“Yesterday’s” Comic> Fight Comics #2

You’re welcome, ladies.

Fight Comics #2

Fight Stories, Inc (February, 1940)

I wasn’t exactly impressed with the first issue. Picking this up is more of a curiosity. So many of the stories in the first issue ended so definitely I wasn’t sure how to make a series out of them. So I want to see how many stories fro mthere have a continuation here. I also want to see if I’m going to continue past this issue. Most of the previous issue was about one time of fighting, and I’m not into boxing. Only one way to find out.

[Read along with me here]

Shark Brodie by George Askut

Shark rescues a girl (of course) from pirates whose boss has her dad prisoner because they want the treasure he found a map for. Interesting that he could take more than four guys before, but four guys are enough to capture him later. It’s also a good thing he’s friends with some of the native islanders so they can save him, but it doesn’t feel like the writer was trying to wrap this up or desperate for an ending. For all I know he was, but I can accept this story.

The Life Story Of Joe Lewis

I guess they do a “true life of a boxer” tale in each issue. You can guess what this one is about. I know little about boxing, but I do know his name. What I didn’t know was that he was half white/half Native American. Also, boxing seems like a side gig if I understand these stories thus far, a bit of bonus money for, in this case, an auto worker. It does seem to end abruptly, after a rematch with some guy named Schmelling. It was okay, but not something I’m interested in.

The Spy Fighter by Leonard Frank

Apparently in the future the deal to leave Antarctica like it is goes away, and now a country has sprung up there. Too bad the leader is evil and wants to conquer America. Too bad for him Saber has mind-reading powers and a gun that counters their ice rays. Not terrible but kind of basic, even by 1940s standards.

Kayo Kirby by Chuck Walker

Crooks rig Kirby’s latest fight…wait, I thought he quit fighting and decided to become a lawyer? Did he quit and go back to boxing? Can he do both jobs? Anyway, after his loss Kirby loses his confidence until Mary gets sick and he has to fight to pay her bills. Actually, the way it’s presented I was expecting his manager made it up to get Kirby back in fighting spirit, but it doesn’t look that way. It’s a good comeback story that requires you to forget how the first one ended.

Kinks Mason: 1000 Fathoms Under The Sea by Steve Broder

Seaweed people (except for their sexy queen of course, who looks human) want to conquer the surface world and turn people into creatures like themselves, slaves to the queen. This includes another sexy woman–of course, but she’s pretty much just…there. It’s a story that doesn’t seem to understand what chlorophyll actually does. Rather uninteresting story beyond that.

Big Red McLane by Chris Fletcher

A rival logging company decides to sabotage the one McLane works for, so he beats them up until they stop, and then leaves to find more action. Lame! Moving on.

Oran Of The Jungle by Hugh Bartlett

Tarzan Balboa here decides to do some more fights so his dad can start an African plantation, but crooked promoters want him to throw the fight. When he refuses and signs a match with his former manager, they kidnap his dad. He kicks their butts, wins the fight, and they can start their plantation. Credit for having more explanation than Kayo Kirby’s still boxing after last issue.

Terry O’Brien: Gang Smasher by Al Tener

Different creator name for this one compared to last issue. And now Terry is just another rookie boxer, but he impresses a crooked fight promoter who wants his contract. His plan backfires and Terry ends up winning. I’m just not into boxing. What happened to the crimefighter from the previous issue?

“Strut” Warren by Ed Norris

Strut comes across a plan by Chinese to blow up the base, and somehow comes out on the losing end even after stopping them. This is not my kind of story, either.

Chip Collins by Ted Torrence

Our fighter pilot ends the issue in another sped-through story. Chip and Wendy are captured by a Chinese baddie hoping to take advantage of a post-war world (when the war ends in China of course) to use his mind control device and take over the world. This story…happened.

overall

Yeah, I’m ready to call this one off. Most of the focus is on boxing, which I’m not interested in, and the non-boxing stories are too short or too boring for me.