MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 225: SPEED INC

(Feature Comics 040, 1941)

It's a common enough story in comics: a patriotic scientist (Dr Devlin) develops a bit of cool super-science (a speed serum) and his treacherous (and possibly dangerously Foreign, if his occasional Yoda-isms are any indication) assistant (Karl) appropriates it for criminal purposes. Karl's real innovation here is that he's prepared to scale up his operation beyond what a treacherous lab assistant usually does - per the panel caption above he has at least 30 super-fast men in his employ.

But even 30 guys with dangerously accelerated metabolisms (at one point it's asserted that they have only 2 years to live! Hopefully there's a counter serum) are no match for the jodhpur-clad giant Ace of Space. Still, I can only admire Karl's effort to achieve something greater than the usual penny-ante antics of the crooked lab assistant. Good job, Karl!

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 134: THE GHOST

(Action Comics v1 039, 1941)

The Ghost is one of Superman's earliest superpowered foes, being Brett Bryson, a chemist who was accidentally irradiated while conducting an experiment and, having found himself with both a burning radium touch and a short time left to live, set out to steal enough in the time he had left to provide for his family once he was finally gone.

But there is a twist to the Ghost's story! The lab accident? Planned by Bryson's greedy partners! The stolen money? Was never going to be delivered to Bryson's family! I like this because this is the earliest example of the On Purpose Lab Accident Origin that I'm aware of in comics and that's a reasonably common origin! (Brett Bryson does not like it and murders his partner before dying himself)