Pop Culture Chronicles

JSA Chronology 6

All-Star Comics # 6 (June 1941) begins, as usual, with a JSA meeting, this time a dinner in honor of the Flash. The JSA membership has thus far consisted of eight central members including: 

• Flash
• Green Lantern
• Hawkman
• Atom
• Hourman
• Sandman
• Spectre
• Dr. Fate

Batman and Superman were honorary members, but showed up very rarely, as is the case with superheroes who already had a book dedicated to their stories exclusively. With All-Star 6, Flash was joining those ranks with his new comic All-Flash, meaning he was now to be relegated to honorary status. The reason given for honorary status in the stories was that a particular hero had become extremely busy. Johnny Thunder, who had previously guest-starred, now applies for full time membership as a replacement for Flash. 

The JSA plays a prank on Johnny, telling him to bring in the notorious "Killer McPanzee." They don't tell Johnny that McPanzee is a frail old weakling who, in search of notoriety, prints fake newspapers with headlines announcing all the people he supposedly killed. Talk about fake news! A guy is so desperate for attention that he pretends to be a serial killer. In real life the guy would be institutionalized. So juvenile were the older comic stories, intolerably lame by adult standards, but comics were for kids back then. The guys writing the stories were practically kids themselves.  

Johnny goes to McPanzee's house in a ridiculous disguise, only to find that some counterfeiters have arrived to enlist McPanzee's help in their operation. The Flash must break up the counterfeiting ring while Johnny's Thunderbolt, always summoned accidentally, rescues Johnny from the bottom of the river where the bad guys have put him. Granting Johnny's wish for a pretty girl to comfort him, Dr. Fate's girlfriend, Inza, shows up in her car. Johnny bums a ride and gangsters steal the car to make their getaway from a bank heist. Dr. Fate must intervene. 

While Fate deals with the crooks, Johnny falls down a laundry chute in the crooks' hideout and is picked up by the laundry serviceman. He abandons Johnny at a house of horrors entertainment venue where a protection racket must be dealt with by the Sandman. 

Meanwhile' Hourman searches for Johnny who hasn't returned to the JSA meeting. He checks the theater since Johnny likes movies, only to find that an African display to promote the latest film about Africa is not populated by mannequins, but by bad guys in the guise of a gorilla and natives. A disgruntled fired employee is planning a robbery for revenge. When the police, as useless as in the previous issue, arrive, they think Hourman is committing the robbery. When will they learn?

Meanwhile, as Johnny wanders the streets he is approached by the proprietors of an illegal gambling house. He thinks that if he can break up their ring, the JSA is sure to vote him in. He gets into trouble resulting in his Thunderbolt alerting the Atom who comes to deal with the crooks. 

Meanwhile, the Spectre searches for Johnny, but comes upon headless musclemen terrorizing an engaged couple. This is one of the better stories in the book, reminiscent of nostalgic pulp fiction and pre-code comics. The criminal mastermind has been stalking the young engaged female and then turning kidnap victims into zombies with severed heads to do his bidding. Delightfully creepy, but one could expect no less from the Spectre. 

The next segment has Green Lantern breaking up a ring of delivery truck hi-jackers whose boss happens to be named "Fruity Leman." The villains are foiled as the Lantern resorts to using watermelons as weapons. 

Johnny, in the meantime, has been swinging from a rope attached to the bottom of a plane in flight. Thunderbolt had granted Johnny's wish to be taken from the gambling house by an airplane. He is later dropped to the deck of a ship where Shiera Sanders, Hawkman's girlfriend, has been kidnapped by bad guys. One who had been standing outside her lawyer's office just happened to overhear the news that she had inherited a fortune. Shiera is the second of only two leading ladies appearing in this issue. Of course Hawkman comes to her rescue.

The Hawkman segment, in spite of some juvenile elements, is probably the best story in the book (with the Spectre's being a close second). The Hawkman art, especially on the segment's final page, is outstanding for its time. We have Sheldon Moldoff to thank. Johnny remains captive on the ship, but is rescued by the Thunderbolt and is (somehow) granted JSA membership. 

This issue isn't as rich in 40's vernacular as previous ones. We do, however, have the Flash expressing approval to a suggestion with "That's a corking idea!" Johnny's disappointment in his incompetence is met with the phrase, "I'm some punkins!" Bad guys determine to "make hay" while their opponents are sidetracked. 

