GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 004

They're back! They're costumed! They're generic!

It's a sad day for me but I fear I have to classify this fake mummy as a generic costumed villain, even though he has a shortsword, one of the top swords. Ultimately, he's just a thief named Shorty Jones who robs the museum every night and even with the power of the fake mummy on his side Shorty just isn't interesting enough to qualify as a minor super-villain. (Detective Comics v1 053, 1941) 

Doc Savage battled this guy (real name the pretty good Gritter; posing as the amazingly-named Captain Blackstone Toy) who had a very complicated plan to blackmail the US Armed Forces. Also his chief henchman was named Fuzzy. (Doc Savage Comics 004, 1941)

This lady bandit is in fact Deputy Cal of the Twin Forks Sheriff's office. His idea to crossdress as a major part of his holdup persona totally pays off, but unfortunately for him he completely fails to disguise himself in any other way - same distinctive horse, same clothes, a very confrontational attitude to anyone looking into the holdups rather than keeping his head down - and he swiftly gets run in by the Fargo Kid. (Feature Comics 048, 1941)

This unnamed stablehand is that most banal of killers, a jilted suitor going after the romantic rival. But he goes to such effort! It takes two tries - with a remote-controlled sailboat and a sniper rfle - to get the guy, at which point the Red Bee impersonates him and is attacked with battleaxe, scythe, pitchfork and trap door.

Plus he dresses up as Death for one attempt! Truly this man was as close to non-generic as it's possible to be while still being completely forgettable. (Hit Comics 014, 1941) 

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 218: THE LIGHTNING KILLER

(Detective Comics v1 056, 1941)

The Lightning Killer is a neat and potentially great concept that was ill-served by being featured in a 6-page middle-of-the-book strip like Cliff Crosby's. As presented, he's a mysterious killer who strikes only during thunderstorms and times his shots to lightning strikes so that they go unnoticed by witnesses. Unsurprisingly, he turns out to be the meteorologist Cliff consults midway through the story, as he is the only non-cop/ non-victim/ non-protagonist character featured.

The Lightning Killer concept is cool enough that it deserves more! BRING him BACK, I say. Have the Lightning Murders play out over a year or two in the background of an ongoing, with thunderstorms being infrequent enough that he flies just under the radar but still leave an entire city on-edge! Or a recent murder could open up an investigation that reveals decades of seemingly unconnected slayings are the work of just one man! Neat stuff!

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 098: THE INVISIBLE MAN

(Detective Comics 041, 1940)

What makes them a super-villain? He's an espionage guy with an invisibility formula.

What is interesting about them? Invisible guys are often pretty dull comic book villains, but I will give the Invisible Man/ Dr Ellis this: his cover identity is as a scientist in the team that is trying to catch him, and he's evidently arrogant enough that he actually developed a formula for a gas that would render him visible again but assumed that investigator Cliff Crosby would not have the chemical knowhow to synthesize it. He was wrong!

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 093: THE SKULL

(Detective Comics 043, 1940)

A skull-faced propagandist operating out of the Belgian Congo, presumably Nazi but it's pre-Pearl Harbor so he works for a "hostile power" or "the dictatorships" etc.

The really intriguing thing about the Skull is his choice of themes - rather than go with an obvious skeleton motif like your average skull-faced goon would do, he instead opted for a Medieval theme, complete with sword-wielding henchmen and a jungle castle. I would praise him for making good and interesting choices but he's probably a Nazi, so never mind.

RETROACTIVE ADDENDUM: got a lot of guys named the Skull coming up so I'm going to start scoring them on how appropriate their nom de crime is. This guy is obviously SKULL SCORE: 5/5

UNPRECIDENTED SECOND ADDENDUM: I messed up! this guy is pro war but he's just a munitions profiteer! Sorry, skull-headed creep!