MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 792: THE OCTOPUS

(Target Comics v1 003, 1940)

I'm going to start out by saying that I have no idea why this story is called "Return of the Octopus!" as this is as far as I can tell both the first and last appearance of the character. Both the title and the Octopus' costume seem to be dramatic flourishes that don't really play out in the text of the story.

I do really like the Octopus' costume, though. It's got a lot of low-effort charm, though now that I think of it I have no idea how easy it would be to source a green sweater with a large octopus decal on it c. 1940.

Sadly, the Octopus shucks his disguise after one panel when he has to answer an inquiry from Treasury Agent Chick Farrell at his funeral home front, and this is where the other part of his character design comes into play, as physically he embodies a whole set of characteristics that were associated with undertakers in the early 20th Century and beyond: cadaverous face, unnerving stare, unnatural posture, old-fashioned clothing - general creep vibes. This is of course a slander against the hard-working undertakers of the world, but what can you do?

The extant copy of this comic is unfortunately missing the one or two pages that close this story. At the end of the part that is available, the Octopus has just murdered his accomplice (his kidnap victim's crooked uncle) and is about to get away on a boat, so based on my long experience in reading comic books I'd say that there's a 70/30 split on the odds of whether he eventually drowns or is arrested.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 775: THE OCTOPUS

(Super-Mystery Comics v1 001, 1940)

The Octopus! Leader of a nation-wide crime wave! Keenly interested in branding! His men slap little octopus stickers on cops and burgled vaults alike! And when the Octopus talks to his men, he is represented by what appears to be an animated octopus! As far as criminal operations go, this one is pretty slick.

Unfortunately for the Octopus, nothing gold can stay and that includes excellent crime setups. While he might be able to outmanoeuvre a nation's worth of police, it is somewhat harder to get by the newly-fledged super-hero Magno, who begins to eat into the profit margins of the Octopus' New York operations. Perhaps this is why he steps out from behind his octopoid avatar and dons a mask in order to participate in a dirigible-based theft of 5 000 000 dollars in gold bullion, only to be forced to abandon airship when Magno shows up yet again. This understandably goes over poorly with the lads.

Never has a villain had a more rapid transition from triumphant moment (you cannot shoot me thanks to my bulletproof suit!) to comeuppance (my bulletproof suit is the means by which I am captured by Magno thanks to the very qualities which previously protected me. Woe unto my poor soul).

The Octopus is finally unmasked! And just who is this criminal mastermind? None other than Professor Beale, the famous criminologist who was consulted on the scourge of his own alter ego earlier in the issue and who somewhat clumsily attempted to throw suspicion onto Magno! Why, I never saw that coming *head vigorously nodding to indicate that I did, in fact, see it coming*.

Beale/the Octopus takes advantage of a moment of distraction on Magno's part and makes another bid for freedom, but critically fails to grab the parachute he needs to really nail the jump and plummets to his death. Magno... pretty conspicuously opts not to save him, something that he has already shown that he can do. Sorry, hard-core Magno fans, but it's true.