MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 450: COUNTESS BELLADONNA

(Mystery Men Comics 029, 1941)

We first see Countess Belladonna at the Westchester Flower Show, where she meets young Brenda Talmadge and murders her for her recently-inherited Riviera Ruby.

Now here I'm going to jump ahead and spoil the twist of a comic book that was published more than 80 years ago: Countess Belladonna is actually Judge Talmadge, stepfather to Brenda Talmadge. As with any modern reading of a story with gender ambiguity there is a temptation to read more into things than was perhaps intended by the author, but here we go: whereas there are a lot of cases where a crossdressing man in a comic is clearly doing so for convenience, Judge Talmadge appears to have maintained Countess Belladonna as an alternate identity at least long enough for her to become established in New York society, which would presumably take months if not years - it was easier to establish a false identity in the era before electronic records but you had to put in at least some effort.

Does this dedication to the role indicate that it is an expression of Talmadge's gender identity? No way to tell, really. Countess Belladonna does go on a murder-and-theft spree immediately thereafter but whether it's because she was an identity created solely for that purpose or because the murder was spur-of-the-moment and Talmadge/ Belladonna figures he/she might as well get as much cash as possible before abandoning the identity is too close to tell.

One thing is for sure: Talmadge and Belladonna both have a weird toothless rictus grin and that's probably how the Blue Beetle cottons onto them.

Countess Belladonna returns in the next issue, this time adding a third identity: Dr Zinn the carnival barker. Or possibly Dr Zinn has replaced Judge Talmadge as the new second identity, as he is effectively absent from the story bar these few panels. This time the Countess has retired her poisoned knitting needles for a skull-bedecked fan that not only dispenses pepper but can be used to hypnotize people. He also has bunch of Native South American dudes in a cage as circus attractions/ henchmen, so this is one of those "very racist" comics we all love so much.

Anyway, Dr Zinn is just as reckless as the other two identities, as not only does he return to NYC York City rather than going literally anywhere else in the world. Plus he spends a fair amount of time trying to kill Blue Beetle love interest Joan Mason - not a great way to avoid attracting attention to yourself in a super-hero comic. 

Countess Belladonna ends up getting away and probably would have returned in another few issues with another identity or two, but this is just before the Blue Beetle's publishing status gets weird for the first time as he moves from Fox Features to a publisher called Holyoke for a few years. Nobody at Holyoke remembered the Countess, it seemed, and by the time the Blue Beetle was back at Fox, nobody there did either. A pretty slick escape, I must say.

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 351: THE CHOKER

(Master Comics 013, 1941) 

The long and the short of it is that the Choker is an old-fashioned escaped homicidal maniac of the sort who indiscriminately kills everyone who crosses his path - more akin to a rampaging monster than a villain, plot-wise. He gets into a couple of scrapes with Zoro the Mystery Man (who, by the way, proves susceptible to the worst little old lady disguise in comics history) before meeting a rare Death by Cheetah.

Also: a seldom-seen shoeless villain!

SUPER-VILLAIN YEARBOOK: CATWOMAN 1940

I have decided that I'm neglecting non-minor super-villains! Thus: super-villain yearbooks! We're hopping back in time slightly to round up the ones who appeared in comics I have already read as I revisit them, so here comes a big blob of Batman villains!

So, what was Catwoman up to in 1940?

1. Batman Comics v1 001, 'Untitled' **first appearance**

In Catwoman's first appearance, she's a mysterious figure known as the Cat about whom little enough is known that Robin's chief suspects are a couple of chunky dudes in their 50s.

Key to Batman's relationship with Catwoman, however, is that he is very horny for her. Thus, my theory is that he horny-sensed that seeming frail old lady Miss Peggs is actually a hot dame with nice gams, no matter what he tries to tell Robin later about "clues" and "evidence."

The reveal of the Cat's true identity is of course the source for a couple of the classic out-of-context comics panels.

Finally, this is the first of many times that Batman will just let Catwoman go because, as mentioned, he's horny for her. 

2. Batman Comics v1 002, 'Untitled'

Most of this is a Joker story, but there are a few points of interest for the Cat.

The little old lady disguise is back in play!

As befits the subject of Batman's affections, she shows moments of virtue even as she plunders the castle of a dead man.

At the very last second, as she plunges to her potential doom, a "-Woman" is added to her name, basically for all time.

3. Batman Comics v1 003, 'The Batman vs the Cat-Woman!'

The most important part of this adventure comes early:

The cat head Catwoman costume! Not well-loved but it has a place in my heart. Catwoman has at least as many lackluster costumes as great ones, so one that goes all-out like this definitely ranks in the top 50% over mediocrities like the 60s green outfit or the black one-piece swimsuit with buccaneer boots.

The story is less about Batman vs Catwoman than it is about crappy business partners. Specifically, two of the three men involved in a diamond business team up and hire the Catwoman to steal their goods and then one of them betrays the other one. Things look bad for Catwoman until Batman and Robin show up.

