Wonder Valkyrie

Under orders of Odin, the valkyries of Valhalla began capturing Amazons of Paradise Island shortly after World War II. These valkyries had wings but also rode wingless flying horses. Odin sought to turn the impressive Amazons into valkyries, but the Greek goddess Aphrodite restored the Amazons to their usual selves (Wonder Woman #23).

Wonder Woman. Vol. 1. No. 23. May 1947. "Seige of the Savage War Maidens" by Charles Moulton.

Scaredy Cat

A sight gag on the cover of Patsy and Hedy #7 (Sept. 1952) pictured the two friends double dating at the movies. Patsy's boyfriend, Buzz, was so frightened by The Bride of the Vampire that he clung to Hedy's date. In contrast, Patsy Walker #93 (Feb. 1961) showed Patsy clutching Buzz in fear at the sight of a mouse. The symbolism of the two scenes takes on additional subtext when we consider that Patsy later becomes the happy-go-lucky Hellcat and marries the Son of Satan (after divorcing Buzz, who then becomes the villain Mad-Dog).

  

Princess Satana

First introduced in Vampire Tales #2 (July 1973), Satana Hellstrom might be the best-known comic book character with that first name, but she isn't the first. Marvel Boy encountered a Princess Satana of the planet Satania back in Astonishing #3 (April 1951). In the story "The Runaway Planet," inhabitants of Satania believed that their planet was heading into the Sun. Science from Marvel Boy's adopted home world of Uranus, however, proved that they were mistaken. As an aisde, there's no evidence that Princess Satana had a brother named Daimon.

Bill Everett illustrated this panel from Astonishing #3 (April 1951).

Jealousy

This panel from Patsy Walker #32 (Jan. 1951) shows a teenage Buzz Baxter jealous that Patsy might be dating someone else. The devil on his shoulder is oddly prophetic, as one day Buzz will crash Patsy's wedding to Daimon Hellstrom, a.k.a. the Son of Satan (Defenders #125). By that time, Patsy and Buzz will have married, divorced, and become Hellcat and Mad-Dog.

Patsy Driver

Patsy Walker comic books were not written with longterm continuity in mind, so it is understandable that contradictory storylines would appear. As an example, the teen protagonist received her driver's license in Patsy Walker #7 (Oct. 1946). Exacerbated by Patsy's speeding and overall poor driving skills, her father asked her to hand him her license at the end of the story.

A different course of events, however, transpired in Miss America #87 (Nov. 1957). When Patsy proudly announced that her driver's license just arrived in the mail, her father was surprised that Patsy even knew how to drive, much less had passed a driving test. It turned out that Patsy learned to drive from Beatrice Bagley, who recently wrecked her father's car. This time around, however, Patsy's own driving skills weren't called into question.

This panel from Patsy Walker #7 illustrated the character's original driving test.

The Golden Age Defender

If asked to name a patriotic Golden Age hero with a young sidekick, Captain America would immediately come to mind. He and Bucky made their debut in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). Captain America became one of the most recognizable characters published by Timely Comics (later Atlas Comics, and then Marvel).

Meanwhile, the Defender first appeared in U.S.A. Comics #1 (Aug. 1941), also by Timely. The Defender sported the letters U.S.A. as an insignia and worked with a teenage sidekick named Rusty. With no iconic shield or superhuman origin story, the Defender lacked much staying power. The two-fisted crimefighter fell into obscurity after U.S.A. Comics #4.

Cover Versions: Chalk in Hand

Sight gags were commonplace on comic book covers featuring Patsy Walker. In this regard, Patsy Walker #30 (Sept. 1950) and Miss America (Apr. 1954) make for an interesting pair, as both covers show Patsy and boyfriend Buzz Baxter at a chalkboard when a teacher enters the classroom.

Venus vs. Son of Satan

When Atlas Comics gave Venus her own series, the genre of that title gradually transitioned from romance to horror. Case in point, Venus #10 (June 1950). In that issue, the love goddess received an unwanted marriage proposal from the Son of Satan. This was not Daimon Hellstrom, who would premiere as the Son of Satan two decades later. Rather, it was another character who happened to be the devil's son. Venus discreetly referred to her unwanted suitor as Mr. Satin and successfully fought off his advances.

Lawful Neutral: Miss Whiplash

One of Patsy Walker's teachers in high school was Miss Whiplash. In class, Miss Whiplash tried to instill in her students the importance of academic learning. Because Miss Whiplash didn't frame her principles in terms of good or evil, her alignment might best be characterized as Lawful Neutral.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

This panel comes from Patsy and Hedy #22 (Dec. 1953).

