Dewey Drip

Police Comics #20

Dewey Drip is really just a series of popular 1941 comic tropes thrown together into a one page comic. Despite this, the gag strip lasted for 8 years in the pages of Police Comics.

Dewey gets a letter from the government, informing him that he has been drafted in World War II. Being a stereotypical hillbilly of the 1940s with a love of feuding, he is excited that someone will pay him to fight. While hillbilly humor wasn't unique to gag pages--or even to Police Comics--Dewy's situational humor held him in the book.

Dewey Drip was created by Joe Devlin. He is credited with all of the strips artwork and writing. Of course some credible sources say he died in 1942, so it is in question.

As the war ended and Dew returned to his normal, zany hillbilly life, the strip began slowly falling into the back pages. He is absent from #63-64. #67-69, #71-82, and #89. Dewy made his last appearance in Police Comics #93 (August 1949).

Police Comic #21

Police Comics 22

Police Comics #23

Police Comics #70

Summer Olympics, Crack Comics, and Golden History

July 27 the 2012 Summer Olympics will being!

I bolded it so you won't forget.

Did you know there was no 1940 Olympics? These games were orginaly to be held in Tokyo, Japan, but Japan dropped there support for the games in 1938, moving to war. 

The Olympic Games were to be held in Finland after this, but were then suspended indefinitely following the outbreak of World War II. There were no Summer Games until the London Games of 1948.

This page from Crack Comics #1 (1940) looking at famed american runner George J. Saling, winner of the gold medal for 110 m hurdles at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

An interesting side note, July 27 is George Sailing birthday.

Slap Happy Pappy in "The Lazy Hillbilly"

This blog is long over due for a Jack Cole gag comic. 

Meet Slap Happy Pappy, originally a Gil Fox creation. Pappy started in Crack Comics #1, staying under the pen on Fox until issue #8. This page is from Crack Comics #22, a few issues into Jack Cole's run.

Cole's early work often relies on Hillbilly humor. Here is a prime example. 

A big part of Cole's work in comics was the creation of one and two page gag pages, published across various Quality Comics. In just the 1940s Jack Cole wrote and drew well over 400 of these gag strips for Quality. His work with these is largely ignored as a half-effort for filler pages.

I really do believe this a shame, so I want to share with you wonderful study of his work.

Coles Comic on blogspot, run by Paul Tumey, is a long study of Cole's work. The blog also includes pages of other comic artist and writers, but Tumey's expertly done notes on Cole's work make this an invaluable research resource.  

Johnny Doughboy, tips of making money

It is hard to make a buck these days. It could drive a man crazy.

From Military Comics #25...By Bernard Dibble

For Father's Day

I'm doing some major clean up on older post, the most recent has been the first Madam Fatal post.

What does this have to do with Father's day? In reality Madam Fatal was really Richard Stanton. Stanton went into hiding after his only daughter was kidnapped and his wife died of a broken heart. The new face he chose, an old woman's. Madam Fatal is a heroic father and the first cross dressing superhero!

You can read his origin story and details of his life in the DCU here.

Madam Fatal evolves with time, eventually finding his daughter. Even after her rescue, Stanton continues to live a good bit of time as an old woman. In some of the last issues he is seen switching between Madam Fatal and Richard Stanton, but reasons for this are never given.

Given how common place super heroes had become, original ideas for them were short. Odd as Madam Fatal is, you can say it isn't original.

Below the Madam Fatal from Crack Comics #3 (July 1940).

 45 //46 //47 //48 //49

Since so many of the original sites hosting  Madam Fatal 's comics have gone down. I will be working to restore them to the net. In short, more Madam Fatal to come!

Private Dogtag and the Radio Tooth

Have you heard the story about tooth filling picking up radio signals? It is a widely speard urban legend on the US, apparently dating back to a television interview with Lucille Ball. Snopes.com has an article quoting the interview.

If it is something you desire to happen you, you might think getting your tooth filled with an actual radio will guarantee it to work. If so, let this comic be a warning to you. Since science really works this way!

Also, seek help, because that is kind of crazy.

Private Dogtag From Military Comics #25 (1944)...by Bart Tumey.

