Dablo: 1946, Blue Beetle? (Fox). Roman Tyrant of 56 AD. A column of light transports Amicus, leader of the Freedmen to 1946 and back again with the cop Mike and reporter Joan Mason. On their heels follows the Blue Beetle who help overthrows the tyrant and get everyone back home.

Dame Areia: Wings Comics (Fiction). Buxom enemy agent that helped out Mr. Atlantis in his efforts to bring America to its knees but frequently foiled by Captain Wings. In the one story I¹ve read with her, her entire face is not shown.

Laura Dane: 1946, Claire Voyant #2. Dennis Durrant remembers: Laura Dane was an actress who shot her ex-lover Rodger Howell and framed the singer, Claire Voyant, for the crime through an elaborately conceived alibi in which her maid Hilda posed as her for half of a flight from Hollywood to New York dressed in mourning clothes on the day after her lover's murder.  Claire's father and the sailor Tex Huston uncovered the truth with the aid of the memory expert Files and his manager/brother Hairy Harry.  On learning she was wanted for the crime, Laura kidnapped Claire and headed for her victim's cottage in the country, where she intended to hide for six months before shooting herself and Claire; she was determined not to "burn for Rodger's murder," but the cabin caught fire and Claire burst her bonds and headed for the door, but collapsed before she could get there and was rescued by Tex Huston - who, ironically, was one of three sailors who had dragged her from the water after her ship had sunk two years earlier - while Laura apparently died in the fire when the cabin's roof collapsed. 

The Deadly Dozen: 1941, Daredevil Comics #5 (Lev Gleason). A group of a dozen criminals banded together. Their by-laws don't allow any more members other than in case of death or willing departure. Sniffer is the highest profile villain of the group other than the time Iron Jaw tried taking it over. Members include: Sniffer, Crusher, Egghead, Snake-Eyes, Skully, Benito, Butcher, Giant-Killer, Lowl, Satan, Turk, and Lady Killer. Opposed first by Daredevil, other crooks and then by Crimebuster and the villain Iron Jaw. Over time they even headlined their own strip in the comic.

Death Head: Catman Comics (Holyoke). Apparently Middle-Eastern, this man was beheaded, but a mystic managed to grant the head life. The Death Head has vast mental powers, able to enslave many at a time with his voice. He planned on using that power to rule the world but the Hood was able to shrug off the hypnosis and stop him.

Decor: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #6 (Centaur). This criminal mastermind was being paid by a foreign power to destroy the US Navy. He commanded absolute loyalty from his masked henchmen who called him “Master” and “Master of All.” Among the weapons they used were gas bombs and a death ray and an underwater headquarters (submarine?) replete with death-traps and secret passeges. While Décor wore just a suit his high forehead with a prominent forelock of hair hanging down, mustache and van dyke beard and monocle over one eye with the other seeming a bit bug-eyed, he still looked a bit unique. Décor is apparently killed in the destruction of his headquarters while trying to destroy the mystery man, the Iron Skull.

Deimos Council: 1939, Amazing-Man Comics #7 (Centaur). This was the group of Martians that kept Martian society in virtual slavery until their power was challenged by the Magician of Mars.

Demi-Things: 1940, Fantastic Comics #12 (Fox). Denizens of the 4th Dimension where they were cast for crimes against humanity. They are bald pointed eared men with the legs and hooves of goats. Chongo, more evil than the rest charges up a ray that he uses to wreak havoc on Earth, destroying buildings and turning men into skeletons. Scientist-Adventurer Flip Falcon travels to the 4th Dimension to stop him.

De Vasco: 1946/47?, Movie Comics (Fiction House). Anthony Durrant writes: De Vasco was the dictator of the small South American country La Soredo. He captured Chiquita Sanchez, the sister of the rightful leader Juan Sanchez, who was working with the American stuntman Buck Hoskins, who had come to La Soredo to unseat De Vasco under the cover of starring in a movie there at the request of Jim Flanders, his old war buddy. After Buck had helped Sanchez break Chiquita out of De Vasco's prison, De Vasco captured Buck and secretly sent him a note wrapped around a dagger telling him how to escape as part of his plan to allow Buck to lead him to the rebels led by Juan Sanchez. They almost succeeded in making their getaway on a sailboat, but De Vasco caught up to them and was beaten only through Buck's efforts. On his capture, De Vasco was discovered to have "a sworn ballot count" sewn in the lining of his coat that proclaimed Juan Sanchez as La Soredo's rightful ruler. Buck returned to America with Chiquita and was reunited with his fiancee Gloria, who had read of his disappearance in the paper and whom he immediately promised to marry.

The Devil: 1942, Green Mask Comics 9 (Fox). In Chinatown, the Green Mask and Domino discover Chinese Hatchet men terrorizing the local merchants under command of a mysterious being called the Devil. The heroic duo track the Devil to his lair, filled with hidden passages and ornate throne room. When the hideout catches fire, the hatchet men turn on their Devil, severely wounding him and forcing him to reveal how to escape. Once out, he stands revealed as an investigator called Larchmont that the heroes had run into earlier. Larchmont had hoped to use the Devil disguise to control the hatchet men and force tribute from the local merchants.

Devil-God Idol: 1939, Keen Detective Funnies v2#12 (Centaur). Investigating the strange deaths of two men, Detective Degen realizes they were part of an expedition responsible for bringing the sacred idol of the Tibetan Devil-God to this country. The idol itself shows signs of being linked to the deaths, blood in its hands, bullet sized indentions on its body. Paying a visit to visiting Chinese scholar Li Wan, he's told that a high priest could possess the idol through a ritual and woe to all that would stand in its path. Later, thinking Li Wan seemed to be awfully well informed, he pays another visit and finds Li Wan in a trance and a room full of believers. While fighting them, he dodges a thrown hatchet which kills Li Wan, ending the threat. Degen is forced to report the murders were caused through supernatural means.

Devil Kyoti: 1943, Shadow Comics v2n11 (Street & Smith). This devilish appearing villain was a Japanese super-mastermind that bedeviled the Shadow over 4 issues aided by the Black Dragon and Shinto wizards, until the Shadow had to travel to Tokyo itself to stop him.

Diablo, Prince Fernando: Fantastic Comics #8 (Fox). From a secret hideout in the Pyranees, Diablo plans to divide Europe into monarchies and cast people into a state of serfdom, aided by various unscrupulous members of Europe's royal families. Deciding the world is weak from war, he invades France with underground tanks and germ-warfare. He is stopped through the brawn of Samson, and thrown over a cliff.

Dictator's Shadow: 1941, Banner Comics 3 (Periodical House) This robed villain masterminded sabotage efforts in America. He seemed to possess the ability to shift to a shadowy insubstantial and invisible form. The Lone Warrior and Dicky opposed him.

Diller, Craig "Killer": 1939, Amazing Mystery Funnies V2#8 (Centaur). This gangster broke out of prison and off of death row early in 1939. After lying very low for six months he attempted to sneak out of New York City. Unfortunately for him he was trailed by Terry "Reel" McCoy. After attempting to kill McCoy Diller was captured by the combined efforts of McCoy and "Speed" Centaur and returned to prison.

The Disc Men: Planet Comics (Fiction): Anthony Durrant provides: Professor Kender and his queen are the leaders of the Disc Men, who are lving human heads on gleaming, golden robot bodies that are basically a couple of canteens joined together by a metal spine, each of which has a pair of limbs. Flint Baker and Reef Ryan are brought to this world along with the fiance of a missing explorer, whose head is grafted to one of the robot bodies while they watch. Because Reef Ryan looks like the man she loved before her head was grafted onto a Disc Man body, the queen leads Reef, Flint and the explorer's fiance back to their spaceship, after which they depart the Disc Men's world after firing a salvo at the Disc Men's hidden base in order to destroy it. This was the first adventure of the combined team of Reef Ryan and Flint Baker, who had appeared separately before.

Dizaster: 1943, Startling Comics 18 (Better). Enemy agent, hires a few local toughs to start some fires. Unknown to them, he uses them to distract firemen while he sabotages army warehouses and foundries by starting fires by remote control with a sonic transmitter device. What he doesn¹t realize, is that friend to the local toughs is the upstanding Dick Martin who tries to stop them. What he gets though is the electric chair. When he survives that, he puts on a costume and goes after the gang and the enemy leader Dizasta as Pyroman.

