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.  

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!

Crack Comics #10 "Madam Fatal Meets The Jester."

Art and Story by Art Pinajian.

Page 53 // Page 54 // Page 55 // Page 56. // Page 57

This comic happens before Smash Comics #22, the first story of the Jester. If it isn't him, that means that there are three Jesters running around. One villain (who sticks to Madam Fatal stories) and two good Jesters (one of which never shows up again). If it is him, he found reason to change his name to Chuck Lane.

Madam Fatal, first cross-dressing superhero

Madam Fatal began running in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940), a creation of Art Pinajian. Fatal debut six months before DC's cross-dressing Red Tornado in Scribbly. Madam's final appearance was in Crack Comics #22 (March 1942) . Pinajian drew the series until the end.

Madam Fatal was really retired actor Richard Stanton. When his daughter was kidnapped, he set about making a new life for himself as an old woman. His foes now underestimated his speed and strength, and he easily topped them. No one knew of his secret but his pet bird, a parrot named Hamlet.
Stanton does save his daughter, but continues fighting crime as an old woman. Though now, instead living only as her, he swishes between identities.

Fatal shows up once in the modern era as part of the DCU. At the funeral of Wes Dodds, Wildcat (Ted Grant) mentions Madam Fatal's funeral, where no one showed up but he traveling cast of La Cage aux Folles (JSA #1). Stanton is buried in Valhalla Cemetery.

Read the Origin from Crack Comics #1 here! [Link fixed 06/2012]

At someone point Golden Age Comic Book Stories had “The Secret of the Rex” from Crack Comics #8 on the site, but the link no longer works. I've linked to it in hopes it will come back someday.

Gold Nuggets: Madam Fatal...Drag Queen of Justice! looks at some panels from Crack Comics #11

Read her final story at Crack Comics #22. [Dead link - I'll post the story at a later date 06/2012]

For more info on Madam Fatal....
Toonopedia article on Madam Fatal
Madam Fatal Profile on International Hero
Gay League - Madame Fatal