31 //32 //33 //34 //35 //36 //37 //38 //39

Wang the Tiger: The Man Without Fear

This issue of Military Comics features a lot of interesting things. One of the best The Sniper stories, a Private Dogtag that could make an analytical essay on 1940s history or female objectification a few pages fatter,  and the key feature, a Blackhawk story taking place in China.

It isn't weird for the Balckhawks to have a story in China, they do their work all over the world. China was also struggling against Japan too, so an international, allies aligned force would want to help there. What is weird the turn the story takes.

China has it's own superhero, Wang the Tiger. This is an anomaly in a wartime comic. (Military Comics #25, dated Jan. 1944.) I don't want to spoil too much of what you are about to read, but be ready for a "classic" costume.

Also be ready for the "Ugh, why?" of Chop-chop's caricature. Now, I'm going to add a hopefully big post on Chop-Chop, but this deserves noting here. While all the Chinese people in this story are drawn like normal humans Chop-chop is still a bizarre looking little person.

Line art by John Cassone; Inks by Alex Kotzky

 03 //04 //05 //06 //07 //08 //09 //10 //11 //12 //13 //14 //15 //16 //17

It is possible that Wang the Tiger is a reference to The House of Earth trilogy, a early 1930s series by Pearl S. Buck. The lead character in the first book is Wang the Third/The Tiger.

Interesting too is the this new hero seem to share Military Comics disdain for superpowers, special gadgets, and flashy costumes. Well, I guess that last part is debatable.  

Wang the Tiger never shows up again in Quality Comics and to my knowledge DC has never used him either. 

Miss Fear

There are a great number of women throughout the golden age run of the Blackhawk team. Most are toss-away-at-the-end-of-the-issue girlfriends (i.e. Andre's love at the end of Military Comics #10). Some die sad deaths, caught by various violent ends. That is what being loved by the great hero Blackhawk often gets you. 

But in the mass of fallen loves and forgotten girlfriends there stands one women who comes back, and has she has captured the mind of fans like no other.

She is known as Fear.

It isn't fair to call Miss Fear a villain, but standard hero material she isn't. Her drive to punish those she decides are evil-doers started with the need to avenge her father, an assassinated Central Asian ruler. You will find out more below in her first appearance, Modern Comics #49 (May, 1946).

03 //04 //05  //06 //07 //08 //09 //10 //11 //12 //13 //14 //15 //16 //17

Miss Fear returns to act with the Blackhawks total of 11 times. Often she appears due their interests in the area crossing, but on occasion because of unrequited feelings for Blackhawk.

Miss Fear becomes a mysterious figure with an independent agenda. She could easily slip into the pages of The Spirit. She is made from similar stuff to other Quality Comics anti-heroines. Perhaps this is why, despite their repeated interactions with her, Miss Fear was always pushed away by Blackhawk.

There may be another interesting reason for the separation though. After her father was avenged Miss Fear turn to international vigilantism, much like the Blackhawks did after the war ended. The difference lies in the detail of this turn. While Blackhawk was often ruthless with his enemies, Miss Fear was still a shade darker. Doc Hermes explains,

"Fear turned up in different countries, usually with a small band of followers, always tracking down bad guys and shooting them dead. This set her apart from your usual super-hero. Blackhawk and his team were soldiers after all and had killed many of the enemy in combat; they carried sidearms and used them when necessary. But the casual almost flippant way that Fear plugged whoever she decided was evil seemed to make even Blackhawk nervous" (source).


In a comic that supports the cringe worthy likes of Chop-Chop, the depiction of this Central Asian woman is positive in contrast, but not entrly free of stereotype. In some of her appearance she is depictions as a bit of a Dragon Lady.

The last time Miss Fear appeared was in the pages of Blackhawk #22 (Dec. 1948). Her fate was left unexplained.

You can read more Miss Fear Blackhawk #13 (1946) on Doc Hermes blog. Check back here for more of this mysterious adventurer and her time with the Blackhawks.

Song of the Blackhawks!