Reservations about Wertham

I've written several posts over the years about Seduction of the Innocent, Fredric Wertham's scathing attack on the comic book industry. After rereading the book again, I've decided to address a few more of Wertham's arguments, which contributed to the Comics Code of 1954. Wertham held that comic books were anti-educational. Western comics, for example, did not accurately portray the American West. Additionally, placing dialogue in word balloons was just one of many practices that depleted comics of literary merit.

The merits of some of Wertham's claims were themselves suspect, however, such as his contention that superheroes promoted a Fascist ideology. In Chapter II, Wertham remarked that we should be thankful the S on Superman's chest was not an S.S. That comparison was blatantly ahistorical seeing how often comic books had portrayed Superman and other costumed heroes battling Nazis during the Second World War.

Wertham's credibility might be called into question elsewhere as well. In Chapter IV, he recalled a conversation with a boy who suffered from nightmares. The boy said he liked reading Blue Beetle comics, likening the title character to Superman but with the added power of turning into a beetle. Wertham said it was easy to understand why a child would be frightened after reading the adventures of a man who became an insect. The problem with Wertham's analysis, however, was that Blue Beetle did not transform into an insect—exposing Wertham's unfamiliarity with the material he was so prone to condemn.

Right or wrong, Wertham was convinced that comic books interfered with the psychological well-being of children and their ability to identify with positive role models. In Chapter IX, he asked, "Is that the best we can do for children, that we teach them the Green Lantern will help?" Interestingly, though self-reflection was uncommon for characters during the Golden Age of comics, Green Lantern would readily question his impact on society during the Bronze Age.

The original Green Lantern first appearance in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940).

Love Triangulation

A complicated love triangle developed in the "Patsy Walker" story from Miss America #44 (March 1952). Patsy was upset that boyfriend Buzz Baxter was more interested in reading a Kid Colt comic book than paying attention to her. At Patsy's prompting, Buzz put aside the comic book only to become equally preoccupied with westerns on TV and film.

Buzz then took Patsy on a date to the rodeo to see Tex Dallas, a cowboy he admired. After the show, Tex coerced Buzz into riding a horse called "Back-Buster"; the ornery animal immediately threw Buzz to the ground! Buzz went home with a sore back while Tex invited Patsy out dancing—leaving Buzz feeling bitter and betrayed by his hero.

What Worried Wertham?

For the fourth consecutive year, I decided to reread and blog about Seduction of the Innocent, Fredric Wertham's influential tome attacking the comic book industry. One argument that I previously overlooked was Wertham's belief that the abundance of illustrations within comic books stifled the imagination, as evidenced by children reproducing graphic images from comic books in their own drawings.

In Wertham's opinion as a psychiatrist, comic books lacked the constructive escapism often found in fairy tales. He cited reports of boys hurting themselves by leaping from high places while pretending to be superheroes. He added that even comic books extolling the dangers of drug addiction invariably taught children how to use heroin and other narcotics. Such hazards, according to Wertham, were compounded because comic books were themselves habit-forming. At the time of his writing in 1954, approximately 90 million comic books sold each month in the United States.

While conceding that other factors might also contribute to juvenile delinquency, Wertham cautioned adults against underestimating the negative impact of comics. The following excerpt from Seduction of the Innocent comes from the closing paragraph of Chapter II:

		Once in the waiting room of the Clinic I saw a little boy crouched over a comic book, oblivious to everything around him. In passing I could see the title of this story he was reading. Big capitals spelled out T A R Z A N. Surely, I thought, the adventures of Tarzan are harmless enough for juveniles of any age. But I was misled, as many parents no doubt are. … Tarzan was not the whole title of the story I had seen the boy in the waiting room reading. There was a subtitle "The Wyoming Killer" and two other headings, "From Police Files" and "A True Crime Story." The story was not about Tarzan, but about a hero who robbed a bank and shot five men to death.

Over the past century, several companies did publish comic books based on the Tarzan novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs. Marvel's monthly Tarzan series ran 1977-79.

Revisiting Venus

Before Weird Wonder Tales began spotlighting Dr. Druid (#19-22), the cover of #16 (June 1976) promoted a soul-searing chiller starring a Venus, the Living Goddess! Originally published in Venus #19 (April 1952), that story pitted the heroine against a vampire—complete with the ability to turn into a bat and the inability to cast a reflection. Venus ultimately destroyed the creature by driving a stake through its heart. Two years after that original publication, references to vampirism became prohibited under the Comics Code of 1954. Only after the Comics Code Revision of 1971 could the story reappear in print for a new generation of readers.

