Sunday, December 14, 2025

REAL PERSON ROUND-UP 020

Where would comic books be without real people, after all?

Easter Island


Lance O'Casey and his pal Dan'l Doom fight some wreckers on Easter island, and while I can't tell if the place saw enough ship traffic in the 1940s to make shipwrecking a profitable enterprise, I will say that the concept of Lance and Dan'l just casually passing by one of the most isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean while travelling from place to place is an eyebrow raiser.

The whole Easter Island aspect of the adventure honestly seems to just be a bit of set dressing, but I sure do love these extremely flat moai statues.(Whiz Comics 013, 1941) 

Fort Knox


As "Fort Gnox," robbed by Dr Sivana. (Whiz Comics 014, 1940)

FDR


Spy Smasher saves the president from being assassinated by probable-Nazi spy the Dark Angel, leading to what I can only interpret as a very awkward meeting between the two. (Spy Smasher 001, 1941) 

Fiorello La Guardia (Not)


Wow Comics 004 features not one but two mayors who are not Fiorello La Guardia in comics previously established to be set in New York City. I'd say poor guy for not getting elected in two different versions of Earth-S but neither of these guys are exactly having a good time. (Wow Comics 004, 1941)

Harry "A" Chesler

The Zip Comics 007 Steel Sterling story involves a crooked moneylending firm called the Uwana Loan Company, and here we see the door of that company with H. "A" C. listed as president. Comic book publisher Harry "A" Chesler was a decent boss as far as I can tell, so once and future Chesler employee/ "Steel Sterling" scribe Charles Biro is probably indulging in some classic comic book yuk-em-ups here rather than a trenchant skewering. (Zip Comics 007, 1940) 

Henry L. Stimson

US Secretary of State. As "Secretary Simpson," almost gets assassinated and mummified by the Black Thorn. (America's Greatest Comics 001, 1941) 

J Edgar Hoover:

As "FBI Chief Doover" almost gets assassinated by the Ghost. (am greatest 001 1941)

Ken Crawford


The Mask adopts a reporter alias as part of an attempt to find out the Spy Smasher's secret identity, and there is no doubt in my mind that "Crawf Kenford" is a classic syllable-flip reference to venerable political correspondent Ken Crawford. (Whiz Comics 013, 1941)

Mort Meskin

You have to squint to read it, but that red sign says "M. Meskin, Fish" on it. (Zip Comics 007, 1940)

William Tell


Golden Arrow plays William Tell in a local school pageant, with love interest Carol Braddock as the apple-headed son. (Whiz Comics 012, 1941) 

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