At the end of most stories, the Blackhawks would sing in victory at the end. "The songs provided a neat wrap up for the story and also created an identifying signature for the team"(source). Dick French wrote the Blackhawk verses.

"Hawkah - We're the Blackhawks,

Hawkah - We're on the wing,

Over land over sea,

We will fight to make men free

and to every nation 

liberty will bring.

Hawkah - Follow The Blackhawks,

Hawkah - Shatter your chains,

Seven fearless men are we,

give us death or liberty.

We are the Blackhawks,

remember our names."

You can see the song with sheet music in Military Comics #8 or here.

The Man in the Iron Mask (Part 3) - The Conculsion!

Read Part 1 // Part 2
Six months has passed since the battle that took Andre. The Blackhawks have retuned to the area in memorial only to meet with deadly foes. They are saved by man whose head has been encased in an iron mask.

They find this savior is their fallen friend, Andre. Andre has been horrifyingly disfigured by the circumstances of his supposed death, and has doomed himself to always wear the mask.

In attempt to save their teammate, the Blackhawks rescue a plastic surgeon from the axis powers only to find him to have gone mad while a prisoner.

Find out what will be come of Andre in the pages below!

01 //02 //03 //04 //05 //06 //07 //08 //09 //10 //11

Blackhawk at the movies!

So, this happened.

Blackhawk finally received its screen debut in 1952, the time of serials decline. The timing really shows. This 15 part Columbia serial is...dull at best. Unable to even pull off hilariously bad, this serial is just notable for existing. More than a decade after their first appearance the Blackhawks were still so popular that they obtained not just a radio show but movie serial. It isn't something many comic characters can claim.

It stared Kirk Alyn (the first actor to play Superman in screen) who successively pulled off several dangerous stunts, but these cannot save those serial from it lack of...interesting things. For a more in depth look at this serial, check out Dr. Hermes's review or this Blackhawk movie serial review.

For some good Blackhawk, check out the tag at the bottom of the page. Below you will all find the find the serial's trailer.

The Man in the Iron Mask (Part 2)

Early in the Blackhawks' careers they lost a member, Andre, when he took a killing blow meant for Blackhawk and sacrificed his life to stop a Nazi plot.

That is in Military Comics #3, here we have number #9 and the loss of Andre is still felt by his team.

Enjoy part two of "The Man in the Iron Mask!"

 01 //02 //03 //04 //05 //06 //07 //08//09 //10 //11

The Man in the Iron Mask (Part 1)

Blackhawk month continues with its first great saga, The Man in the Iron Mask!

No leonardo dicaprio here, don't leave.

This epic tale starts in Military Comics #3 which introduces “Chop-Chop.” Why they chose this plot to go with that introduction, I will forever wonder. Chop-chop will spend most of the issue stabbing at any drama that might hit the page. This is listed as being by Will Eisner, it more likely by Bob Powell or Dick French. Art is by Chuck Cuidera.

 04 //05 //06 //07 //08 //09 //10//11 //12 //13

Part two will be up tomorrow! 

And He Was Called Blackhawk

The Blackhawk team exists because of one man, known only as Blackhawk. When his brother and sister-in-law are killed, "the flyer," a Polish soldier, vows revenge against the Nazis that killed them.

This perhaps explains Blackhawk's often ruthless and cold demeanor. The exception is with his team, and occasionally with the ladies. (There are many ladies for Blackhawk.) According to Jim Steranko's History of Comics, "He was a man in total control - unapproachable, unforgiving, unfathomable. He was his own law and his own morality. He lived in a world dominated by an atmosphere of fatalism. He was the first comic book anti-hero."

Blackhawk debut in August 1941 as part of the new Quality Comics Anthology, Military Comics.

Military Comics # 01 pg 03 //04 //05 //06 //07 //08 //09 //10 //11 //12//13 [Scans by cimmerian32, cleaned by yours truly]

This vague origin for Blackhawk would soon not matter. He would be man without a past. Even the building of the Blackhawk team is never explained when they appear in #2. This mystery seemed to work for the nazi-fighting pilot as the Blackhawk sales soared, making them the lead title in the analogy. By 1944, Military Comics' newsstands sales were equal to Captain America, The Flash and Batman.