Interesting superpowers are revealed, like Dr. Fate's ability to absorb matter into his body, including bullets, rendering him essentially bulletproof. He can also follow a vehicle's trail by viewing microscopic remnants of rubber. He rescues Inza's car from a burning garage by putting a magical protective mantle over it. We also discover that Sandman's wirepoon gun can lodge in the bottom of a passing airplane, giving him a lift to the top of a skyscraper. 

Overall, good fun if not held to today's standards.        

JSA Chronology 5

All-Star Comics # 5 begins with the JSA members sitting around in their meeting bored, lamenting the low crime rate. They've succeeded, it seems, in putting an end to crime. But elsewhere the gangsters are meeting, who at the orders of a mysterious Mr. X, the leader of the racketeers, each gangster is assigned a different member of the Justice Society of America in retaliation against the JSA's war on crime. 

The criminals first try to lure the Flash out by committing numerous arsons, which will also secure insurance claims on gang-owned properties. In the Sandman story, Dian Belmont is kidnapped by gangsters who know she is Sandman's "companion." How this is common knowledge without anyone putting it together that Wesley Dodds is Sandman is not explained. Sandman's eventual victory has him unrealistically lamenting that with all the kidnappers in custody, life is going to be slow. Yes, comics were for kids in those days.

In the Hawkman story gangsters plan to lure him out by committing a jewelry store heist. They make sure Shiera Sanders knows in advance so she can get word to him. As with Dian Belmont and Sandman, the criminals again seem aware of who the hero's leading lady happens to be. In this milestone issue Shiera first wears the hawk mask and wings, not as Hawkgirl, but as a Hawkman decoy.

When the issue turns to Dr. Fate, a familiar pattern continues as it's common knowledge that Inza Cramer knows the good doctor. Here we learn that Dr. Fate is immortal unless he wills to die. He is lured to the lair of a fake magician who is supposedly bleeding widows dry holding phony seances. Inza brings Kent Nelson to the magician's place where gangsters attempt to kill him, somehow knowing that he is Dr. Fate. Was Dr. Fate's identity secret, or not?

In the Hour-man story an impostor tries to frame him by stealing tires off cars. The authorities are naturally dumb enough to think Hour-Man would have resorted to such petty crime. A stereotypical Irish flat foot is the police officer in this tale. In the Atom story some gangsters running a gym recruit short guys off the street for a fitness course in hopes of rubbing out the Atom, a hero of small stature. 

The Spectre seems a bit out of character as his story begins with him leaving the JSA meeting, complaining that there is "No excitement. No nothing." This ghostly apparition not only falls into the same level of common boredom as we mere mortals, but he also uses poor grammar. Eventually his mortal counterpart, police detective Jim Corrigan, leads a raid on an illegal gambling casino after overhearing a stereotypical immigrant couple speak of the husband's gambling addiction. Racial stereotyping was common in comics back then.

The Spectre is finally framed for running the gambling racket, as if a ghost would have any interest in doing so. But the authorities are as dumb as those who thought Hour-Man might have been stealing tires. The Spectre again seems out of character when he takes petty revenge on a doorman who refused to let Jim Corrigan into the gambling house. Spectre kicks the man in the seat of the pants thinking, "That's for getting flip with me." The biggest plot hole was a "queer ring" worn by a gangster that renders Spectre powerless. We're never told why the ring has such power. Spectre is in the company of other violent Golden Age heroes when he throws a villain's car head on into either a tree or the side of a cliff. The art doesn't make it clear.

Green Lantern has the common complaint of Sandman, Dr. Fate, and Spectre in this issue, stating that he is "fed up with sitting around." He sees plenty of action though, when Mr. X demands two-million dollars from the city threatening to blow up city hall and the electric power plant unless his demands are met. He also dares Green Lantern to stop him in a newspaper ad.

This comic includes the slang and cultural references of its time, including phrases like "and how; "a-fine-how-do-you-do;" "Whats the idea?;" and "What I say goes." In addition to a "queer ring" we learn of "queer rainfall." And could the Atom be referencing Dale Carnegie when he mentions a course on how to influence people? 

