MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 784: THE GREEN MASK

(Sure-Fire Comics 001, 1940)

The Green Mask is after one thing: world domination, and he's looking to achieve it by capturing the Shock Ray, a weapon capable of paralyzing hundreds of people at a time, and which has been deemed too terrible to use by the US government (just why this is it unclear - my only idea is that it is either a fatal paralysis or a permanent one).

The thing about the Green Mask that is very compelling is his hood - I'm always harping on about those characters who make the choice to have a nose cutout in their evil villain hood, and how that choice is a perfect one if you want comfort and also don't mind looking bad, and while the Green Mask has chosen to have ear cutouts - very similar - he has also gone with nostril holes instead of the full nose, and I have to say that that strikes me as both bad-looking and immensely impractical/uncomfortable. His minions all look terrific in their Halloween demon masks, though.

Another thing I'm always yapping on about is the long stretches of pointless action in the middles of Golden Age stories, and in no story is that more evident than this one. The Green Mask gets ahold of the Shock Ray plans on the first panel of the second page, and the much of the rest of the fifteen-page story involves his attempts to kill or capture various people tangentially involved in the theft for no stated reason, while X gathers more and more evidence toward his eventual capture.

And speaking of that capture, once it happens the Green Mask is revealed to be... Sam Barkley! And let me tell you that when I first read this story I was a little tired and so I figured that the fact that I had no idea who Sam Barkley was meant that I hadn't been paying enough attention, but no, Sam Barley is a "famous sportsman" who made a one-panel, non-speaking appearance, six pages earlier and that was it. It's the most out-of nowhere reveal in comics history.

Anyway, much beloved ancillary character Sam Barkley turned to a life of crime because he was mixed-race, and his American father abandoned his probably-Malaysian mother (based mostly on the fact that his henchmen are all or mostly Malaysian), leading him to hate all Americans and ultimately embark on a life of costumed crime. If his motivations were more nuanced than that then they will sadly go unexplored, as once captured he immediately chugs some prussic acid rather than be taken alive.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 654: THE BRAIN

(Green Mask v1 003, 1940)

Despite the fact that when he shows up the Green Mask shouts his name in shocked surprise like they're old enemies, the Brain is not in fact the main antagonist of the story he appears in, which is concerned with a fellow named Dudley Carstairs who has made some bad business decisions and has decided that his best option going forward is to kill his niece and steal her large diamond. During the course of Carstairs' schemes an agent of the Brain witnesses his crimes and informs his boss and so our poor villain here is relegated to the status of second act twist.

Even though the Brain manages to steal the diamond and send the Green Mask, Domino and both Carstairs adrift in a dirigible fitted with a time bomb his time with the gem is limited, as the Green Mask has to escape and throw him off of his own plane in time to prevent Dudley from attempting to kill his niece again. Sorry, the Brain!

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 653: RADION

(Green Mask v1 003, 1940)

Radion first comes to the attention of the Green Mask and Domino the Miracle Boy when he makes an attempt on the life of their beloved laundry delivery boy, Jerry. After much running around after the hooded mastermind and his gang and multiple concussions for both of our heroes, Radion is eventually unmasked as... Jerry's boss, Mr Pelson. There are two things to take away from this:

1) The increased chance of being a super-villain that comes from knowing a super-hero's civilian identity extends to the most tenuous of links.

2) It never hurts to be a good boss.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 652: THE GRIM CIRCLE

(Green Mask v1 001, 1940)

The Grim Circle! A mysterious hooded group responsible not only for killing the Green Mask's father but also for causing the injury that leads to the creation of the Green Mask himself! And the creation of Domino the Miracle Boy a bit later in the issue! Truly they are the engines of their own destruction.

SIDE NOTE: Criminals targeting politicians for introducing tough-on-crime legislation is a trope in various media to this very day. I have no doubt that it has a TVtropes entry. Normally such laws are so vaguely laid out in the text of the story they appear in as to essentially be "we're making crime illegal again," but Senator Shelby's Mandatory Death Sentence for All Gang Members Bill is legitimately insane and while I don't condone murder maybe it is overall a good thing that he no longer has a hand in making laws.

Weirdly, I don't actually think that the Grim Circle are a gang. They're a group, certainly, but all of their activities seem to be in aid at a sort of freelance espionage situation. That's more of a conspiracy. And espionage is already very illegal!

The Grim Circle's major project is to draw the US into WWII and to that end they've recruited Igor, a mad scientist with a super artillery cannon, to help them blow up some peace talks. Needless to say, the Green Mask doesn't let this happen and in fact kills the whole lot of them via explosion.

John Sebastion, a financier tangentially connected to some of the Circle's crimes, is eventually revealed to be the head of the group, perhaps because he claims to have been released after the Green Mask killed everyone but the leader. The huge Grim Circle forearm tattoo might also have been a clue.

