“I keep accepting invitations to the WRONG partiesl”
Weird Comics #1
Fox Publications (April, 1940)
I was going to write this off as a horror comic based on the title, and maybe the cover. Then I decided to scroll through and I think you’ll see from the first story what made me curious. Fox Publications has had a pretty good Golden Age track record with me, though not perfect, so I like this comic’s chances. The only way to find out is to read the comics. In the two links, one is a more recent scan while the other comes from an old fiche transfer, so you choose your preference.
[Read along with me here or here]
Thor: God Of Thunder by Wright Lincoln
An ordinary Earth man is granted the power of the Norse god Thor. That’s sounds familiar. Wonder if that will be retconned? Grant Farrel is about to end his life after his girl seemingly runs off with some swave adventurer. Wow, that could have gotten dark if Thor didn’t choose him to be given his power and magic hammer for…some reasons. Yeah, he says the planet could use his power, but why not go himself? Grant’s Thor has to save his girl, who is actually in the hands of spies. At least he smartens up near the end. It’s an okay story to start with.
And because I should, let’s do the obvious compare and contrast for those of us who actually read it. This Thor, which came out long before Thor’s Marvel appearance in 1962’s Journey Into Mystery #83–or thanks to the retroactive “Don Blake was just Thor being punished” backstory, possibly Venus #11. Our Golden Age Thor also has a helmet and a cape, but otherwise this is what actual “superhero in his underwear” looks like. The hammer does return when thrown, but it doesn’t have a fancy name like the Marvel version. Thor rides a lighting bolt rather than being taken by his own hammer. Grant also gets to hang out with Thor in Asgard and tell him about the adventure he just had. It’s interesting how similar the story is but also how different. Unlike some of the Golden Age namesakes of later Marvel characters now in public domain (and being Norse myth Thor technically is so long as you don’t use Marvel’s version) this is surprisingly close to what we know today when we think of Thor. And he’s not dead and replaced with his allegedly superior ex-girlfriend. Unless Glenda’s going to make a surprise comeback.
Sorceress Of Zoom by Sandra Smith
I could be wrong, but I think this our first lady writer in these Golden Age reviews. Since even when I did the comic reviews daily I only did the Golden Age anthologies once a week, I’ve done a lot so far. It’s possible someone got by me. This is one of those villain titled stories. The Sorceress brings her city of Zoom to our world to take over, but two people fight her control because they love each other. The villainess leaves the hero behind, but thanks to some guy in a discount Phantom Stranger outfit he has a plan to foil her scheme and retrieve his girlfriend. It’s not a bad story, though I am curious how they plan to bring her back next issue. It’s not impossible given how it ends, but I do wonder how it will be done.
Blast Bennett by Spencer Allen
Blast and his sidekick Red tangle with space pirates stealing an asteroid, and fight a monster on that asteroid. At least that’s how the narrator says it. Going by the presented story Blast is making some pretty fast decisions with not a lot of evidence. Also, it’s funny that Red is celebrating chasing the “pirates” off, but due to his companion’s name he sounds disappointed by it. We have our first clunker of the issue and the series.
Dr. Mortal by Godfrey Clarke
Another story titled by the villain rather than the hero, and such an unscary name. Doctor Candie here is a mad scientist who turns people into monsters. I have to wonder if his niece was trying to expose him by asking her boyfriend to dinner, but it’s Doc Glassjaw who ends up exposing himself by making him suspicious. So how much of this was she in on? It’s better than the previous story for its potential, but still not great. Does Doctor Deadmanwalking return? Will I have time to make better jokes about his name?
The Voodoo Man by Allen Spectre
Another villain titled story. Funny how there’s so many. Bob Warren wants to be a doctor in Haiti so he can see how much of an exaggeration voodoo is. I mean, we all have hobbies but that seems excessive. He meets a beautiful girl on the boat because of course he does, but that’s not what brings him into contact with the voodoo man, who creates zombies and also has a gem smuggling operation. It’s…not really my kind of story but as an introductory it fares better than the last two.
The Bird Man by Arnold Inagos
Another Golden Age flying man, sometimes written as one word, but I keep connecting that to the Hanna-Barbera superhero. Also, another guy in just his underpants and cape wing. Not a first for this comic or for Golden Age flying men. How the descendant of a Native American god, unless they actually mean India but the bow and arrows make me believe the former, looks so Caucasian either way is confusing. That’s not the only confusing thing. An old man seeks his help in finding his daughter after first believing him responsible because…he’s flying, I guess. He kills a random lion for no discernable reason since it’s a young buck he kills for the scouting party to eat. She’s taken by some guy called the Stone Man for a bride but then a random vulture grabs her…the comic suffers from serious attention deficit, but I like the general idea.
Typhon by Phillips Judge
We had a space adventurer out of nowhere, so why an undersea adventurer? Typhon tests out two “super-submarines” gets attacked by sea monsters…and you lost me at the hydra serpent whose has a beautiful girl for one the heads that doesn’t even make for a believable lure for our sub sailors. And somehow it gets weirder after that as the real villain appears. Is it a good story? No. Is it somehow still entertaining for the wrong reasons and totally fitting to end the comic on? Yes.
overall
Well, it lives up to the name. It was certainly weird. It’s close enough to my kind of weird that I’ll be back for later issues, so mission accomplished for a first issue. Beats some of the first issues I’ve ready from April, 1940.