Working backward, Weird Wonder Tales #17-18 reprinted tales from Venus #18-17 respectively. That earlier tale was particularly prescient in depicting an illustrator of a horror comic book whose monstrous drawings came to life. As if heeding the lesson from this fable, the Comics Code of 1954 would ban the word horror in the title of comic books.

Venus #19 was the final issue of the character's original series. Weird Wonder Tales #16 was the first of three consecutive issues to reprint the heroine's early adventures. In addition to promoting Venus, the cover of #16 compared one of the other reprinted stories in that issue to the popular 1974 novel Jaws!

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Return of the Nautilus!

Like a number of other issues during the run of the series, Sub-Mariner #53 (Sept. 1972) drew upon the character's history. While the main story teamed the Prince of Atlantis with Sunfire, a relatively new hero at the time, a back-up feature reprinted a Sub-Mariner tale from the 1950s.

In that back-up story, an occult magician stole a painting from the Fictional Art Section of the Manhattan Historical Museum. The stolen painting pictured the Nautilus submarine from Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Making matters worse, a ghostly submarine began appearing out of nowhere and attacking naval vessels. Sub-Mariner's investigation led him to a ramshackle shanty, where he found the magician dead from heart failure. The villain's hand clutched the stolen painting … with the image of the Nautilus inexplicably absent.

Before and after renditions of the painting appear below.

The Making of Marvel Man

Marvel Man was largely unknown when he joined the Defenders for a Day. During his debut in Captain America #217, the character had introduced himself as Marvel Boy—differentiating himself from an earlier hero with that same name—only to become Marvel Man in #218.

The original Marvel Boy had appeared in comic books published in the 1950s by Atlas Comics (the immediate predecessor to Marvel Comics). The character's origin story tied to recent history. In 1934, to escape the threat of Hitler, scientist Matthew Grayson fled Earth in a spaceship, taking his infant son with him. They arrived on Uranus, where young Bob Grayson developed intuitive telepathic abilities, like the planet's peaceful inhabitants. As a young adult, Bob returned to Earth to stop crime as Marvel Boy, wearing Uranian wristbands that could generate a blinding light.

The character made a jarring return in Fantastic Four #164-165. Now calling himself Crusader, the former hero went on a rampage and then vanished, leaving behind his wristbands. From there, Anthony Stark's crew developed the wristbands worn by the new Marvel Boy/Man in Captain America #217-218.

Following the events in Defenders #62-65, Marvel Man guest-starred in The Incredible Hulk #233, with his name highlighted on the cover. Marvel Man could use his wristbands to fly and manipulate energy in various ways. His confidence plummeted, however, when a boy told him that Marvel Man was a dopey name. In #234, the hero changed his name to Quasar, distinguishing himself from other recognizable Marvel characters, including Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel.

Behold, the Vision

Marvel Mystery Comics #13 (November 1940) marked a turning point for the comic-book anthology. Up until then, the western crimefighter known as the Masked Raider had appeared in every issue, with #12 encouraging readers to return for "another Masked Raider adventure next month!" Instead of bringing back the Masked Raider, however, #13 introduced a character more in step with the superpowered heroes who had featured most prominently in the series.

The new character was Aarkus, a visitor from another dimension with the uncanny ability to materialize through smoke or vapor. Readers would know the character better as the Vision during his three-year run.

Whereas the Masked Raider had been grounded in historical fiction, the Vision often faced enemies with supernatural or science-fiction themes. Like other superheroes of his day, the Vision also battled Nazis during World War II. Aarkus had no connection to the synthezoid Vision, who would appear in print two decades later.

The covers of Marvel Mystery Comics promoted the Vision as a sensational new feature. Vision received cover billing again on #16 and #18. The above panel comes from #14.

Behind the Masked Raider

Unlike many Golden Age heroes who eventually fell into obscurity, the Masked Raider remained a background figure even during his own era. The western crimefighter premiered in Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), the same comic book that introduced Sub-Mariner and the original Human Torch. Renamed Marvel Mystery Comics, the anthology series continued to include stories starring the Masked Raider in #2-12.