Doc: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #8, (Centaur). Western College was being investigated for unfair competition as they had a football team composed of eleven seven foot giants, being billed as Iron Men because of their toughness. Mighty Man (a 12 foot giant) investigates on behalf of his friends and discovers that the Doc (in cahoots with the Coach and the Dean of the college) had been rounding up large but below average intelligent men around the globe for his experiments, including his own son who was the quarterback. He had been performing delicate brain operations that robbed them of their memories and knowledge beyond what he taught them and would do whatever he directed them to do. The football team was just a tryout for what could be done with mindless armies, a sample of what he could sell for millions to dictators in Europe. However, Doc is killed by their very mindlessness as Mighty Man breaks free and throws a football, yelling out, "pass" and the ten giants trample Doc beneath them in their rush. The fates of the "giants" is unrevealed. NOTE: This story was suggested by professional football player Frank Filchock the younger brother of Martin Filchock, the creator of Mighty Man. This entry has been corrected to include actual GA information and not the revision information including dropping the name to just Doc from Doc Biggers.

Dr. Amato: America's Best Comics #14 (Standard). One of many escaped Japanese prisoners, Dr. Amato is a scientist that develops a remote-controlled Bomb. His plot is stopped and he's recaptured by American Eagle and Eaglet.

Dr. Arso: 1944, Topps Comics (Consolidated Book Publishers). After medical secrets of a colleague to replace his missing hand and fore-arm (he has a hook instead), Dr. Arso is able to raise dead killers who are under his hypnotic control. While battling the Black Orchid (who is secretly DA Diana Dawn), he loses control of his undead minions and they turn on him and kill him. With his death, they die once more. NOTE: This is a strange comic series, smallish in size that prints several stories, with inconsistant coloring, some pages seem to be full color where others use red as a spot color. The Jack of Spades battle with the Hawkmen is one of these books. They aren't really numbered and may have been bound together at one point. It's hard to make sense of the GCD entry. Personally, I only have the Jack of Spades book and no real clue there.

Doctor Barba: November 1948, All-Top Comics 14 (Standard) If for no other reason than the title of her story: The Doctor of Doom. Darci writes me: After experimenting with transplanting the brains of apes into some villagers, she attempts to transplant the brain of a tiger into Jo-Jo's lovely female companion, Tanee. As the doctor says, "You're going to see your Jo-Jo sooner than you think! And you will be his murderess!"

Dr. Cadaver: 1944, Red Band Comics #3 (Enwil). Dr. Cadaver is a charlatan, under suspicion for killing several wealthy patients. Through the use of rigged dummies, he’s again at work on beautiful Vivian Vance. However, a blown tire in a rainstorm sends Dr. Mercy and quippy ambulance driver Stompy Lion to the home. Almost immediately Dr. Mercy suspects Dr. Cadaver and the old woman family servant Ouida. As it turns out, Ouida was the next in line for inheriting Miss Vivian Vance’s fortune and in cahoots with Dr. Cadaver. Dr. Mercy manages to turn the tables on the pair, restoring Miss Vance’s troubled psyche and may have even gained himself a girl.

Dr. Centaur: foe of Don Winslow.

Doctor Cobra: 1941, Exciting Comics #14 (Better) This fiendish Asian criminal aided the Japanese in their plots against China. He became a recurring and persistant foe of the world trotting adventurer Ted Crane and girlfriend Betty Hawkins.

Dr. Chuda: 1938, Lightning and the Lone Rider strip by Jack Kirby. 50,000 year old immortal and telepath goes up against the Lone Rider in the Old West.

Doctor Deemon: Speed Comics 20 (Harvey). A misnomer. Other than on the opening page, we villain is never called Doctor Deemon. The kids of the Young Defenders witness several people falling over dead and see a mysterious figure in black with a large wide brimmed hat. After tangling with him and getting the license plate to his car, they take the info to newspaperman Don Wright (who's secretly Captain Freedom natch). They track the car to biochemist Simon Green who apparently has developed a strong bacterial weapon in the Yellow Death. Tangling with him and his strangely garbed assistants, Freedom unmasks the scientist and gang as several Japanese medical students who had hijacked Greens experiments with deadly bacteria and kept him captured downstairs.

Dr. Depression: 1939, Amazing-Man Comics #7, (Centaur). Traveling through an interdimensional rift(?) in the Pacific Ocean Dr. Depression found himself in the world of the polyp-men. There, he mentally subjugated one of the polyp-men and began to telepathically lure other travelers through the rift. Finally, he drew the Shark through the rift and attempted to transfer his mind into the Shark's body. The operation failed and his mind was consumed by his enthralled polyp-man.

Dr. Diablo: 1942, Four Favorites #8 (Ace). Doctor Diale had discovered radium under a asmall town. He decided to get the riches with the least possible expense and without the government knowing about it. He fakes the deaths of his patients by inducing catatonic states through drugs and making slaves of them once buried. His henchmen wear long robes and ghoulish masks. He was stopped by Lightning and Lightning Girl.

Dr. Diabole: 1946, Green Hornet Comics #30 (Harvey). Self-billed as “the world’s greatest scientist”(imagine Dr. Sivana might take exception to that), he contracted a rare tropical disease while searching for radium in the Amazon jungles. It ate at his skin and flesh until half of his face was basically just a skull and he started going mad. He enlisted the aid of lawyer John Doyle to save him from himself. Meanwhile Doyle as the heroic Zebra investigated some strange mass poisonings, the trail lead to Dr. Diabole himself. Turns out he was trying to inoculate the populace out of fear that his disease was contagious. After a close fight where Diabole even loses more flesh, he’s taken to trial where as Defense Attorney Doyle actually argues for the death penalty on his client’s behalf to spare him the years of agony imprisonment in an institution would bring.

Doctor Doom: 1940, Science Comics (Fox). Like his later day predecessor, he was a mad scientist whose plans were bizarre and knew no limitations. He was always up against aviators Jan and Wanda who always seemed to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and found themselves at the mercy of his experiments. Jan and Wanda would take on a more mundane job as reporters for the “Daily Star” with a news editor named “Mr. Lane".

Dr. Dracula: 1941, Silver Streak Comics #17 (Lev Gleason). He has a death ray; foe of Captain Battle. And, if the image here is of him, he and his men also have flying bat-wing suits. Created by Otto Binder & Jack Binder

Dr. Drool: (Fox). Dr. Drool was a madman who had been executed for murder. He was resurrected - twice! - by his hunchback assistant and tried to kill the men who had sentenced him to death. The Flame thwarted his scheme every time, but each time he kept rising from the dead. He used fear to kill the victims by causing them to go into a state of panic with letters warning them of his coming and then "shooting" them with blanks to cause a fatal heart attack.

Dr. Eptil and the Spider: Exciting Comics #20 (Better). Dr. Eptil is a mad scientist in the employ of the Japanese. When he witnesses the plane crash of mobster Joe Mattock and the subsequent battle with the mighty Black Terror, he comes up with fiendish plans for Mattock's broken body. He sets the broken arms and legs in a twisted fashion making Mattock a monster in a dark bodysuit, creeping on his four misbent limbs. Still Eptil, his gang, and his spiderman are easily bested by the Black Terror and Tim.

Dr. Fantom: 1942, Startling #18 (Better). A Nazi agent with a bit of supernatural knowledge, he is coming to America when he encounters Lycans, werewolves who can turn others into beings like them by their howl. They convert the ship's crew, but he manages to gain control over them. He and the Lycans are stopped by the Fighting Yank.

Dr. Ghoul: 1945, Black Terror #12 (Better). Out in Wyoming, Dr. Ghoul has found a way to convert honest men and making them into strong and bulletproof servants, obedient to him. He makes a mistake in the kidnapping of the rancher Richie Benton who happens to be the uncle of a visiting Bob Benton who is secretly the Black Terror. Dr. Ghoul himself is bulletproof and presumably had subjected himself to his own experiments, and might be what drove him insane.

Dr. Hsin: 1940, Weird Comics (Fox). Mad scientist. Taking a drug that saved him from the electric chair, he drains blood from great people and inject their life forces into chosen subjects in order to create a superior race. One such is the strong but mental midget Mako, whom he claims to have rescued from the dead. Thor stops him.

