NOTES - FEBRUARY 2024

Good reactions by the people in this crowd to Amazing-Man passing through in his Green Mist form - people usually treat it as if he's invisible but this is much more satisfying. (Amazing-Man Comics 014, 1940) 

Origins:

The Shark is not just the son of Father Neptune, he's part of a long line of father/ son Neptunes and Sharks! I was right in my belief that the Shark was more interesting than most ocean dwelling super-heroes! (Amazing-Man Comics 014, 1940)

I Don't Get It Dept:

The names on this poster are either character in the story (Dr Hypno, Lana the lion tamer) or jokes (Governor Graft, Senator Filchit, Mayor M.I. Blue), but Ivan Coe is not the former and I can't figure out any way he's the latter. It's a puzzle! (Amazing-Man Comics 019, 1941)

Attacking Hitler:

Amazing-Man participates in the grand old tradition of political commentary in comics (Amazing-Man Comics 022, 1941)

Fate of Atlantis:

Adventurer Reef Kinkaid encounters a fairly standard version of Atlantis (or Atlantia) stuck in a little bubble under an island and still somehow managing to thrive for 9000+ years. (Amazing-Man Comics 022, 1941)

Gruesome:

Real gruesome death perpetrated by one-off hero the Marksman (Amazing-Man Comics 023, 1941)

Famous Names:

Hobo Harper encounters this evil guy who loves "fancy murders" and is trying to gain control of a travelling carnival - Tony Blair (Amazing-Man Comics 025, 1941)

Giant guy on the right lives in the Tennessee woods eating wild boar and ends up falling off a mountain while tussling with DA Tom Kerry. Jim Davis is the name. (Big Shot Comics 002, 1940)

Cops Shoot:

Captain Courageous is accused of being a spy (literally by one guy yelling "he's a spy!") and these cops attempt to execute him. Twice! (Banner Comics 003, 1941)

Now, the Blue Beetle did just rob a restaurant in order to get in good with a gang, but that's still not a good reason for this cop to attempt to murder him. (Big 3 006, 1941)

Canada:

Always have to note when a comic makes a stop in a specific rather than generic location in Canada, even when it's not actually Canadian for another eight years or so. This time it's Captain Courageous showing up to help these wacky pacifist fishermen drive off a Nazi invasion. (Banner Comics 004, 1941)

NOTES - FEBRUARY 2023

The Whip is an okay character aside from the brownface bit but one thing I absolutely love about him is that although he does a credible job at the Ineffectual Secret Identity act he also just travels from town to town with an enormous black horse.

(Flash Comics v1 005, 1940) 

Names:

This old dude shares his name with Kurt Busiek's Astro City character Samaritan! The tally of comics characters named Asa Martin stands at 2! (Flash Comics v1 010, 1940)

Same issue's Hawkman story features a (bad) guy named John Denver!

I'm usually pretty good at catching allusions and so forth in these old comics but I have no idea why Joe Magee = "always bungling something" (Flash Comics v1 015, 1941)

Places: It's a bit hard to make out but the flash on this armoured car seems to place Seguro in "New Texirona" rather than New Mexico, which might just be the most egregious example of 40s comics writers avoiding real place names that I've ever encountered. (Flash Comics v1 016, 1941)

This is how I order in restaurants, too. (Flash Comics v1 017, 1941)

Number of references to "the Third Degree" aka the cops torturing someone as a positive thing this month: 3