In all it's a fun comic. While all the stories are quite juvenile by today's standards, the Hawkman story probably holds up the best. While all four color stories are written by Gardner Fox, Hawkman has the stand out art of Sheldon Moldoff. The most surprising thing about this comic is that two leading ladies get shot in the same issue. The comic has been reprinted in All-Star Comics Archives # 1 and is available for digital download for a reasonable price at Comixology.com.              

JSA Chronology 3

When I read the F.B.I director's speech to the Justice Society of America, I felt like I was reading a description of our nation today. Here is part of what he told them when they arrived in his Washington office:

Even our colleges are overrun with alien teachers and students, preaching hatred for democratic ideals! Telling young men and women of America that freedom is useless---outmoded! Soapbox orators stir up class and race hatreds! Strong arm tactics are being used against our patriotic but helpless workers! 

While this sounds all too current, especially the part about the brainwashing of gullible young people in institutions of higher learning, the story takes place in 1940 just prior to U. S. involvement in World War II. The Atom, being Al Pratt, college student, takes on the college infiltrators and Johnny Thunder sees some action alongside Atom. 

It's scary that circumstances paving the way for tyrants are repeating themselves in this country and scary that the comic publishers have unfortunately gone P.C. on us as opposed to working to instill the patriotic values that comics were all about in the Golden Age. I admit, though, that even then the pro-war propaganda was more than over-the-top and not objective at all. Comics have never, to my knowledge, been published by brave trailblazers, but by drones who merely mimic the spirit of the age. Comics are great entertainment, but I've always wished they would stay out of the social propaganda business. But enough of that.

All-Star Comics #4 is the issue in which the (unnamed) F.B.I. director briefs the JSA, giving each member sealed instructions to destroy after opening. These instructions send each member to a different part of the country to defeat the foreign spy rings discovered by U.S. intelligence. Each ring is but a cell of a larger organization ran by a leader in Toledo, Ohio. The story concludes with the entire JSA teaming up in Toledo to take down the organization.

The "grey shirts" are obviously Nazi party sympathizers, but aren't named as such. Flash takes a group of them on who are out to propagandize the working class. A still timely statement by the Flash rebukes a criminal for "yelling about your rights under a constitution you're trying to overthrow." We have certainly seen more than our share of that in recent times.  

Green Lantern is next, who as Alan Scott, radio engineer, investigates interference in radio reception across the country--an obvious effort to break down America's communication systems. Scott's leading lady, called the "charming Irene Miller," and co-worker of Scott, takes matters into her own hands and becomes the stereotypical damsel in distress who must depend upon Green Lantern for rescue. A rather silly incident is when Irene parachutes out of a commercial airliner against the orders of a flight attendant. It's about as ridiculous as the previous issue where Sandman puts all the guests in a hotel to sleep so the JSA can have a private meeting in the conference room. But comics were for kids back then.

The Spectre and Dr. Fate were just all too powerful. Spectre, surprisingly nicknamed the "Dark Knight" in the narration, manages to turn back time, summon up visions of previous events, freezes crooks in their tracks, and reads minds. Good thing his stories were short back then since it would be difficult to write much of a lengthy plot to challenge this guy. Dr. Fate is just as powerful, not needing to open his sealed envelope to know what's inside. He casts spells over broadcast wires and blows up bad guys' guns by just thinking about it. He can read minds, cause chains to materialize from nowhere, find crooks by using a crystal ball, and summon F.B.I agents with the use of a dark cloud. Not much can challenge this guy.

Hour Man spends most of his time as Rex Tyler undercover in the Oklahoma oil fields. His actions inadvertently get some bad guys killed, but he comments that they met a deserving end. Yes, comics have changed over the years.

Sandman defends freedom of the press helping a newspaper threatened in regard to what they print. He also breaks up an impressionable gang of youths taken under the wing of pro-tyranny forces. But it turns out these youths were just "looking for adventure," so by the end Sandman has them singing "God Bless America" just prior to enlisting in the Army. Cheesy.    

While many elements of comics in this era were juvenile by today's standards, they were in some cases ahead of their time. One surprising element for this era is that Green Lantern meets a German-American who happens to be a tyranny-opposing patriot. Hawkman shows up at Shiera's bedside for the second issue in a row, but prior to that, she shows up at his. She gazes upon a sleeping Hawkman, who laughably just happens to sleep in his superhero headgear. The Hawkman story stood out again this issue due to the superior art of Sheldon Moldoff. 