Doctor Igor: 1941, Cat-Man Comics #2 (Holyoke). On an island off of Africa, mad scientist Dr. Igor has made his lab in a castle built by South Sea pirates generations ago. He has mastered speeding up the human pituitary gland and able to make giants about 15 feet tall. He has one and is about to make more, the goal being to make an unstoppable army. He's stopped by Lance Rand and the castle goes up in flames. But, even Rand acknowledges that the good doctor may have escaped.

Dr. Katan: (Lev Gleason). Foe of Silver Streak. Created by Jack Cole

The Doctor Killer: 1940, Amazing Mystery Funnies #18 (Centaur). After his wife and child died under a doctor's care during a flu epidemic, Charles Linton went mad. Blaming all doctors for his family's death he began to seek revenge by kidnapping, torturing, and murdering doctors. Though captured once he managed to escape the asylum in which he was kept. On his second rampage he was tracked down and eventually captured by Detective John Degen. He was psychotically clever and employed a pack of specially trained wolves to help him.

Dr. Krako: 1941, Big-3 Comics #3, (Fox). Dr. Krako discovered a way to energize skeletons as well as making them so they fired bullets from their skulls. He wreaked terror on the city with his skeleton army and tough henchman Monk until they were stopped by the Blue Beetle.

Dr. Ting Loy: 1940, Fantoman #4 (Centaur). Loy was a brilliant inventor making a living selling hi-tech equipment for criminals. In his remote mountain laboratory, he creates artificial men through chemical means. They stand about 8 feet tall and mostly invulnerable and Loy controls them through a radio head-set.. He then uses them to sack neighboring towns until the Fantom of the Fair intervenes and discovers that the monster men dissolve in simple water. Tracking their maker through their chemical components, he quickly captures Loy. NOTE: Original notation for this character listed source as Amazing Mystery Funnies, no # but I read the story in Fantoman #4. Unless I find evidence that it first appeared in Amazing Mystery and was a reprint in Fantoman, I have changed the listing. The same source also called the artificial men Loy Men but they aren't given such a name in the published story.

Dr. Macabre: Catman 28-32 (Holyoke) The last of Catman's recurring foes and possibly the greatest. In his first appearance, he's a criminal mastermind (apparently from Lisbon) respected by the underworld to the point a gang boss willingly gives his own gang instructions to aide Macabre in any scheme he cooks up. Dr. Macabre also has hypnotic powers and holds a girl called Lenore under his sway. He calls her his ward, and she refers to him as "father" but that may be more a result of hypnosis than any real paternal relationship/obligations. He has been thought to have died a few times but foresight brought him back. During one scheme he contracted a "death touch."

Dr. Mesmeric: 1942, Prize Comics 19 (Feature Publications). Mad scientist type with a machine that casts hypnotic rays. Unlike most mad scientists, his appearance is a disguise, he is normal looking guy under the fake whiskers and thick glasses, though unnamed. He was stopped by Power Nelson

Dr. Mortal: Dr. Mortal is an elderly, brilliant scientist who lives "outside the city" with his beautiful young niece, Marlene. Much to everyone's regret Marlene discovers that Dr. Mortal is a classic Mad Scientist who's been breeding Monsters for bad ends. SEE?

Doctor Nodd: 1940, Crackajack Funnies #30 (Dell). Foe of the Owl

Dr. Q: foe of Don Winslow who tried to destroy the Panama Canal.

Dr. Plasma: March 1944, Clue Comics #7 (Hillman). Ronald Byrd provided: A disfigured tattoo artist from the Boy King's homeland of Swisslakia, Doctor Plasma is recruited by the Nazis to tattoo secret messages on the backs of their agents. His activities are discovered, and the Boy King's Giant "hurls him miles out to sea."

Mad Anthony Durrant gives a few more details: Dr. Plasma was a sinister tattoo artist who encrypted financial information for a group of enemy agents and then tattooed it on the backs of a group of human "ledgers" to hide the information completely from sight. The Boy King and his twin brother Muggsy interfered with Dr. Plasma's plans and were taken captive, but escaped. They then stopped him from escaping from a submarine, and during the struggle, Dr. Plasma was killed when the Giant flung him out to sea. Muggsy tattooed a final message onto the doctor's back: "The cost of crime has been paid - my death is the answer."

Dr. Royce: 1946, Clue Comics #11 (Hillman). Looking like a classic silent film villain who'd be at home tying women to train tracks, Royce bets railroad magnate Sidney Mansfield a million dollars he could steal a train. And he does, managing to make a train vanish in mid journey. Nightmare and Sleepy are on the case.

Dr. Scowl: 1941, Amazing Man Comics #25 (Centaur). Dr. Scowl is an old associate of Barmell's and is thus happy when he captures Minimidget and Ritty so he can find out how Barmell shrunk them. When they escape, he calls on his experiment Klang to find them. Klang is a bestial half-man half-beast who is able to track the two just by smelling. However, he is also near bestial in his intellect and the miniscule duo out maneuver him, letting his charge take out the Dr and his assistants. When Minimidget tries to gas him with chloroform, the beast-man falls against other chemicals and starts a blaze. Minimidget and Ritty discover some other human prisoners in the lab and are able to rescue them before the whole thing goes up in smoke, presumably killing Dr. Scowl and his assistants.

Dr. Silvio: Exciting Comics 15 (Better). In a helium balloon he and his crew fly high in the sky and fire small rockets at planes, hoping to terrorize airlines into grounding their planes and pay him money for the privilege to fly. He and his crew are presumably destroyed by the American Eagle who lobs one of their own rockets at them.

Dr. Skull: 1941, Pocket Comics #2 (Harvey). A pointy-eared dimunitive man with a large bulbous head to hold his tremendous brain, he was a leader of a white hooded and robed gang that was a huge counterfeiting organization. They kidnapped around a hundred engravers and pressmen for their purposes and under Dr. Skull's leadership were even prepared with extinguisher guns for the intervention of the Red Blazer. Still he managed to escape and defeat Dr. Skull's forces who was last seen about to jump from his rocketship to avoid capture.

Dr. Thor: foe of Don Winslow.

Doctor Voodoo: (Better). A Simon & Kirbyesqe villain: bald, big pointed elflike ears, a long goat style beard, and two long wisps of hair on his bald head much like horns. He's the chief plotter and scientist seeking to conquer Earth and the cosmos for Lilith. Stopped by Wonderman II.

Dr. Wrath: 1942, Blue Beetle #1 (Fox). No info other than he was the second and final known foe of the Gladiator.

Doktor Von Future: Air Fighters Comics (Hillman). The bald doctor (dressed in druid like robes with a skull and swastika on his chest) invents a large mobile machine that parts waters and puts up plastic walls to keep the water separated. Hitler makes use of the machine to part the English Channel and send an invasion force to England. Only the Black Angel gets wind of the affair and bombs machine and walls, letting the waters crash in on the troops like the Red Sea on Pharoah's army. Herr Doktor is assumed drowned with the rest of the forces.

Doll Store Owner: Anthony Durrant writes: This man was using coded letters to send naval secrets to a foreign angent through the mail. Unfortunately, one of the letters contained the name and address of Roy Lance, aka the crimefighter known as the Sword. Along with his partner, the Lance, the Sword quickly investigated and was able to bring the doll shop owner to justice. It appeared that the man had been sending secrets to foreign agents for some time, but that one of them had left his post, at which point the letters that had been sent to him went back to the apparent senders - including Roy Lance. NOTE: This story was actually based on the saga of the doll house owner named Velvalee Dickinson, who used an identical method to send secrets to enemy agents and was caught the same way by agents of the FBI, then was arrested for treason. For more information regarding the real-life Doll Woman, http://www.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/dickinson/dickinson.htm

The Domino: 1941. Silver Streak Comics #9 (Lev Gleason). Dominic Leonetti, also known as "The Domino," was a gangster who loved to play dominoes. He would play a "game of death" with anyone who informed on his mob, and then kill that person if they lost. His racket was foiled by Presto Martin, the city's new Chief of Detectives, who had disguised himself as an informer. While on the run, the Domino wrote to Martin and asked him to allow him to keep running his mob, but Martin refused. Therefore, the Domino began murdering police officers, leaving a domino in the hand of each of them. Presto Martin put a stop to this crime wave by posing as Patrolman O'Keefe and then capturing the Domino and his men singlehandedly.

