MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 385: THE GREAT MEDICINE BIRD

(More Fun Comics 067, 1941)

It's an old, dumb trope: diamond thief Gordon Slade escapes into the jungle with his loot and then takes over a tribe as it's spiritual leader - sometimes it's a god but in this case it's as a medicine man. Between the name and the outfit the Great Medicine Bird, like a lot of his shitty compatriots, technically qualifies for the status of minor super-villain. But since I don't especially like them, they're going into roundup posts from now on.

And yes I could have just started a roundup post with this guy but then I wouldn't have the opportunity to present this: the most over-the-top death I have encountered in a while: briefly getting the upper hand over Congo Bill, Slade is grabbed by a boa constrictor. He kills it, causing them both to plunge into a crocodile-infested river. Congo Bill's pal Professor Kent calls him both a snake and a rat as a eulogy.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 378: THE THING

(More Fun Comics 064, 1941)

This is not a complicated one: Congo Bill is asked for help by his friend Jack Brent. Brent is trying to sell his plantation, one of the assets of which is his good relationship with the local labour pool. Just as he had found a buyer, a skull-headed goon called the Thing started murdering workers. It's about par for course re: jungle comics portrayal of nonwhite folks and fairly standard otherwise and of course the Thing turns out to be Mr Tate the prospective buyer attempting to get a better price via wholesale slaughter. The one redeeming feature of the story is this:

The Thing looks sick as hell. You'll be hard pressed to find a better look than a skull in a hood and the cool dagger is a real bonus. The bulletproof vest is of course not visible but speaks to a thoughtfulness that is shamefully wasted in this grubby little scheme.

And yes that is Congo Bill in blackface.