 You can read All-Star Comics #4 in All-Star Comics Archives Volume 1 or buy it digitally on comixology.      

JSA Chronology 2

The first super-hero team to appear in comics was the Justice Society of America in All-Star Comics #3 in 1940. The story has been reprinted in Famous First Edition #F-7 (1974), in Millennium Edition: All-Star Comics #3 (2000), and in All-Star Comics Archives vol. 1. The story is also available digitally from comixology.com. for 1.99.

The story tells of the JSA's first meeting at a hotel conference room where the heroes meet for dinner and swap stories of solo adventures. So we don't get to see a team-up per say this issue.

The story is dated in that there are fewer attempts than today to inject any dose of realism into the story. But then this is back when in-house ads were addressed to "boys and girls." We find the JSA having the hotel to themselves since Sandman has put all the guests to sleep. Never mind that some guests might have had to catch a flight, or report to a work conference, or meet a sick relative. But we weren't supposed to think of all that back then. Other juvenile aspects of the story includes a shark who thinks in English referring to Flash as a "nice juicy man."

The 1940s slang is also amusing. Flash addresses the shark as "old kid." His costume is described as a "screwy outfit." Strange happenings are said to be "mighty queer." A woman's curiosity is stereotypically referred to as being "just like a woman." A ship's captain is described as being "happy as a kid" and Hawkman lands a successful punch exclaiming, "What a lulu. Right on the button." The Atom says both, "Holy Smoke" and "Swell."

Most of the scripts are by Gardner Fox with pencils contributed by Everett E. Hibbard. A brief comedic interlude is scripted and drawn by Sheldon Mayer in which the original Red Tornado crashes the party. The Spectre story is co-scripted by Jerry Siegel of Superman fame. The most outstanding art is that of Sheldon Moldoff for the Hawkman story. It has a pulp sci-fi feel to it that isn't quite as cartoony as the rest of the book. The panel with Hawkman appearing at Shiera Sander's bedside borders on a very subdued eroticism.

A stand-out feature of the book is that most heroes of the time had a leading lady, but not always a damsel in distress. For the Flash it was Joan Williams, his girlfriend who in later comics becomes his wife. Shiera Sanders is likewise destined to marry Hawkman. Rex Tyler (Hour-Man) is found working at Bannerman Chemicals where his leading lady is boss's niece Regina Paige. While Regina made several appearances in Hour-Man's early adventures, it is Wendi Harris who becomes his wife, appearing first in Showcase #56 (1965). Sandman pals around with Dian Belmont, a socialite and amateur detective. They had an ongoing relationship in the comics well into their golden years, but never officially marry. Green Lantern's leading lady, Irene, appears in only a couple of panels. College Sophomore Al Pratt's crush, Mary James is none too impressive. It's another one of those romantic tension situations in which the lady idolizes the hero (the Atom) but is not impressed by the man behind the mask. Dr. Fate's interest is Inza Cramer, who later becomes his wife. Only the Spectre lacks a leading lady in his story. 

While written for kids the stories are entertaining enough, with some having an almost creepy element due to occultism or science gone awry. The stories cover a wide variety. Flash, the Atom, and Hour-Man are more typical super-heroics while Hawkman, Sandman, Dr. Fate, and the Spectre are more of the pulp fiction, macabre, fantasy, or noir categories. Overall, it's a great book concluding with a summons by the F.B.I. chief for the JSA to meet him in Washington which occurs in issue 4.             

JSA Leading Ladies: Joan Garrick

In the anthology of solo JSA stories in All-Star Comics # 3, each member has a leading lady in his adventure. For the Flash it was Joan Williams. While Superman had his Lois, the Flash had his Joan. She was a fixture in Flash Comics from the first issue in 1939 which featured the inaugural appearance of the Flash. Joan was a regular in that title as well as in All-Flash (originally All-Flash Quarterly), the first issue of which told the Flash's origin story, updated for the post-crisis continuity in Secret Origins # 9 (published 1986). All-Star Comics #2 and 3 were Joan's first appearances outside Flash titles.