The mystery of Blackhawk would be dissolved by DC in the 1976 as the title was revived after seven years for a short run. Luckily, sliver age doesn't concern us here.

Who created the Blackhawks has long been debated. The clearest answer comes from the 1999 San Diego Comic Con in the 'Spotlight on BLACKHAWK,' with Will Eisner and Chuck Cuidera. The transcript is here. An interesting read and resource for any golden age fan.

"Lovely Little Mouse" from Campus Love #1

Inferior Man in "Busting the Dive-Bomber"

I have said much about Al Jaffee and Inferior Man. I could still say more, but I think I should leave this post filled with only one important fact.

Jaffee sent his creation out with a bang.

Here is his last appearance from Military Comics #13 (November 1942).

Military Comics #13 (Nov. 1942) "There Are More than One Way To Skin A Cat"

After I started posting Señorita Rio, I thought I should pull some more forgotten female secret agents.

First I posted the origin of Madam Zero in "Her Name Was Zero."

Now, I want to highlight a lady known only as X in her last appearance. From Military Comics #13...

 41 //42 //43 //44 //45

If you liked this look at X of the Underground, I've posted all her stories that this point. You can read them and find out more about her all the way back in this post. 

Al Jaffee and the Inferior Man

Jaffee at the New York Comic Convention
in Manhattan, October 9, 2010. Via

Inferior Man would appear to be the product of many authors and artist, but this creation was all the product of Al Jaffee. I am still not sure why he used a different pen name every comic, but the quality of his work did not vary.

Jaffee knew his best hope from finding work as a Jewish man at the end of the Great Depression was in comics. Superheros were the main game of the day, but Jaffee found he couldn't reproduce the art of the popular Superman-type comics. Jaffee created Inferior Man to go with his art style. He found that it "leaned towards the cartoony figures." 


In a Mother Jones interview, Jaffee reveled more about the creation of Inferior Man,

"..I made a drawing of Inferior Man with a couple of monsters that he     might be fighting—and a friend of mine said, "Why don't you take that up to Will Eisner? He's hiring." I went up there, and Eisner was intrigued by Inferior Man, and he hired me on the spot. Ten dollars a week, which was a fortune! A subway fare was only five cents. And there, I met Dave Berg and a number of other people that I would know through the years. And that's how I got my start. Unfortunately, because the war was on, Eisner—whom I respected enormously—said to me, "Why don't you put Inferior Man in the Army. He'll be a nondescript soldier by day and a superhero by night." I always did whatever an editor told me to do, so I did it. But I just couldn't make it work. Within a couple of months, it just wasn't going anywhere. That's how I moved on to Stan Lee." (Source)

In a 2010 New York Comic Con panel for golden and sliver aged artist, Jaffee Reveled more about that character's creation. CBR reports,

"Jaffee went on to explain that the concept intrigued Will Eisner, who told Jaffee he would hire him and use the Inferior Man stories as filler mainly in military comics. Moreover, Eisner suggested that they scrape the accountant background and make him a quartermaster."

Now without further ado, a taste of his work from Military Comics #7 (Feb. 1942)...(Scroll to read here)

Page 01  //  02  //  03


To find out more about Al Jafee check out these links...
Lambiek - Al jaffee

NYCC: GOLDEN/SILVER AGE LIVING LEGENDS
Mad Man: Meet Al Jaffee, Cartoonist Icon of America's Longest-Lived Humor Magazine

Wild Desire (Untamed Love #1, Jan. 1950)

She plumb sick of him!

One last bit of love before the month comes to an end. ♥

Another Taste of Campus Love

I was going to share this educational tales here on Valentines day, but love and midterms got in the way.

"I knew all about men... because I'd studied every textbook and thesis on the subject! But one day a rebellious student trapped me wit a real, live man...and nothing in those textbooks could show me how to keep from falling in love with the perfect example of the undesirable male!"

Go read it on scans_daily! 

Practical Psychology for Girls

Here are some backup links! "Undesirable male" - 01 // 02 // 03  //04 // 05 //06  // 07 and the Short - He's My Boss!