The Domino's Ghost: 1941. Silver Streak Comics #11 (Lev Gleason). After the Domino went to the chair, someone began killing off the witnesses at his trial and leaving dominoes in their hands; moreover, the Domino's fingerprints were found on the dominoes. The killer became known as the Domino's Ghost, and in the process of tracking him down, Presto Martin disguised himself first as the Domino himself in order to trap Scarface Klein, and then as Scarface Klein to track down the eventual killer, who turned out to be Peter Poulos, a member of the Domino's gang. Peter had been killing the gang members as well as the other trial witnesses so that he could get his hands on the Domino's loot. No go - he was captured by Presto Martin and imprisoned.

Doxol: 1939, Wonderwold Comics #4 (Fox). In his fortress with hidden traps, Doxol is the head of a hooded gang. He had discovered a "mystic" formula that when injected in his subjects turns them to his hypnotic power. He is defeated by the Flame in an aerial dogfight. Unmaske, he is a malevolent sight: green skinned with pointed ears, bushy eyebrows, and slits where his nose should be and has hands with gaunt fingers and sharp fingernails.

Professor Drade: 1948, Red Dragon Comics #3 (Street & Smith). This "zombie master" went up against the ghost breaker Dr. Neff.

The Dragon: (Fox). Japanese agent who ran afoul Samson several times. He was aided by Orchid, his beautiful sister.

Dragon Lady: Mystery Men Comics 12 (Fox). Actually using the name as a generic term since she is not named in the story. This sexy Asian woman seems to be head of a gang in charge of smuggling Asians into America. To this end, she employs a hypnotist to put the men to sleep while they are hidden inside giant fish. She is captured by Lt. Drake of Naval Intelligence.

Drax: A large brutish looking man, Drax also seems to be bit of a magician, able to hypnotize and escape from locked rooms and rigged his shabby hideout with trapdoors and such. He's also a killer, making Broadway star Patti Drew think she committed murder under the power of hypnosis. She's cleared by her reporter boyfriend Cort Lansing and the boy sidekick Mitch.

Droon: 1941,Target Comics v2 #1 (Novelty). In the kingdom of Noom on the planet Neptune is the evil little scientist known as Droon. In order to gain control of a certain valley, Droon uses Queen Haba's unrequited love for the hero Spacehawk to strike a bargain with her (she thinking he's a kindly scientist type). His plan involves torturing his assistant to the point of a murderous rage and amplifying those thoughts across space to bring Spacehawk to him and then bind the hero to his will via hypnosis. Spacehawk is ultimately spared of dispatching the villain as Droon's hulking assistant does the job quite well. Imagine SIMPSONS' Montgomery Burns as being green with bumps on his bald dome and hunchbacked, and you have a good idea of the appearance of Droon as drawn by Wolverton.

Hugo Drutz: 1944, Terrific Comics #1 (Holyoke). Also called the Butcher of Berlin and Hitler's Headman, Drutz does public executions for the Nazis. He dresses in a tux complete with tophat and a large pointed mustache. Incredibly strong and not above using the promise of freedom to satisfy his lusts for the more beautiful female prisoners. Drutz happened to be the first man that Army Intelligence officer Lloyd Raleigh was sent undercover to rid the Earth of. While captured, he gets a lucky break that they don't search him, for underneath his disguise is another, his outfit and weapons as the hero Boomerang (the US military completely unaware of his dual role). Even though this is Raleigh's first mission for the Army Intelligence, the story indicates he has already made a name as Boomerang

Duchess: foe of Don Winslow.

Duke of Terror Castle: 1944, Terrific Comics #5 (Continental Magazines).When the Colonel seems reticent about ordering an attack at the front lines in Burma and more interested in having dinner with his staff with the "Duke" at a strange castle in the frontier. And Raleigh realizes that the Colonel hadn't been the same since his last visit with the Duke, so he and Diana investigate as the costumed duo Boomerang and well, Diana. Turns out that the Duke is actually in league with the Japanese, and has a surgeon by the name of Saito who operates on the brains of the army leaders making them subjective to hypnotism. Diana takes out Saito with a well-placed arrow while the Duke himself is knocked off the castle wall by a boomerang. The Duke seems to be Burmese, wearing far-Eastern garb, complete with a turban.

Dundril: (Street & Smith) A criminal dwarf who bedeviled the Hooded Wasp. Teamed up with a villain called the Mask at one point.

Dwarf: A criminal mastermind with an organization of agents and assassins opposed by Don Winslow.

The Eel: Lightning Comics (Ace). aka Professor Aqua, a foe of both Lash Lightning and the Raven.

Eelo: 1940, Fantastic Comics #5 (Fox). On Zanbar Island in the Indian Ocean lives Eelo, the fishman. He has his amphibian men kidnap various beautiful women to be his brides and through his machines, he erects a dome over the island and it sinks beneath the waves. However, he made a mistake in kidnapping the daughter of the President of Malajaca who sends his own submarines against Eelo and with the aid of Samson, Eelo's forces are destroyed. Eelo himself is killed by a blow from Samson.

El-Buff-Ali-Rugg: 1944, Four Favorites #15 (Ace). Half Japanese-Half Moslem, El Buff creates unrest between India's fighting race - the Moslems and the rest of India, to the point of taking over leadership by killing the natural ruler and stealing the Symbol of the Eternal Kingdom which should make him invincible and the recognized ruler of the Moslems. The legitimate ruler's son and Captain Courageous defeat him.

El Terror: 1951, Tim Holt #20 (Magazine Enterprises). El Terror is a bandit leader in the American Southwest in the late 19th Century. His reign of terror is seen by the visiting Easterner Tim Holt. Holt hears about the legends of the Red Mask from a century before and adopts the identity to put a stop to El Terror.

Electru: 1940, Thrilling Comics #4 (Better). A giant of around 7 feet tall, bald with a mustache, he had the ability to throw electrifying bolts. Not only that, but with his scientific knowhow, he had outfitted his gang with electric guns and airplanes that did the same. With these powers he attacked the Panama Canal, a Treasury building, law enforcement buildings and banks, killing all that stood in his way. Only Doc Strange (back when he was Dr. Strange) was strong enough to stand up against him. Strange didn't pull any punches either. He threw a car of the villain's henchmen into the path of a locomotive, destroyed the dynamos that powered his men's equipment, bombed the ship that served as headquarters (killing everyone on board) and punched Electru powerfully enough that he crashed into his own lab equipment and apparently killing him.

Emerald Men of Asperus: Fantastic Comics #8 (Fox). "On a certain asteroid between Mars and Jupiter dwells a manlike race of super intelligence. They are known as the "the Emerald Men of Asperus." Their leader, the High Mogul comes up with an idea to destroy the sun and then bring the Earth to their control and make mankind their slaves. However, their plans are observed by the science-wizard Stardust who uses his vast abilities to destroy their bombs and send their planetoid to some distant uninhabited system so they cannot threaten the Earth again.

Emperor: 1942, Thrilling Comics #24/25 (Better). The Emperor is a way above average Yellow Peril menace. One, he wears a type of costume. Two, in just one story he has a burrowing craft called the "Glowworm", a super gas pellet gun, a projection ray machine (that allows him to project his image and voice to deliver threats and such) AND flaming gorillas which allows him to bedevil the hero Doc Strange and attempt to take over the world. Three, he actually manages to escape capture by the hero at the end of the story. One wonders why he felt the need to team up with the rather forward thinking ace Nazi spy Kamholz (he wore a bulletproof vest which saved his life when the Emperor betrays him). NOTE: The story in issue #25 is titled "The Return of the Emperor" and is definitely written as if it's not his first adventure. However, the GCD lists that as his first appearance and doesn't list an issue #24 at all. The GCD isn't always correct though.