Joan appeared in the June 1941 retcon tale in All-Star Squadron Annual # 3 when she and a number of heroes and supporting characters were bathed in a ray that significantly slowed their aging process. Joan's next retcon appearance was when the crisis of 1985 came to 1942 in All-Star Squadron #54. The year 1942 is when Joan began appearing alongside Flash in Comic Cavalcade. The two also appeared in the 1944 one-shot Big All-American Comic Book. The Flash (Jay Garrick) and Joan continued to appear together in the Flash books until 1949. They were married at some point prior to the JSA's retirement in 1951. The retirement was due to a Congressional investigation of the team as told in the retcon stories of Adventure Comics # 466 (1979) and the mini-series America vs. the Justice Society (1985).  

The first Silver Age appearance of Jay and Joan Garrick was in Flash # 123, the famous 1961 Flash of Two Worlds Story. Jay and Joan made occasional guest appearances in the revived Flash comic from 1961 through 1982. Joan also appeared with Jay in the revival of All-Star Comics # 61 (1976) and 73 (1978). Joan has since been a recurring character in most Flash and JSA titles.       

JSA Chronology 1

I've decided that from time to time I am going to trace the history of the JSA from their beginning up until the new 52 began. This will be about the real Justice Society of America (mainly pre-crisis) and not the new 52 impostors. 

The first comic appearance of the JSA was of course in All-Star Comics #3 back in 1940, but the origin of how the team came together was not told until the 1977 DC Special #29. The book is so important that my very-good to fine copy is probably worth around $40. To give an idea of the era, the front cover has a blurb about a contest to be in the Superman movie (the one with Christopher Reeve). The slash page pictures the JSA line-up from the 70s revival of All-Star Comics being published at the time. 

The story is set in the winter of 1940 and the team actually comes together at the instigation of FDR who has heard about a number of mystery men appearing all over the country. They are just the ticket to prevent Hitler's planned invasion of England. So Batman, Green Lantern, and the Flash are summoned to Commissioner Gordon's office and then dispatched to Europe. They are later joined by Dr. Fate, Hourman, Sandman, the Atom, Hawkman, and the Spectre. Superman appears before the story is over. Both FDR and Hitler play prominent roles. I loved it as a kid when real people appeared in comics and I still love it when the stories told are historical fiction which interplay with real historical events. The editorial claim on a text page of the book is that Hitler really did plan an invasion of England, but for some unknown reason did not go through with it. The untold story is here. 

So here is a sample of retroactive continuity which Roy Thomas later popularized with All-Star Squadron, but I am uncertain whether he coined the term. Retroactive stories fill in some of the continuity gaps from bygone eras, this one telling of the JSA's formation. So obviously my reviews of the JSA chronology will include retroactive stories as opposed to a mere chronological publishing order.

The art by Joe Staton and Bob Layton is very good. The story by Paul Levitz (one of my favorite writers) is passable, but he is naturally a much better writer now than back then. Portions of the story are a bit juvenile by today's standards, but this was the era when kids still read comics. There is an over-reliance on Dr. Fate's magic to bring a second wave of heroes to Europe and to foil Hitler's unmasking of Batman. Hitler, in the original Earth-Two' s DC Comics, was a collector of relics which he employed for superstitious means. In this story the spear of destiny (which pierced Christ's side) is used to summon an army of Valkyries on winged horses to battle the JSA. This does fit Hitler's obsession with Aryan myths, but I would be interested to research whether he was truly superstitious. I've heard that horoscopes were a thing with him. I owe my being an amateur World War II buff to my reading of JSA and Invaders adventures in my youth.  

DC Special #29 was more recently reprinted in the 2006 trade paperback Justice Society, Volume 1, including the Neal Adams cover, but minus the text page.     

Tarzan

Tarzan has been in the comics for about as long as comics have been around. Some of the earlier comic book stories were reprints of newspaper strips. Titles like Tip Top Comics (1936), Comics on Parade (1938), Large Feature Comic (1939), and Sparkler Comics (1941) featured Tarzan stories.

