MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 884: DOCTOR DEATH

(Wow Comics 002, 1941)

We open as concert pianist Campani plays the "Symphony of Death," a piece of music anonymously dedicated to him, only to die at its conclusion. What will eventually become clear is that the sheet music he was reading from was coated in poison and slightly stuck together so that Campani would need to lick his finger in order to turn the pages, thus poisoning himself in the process.

This is a pretty good plan! If pulled off carefully, it might even be done so anonymously that the perpetrator would be effectively untraceable. There's no chance of that, however, because said perpetrator is in fact a comic book super-villain who calls himself Doctor Death and who has all of the subtlety of his kind. Not only does he have a goon conspicuously parked outside Campani's apartment to report back on the whether the scheme has worked, but the day before he sent a threatening note to Campani, complete with signature and little skull and coffin illustrations.

(as can be seen in the note above, even though Doctor Death does music-based crimes and is kind of dressed like a concert musician his actual theme is that of a medical doctor. It's a bit of a muddle)

Doctor Death's next stated target is another musician, Ravelle, and though Mr Scarlet prevents Ravelle's copy of the "Symphony of Death" from being mailed to him this doesn't stop Doctor Death; he just goes to Ravelle's house, and when Mr Scarlet shows up there he gets captured and slated to die as well.

Doctor Death of course does not contend with the fact that while Mr Scarlet is technically not a super-human he is nonetheless a super-hero and thus able to, for instance, lift a grand piano over his head and throw it at Doctor Death's body. Among other things, this splits the Doctor Death mask asunder, revealing that the villain is in fact... Ravelle! 

It turns out that Ravelle was recently fired and presumably replaced by Campani and his response to this insult was to turn to elaborate murder plots for solace. The attempt on Ravelle's own life was a bluff designed to draw suspicion away from himself that was repurposed into a trap for Mr Scarlet. But what of Sigowitz, the third name on the revenge list? Alas, we shall never know.

MAD AND CRIMINAL SCIENTIST ROUND-UP 021

None of this science is mad or criminal peer reviewed. 

This fellow attempts to blackmail Dynamo's unnamed home city by various methods, including Causing and then threatening further widespread destruction with his "liquid air" freeze cannon and kidnapping city council members and then subjecting some of them to a frankly horrific bone liquefying ray. 

The main problem with him is honestly the fact that he has no established name. He does go by "Miss Monda" while he is posing as the mayor's secretary in order to get the inside scoop on how his extortion attempts are going, which turns out to be his downfall when he is dewigged by Dynamo. Also, I just realized that in that last panel you can see that he is in fact wearing a full suit under the Miss Monda dress, making this the most improbable disguise in comics by my reckoning. (Weird Comics 009, 1940)

Dr Z here has long been working on a mind-reading device, to no avail. He arranges for psychologist Larry Hunter to arrive at his isolated mansion in the hopes that forcing him to collaborate on the invention will lead to some sort of breakthrough, and it does! Alas for Dr Z, as s is so often the case in such stories the new technology is then turned on its villainous facilitator, as Hunter uses Dr Z'z own thoughts to show him how to eliminate the murderous scientist using his own deathtrap. 

Hunter was probably supposed to go on to use the Thought Receiver to fight more crime in future adventures but as with so many of the denizens of Wham Comics he was never seen again. (Wham Comics 002, 1940)

The mad Dr Chow operates a wax museum at the New York World's Fair that he stocks with living humans who he has frozen with a weird drug. Why is he doing this? It's unclear, but the top three answers that I can think of are : 1. for kicks, 2. for cash and 3. as a way of testing out the formula. He is captured by private detective Dan Dare, and unsettlingly there is no nod to the idea of thawing out the doctor's victims, even though they are implied to still be alive in some way. (Whiz Comics 006, 1940)

I had a lot of rising expectations as the character of Dr Lleh was introduced. Firstly, he was pretty clearly telegraphed to be a former member of a Tibetan archaeological expedition who was consumed by revenge after being dismissed for theft and was now haunting the countryside with his horde of experimental subjects. Secondly, his name is "Hell" backwards.

The good times continue, as Dr Lleh derails the Orient Express (a train that historically did not travel through Tibet) in order to acquire more experimental subjects, only to find that Professor Davis - the very man who wad fired him! - was aboard, along with his daughter, plus indomitable detective Dr Fung and his assistant Dan Barrister. All four are away not just to the Temple of Hades but under it, to "Dr Lleh's Kingdom of Hades" (no I do not know what a temple to Hades is doing in Tibet).

All my hopes are dashed once Dr Lleh's actual style of experimentation is revealed. Bribing two big dudes with llama steak (no I do not know how this guy is getting llama steak in Tibet) to pull a woman's arms off is not research that would be publishied in even mad science journals, Dr Lleh. I hate to say it but I'm glad that Dr Fung blows you up.  (Wonderworld Comics 014, 1940)

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 409: THE SPHINX

(Mystery Men Comics 018, 1941)

The Sphinx is (somewhat appropriately) a bit convoluted? Or maybe disjointed? It's hard to put into words but there is a weird dreamlike quality to some Golden Age comic books and the Blue Beetle stories from Fox Features often have it.

To begin: the Sphinx is a mysterious figure who causes subway accidents and then utters threats and pronouncements in a booming voice, seemingly from nowhere. The Blue Beetle swiftly discovers that one of the Sphinx's minions is in fact crouched nearby with a phonograph, and after some shenanigans and booby traps manages to track down the man who purchased the phonograph's needle: Mr Ivan. 

But Mr Ivan is dead, according to his burly identical sister who drives like a maniac. He can't be the Sphinx!

Or can he? Yes he can, because Mr Ivan and Miss Ivan are in fact the same person! A person who is getting revenge on the subway company for firing them. And look, I know that reading into past media can be a rocky road but... this cemetery fight sequence rules. If the Sphinx's whole deal was being a crossdressing man or a trans woman seeking revenge on a former employer for wrongful dismissal I would love it and in my little heart I will believe that that is the case rather than that this is a standard comic book trope of a large man dressed up as a woman for larfs.

Gender nonconforming icon or no, the Sphinx proceeds with the attempted ruination of the subway company while dressed in a moderately cool set of Sphinx-themed armour. I'm honestly not sure how the story resolves - the gruesome caption about the Sphinx melting inside his armour is followed by some discussion of his being captured by the Blue Beetle. Is "captured" a euphemism for "horribly killed"? Maybe!

MINOR SUPER-VILLAIN 145: THE MASK

(Adventure 068, 1941)

An orchestra conductor who goes off the deep end when he gets fired. Not a terribly deep concept, but he kills his replacements with an electrified conductor's baton trap and he leaves comedy and tragedy mask symbols to show his involvement so there's a lot for me, a themed crime enthusiast, to enjoy.