The Evil Eye: 1944, Dynamic Comics #12 (Dynamic Publications/Chesler). Helen Jordan has inherited a mansion haunted by a ghost called the Evil Eye. No sooner does she avail herself of the services of the detective Lucky Coyne and partner Terry, than Evil Eye makes his presence known, a shadowy figure with a frightful face. Every encounter with the Evil Eye, he manages to stay disappear and stay almost a step ahead of the detectives. However, they ultimately unmask him as Harms, the old caretaker who was after jewels that were secreted in the mansion, though the mansion itself goes up in flames (sensing a theme in the villains this go around)

The Eye: (Oct. 1947, Thrilling Comics 62 (Better). Called a killer and the craftiest plotter of the underworld. When Doc Strange waged a one man war on crime and gangs, this tough man with a patch over his left eye freed the caught gangsters and set out to organize a great syndicate as well as capture and kill Doc Strange. All he managed to do was ultimately join the others in jail.

The Faceless Phantom: Thrilling Comics #1 (Standard). Doesn't that just sound like a natural bad guy for Scooby Doo and gang? Anywho, Bob Jase writes me: The first opponent of Dr. Strange, he wore a skull mask & had synthesized a formula that gave him just slightly less strength & durability than Dr. Strange. Apparently killed at the end of his 1st appearence, he returned in Thrilling Comics #7 with a new formula to equal Doc's (who got less formal in that issue). Unfortunately for the Faceless Phantom, Doc had just redesigned his own formula so that he could fly. The Phantom couldn't & apparently died in a fall from an airplane while fighting Doc. He even made the covers a few times: Thrilling Comics (1,7 and 36)

Faken, J.J.: 1939, Mystery Men Comics (Fox). Faken gets boys out of reform school and then trains them to be real crooks: pickpockets, second-story men, etc. The tables are turned when the Green Mask investigates the recent crime wave.

Faux Heroes: It is a long practice of the enemy, whether enemy soldiers or that undesirable criminal element, strive to replace the hero with one of their own. Some have the abilities to mimic their foes, others just get by on audacity and their acting. Regardless, they are all bad actors...

Fay Morgana: Super-Mystery Comics (Ace). The sexy spy Fay Morganna worked with the Hun ( a long-haired brute of a man), and the Goth (a bearded older gent) on behalf of Hitler as saboteurs and spies. However, they are stopped by the Sword, Lancer, and Merlin and dishearted enough to accept the aid of a dimunitive man calling himself the Genius. As the Sword and company make use of Arthurian myth and themes, a villainess with a name based on Morgan Le Fey is a natural.

The Fear: Yankee Comics #1 (Harry A Chessler). A masked and costumed axis (presumed German) agent. He had control of a witch who could use the hair of an individual to kill them by magic. They were killing key American military leaders when stopped by the fledgeling hero duo Yankee Doodle Jones and Dandy.

Professor Fenton: (Better). Inventor of a time machine, but uses his intelligence to head a gang and concoct schemes to steal money. Opposed by the mystical (Green) Ghost.

FFF: 1941, Captain Battle Comics #1 (Lev Gleason). Standing for Fire, Force and Fear, this is a vast league of green robed men seeking to subjugate America. They set their headquarters in Chicago and set about to bring the city to it's knees through murder and destruction. Their leader is Thompson, editor of The Midwest Nationalist and is stopped by Captain Battle.

The Fiend: 1939, Keen Detective Funnies v2 (Centaur). Criminal mastermind and foe of FBI man Dan Dennis. He has a satanic looking face and has created an "organ of destruction" that when he plays it, it can destroy objects or paralyze those that hear it.

Mr. Filch: Mr. Durrant provides: Mr. Filch was the man in charge of the reservation where the Princeton Lacrosse team's coach Eaglewing was living. Eaglewing was building an Indian village to honour his family, as he was the last of the elder Native Americans to be living on the reservation, the younger ones having gone away to fight in the war, but Mr. Filch refused to admit the public to see the village. Dick Cole's superior officer was a childhood friend of Mr. Filch's superior officer, and the man gave permission for the village to be opened to the public. However, Mr. Filch hired several hoodlums to pose as angry Native Americans and scare away the tourists. Dick Cole and the other members of his lacrosse team apprehended the hoodlums, and Mr. Filch was arrested by his superior officer, Mr. Dickon, for defrauding the government: all of the Native Americans he had been collecting funds and pension money had passed away years earlier. Mr. Filch was sent to a federal prison and Eaglewing was allowed to run his reservation as he saw fit. This was one of the few stories of its kind in the Golden Age in which Native Americans appeared.

Fire of Kenya: 1943, Clue Comics #4 (Hillman) Anthony Durrant writes: Not a villain, but a stone ripped from the head of a sacred idol in Kenya. It has a curse on it by which everybody who comes across it is brutally murdered; a whole series of crooks try to claim the Fire of Kenya but are killed in the process. Finally, it comes into the possession of a man called Mike Jaram, who himself is murdered for the stone by Benny the Fence, a gangster who sells stolen goods. Benny is then brought to justice by the crime-fighter Micro-Face, who recovers a stone from Jaram's flat that turns out to be a copy: the real Fire of Kenya had been cut up into smaller stones five years earlier.

The Fly: December 1943, Clue Comics #6 (Hillman). Again from Ronald Byrd: A small yet apish genius, the Fly has trained himself to be strong and agile; he uses a rope fitted with suction cups to climb and sports a "poison tooth" to disable his opponents. Zippo catches him in the midst of sabotage, and he is jailed and seemingly slated for the electric chair.

The Flying Dragon: 1940? Silver Streak Comics (Lev Gleason). Foe of Sky Wolf (I).

The Four: 1945, America's Best Comics 116 (Standard). Headed by Dagger Brent, a murderer six times over, the like-minded skillful group tries to seize control of a previously unknown Alaskan island to sell its location to hostile governments. They are stopped by the Fighting Yank. They dress in matching gray outfits with hoods and goggles ala the "Powermen of Mongo" and the only other member named is Gort Dagler, an international spy.

Frankenstein Monster: Prize Comics (Feature Publications). The Frankenstein strip by Dick Briefer had a very schizophrenic run...sometimes horror, sometimes super-hero, and sometimes humor. The Monster had a healthy career opposed by his creator, by Bulldog Denny, and once by all of the denizens of Prize Comics (Black Owl, Yank & Doodle, Green Lama, Doctor Frost and a comical police duo).

Fraulein X: Bomber Comics. Beautiful but deadly Nazi spy. She sets out to ruin the tests of a new aviation fuel developed by Dr. Benson. Unfortunately for her, Dr. Benson is good friends with Wonder Boy who uncovers and stops her plot as well as capturing her.

Friar Diablo: Captain Battle Comics (Lev Gleason). This portly hunchbacked monk lived in a castle on a south seas island guarding an engraved sword that contained a clue to Captain Kydd's treasure. He promised Baron Doom to use his black magic to defeat Captain Battle and Hale in exchange for a share of the treasure. In the end, he is defeated when his magic wand shatters and brings the castle to ruins.

Frost/Human Frost: Wham Comics 2. (Centaur). This ice encased person fought the hero Blue Fire. However, whether he was a gangster as I originally supposed or is a hero as hinted by Roy Thomas in Alter Ego I'm not sure.

Fu Tong/Fong: 1941, Daredevil Comics #4 (Lev Gleason). Fu Tong had devised a plan of kidnapping Navy fliers and doping them in order to brainwash them to fly and bomb their own bases. The hero Nightro managed to put a stop to him before his plans reached fruition. On the splash page blurb the villain is referred to as Fu Tong. In the story itself he is called Fong.

Funnibone: 1942, Prize Comics, No 24 (Feature Publications) A fancy crook with a perpetual grin and twisted logic sets out to ruin America's steel production by targeting coal mines in a small Ohio town. The reason behind his actions is unknown; however, his plans are thwarted by the Black Owl (I) and his girlfriend Terry Dane. NOTE: I originally proposed that this character was a re-working of the Black Owl villain the Laughing Head. While one may indeed be based on the other (and both as dull versions of the Joker), they are separate villains as proven in a later issue when Funnibone is going up against the boy heroes Yank and Doodle, while in the same issue, The Black Owl takes on the Laughing Head. Both end up back behind bars where they belong.

Ganga Lin: (Eisner) Eight foot tall Asian cult leader whose magic rivals that of his foe, Mr. Mystic. He engages Mr. Mystic in a mighty battle on an astral plane where he is ultimately slain.