The most popular Tarzan series spanned at least three publishers running from 1939-1979. Dell published the Tarzan title from 1939-1947 for 131 issues. Issues 132-206 appeared under the Gold Key label from 1948-1972. DC Comics continued the numbering with 207-259 (1972-1977). Then Marvel secured the rights to Tarzan with renumbering starting in 1977, running for 29 issues and three annuals. 

The Tarzan comic series often complimented the Tarzan movie series which was produced during many of the same years. In addition to various stand-alone Tarzan movies, the movie series starred the following actors in the lead role: 

- Johnny Weissmuller [12 movies] (1932-1948)

- Lex Barker [5 movies] (1949-1953)

- Gordon Scott [6 movies] (1955-1960)

- Jock Mahoney [2 movies] (1962-1963)

- Mike Henry [2 movies] (1967-1968)

- Ron Ely [2 movies] (1970) 

Several of these actors appeared as Tarzan on photo covers of the comics. The Dell series featured Lex Barker on the covers from issues 13-54 and Gordon Scott from issues 80-110. Gold Key featured Ron Ely on at least four covers (162, 165, 168, 171). To my knowledge, Johnny Weissmuller, the most popular Tarzan never appeared on a comic cover. Some fan sites have mistakenly listed him as pictured on Dell covers, but these pictures are actually of Lex Barker who bore some resemblance to Weissmuller.  

The Tarzan comics have boasted such artistic talent as Hal Foster, Jesse Marsh, Joe Kubert, and John Buscema. The 80s were slow years for Tarzan in both movies and comics, with highlights including the 1984 Greystoke movie and Marvel's accompanying adaptation. A seven issue mini-series was published by Malibu Comics in 1992-93. The mid-nineties through early 2000s found Dark Horse with the licensing to Tarzan including comics series and an excellent mini-series in which Tarzan teamed with Batman in an Elsesworlds story set in 1939.

Tarzan has mostly been absent from the movies with exceptions including the live action feature Tarzan and the Lost City starring Casper Van Dien and Disney's animated 1999 feature which brought Tarzan back into vogue (though its TV and video sequels were quite bad).

Dynamite Entertainment published a 15-issue Tarzan series titled Lord of the Jungle in 2012-13. Tarzan may now have a new lease on life in the movies with a new Tarzan feature scheduled for release in 2016. It stars Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan and Margot Robbie as Jane. I'm hoping this movie will breath new life into Tarzan while being grounded in the source material. Perhaps this will launch a new franchise.  

Vintage TV Westerns

As a huge fan of vintage westerns, I have a goal. My goal is to view at least one episode of every TV western series ever made and to own at least one episode of each in my private collection. So I have some boxed sets of Gunsmoke, Wanted:Dead or Alive, and Big Valley DVDs in addition to some VHS episodes of Maverick and some DVD compilations with public domain episodes of stuff like Bonanza and the Rifleman. I grew up watching all the above mentioned shows, mostly when they were already cancelled and in syndication.  

But I also knew that lots of other westerns had been produced in the 50s and 60s. Why weren't these syndicated and why had I never saw them? Now many of these can be seen on DVD sets collecting various episodes of these shows. One such set is Mill Creek Entertainment's 150 Ultimate TV Westerns. Now I know why this stuff wasn't being re-run during my youth. It just wasn't that good. 

But in keeping with my goal of viewing and collecting every TV western in existence, my family and I are viewing and rating these shows and the results will be posted here. So the first reviews are published here:

 Sergeant Preston of the Yukon. This character, a Canadian Mountie in the 1800s, began on radio in 1938 and then switched to TV in 1955 running for three seasons on CBS. A comic book series ran from 1952 to 1959 with the first four issues as a part of Dell's Four Color series. Once Sergeant Preston came to TV, photo covers from the series became the norm. The highlight of this show is the dog, Yukon King, Preston's lead sled dog with whom he shares a close relationship and who assists him in catching bad guys. The plots are mildly entertaining. Sound-stages and stock footage of sled dogs are common. Originally filmed in color its brilliance has unfortunately faded.

Northwest Passage. Fictionalized account of historic figure Major Robert Rogers, whose volunteers known as Roger's Rangers fought for the British during the French-Indian War. Rogers was located in what is now New York and endeavored to find a water route to the Pacific Ocean. The series was based on a novel, made into a movie in 1940. The series cast included Buddy Ebsen as one of the rangers. I've viewed one episode which guest starred Pernell Roberts of Bonanza fame. While the original color has faded in quality the plot was intelligent. The series lasted only one season (1958-59) due to the stiff competition of Maverick on another network.