MINOR SUPER-HERO ROUND-UP 027

Guess what? More minor super-heroes, that's what.

the Black Arrow:

Black Arrow, aka Rex Norton, is a detective/pilot, ho-hum. As per standard he has a great codename. (Green Giant Comics 001, 1940)

the Researcher:

A dapper super-scientist armed with x-ray flashlights, paralysis-inducing walking sticks and mind-reading rays. Perhaps the most charming thing about him is that everyone from his enemies to his friends to his lab assistant/love interest refer to him solely as "the Researcher." (Green Giant Comics 001, 1940)

the Green Mask:

The Green Mask started out in Mystery Men Comics as your standard Green Hornet or Crimson Avenger style masked vigilante: capable with his fists and with a gun but otherwise an ordinary if unnamed human man, believed by the police and the underworld to actually be a crook and thus hunted by both, the works. 

After about a year and a half, he got a bit of a revamp: the Green Mask was now Michael Shelby, son of Senator Shelby, enemy of crime. In an attempt to prevent the Senator from introducing a law that would make crime illegal, gangsters gun him down and shoot up Michael in the process. Lucky for him, family friend Professor Lascomb is present and has a healing vita-ray machine at his disposal - Michael's life is saved and as happy side effect is empowered with the ability to fly and some ill-defined enhanced physical abilities. His crimefighting career is much the same as before but without the ire of the police. 

(Like Fox Features' other big non-Blue Beetle heroes Samson and the Flame, in 1941 the Green Mask gets a bit more of a supporting cast, in his case wealthy socialite Olivia Tracy and her bumbling chauffeur Peters. Like Samson and the Flame this didn't save him from oblivion when Fox had its troubles in 1942-1943 but unlike them he did return eventually. Kind of) (Mystery Men Comics 001, 1939/ Green Mask v1 001, 1940)

Domino the Miracle Boy:

In the same story in which the Green Mask becomes super-powered Michael Shelby (and also Michael Shelby becomes the Green Mask) an unnamed youngster is blown up by a grenade and must be healed by Professor Lascomb's vita-ray. This youth was called Don (no last name forthcoming) and wasn't just a blown-up teen but a blown-up teen orphan and so was summarily adopted by Michael Shelby. Domino's powers are a little less extensive than the Green Masks, as Prof Lascomb foolishly fixed the vita-ray machine's short circuit in between the two being treated, the main upshot of which is that Domino doesn't seem to be able to fly but rather gets around on a rope tied to a boomerang. (Green Mask Comics v1 001, 1940)

NOTES - OCTOBER 2024

Cops Shooting at Fleeing Suspects:

The NYPD (or the cops in some other town. but probably the NYPD) attempt to murder the Green Mask and Domino the Miracle Boy because they were wearing masks near a crime and had the audacity to run away. (Green Mask v1 003, 1940)

Vexing Conundrum:

These panels are from a strip called Flyin' Jenny, the details of which are not important, save for the fact that a character has cheated in an air race and is now travelling incognito only to be given away by her signature piece of jewelry: a little tag with her name on it worn on a chain or string around her thigh. But... is this a thing? Did anyone wear these c. 1940 or is it a weird affectation made up for the strip? It seems to be impossible to hunt up online! (Reg'lar Fellers Heroic Comics 003, 1940)

Golden Age Policing:

Just had to pull these panels as it's the closest I've seen to cops actually torturing someone on-panel in a comic (usually it's just heavily implied to be good and just and a great idea). (Hyper Mystery Comics 001 1940)

Honours:

Wambi the Jungle Boy is awarded a silver sword for helping to prevent a rebellion/ helping to perpetuate colonial rule in Africa. (Jungle Comics 001, 1940)

GENERIC COSTUMED VILLAIN ROUND-UP 009

GENERIC! COSTUMED! VILLAINS!

It's not much of a costume but this dude named Marmi does manage to use a trained cobra to steal a huge ruby before the Radio Squad gets him, which is a feat. (More Fun Comics 072, 1941)

It's possible that this fellow was meant to have a name but he never managed to say it over the Green Mask's relentless mocking of his costume. He's munitions magnate August Mincer, who has no obvious ties to Nazism despite his gruesome swastika-themed deathtrap. His plans to take over the US munitions market and possibly the world are stopped by a boomerang to the head from Green Mask sidekick Domino the Miracle Boy (Mystery Men Comics 018, 1941)

A bunch of fake ghosts set to scare off Zara of the Jungle and her guy-pal Jeff Graves from a slavery operation, these guys not only have a great look but an unshakable faith in their armoured skull headpieces - not only that they will protect them from all incoming attacks but that their foes will only go for headshots. All of these guys must have so many concussions. (Mystic Comics v1 003, 1940)

This here bunch of handsome lads are the Communist-esque henchmen of spy Kursk. They capture weirdo hero Dr Hypno but don't manage to get what they want out of him before he projects his mind into a little cat and escapes. (Amazing-Man Comics 018, 1940)

MAD AND CRIMINAL SCIENTIST ROUND-UP 004

More mad science than criminal science or vice versa? You be the judge! 