Garboil: 1941, Pocket Comics #1 (Harvey). Garboil is a Hollywood movie director, one of many that came from Germany. Only Garboil is working for the Nazis. In his first venture, he plots to insert scenes that will give instructions to a spy ring. However, he's suspected by his leading lady, Linda Turner who adopts the identity of the Black Cat to stop him. He's not captured though, she and reporter Rick Horne opt to leave him free in order to catch other spies as they thwart plan after plan of Garboil's.

Garlock: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #11 (Centaur). A large bearded man, he led a crew of pirates in the lost bayous of Louisiana. He ruled with an iron fist and kept panthers to guard his treasures which he kept under control with a cat-o-nine-tails. He and his band hid out in a "Lost Castle" built by pirates 150 years earlier hidden in the swamps near New Orleans. His chief henchman seems to be Slick and he has the large and powerful bald brute Harper as an enforcer and torturer. Amazing Man easily out-fought them, rescued the reporter Zona Henderson the pirates had captured earlier, and sent the authorities back to retrieve the defeated pirates.

The Genius: 1940, Science Comics #3 (Fox). Foe of Dynamo. Actually this entry is here mainly because I loved the look of the creatures he fought on the cover.

The Genius (II): 1944, Super-Mystery Comics v4n4 (Ace). After failure to successfully complete their missions, sexy spy Fay Morganna, the Hun ( a long-haired brute of a man), and the Goth (a bearded older gent) are fearing punishment by Hitler and the Gestapo when they are approached by a dimunitive mastermind calling himself the Genius to lead the group. He quickly proves his worth as being able to think cleverly on his feet and not bad in a fight thanks to his quick wit and various little gadgets and tricks. However, like them, his plans are foiled by the Sword, Lancer, and Merlin who manages to quickly catch the rest of the gang though he escapes to fight another day..

The Gentleman: Exciting Comics 15 (Better). Notorious jewel thief, confident enough to warn victims of his crime ahead of time. However, when he threatens to rob the Bennet Galleries, they contact Tony Colby who's secretly the Mask. The Gentleman actually robs the gallery in disguise as an old woman and hides the necklace in hollow dog collar.

Ghenghis Khan: Champ Comics, (Harvey) Giant would be conqueror, armed with an electrical sword and head of his own army leads his forces against the Tibetan retreat where the Human Meteor gained his power belt from the monk Wah Le. The Human Meteor arrives and defeats the giant Khan and his forces.

Ghost: Champ Comics 22 (Harvey): In this goodie, a jewel thief, pretending to be a ghost by decking out in a long flowing hooded white robe, steals jewels from an art show at an imported castle and isn¹t above torture to get what he wants, relegating a poor soul to the rack. Foe of the White Mask.

The Ghost of Blasco: 1947, Black Cat Comics #4 (Harvey). Actress Linda Turner's father Tim Turner buys an old theatre which he plans to revive with new shows. When he refuses to sell to some ruffians, a ghost soon appears hanging from the rafters and intoning "I am the Great Blasco! I hanged myself here years ago when my last play failed! No one else shall enjoy success where I tasted failure!" Luckily, for old Turner, his daughter is the Black Cat. When one ghost doesn't work, she has to repel a group consisting of a devil, a witch doctor, a viking, and a skeleton. She tracks them back to a group of all too human gang under the theatre and it's her, boyfriend Rick Horne and her father (a one time silent movie western star) against the gang. Turns out the gang had been using it as a secret base for their counterfeiting setup

Ghost Crook: 1941, Blue Bolt v2 #3 (Novelty). America Suez is a hypnotist and stage magician who uses his abilities to become invisible and loot unsuspecting masses. However, the crimes of a "ghost crook" prompts the investigation by a ghost cop, Sergeant Spook.

The Ghost Gang: America's Best Comics 20 (Better). Reclusive Professor Onslow Bradley had invented something he called the spectro-disperser, a device that would rob something of all color, bathing it in white and making it almost invisible. Unfortunately for him a gang looking for a place to hide out happen to come to his secluded home. He hopes to scare them off by using his device which makes him look like a white robed ghostly figure. Instead they overpower him and taking his ghastly cue, the gang makes use of his findings to rob banks as the ghost gang using his home as hideout. Ultimately, they were stopped by the efforts of Doc Strange.

Ghost Knights: 1946, Four Favorites #23 (Ace). After Magno and Davey give documents to Dr. Meade, curator of a local museum, he reads an incantation that raises ghosts of marauding knights. They take medieval weapons, kille Meade and start wreaking mayhem on the local populace who can only see the weapons. Magno correctly deduces that they may have something to do with the museum. He returns there and finds the incantation and returns them to the afterlife.

Ghoul: 1941, Silver Streak Comics #17 (Lev Gleason). Foe of Daredevil. Created by Don Rico.

Gila: 1941, Stars and Stripes #5 (Centaur). An American who while working for the government suffered a terrible accident that disfigured his face. While not a Nazi (and he's quick to point that out) he still allies himself with Nazi agents to get revenge against the government through acts of sabotage. He even challenges Amazing Man over television.

Glunken: Fighting Yank #5 (Better). Herr Glunken was among a group of German saboteurs practicing their craft in the Alps. They uncovered a cave with a blonde giant, a prehistoric man trapped in there for centuries. The long time in sub-zero temperatures made him bigger, stronger and made his body radiate intense cold. After slaying several of the Nazis, he falls under the sway of Glunken who recognizes him as a German even if a prehistoric one. It is Glunken who gives the giant the name of Blitz. Glunken takes him to America to perpetuate several acts of sabotage but they were ultimately stopped by the Fighting Yank.

Glock and Saturnia: Blue Beetle #39 (Fox). In "The Threat From Saturn" Blue Beetle teams up with an Italian peanut vendor to fight the criminal duo of Glock and Saturnia (a bald ogre and an evil glamour gal) as they manipulate a cult of elephant-worshippers into rioting throughout the city.

The Goblin: March 1944, Clue Comics #7 (Hillman). Ronald Byrd, yet again: Taunted since 1923 for his goblin-like appearance, Eric Hessler constructs a death-trap amusement park and sends his employees into it to die. During a battle with Zippo, the Goblin is seemingly killed in a roller coaster accident.

Golden Monkey Society:1955, Phantom Lady 3 (Ajax-Farrell). In the country of Formosa this secret Asian society plots to overtake the country under the leadership of Lee Kim and want Senator Knight to take word back to America that it¹s for the good of the country that he do so. However, his plans of conquest are undone by Phantom Lady.

The Golden Skull: 1941, Jungle Comics #23 (Fiction). Anthony Durrant writes: The Golden Skull is the statue of a red devil that is worshipped by the Mobalo tribe.  After two brothers go into the jungle looking for the Skull, one of them returns injured and is killed by one of the Mobalos using a poison dart.  Roy Lance, the jungle ranger, then heads down into the tribe's territory, where he discovers the Golden Skull in a cave at the foot of a volcano, in the process saving the life of a Mobalo named Bomba.  Bomba then returns the favour by hiding behind the Golden Skull and ordering his people to release Roy.  Roy and Bomba then topple the statue, save the life of the dead man's brother, and escape from the cave through the secret passage that had been behind the idol.  The Mobalos are killed when the volcano erupts; Bomba is the sole survivor of his entire people.  (As can be seen from the description above, the name "Golden Skull" is a misnomer, and the statue was probably supposed to be called "the Red Devil," but the name was changed.)

Gorgon's Head: Yankee Comics: 3 or 4 (Chesler) A masked and cloaked figure, ala the Shadow, carrying a Medusa head attacked various patriots that worked for the war effort, turning them to stone. Yankee Doodle Jones and Dandy investigated with Dandy almost falling prey to the hideous head himself. They revealed that the masked figure was Bogardus, the federal representative. He had developed a fluid that turned the victims to stone and made a plaster Medusa head to spray his victims. He drank the formula himself rather than being captured.