  Cisco Kid. I did grow up with this series since it has remained in syndication. That could be due to the fact that it was the first TV series filmed in color which has continued to hold up decently. The title character, originally a bad guy,  was created for a short story by O. Henry entitled "The Caballero's Way" in 1907.  The story became a movie in 1914.

The Kid is portrayed as a good guy in the 1928 film, In Old Arizona. A series of seven movies were released from 1939 to 1941, with Caesar Romero playing the Kid in later installments. A second movie series ran from 1945-1950 which starred Duncan Renaldo playing the lead in most, but Gilbert Roland as the Kid in six movies during 1946-47.

Renaldo would play the Kid on the syndicated TV series from 1950-1956. Joined by his comedic sidekick Pancho, the Kid brought law and order to the old west. The stories are about the caliber of the Lone Ranger, though somewhat inferior. The show was obviously intended to appeal to children.  

A comic book series published by Dell ran for 41 issues from 1950 to 1958. The last five issues had photo covers. An earlier Cisco Kid Comics one-shot was released in 1944 by Bernard Bailey / Swappers Quarterly. A TV movie with Jimmy Smits in the lead role aired on TNT in 1994.  

Phantom Lady

With Phantom Lady's recent return to DC Comics, I thought it would be a good time to study her history and share my findings. Phantom Lady's first appearance was in Police Comics # 1 back in August of 1941. The entire book was reprinted in 2000 as a part of DC's Millennium Edition imprint series. I'm thankful for the reprint since a back issue of the original could cost anywhere from $800 to $12,000 depending on the condition. I picked up the reprint at an antiques mall for about a dollar.

Phantom Lady has the distinction of being the first female super-heroine, tied with the original Black Cat. Both pre-date Wonder Woman by four months.

In her first appearance, Phantom Lady is Sandra Knight, the socialite daughter of Senator Henry Knight. Her weapons include a black light projector which puts her adversaries in total darkness and unable to see. She drove a car whose headlights could do the same. Her costume looked like a yellow swim suit with a green cape, what would later be dubbed a "lemon-lime" uniform (Justice League of America # 107). Her first adventure involved keeping a scientist's explosives formula, which he intended to sell to the War Department, from falling into the hands of enemy spies. The high level of patriotism was seen in most comics of this era. Police Comics # 1 was published less than four months before America's entry into World War II. 

The new heroine continued to appear in issues of Police Comics through #23 in 1943. She also appeared in crossovers of Feature Comics #69-71. Quality Comics dropped the character after 1943. 

A product of the Iger studios, who supplied comic content to publishers, Phantom Lady was sold to Fox Feature Syndicate in 1947. Her own title began with issue # 13, taking over the numbering of the unrelated Wotalife Comics. The new title ran through issue # 23 in 1949. Her two-year title with Fox coincided with her appearances in All-Top Comics. The titles were obviously cancelled when Fox went out of business.

During the Fox years, Phantom Lady was drawn by Matt Baker, the African-American artist who predates Frank Cho and Ed Benes as the king of cheesecake. In other words, Baker was one of the first to popularize "good girl" art. He redesigned Phantom Lady's costume, changing the colors from yellow & green to blue & red. He also gave her a plunging neckline. The cover of Phantom Lady # 17 is famous for having appeared in Fredric Wertham's 1954 book, Seduction of the Innocent, a denunciation of comics which led to a congressional investigation and the Comics Code Authority.

Matt Baker's work is most recently featured in a new book published by TwoMorrows Publishing called Matt Baker: The Art of Glamour. The book is the artist's biography combined with full story reprints of both Phantom Lady and Sky Girl. The book should be released around the end of November 2012. Prior to this some of Baker's Phantom Lady stories were reprinted in a 1994 trade paperback from Verotik Publications. 

Following the demise of Fox Features, the character was later picked up by Ajax-Farrell Publications who did four issues of Phantom Lady from 1954-1955. Coinciding with the appearance of the code, her costume became more modest. She also appeared as a backup in two issues of Ajax-Farrell's Wonder Boy title.

