NOTES - SEPTEMBER 2025

Honours - Beautia: 

Beautia Not-Yet-Officially-Sivana wins the Empress of Beauty Contest (Whiz Comics 003b, 1940)

Later in the year, Beautia saves the US Pacific fleet from being destroyed by Dr Sivana, and gets an unspecified medal from the Navy for it. (Whiz Comics 009, 1940)

Cops Shooting Unarmed Suspects:

This California police chief almost blows away Ibis the Invincible for sassing him and is only prevented thanks to ancient Egyptian magic. (Whiz Comics 008, 1940)

Skeletons With Jobs:

Soldier skeleton. (Wings Comics 002, 1940)

the Looming Spectre of Death: 

(Wings Comics 003, 1940) 

(Wonderworld Comics 017, 1940) 

(Wonderworld Comics 018, 1940) 

NOTES - JUNE 2025

Letters to the Editor: 

I rag on Novelty Press and their horrible and possibly fictional readership every chance I get, but I think I need to start presenting the letters they print in their comics so that I have some evidence to back up my grumbling. Here's Clarence Pool of Seattle Washington advocating for the nice sensible adventures of an Army Air Force cadet who manages to foil a Fifth Column plot ever week over the exploits of a magic robot. (Target Comics v1 011, 1940)

Skeletons with Jobs: 

Driver is a job, certainly. Onto the pile! (The Funnies 047, 1940) 

Honours: 

Mickey Kelly, sidekick to swashbuckling newsreel cameraman Speed Martin, gets a medal from the French Army for foiling a spy. (The Funnies 048, 1940)

Two issues later Mickey Riley (they forgot that he already had a last name, it seems) is decorated by the British for saving Gibraltar from the Axis. (The Funnies 050, 1940)

Heroes Going to Costume Parties as Themselves: 

Brenda Banks attends the Grand Costume Ball as Lady Luck, in an attempt to save a life. (The Spirit Section, "The Cinderella Murder Case", 28 July, 1940)

Mr Mystic also attends a costume party as himself in 1940, and a guy with no secret identity doing this might just be the most baffling thing I've read today, and this is the episode in which Mystic's fiance is seduced by Death. (The Spirit Section, 22 December, 1940)

Cops Shooting at Fleeing Suspects: 

Sure, the Spirit has just confessed to a murder he did not commit for complicated reasons, but forgive me if I don't agree with Mayor Aldrich here that that means that Commissioner Dolan has free license to shoot him in the back. (The Spirit "Eldas Thayer", 21 July, 1940) 

Interior Decoration: 

This child's ducky bed is just barely charming and not eerie. (The Spirit Section, 1 December, 1940) 

SUPERCUT: SKELETONS WITH JOBS

The Skeleton With a Job is a close cousin to the Looming Spectre of Death, only instead of merely lurking symbolically, they do a little task symbolically. I love them and they enhance every comic panel or splash page that they appear in.

COMMUNICATIONS:

Radio operator skeleton (Daring Mystery Comics 008, 1942)

Telegraphy skeleton (Daring Mystery Comics 008, 1942)

CRIME:

Gangster skeleton (Hit Comics 014, 1941)

Murderer skeleton (Mystery Men Comics 007, 1940)

Saboteur skeleton (Jumbo Comics 022, 1940)

MUSIC:

Conductor skeleton (Adventure Comics 068, 1941)

Violin skeleton (Feature Comics 035, 1940) 

SPORTS:

Football skeleton (Shield-Wizard Comics 002, 1940) 

Jockey skeleton (The Spirit Section, 29 December, 1940)

THEATRE: 

Puppeteer skeleton (Shield-Wizard Comics 002, 1940)

Stagehand skeleton, I think (Blue Beetle Comics v1 010, 1941) 

TRADES:

Not quite a skeleton but Blacksmith Skullhead can join the gang (Smash Comics 009, 1940)

TRANSPORT: 

Driving skeleton (The Funnies 047, 1940) 

 Pilot skeleton (Smash Comics 007, 1940)

Stagecoach skeleton (Adventure Comics 060, 1941) 

WAR:

Soldier skeleton (Crack Comics 006, 1940) 

Allied and Axis soldier skeletons (Smash Comics 007, 1940)

Sort of a generic ancient warrior skeleton (Smash Comics 012, 1940)

Roman-ish warrior skeleton (Smash Comics 014, 1940) 

German soldier skeleton. (Wings Comics 002, 1940)