This guy, who seems to be neither bald nor ironically hairy enough for his name of Baldy Fluger to make sense, has a hypnotic ray and a plan: to use that hypnotic ray for crime. The Green Mask and Domino the Miracle Boy have something to say about that. (Mystery Men Comics 021, 1941)

If there was any more to these three (respectively named Boris, Oscar and Unnamed Man) than what happens in the four panels above then I would be writing hundreds of words about them, but this is about it: three mad scientists, one of whom has one of the top lines in comics history ("They said I was a mad scientist but when I blast their children with my electron gun they won't call me mad anymore!") attack a steel mill for unclear reasons, possibly madness. The rest of the story involves them battling Lieutenant Drake of Naval Intelligence and Miss X. There's a lot of electron gunning but no children are involved. (Mystery Men Comics 021, 1941)

Renowned transplant surgeon Dr Moru just so happens to also be the mysterious person murdering people and stealing their hands, and all so that he can make beaucoup bucks giving gangsters brand new hands with brand new fingerprints. Until the Green Mask gets involved, of course. (Mystery Men Comics 029, 1941)

Dr Murdo here had a death ray, an underground lair and a small army of goons but had the misfortune of crossing paths with Flexo the Rubber Man and being subdued with robot gas. (Mystic Comics v1 001, 1940)

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 449: DR LEECH

(Mystery Men Comics 028, 1941)

In addition to being a member in good standing of the Name Sounds Like It's a Thematic Choice But Isn't Club, Dr Leech is a charter member of the The Protagonist Just Wandered into My Place of Work Instead of Having to Do Any Detective Work to Find Me Society. When the Green Mask intercepts a clearly mind controlled bank robber he hauls him into the nearest doctor's office, which turns out to be Dr Leech's (possibly helped out by the fact that Leech seems to order his thralls to run directly to him with the loot).

Mind control is insidious enough, but it turns out that Leech is using a drug called Hystodine with an unfortunate side effect - it causes his victims to become suicidal as it wears off. Talk about a jerk, am I right? Don't worry though: he gets his.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 448: THE GHOST

(Mystery Men Comics 027, 1941)

As is so frequently the case, this here ghost is in fact an elaborate hoax carried out to keep people away from a particular location. This time it's a gang of smugglers operating out of an old abandoned inn evocatively named "the Tombstones" by the locals. The Green Mask makes short work of these rascals despite the extra effort they put in, including wholesale grave robbing in order to keep themselves stocked up with enough spooky skeletons to scare off the rubes.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 447: THE MANX

(Mystery Men Comics 026, 1941)

It's the Manx! Our second catsuit-clad cat-themed villain after the Cat's Paw! This fella doesn't share too much about himself but seems to be a bit of a criminal opportunist - here he's attempting to steal a pistol used in a 25 year-old murder so that he can blackmail the murderer, now a wealthy and successful man. Given his sneaky climbing style of getting about I'd wager that he's usually some sort of burglar. A cat burglar, natch.

Mustn't forget to note his themed weapon: a cat's claw mounted on his wrist that he uses to slash up his foes in a surprisingly gory fashion. Also: no tail, just like a real manx!

Ultimately, the Manx seems to have the wrong ratio of sneaking around vs committing horrific violence going on, particularly once he's aware that he's facing a super-powered foe in the Green Mask. With a little more creeping and a little less clawing he might have gotten away with some swag rather than being caught by an oaf.

NOTES - JANUARY 2024

Police Attempted Murder:

The Green Mask broke an accused murderer (innocent, framed) out of jail so the NYPD attempt to murder him and Domino the Miracle Boy (Mystery Men Comics 020, 1941) 

The police (behind the green car) attempt to gun down the Blue Beetle with no regard for the innocent witness standing next to him (Mystery Men 027, 1941)

Future History:

A stark vision of the state of the mortuary industry in the far-off year 2000, courtesy of Rex Dexter (though as is the nature of many sci-fi comics the setting seems to have drifted into at least  the late 2500s according to some of the headstones in the Moon graveyard) (Mystery Men Comics 021, 1941)

COMMIES:

Not too many Communist antagonists show up in the window between the advent of comics and Russia joining up with the Allies, but here we have some attempting to steal a new bomb prototype for their leader "Nilats" (and I guess to be completely accurate there are a lot of  spies with Russian-sounding names etc but almost all of them are clearly meant as crypto-fascist pseudo-Germans more than anything. These fellows being capital-c Communists is a rarity) (Mystery Men Comics 022, 1941)