The Gorilla: 1941, Blue Beetle Comics #9 (Fox). Jack Castle is the assistant to scientist Dr. Brock. Brock has been experimenting with transplanting brains of humans and apes. When Castle shows up once again drunk and apparently having tried again to make time with Brock's niece Elsa, Brock knocks Castle out and transplants his brain into the ape instead of some poor bum's. When Castle comes to, he's enraged and kills Dr. Brock. He flees to his oldest friend a world-renowned scientist by the name of Mishkin. Mishkin panics seeing a talking gorilla and contacts the police and Castle must kill him as well. He then tries confronting Els who shoots and wounds him. Maddened, he vows a war on mankind. Meanwhile, Elsa and new boyfriend Ken Connors team up to stop him. An interesting strip built around the villain.

Gorilla II: (Fiction). Anthony Durrant writes: Gorilla was a bearded sea captain with one eye and a hook for a hand, who captured apes for a doctor and his assistant (who were trying to cure the black fever through an electrical treatment). Gorilla tried to discredit both the doctor and Sheena by turning the natives against the doctor, which caused them to go to war against all whites, but he was stopped by Sheena and taken to the Commissioner.

The Gorillas: Anthony Durrant writes: A band of gorillas is wreaking havoc in Kenya, and Keith Richards, the adventurer, is sent in to investigate. He and his assistant Betty discover that the gorillas are actually German saboteurs in gorilla skins, and in the process she shoots one of them who has come to kill Dan himself. In the end, the "gorillas" are captured, and their ringleader is revealed to be Keith Vincent, the hunt licenser, who had tipped the saboteurs off when someone applied for a hunting license at his station, after which they would strike.

The Grand Zombie: 1940, Weird Comics #4 (Fox). A master Zombie maker living in a palace of his own in the jungles. He and his wife (?) are poisioning some native villagers and turning them into their zombie slaves after they fall into a death-like state. He's killed by Bob Warren, returning the will back to the zombie victims.

Gray Destroyers: Startling Comics #39 (Better). Fought Pyroman.

Great One: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #13 (Centaur). The Great One is a mysterious mastermind, commanding the Eurania, a huge mobile and submersible ship that he calls his floating continent. He uses a magnetic-ray to capture aircraft that he keeps in hangars below deck. His own powers of hypnosis enslave the pilots to his will. He wears a black hood and robe that covers most of his face. His loyal soldiers wear similar outfits though their faces are visible. His plans of conquest are stopped by the Scarlet Ace. He apparently falls to his doom from an airplane while dueling with the Ace in the skies.

Great Question: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #5 (Centaur). This mystery villain was one of the head lamas at the lamasery where Amazing Man was raised and trained. With his incredible telepathic powers (he could project his thoughts across the world and could hypnotize all but the strongest mind) he was the lama in charge of interrogations. All under the observation of the other lamas the Great Question was able to create a world-spanning criminal organization. Throughout Amazing Man's life, the Great Question attempted to take control of his mind; in the end, Amazing Man's mind proved too strong for him. Amazing Man revealed his criminal plans to the other lamas and the Great Question found himself banished from the lamasery. He continued to hound Amazing Man in the outside world. In one issue, he 'piloted' a giant metal robot referred to in one panel as the "Iron Man." The Great Question is able to mystically turn himself invisible and/or teleport over great distances. By issue 22, he teams up with Hitler and the Nazis and aids them through his science and mysticism now called "black magic". At this time he starts using different names: Mr. Que, the Great Que, and just plain Que. He trades in his hood and robes for more military garb and a white eye mask. As the Great Que, he has a secret base in the Pacific, his own army and air forces and super science weapons. His base is high in the stratosphere, so he and his men have to wear oxygen helmets. In the summer of 1941, he launches new attacks against America, starting with his air squadron bombing the bases at Hawaii and laying waste to the island, more complete than what the Japanese would do in several months. Amazing Man is able to destroy the base and help American pilots handle Que's air squadron. Que himself teleports away.

The Great Question is possibly comics' first really great super-villain. He not only predates most others when the the heroes fought mainly spies and crooks, but he was in almost every Amazing Man story, directing the scenes through henchmen and different parts of his criminal organization and sometimes taking direct hand in affairs himself and almost always managing to elude capture.

Green Claw (alias for the Claw): Silver Streak Comics #6 (Lev Gleason). Created by Newton Alfred.

The Green Mask: 1940, Sure Fire Comics #1 (Ace). A green hooded man and his gang steel government secrets, torture agents to death all in plots to bring governments to answer to them. Turns out he's the famous sportsman Sam Barkley, his hatred of American stemming from his American father abandoning his foreign and presumably ethnic mother. He takes poison to avoid capture by X, the phantom fed. This story is a re-telling of the story "Ambassador of Doom" in the Secret Agent "X" pulp.

The Green Skull: Jan. 1943, All-New Comics #1, (Harvey). Green-death's head villain that fought the Nighthawk. When captured, he stands revealed as Norris, the partner of a tank manufacturer.

Green Sorceress: 1940, Blue Bolt Comics #2. Villainess that opposed the underground kingdom that Fred Parrish, aka the Blue Bolt allied himself with. She later went to the surface and aided Hitler? Later reformed.

Gremlin: Fighting Yank (Better). Looking like a man-sized cobbler's elf, the Gremlin is billed as a denizon from "the realm of death." However, he works for the Nazi cause. Lighter than air, the Gremlin maneuvers through the sky by being suspended by a large motorized propellor. He fought the Fighting Yank.

The Grey Hood: ?1942, Doc Savage #8 (Street & Smith): In formal attire with tails and a cadaverous face in a gray hood, this villain and his gang attempted a scheme to kidnap the rich boy Sylvester Ritzbilt. However, he ran into a couple of obstacles. One being, on a lark the boy exchanged identities with a poor boy, Tommy Dunn ala “The Prince and the Pauper”. The other being the involvement of the hero Ajax, the Sun Man. He gave it a good shot, converting an old residence on the Seaside Cliffs into a “Murder Manor” with death traps galore and even a moat to deal with unwanted guests. However, in the end, Ajax triumphs, restoring both boys to their respective parents and the Grey Hood was revealed as Jordan the butler.

The Hag: Yankee Doodle Comics #1 (Harry Chessler). An ugly witch said to be the last witch of the Dark Ages by her partner/master the Fear. She could kill others at a great distance by use of a strand of her victim's hair. She and the Fear were stopped by Yankee Doodle Jones and Dandy on their first assignment.

Hag From Hades: Air Fighters Comics (Hillman). A witch crone in service of the Nazis, she flew on a mass of flames, threw flameballs, created werewolves and fought the Black Angel. It was revealed that the flaming mass actually hid a small airplane she stood upon and it was drugs that turned men into werewolves.

Hammerfist: 1940, Target Comics 11 (Funnies Incorporated). Bald gangster with a metal ball for a right hand. He and his men in trying to gain control of the area night clubs, frame the D.A. Bill Reed for murder and he's sentenced to death. When his brother Niles tries to free him, Bill is shot and killed. Niles with two other young men become the Target and Targeteers in order to fight crime and oppression and track down the men responsible for framing Bill Reed. It is later revealed that Hammerfist works for another gangster "Mighty Mite" who in turn works for another.

Lydia Hampton: 1953, Adventures into Darkness #12 (Better). When her husband is fired, he is afraid to tell her he lost his job and buys a strange necklace shaped like two snakes holding a gem between them in their mouths from a strange old man with scaley skin as a gift to appease her. After Lydia puts on the necklace and wishes she was someone important, the necklace bites her. The old man then visits her and tells her she's now a priestess of Seth and the necklace will grant her wishes. Sure enough, she's visited by an serpent man who directs her to kill her husband, that she'll be protected. She does so and marries her defense attorney, who later dies in an accident. She then marries his business partner. However, she too late discovers the price of these wishes that come true, she likes cool dark places and her skin slowly becomes scaley, she's becoming a snake person like all those before her. The only way to rid herself of the curse is to find someone just as greedy to buy the necklace. Do you crave power and wealth? Someone has a good deal for you!

The Hand: (Fox). A robed foe of the Eagle and Buddy.

Hans: 1944, America's Best Comics #12 (Better). Called the strongest man in Europe, Hans' brain cells were grafted into the dimunitive genius Little Fuehrer and is ostensibly a slave to him. Hans is a big man with oversized hands able to trade blow for blow with the American Eagle who eventually defeated him and the Little Fuehrer.

