Number 1378: Great guns, Skyman!

Looking at the character, The Skyman, I’m flap-jawed at his massive arms...those are some guns! His upper body development looks like one of those padded Halloween costumes to turn the wearer into the Hulk. I don’t have all the Skyman stories, but I have enough to know that he trimmed down after a time. This panel, from The Skyman #3, shows a much more lithe character.

Ogden Whitney, the artist, drew a lot of different features, including superheroes, but he usually didn’t portray them looking so musclebound.

The Skyman was a 1940’s character, created by Gardner Fox and Whitney. The Skyman’s career began in Big Shot Comics #1 and ended in #101 (1949), four issues shy of the comic's last issue. Along the way the Skyman appeared in his own comic for six issues spread over several years, and also in issues of Sparky Watts and The Face.

In this early adventure, from Big Shot Comics #6 (1940), besides the barrel chest and giant arms, we see how the Skyman’s “Atom-atic” pistol works, that his plane will hover and wait for him while he swings through his girlfriend’s window to “scare her,” and about the cancer curing machine — the sole machine in existence — stolen by criminals.

*********

Here's another early Skyman story I showed a few years ago. Just click the picture.

More about →

Number 1320: It’s George Washington’s birthday, and I cannot tell a lie...

Marvelo, who is here from the first issue of Big Shot Comics (1940), was another in a big crowd of tuxedo-wearing, finger-waggling magicians riding on Mandrake the Magician’s coat-tails, who made magical things happen in early comics. With the magic word, "Kalora!" and some gesturing Marvelo can make an armored car fall apart. And he can bring a statue of George Washington to life, so the granite representation of the first American president can haul a couple of thugs to jail.

The story is drawn by Fred Guardineer of Action Comics’ Zatara fame (another magician). Fred's artwork brings a precision to each figure, vehicle, building, ink line. I believe that based on his artwork he could not turn in a job until every panel appeared just...so...and just right to his exacting eye. Fred left comic books after a point and went to work for the U.S. Post Office, where precise thinking is a necessity in getting thousands of pieces of mail where they’re supposed to go.

And that’s no lie.

And to our first POTUS, happy 281st birthday, George Washington!

More about →

Number 1272: Face the Face

This is the fourth and final posting of our early superheroes week. I enjoy these theme weeks and will do another one soon.

Like Batman, Mart Bailey's “Face” was introduced to readers of Big Shot Comics #1 (1940) without a proper origin story. He just appeared already in action as a do-gooder, in this case going after a grafting politician. Of all the things a criminal can do, this one fed poisoned turkey to orphan children!

The Face appeared in Big Shot through issue #62 with his fright mask, then went back to his civilian identity as Tony Trent through the end of the Big Shot run, issue #104 in 1949. He even had a couple of solo issues of The Face and two of Tony Trent. Early on his success might've been a surprise for the publisher, because the feature's name doesn't appear on the cover of the first issue.

More about →