Thursday, February 27, 2025

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 732: THE DOC

(Silver Streak Comics 003, 1940)

Like his super-heroic enemy the Silver Streak, the Doc's story is complicated somewhat by the fact that it begins as an effort by Jack Binder and ends as one by Jack Cole. In the former, the Doc is a mysterious figure who is orchestrating the deaths of the drivers of Silver Streak race cars via giant fly attacks. The reason for this? Never made clear. 


Once the Swami and his race crew are seemingly out of business for good, the giant fly turns to more conventional crime in an effort to extort what will eventually turn out to be New York City for 20 million dollars. This is both where we learn that the fly was created by Dr Katan, a mad zoologist and  also presumably the one writing notes signed "the Fly".


Though the New York authorities feel that they have no choice but to capitulate to the Fly's demands, the Silver Streak has other ideas, and uses his hypnotically-enhanced physique to send the beast to a messy end.

The Fly may be defeated and the monies returned, but Dr Katan is still out there, still capable of creating giant insects...

Dropping the "Katan" (and also the "tor") and now known also as "the Doc", the villain's second appearance is comparatively low stakes, with only one little extortion-based kidnapping before he is forced to marshal all of his insects and arachnids against a Silver Streak out for revenge. the real highlight is these cool-ass stinger bugs - if only there were little gremlinoid insects running around on two legs shooting spikes out of there mouths at one another.

Unfortunately for the Doc, by his second appearance he is up against the super speed Silver Streak rather than the car driving one, so his various arthropods are disposed of and he is captured in fairly short order.

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