Disguised in a black mask and riding a white horse named Lightning, the Masked Raider apprehended bank robbers and swindlers under the backdrop of the California Gold Rush. Historical facts were vague within the stories, although literary character Pecos Bill made a guest appearance in #9.

Being a western hero made the Masked Raider something of an anomaly. With the notable excepction of jungle adventurer Ka-Zar, most of the other characters to appear regularly in Marvel Mystery Comics had superhuman powers and a modern setting. As such, the Masked Raider never appeared on the covers, and #8 was the only cover to list him as one of the characters featured within the publication.

The above panel comes from Marvel Comics #1, when Jim Gardley decided to become the Masked Raider.

The Golden Age crimefighter Angel, who featured prominently in the Marvel Mystery Comics, had no connection to Warren Worthington III of the New Defenders. The hero Electro, listed on the cover of #8, had no connection to the villain Electro from Defenders #63-64.

Revisiting Wertham

I recently reread Seduction of the Innocent, psychiatrist Fredric Wertham's infamous book taking aim at the comic book industry. This time around, I paid particular attention to arguments I didn't cover in my initial post about the 1954 publication. As one example, Wertham criticized Millie the Model and similar comic books for setting unrealistic beauty ideals for girls.

Among his other concerns, Wertham asserted that the visual storytelling of comic books caused children to develop poor reading habits, such as picture reading: reading only the title and maybe the text on those pages with particularly violent or sexually intriguing illustrations. To Wertham, even comic books stating that "crime doesn't pay" were harmful as they showed children how to become criminals.

In writing Seduction of the Innocent, Wertham acknowledged that some psychiatrists regarded his claims as overzealous. Wertham countered that such colleagues made the mistake of seeing juvenile delinquents as fundamentally flawed while ignoring the pernicious influence of comic books. In another generalization, Wertham characterized comic book writers as dissatisfied with their own work.

For clarity, Wertham distinguished comic books from the newspaper comic strips, which he described as intended for adults and subject to tighter publishing standards. Here, Wertham employed a double standard, dismissing Flash Gordon and other comic books derived from newspaper strips as mere caricatures of the originals. In short, even comic books of the highest quality were inherently tainted by virtue of being comic books.

Millie the Model #55 (August 1954) appeared in print the same year as Seduction of the Innocent. Decades later, Millie guest-starred in Defenders #65.

Flash Gordon was one of several Golden Age adventurers reintroduced in the Defenders of the Earth limited series published in 1987 under the Star Comics imprint of Marvel Comics.

All Winners Squad

Sub-Mariner has never been much of a team player—for good reason. A generation before he reluctantly joined the Defenders, the Prince of Atlantis had a turbulent experience with another superhero team in All Winners Comics #19 (Fall 1946).

The theft of several artifacts from a major museum prompted the original Human Torch and sidekick Toro to summon Captain America (with sidekick Bucky), Sub-Mariner, Miss America, and Whizzer. Known as the All Winners Squad, the group discovered a series of riddles left behind by a criminal mastermind called Isbisa. When the word romaN appeared among the clues, Human Torch asked Namor if he had orchestrated the crime as a practical joke. Namor felt insulted by the implication; only at the urging of Toro did Namor decide to stay with the team. The All Winners Squad regrouped two issues later to thwart Future Man and Madame Death (#21).

Coincidentally, Toro wore only trunks and boots as a costume and might have been mistaken for Namor's sidekick until activating his flame powers and thereby resembling a shorter version of the Human Torch.

The historical significance of the All Winners Squad diminished when retroactive continuity placed the Invaders during World War II, forming five years before the All Winners Squad.

Sub-Mariner Meets the Creature from the Black Lagoon

In 1954, the same year that The Creature from the Black Lagoon premiered in theaters, Prince Namor faced a menace with a striking resemblance to the Hollywood monster. The story opened with Namor showing his friend Betty Dean a letter asking for help. The ambiguous letter was signed by a Professor Zunbar (Sub-Mariner Comics #35).

Going to the address on the letter, Namor entered a waterfront building only to find himself overpowered by a pair of mechanical robots. The robots reported to Professor Zunbar, who intended to surgically transfer Namor's brain in the body of Elmer, a green amphibian the professor had created. Among his character flaws, Elmer was afraid of water.

Namor narrowly escaped from the surgical table and turned Professor Zunbar over to the police. As for Elmer, the creature apparently died when a box of nitroglycerin he'd gotten hold of exploded.

Triplicate explanation points appeared at the end of several sentences of dialogue in the story, appropriately titled "Vengeance!!!"