MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 826: THE BIG BOSS

(Thrilling Comics 005, 1940)

Things are bad in New York City: the city is corrupt seemingly from top to bottom, civic leader Henry Adams has had enough of it, and his zeal is infectious: Doc Strange sets out to clean up the municipal landscape and beats up a wide variety of crooked politicians and businessmen, including:

- District Attorney Big Bill Roberts

- Lawyer Ollie Saunders 

- Contractor Alfred Quinn

- Brewer Von Strohm

- a bunch of unnamed gangsters and arsonists 

Almost all of them (save Roberts and the odd gangster) end up dead, which leaves Doc Savage to find the head honcho, the Bog Boss, and put an end to the source of the corruption.

The Big Boss makes a valiant attempt to turn Strange's planned ambush against him, but even a very large knife is never going to be enough for that, and he is swiftly subdued and unmasked as - wouldn't you know it - civic leader Henry Adams, who's tough-on-crime act was a mere facade calculated to throw suspicion off of himself. 

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.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 209: THE PANTHERMAN

(Crackajack Funnies 031-033, 1941) 

The first costumed foe to face Dell Comics' answer to Batman, the Owl, Pantherman strikes a very impressive figure and knows how to make an entrance. He does seem to be a very sloppy operator, however, as he initially attracts the attention of the Owl after mind controlling a man into stealing his own jewels but not somehow thinking to keep him from calling in the police (and renowned private investigator Nick "the Owl" Terry, natch) afterward.

Subsequent issues reveal that the Pantherman's sloppiness is more a recent thing, as he has been operating out of the city's sewers for at least the past 4 years and is well on his way to uniting the underworld with himself at the head. It doesn't take much to ruin a promising crime career, however, and once the Owl is on the case, Pantherman is soon caught.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 159: MISTER X

(All-Star Comics 005, 1941)

Mister X is another team comic overboss, like the Leader before him. Outwardly an unassuming little man, he has managed to gather a wide range of organized crime under his control while remaining completely anonymous, even to his own underlings. His only mistake (and the inciting event of the story) is being so threatened by the crimefighting activities of the Justice Society that he mobilizes his forces in an attempt to kill them even though they have no idea that he actually exists.

Even after they are variously attacked by gangsters, gamblers, car thieves, muscle men, criminal scientists, arsonists and magicians, the Justice Society doesn't actually end up catching Mister X. As seen above, he chooses to turn himself in rather than, say, relocating to South America or attempting to go into finance.

I quite like Mister X. It's hardly a novel idea for a meek little guy to be a secret criminal mastermind - like old ladies, guys like Mister X were accorded so little respect in the popular culture of the 40s that the idea of them being in some way formidable was a cliché long before this comic came to be. It's well executed here, with X being so unassuming that criminals and crimefighters alike are merely nonplussed when he shows up at the scene of crime after crime.

Absolutely the best thing about Mister X, though, is this bit about the moment of silence every time his name comes up around a bunch of crooks. They do it throughout the issue!

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 118: BLACKMASK

(Nickel Comics 001-003, 1940)

A pretty regular "business guy branches out into costumed villainy" villain, Blackmask is distinguished by a) being Bulletman's first foe, b) his very 90s name and c) lasting 3 whole issues while punching well above his weight class.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 086: THE MASTERMIND OF CRIME

(Blue Beetle Comics 003, 1940)

A lot of these early Blue Beetle villains are real basic so I'm not even going to bother with the questions.

Mastermind of Crime: very good hood, attempts to take over NYC York City, turns out to actually be the civic reformer who has been raising a stink over all this organized crime all over the place.