Number 1380: Hated by an unfaithful wife

This issue of All True Romance (#2, from 1951), is notable for the stories being told from the man’s point of view. It’s no big secret that most love comics were written by guys, but this is the first one I’ve seen that appears to have been aimed at males. My theory, told several times in this blog, is that love comics could not have enjoyed the huge success they had in their first couple of years (late forties into the fifties) without having males buying them along with the target female audience.

This is a tale of adultery and divorce. Charlie, the husband, knows his wife, Gwen, is cheating, and she knows he knows. Everyone acts very civilized about the situation, but you can tell the wife’s lover is a cad because he wears a pencil-thin mustache. (His name, Dick, is also a clue to what he is.)

Beware of men wearing pencil-thin mustaches. They are wife-stealers and bounders.

Luckily there is Janet, a sweet young beauty contestant to ease Charlie’s suffering. And when the drama is finished, you can tell in the last panel they are in love because of all the little hearts swirling about their heads.

This looks like an Iger shop job, with some panels, especially of Gwen, that look to have been drawn either by Matt Baker or someone using his style. The quick-and-dirty print job is by some indifferent pressmen on a giant web press of the era. I have done my best to fix the scans.

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Although I hate to dissuade any Pappy's readers of the notion that in younger days I was a great lover, contrary to popular belief this is not a memoir of my affairs. For one thing, I was only seven-years-old when it was published.

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Number 1379: Ace of Space, meet Space Ace

With a comment in Pappy's #1346, reader Darci sent me on a hunt for the character, Ace of Space. Ace Egan is considered to be a precursor to Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern. The story is from Feature Comics #38 (1940), and crams a lot into an origin story, but whether it inspired editor Julius Schwartz or writer John Broome, who knows? It’s an interesting thought. The writing on this five-page origin story is clumsy, especially as Ace discovers his powers. After putting on the power belt bequeathed him by the dying alien he says, “I seem to know the answer to all problems!” Despite growing to be nine-feet tall, jumping a quarter mile or having super vision, I’d think just having answers to all problems would be power enough. Harry Francis Campbell did the artwork, and H. Weston Taylor the writing.

I’ve included the Space Ace story by Gardner Fox and Fred Guardineer from Manhunt #4 (1948). Here Space Ace is Jet Black, a “space patrolman” (space would be a mighty big patrol area). The Space Ace character from the four issues of Jet (Jet Powers, not Jet Black) a couple of years later, also published by ME, is more of a pirate.

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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.

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

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Number 1377: Flying Fool

Lou Mougin, in an article for The Kirby Collector, wrote that the Airboy Comics back-up feature, “Link Thorne, The Flying Fool," was first drawn by Frank Giacoia for three issues in 1946, suspended for a time by editor Ed Cronin, then revived at Cronin’s behest by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. Not only were Simon and Kirby good at creating characters, they were good at reworking existing properties. Although their stint lasted only seven issues, they put their unmistakable stamp on the strip.

These are the first two of the duo’s stories, which introduce rival flier Riot O’Hara (and if ever there was an S and K moniker, it’s that one). The stories are full of the humorous action the team was known for.

From Airboy Comics Vol. 4 #5 and Vol. 4 #6 (1947):

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