I'll do a second part to this post soon which will include the subsequent history of Phantom Lady when she made her comeback during the Bronze Age of comics.     

Kingdom Come Influences

DC Comics' 1990s Kingdom Come series was not only influenced by DC's Golden Age history, but the series has been quite influential on subsequent DC projects. I'll first mention some of Kingdom Come's influence on the mainline DC universe and then I'll mention some of the Golden Age concepts that inspired parts of the series.

Kingdom Come's Influence:

Earth 22 - In the new and rebooted multiverse that followed events of 52, it was revealed that the Kingdom Come story actually took place on Earth-22. Of course now that the entire multiverse has been rebooted with the new 52, who knows?

Red Robin - The first character to don the Red Robin costume was Dick Grayson, formerly Robin, of the Kingdom Come universe. In this reality he was married to Starfire (now deceased) and their grown daughter is Nightstar. The Red Robin mantle in the mainline DC universe has never belonged to Dick Grayson, but the first Red Robin was Jason Todd in Countdown to Final Crisis # 17 where Todd dons the costume as he fights alongside the Batman of Earth 51. The current Red Robin of the new 52 universe is Tim Drake, another former Robin. 

Ibn al Xu'fffash - In Arabic this means "son of the Bat." It was revealed in Kingdom Come that Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul had a son. In the mainline DC universe he is the latest Robin, the boy wonder Damian Wayne. In Kingdom Come there is a romantic spark between Bruce Wayne's son and Dick Grayson's daughter. In Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 22, they are shown twenty years later with two children attending the Earth-22 Batman's funeral. 

Red Arrow - Roy Harper, the former Speedy, all grown up. He made his first appearance as Red Arrow in Kingdom Come # 2.

Maxine Hunkel - The altar ego of Earth-22's Red Tornado. Maxine's New Earth counterpart is the granddaughter of Mathilda Hunkel, the original Red Tornado. Maxine first appears in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 1 and she adopts the name Cyclone in the third issue. It remains to be seen, as far as I know, what and where her place will be in the new 52 multiverse.  

Atom Smasher - The godson of the original Atom, Al Pratt. Atom Smasher was known as Nuklon in the first Infinity Inc. series.  

Wildcat - In Kingdom Come he is a man-panther possessing the spirit of Ted Grant, the original Wildcat. On New Earth the man-panther version turns out to be Grant's long lost son. He at first shares the name Wildcat with his father, joining the JSA in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 4. Upon switching to the JSA All-Stars team, the man-panther changes his code name to Tomcat. It remains to be seen where his place will be in the New 52 multiverse.

Lightning - Jennifer Pierce, the metahuman daughter of Black Lightning, first appeared in Kingdom Come. Her New Earth counterpart was first introduced in Justice Society of America, volume 3, # 12.  

Blue Beetle - The Kingdom Come Blue Beetle wore an armored battle suit which I suspect might have served as inspiration for the Jaime Reyes version of the character in the mainline DC Universe.

Influences Upon Kingdom Come:

The Flash - The Flash of Earth-22 wears a helmet similar to that of Jay Garrick, the original Flash.

Red Tornado - The oringal Red Tornado of Earth-22 is Mathilda Hunkel, active and armed to the hilt in Kingdom Come.  

Bulletman / Bulletgirl - Formerly of Fawcett Publications, this duo was very popular in the 1940s. The Fawcett heroes were purchased by DC Comics in 1972. Of the notable appearances of this duo are Justice League of America # 136-138 and the Power of Shazam series in the 90s.

Living Doll - Appearing on Superman's shoulder in Kingdom Come #3, she is the daughter of Doll Man and Doll Girl, a Golden Age duo purchased by DC from Quality Comics. 

Phantom Lady - Another Golden Age character purchased from Quality, she appears in Kingdom Come as a literal phantom resembling Bettie Page.

Huntress - An African version of the Golden Age character, Paula Brooks.

Vigilante - Based on the Golden Age motorcyle cowboy, the Kingdom Come version is part robotic with a Gatlin gun for one of his arms. 

So there we have my rundown of charaters from Kingdom Come that I find particularly intriguing due either to their Golden Age inspiration, or to how they have subsequently inspired groups like the Justice Society and the Batman Family whose origins date back to the Golden Age.