Batman again lets her get away because he like-likes her, but this time:

The feeling is mutual! Fireworks go off! The nations rejoice! The nascent spirits of fanfic grow stronger! WHAT A 1940 CATWOMAN HAS HAD!

Body Count: 0 (assuming that the security guard that gets taken out in her first appearance was just knocked out, which I am because even Golden Age Batman didn't get horny enough to excuse murder)

End-of-year Status: At Large

MINOR SUPER-HERO 022: MADAM FATAL

(Crack Comics 001-022, 1940-1942)

Madam Fatal is the alter ego of one Richard Stanton, famous actor and female impersonator. Shortly after retiring to settle down, Stanton's young daughter was kidnapped by a vengeful enemy and his wife died of grief. Going undercover as the elderly Madam Fatal in order to avoid recognition Stanton spent the next nine years looking for his child. In the first Madam Fatal adventure, he finds the kidnapper but not the kid and since the kidnapper ends up dead, the case of Richard Stanton's missing child just... never gets addressed again.

Madam Fatal comics are pretty fun as a rule. They're short and snappy, and since a big part of the character's appeal is the incongruity of a little old lady (as mentioned in the past, they got no respect in the Golden Age) being in adventure situations, she is extremely kinetic and rough and tumble.

There's absolutely no exploration of gender roles or sexuality because, duh, it's the 1940s, but Stanton and Fatal are generally treated as being two different genders. A modern revival of the character could do interesting things if done right, by the right people. Mostly though, Madam Fatal is a punchline in modern comics.

The exception to this came in The Shade v2 006, 2012. James Robinson (and Darwyn Cooke) introduced Hot Older Lady Madam Fatal, made her just as much of a shitkicker as the original, and even (finally) resolved the case of Richard Stanton's missing child. A worthy if brief revival!

MINOR SUPER-HEROES 007-014: AMAZING-MAN COMICS ROUNDUP 1939

(Amazing-Man Comics 005-026, 1939-1942)

All the ephemeral Golden Age heroes who stalked the pages of Amazing-Man Comics:

The Iron Skull! I love him. His origin and so forth is doled out after a few issues so initially you don't know that he is a cyborg war casualty in the far future world of 1970. The most important things are there from the start, though: his huge anime eyes and the fact that every bullet or attack made against him unerringly hit him in his invulnerable head.

SKULL SCORE: 2/5 Not very skully but he gets a point for the lack of nose.

Minimidget: Just a super-small guy with a problematic name. He and his galpal Ritty were shrunk and employed as henchmen by a pervert scientist before redeeming themselves via acts of public service. 

Chuck Hardy: Chuck and Jerry, a couple of deep sea divers, end up in the subterranean land of Aquatania, beneath the Marquesas Islands. They turn out to be super-strong there for murkily-explained reasons and have adventures with the monstrous flora and fauna and the various near-human races. The best part is absolutely the little lobster antennae that all of the various types of Aquatanians have.

Mighty Man is a huge dude who is the last descendant of folk who settled in a valley where everything is huge. After murdering a bunch of evil cowboys, he emerges from his valley to fight crime. Eventually he gets the power to change size.

UPDATE 1940

The Shark! A water-based hero who can talk to sea life and must hit the water regularly, which is about standard for water guys!

ADDENDUM: Later on he meets his father Neptune and his adventures turn into father/son outings, which rules.

UPDATE 1940

Magician from Mars: Not only is Jane 6em35 an Earthian/Martian hybrid from an unspecified future, and not only was she accidentally irradiated as a baby in a way that activated a lot of vague superpowers (including flight, super-strength and a seemingly complete control over matter) but she is a practical and morally flexible hero who takes advantage of the chaos surrounding a rocket crash to make off with $3 million in gold before saving the day. Very fun. Plus: jodhpurs!

The Cat Man: a very marginal entry on this list. In his first appearance, he develops his signature technique of dressing like an old lady and having his trained cat scratch people with poisoned claws to murder three former criminal confederates, which isn't particularly heroic? His second appearance is in more of a vigilante role as he murders a gang of wanted men. How could I not include this loveable murderous scamp, really?

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 069: THE COIN

 (Adventure Comics 046, 1940)

The Coin is a few different super-villain clichés rolled into one. Firstly he's an old college chum of Wesley "Sandman" Dodds, and "old schoolmate of hero turns out to be villain" is as much a recurring thing in comics as an old friend showing up and immediately dying. Which the Coin also does.

Finally, the Coin is a man who dresses up as an old lady to do crime, which is a super-villain bit and also something that regular-style crooks are apt to do in the Golden and Silver Ages. Old women are such unlikely villains that everyone else poses as them - even Catwoman, in her first appearance.

Anyway, he's a counterfeiter.