and thus in Blue Bolt v1 008 she was able to force Dr Bertoff to surrender to her forces. Her incompetent scientists subsequently triggered a series of devastating explosions while attempting to extract radium from Bertoff's mineral fields, with the one positive effect of opening a passage to the surface world. The Green Sorceress then travelled to the surface to do espionage, followed by the Blue Bolt, who had escaped paralysis and freed Bertoff's people since her departure.

The Green Sorceress' main surface henchman was gang boss Rocky Roberts, King of the Rackets, who got pretty thoroughly beaten up by the Blue Bolt but then manages to pop out of a little hatch in the Green Sorceress' escape rocket and propose an alliance against Dr Bertoff and the Blue Bolt, to which the Sorceress agrees.

This goes poorly! Rocky immediately takes over the Green Kingdom and declares himself King Rocky the Foist.


Rather than rule in a traditional manner, King Rocky establishes himself as the head of a gang consisting of the Green Sorceress' former army, with the citizens of the Green Kingdom being subjected to gang-style protection rackets, kidnappings, torture and garden-variety murder. This is a Jack Kirby idea, it has to be - even if he never made up another one to vex someone like Jimmy Olsen with the Sci-Fi Gangsterocracy is one of the most Kirby ideas I can think of.

It's tough to articulate but I respect King Rocky for his decision to murder the Green Sorceress. Believe it or not, it's a refreshing change for a Golden Age villain, most of whom would see an attractive captive and start yelling about making her "my Queen!"

But of course if you shoot at a super-villain you best not miss. King Rocky the Foist's plans are interrupted by Blue Bolt and he meets the traditional end for a super-usurper: giant laser blast.

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