The Hare: Red Dragon Comics (Street & Smith). Cunning thief that opposed the Red Knight. Not much else to recommend about him other than that the Red Knight for a chess genius and gifted with some rare instances of incredible foresight is also rather dense at times (although I don't think this is the impression the writer intended to give, just he's not that good of a writer). Thus to be charitable to the Knight and forgive him the lack of a decent writer, let's just assume the Hare really is a Napolean of crime the writer wants him to be.

The Harrow Brothers: March 1943, Clue Comics #3 (Hillman). Ronald Byrd tells us: James and Billy Harrow are identical twins with a psychic link that enables them to sense each other's emotions. The stronger-willed James mentally forces his insane brother to aid him in blackmail and murder. Micro-Face brings them both to justice.

Hawk: a magician and warlord who fought Don Winslow.

Hawkina: (Fiction). Anthony Durrant writes: Hawkina was the queen of a tribe of slavers who beheaded Blackbeard, another slaver. She raided a village where Sheena's people lived, and took away the women to be sold as slaves. However, she was stopped by Sheena and her mate, Bob. Sheena freed the slaves from captivity and was able to destroy Hawkina and her henchmen. Hawkina was also distinctive-looking, as she wore a hawk's head on her head and her bra was actually two tresses of her own hair.

Hawkmen: 1944, Tops Comics (Lev Gleason). In the Pacific a ship bearing army nurses is caught in a mysterious fog and when it clears, the ship is near an uncharted island. Suddenly, the ship is attacked by hawkmen who kill the sailors, set fire to the ship and kidnap the nurses. Nurse Doris Kane is trapped below decks, but the hero Jack of Spades bursts from a deck of cards and saves the nurse taking her to the island where the hawkmen live. From there, the strange plot unfolds. Mercuro the leader of the hawkmen has kidnapped the women in hopes to create hawkwomen. He is successful with one but then the Jack of Spades bursts in, who seems to recognize him. Mercuro is accidentally speared by his own men and other monsters of his creation begin to run amok, free of Mercuro's will. As Jack of Spades and various winged hawkmen fight a huge dragon, Lotho and Bosco decide to submerge the island, saying only they can survive under water, leading to an open revolt between them and the winged hawkmen. The hawkmen scoop up the nurses, taking them to nearby ships while one skewers the traitors Lotho and Bosco. NOTES: This is the second story in the two of the one issue of "The Jack of Spades." Both stories are breezy and fun despite the smaller size of the comic and the haphazard coloring (some pages full color others black & white & red ). There's quite a bit to be inferred from the story. One, there are two types of hawkmen. The guards and soldiers who had clawed feet and hands with massive wings out of their backs. Then the leaders Mercuro, Lotho, and Bosco who have wings from the sides of their heads but not backs and who possibly cannot fly. Then there are the references to the leaders being able to breathe underwater, from being below ground, and the fact that Mercuro is seeking to make hawkwomen suggesting that possibly all the soldiers and guards are also creations of Mercuro especially since the one hawkwoman made is similar to them.

Head: 1941, Amazing Man Comics #19 (Centaur). American Senator Manski was the leader of a successful and clever spy ring. He and his servant Toka were exposed by Minimidget and Ritty. Rather than face his crimes, he jumped from his penthouse to his death.

The Head II: Shadow Comics (Street & Smith). Criminal mastermind and master of Dundril the dwarf. When he¹s killed while opposing the Hooded Wasp, Dundril finds a new master in the Mask and sets out to even the score.

The Headless Horseman: (Standard) Mr. Anthony Durrant recounts: The Headless Horseman was a criminal who operated a protection racket; he carried a bald head under his arm and wore a black robe that covered his real head. He and his hooded henchmen - similarly attired in black robes - would raid the stores of all people who were not American-born, and it was these people who were the victims of his protection racket. He was apprehended by the Fighting Yank, and unmasked as a criminal who was wanted in ten states (whose name was never given in the story).

Herr Death: 1941, Silver Streak Comics #16 (Lev Gleason). Animates corpses; foe of Captain Battle. Created by Otto Binder & Jack Binder

Herr Phew: June 1943, Clue Comics #4 (Hillman). Ronald Byrd odiously gives us: The unhygenic Nazi Herr Phew emits an overwhelmingly foul odor, which he uses to destroy the livestock and crops of Stupid Manny's home town. Manny rises to the challenge by eating "onions, garlic, scallions, limburger cheese, an' any other smelly food," defeating Phew with a horrendous blast of super bad breath. On an ominous note, Phew is jailed until "U.S. gas experts take [him] apart to see what gives [him] such an awful smell."

Herr Von Krane: 1941, Yankee Comics #1 (Chesler). "Ruthless agent of a European Dictator" ie Hitler. Leads a gang of 5th Columnists but is stopped by the actions of the Scarlet Sentry.

He-She: Boy Comics #9 (Lev Gleason). "The deadliest is the female...the strongest is the male...combine the two with the killer instinct and you have He-She"; foe of Crimebuster. Created by Charles Biro.

Hillcrest Phantom: 1939, Amazing Mystery Funnies v2 #3 (Centaur). At the Hillcrest Sanitarium, there are mysterious suicides as well as a hooded cloaked figure that is sometimes seen. When the actor Bruce Baron commits suicide, ace investigator Chic Farrel is sent to investigate. The mystery figure kidnaps nurse Mary Black, claiming that she had spurned his affections and now he was going to prove his theory that brain transplants are possible by swapping hers out with his hulking idiot assistant Quando. When interrupted by Farrel, he chains him up and decides to bury the nurse alive. Chic gets free and outfights Quando, while a Dr. Reynard saves the nurse. The mystery man stands revealed as the head of the sanitarium, brain specialist Dr. Delamorte who had been blackmailing his patients, destroying their minds with drugs and killing them when done. NOTE: The masked figure had no name perse, so I made one up. Also, there's a flaw in the story as while the figure was supposed to be about to operate on the nurse in his secret lab, Dr. Delamorte was in aother operating room and Farrel sees him there. So, there might be a little more to this mystery than published.

Him: September 1944, Speed Comics #34, 35, 36 (Harvey). While on location in an American desert, black hooded villain named Him antagonizes a film company, first by kidnapping a group of actors, later leading renegade indians against a western movie and then bringing in Japanese soldiers to disrupt a war picture. The Black Cat, who is actress Linda Turner, manages to stop Him each time but not unmasking the villain until the third story. SPOILER: Him is revealed to be none other than petulent actress Hedy (Delores in #35) LaRue.

Hogin: March 1943, Clue Comics #3 (Hillman). Ronald Byrd speaketh: Recognized as an "ace scrap collector," Hogin increases his output by using a powerful magnet to pull cars into the air and his "flying junkyard" to be turned to scrap metal. Twilight scraps Hogin and his underlings.

The Hood: 1940, Amazing Man #10 (Centaur). This evil genius operated at some time in the future, amassing weapons and an army for universal conquest. First, he had to try to get rid of Jane QX3,the beautiful Magician from Mars. Instead she destroyed his secret plant and headquarters, forcing him to flee to escape destruction. In addition to devilish devices, the Hood can make himself intangible. The following issue find the Hood sowing war on Mars, and the Magician must return to put a stop to his plans. Along the way she falls in love with Prince Taal who gives his life, taking a bullet for Jane. Jane manages to unmask the Hood as her Aunt Vanza and as her aunt, somehow has the same powers as the Magician and escapes by dematerializing. Her having the same powers doesn't track as Jane gets her powers by being 1) a hybrid between an Earthling and Martian couple and 2) being exposed to cathode rays as a child.

Hooded Spectre: 1942, Blue Beetle #13 (Holyoke). A boy discovers the secret of the bank robber, the Hooded Spectre and is targeted for death. He's saved by the intervention of the Blue Beetle and the Hooded Spectre is revealed as Silas Spencer. While the text says his hood is black, it's colored light blue throughout. The publishing info correct as Holyoke did publish the Blue Beetle for a little while.

The Hotel Rackateers: Yankee Comics: 3 or 4 (Chesler) This group extorted money from hotels by planting bodies of the recently deceased where patrons would come across them. While working their game on the Hotel Magnus, they ran afoul of the Enchanted Dagger.

Tuffy Hulks: 1941 Crackajack Funnies 42, (K.K. Publications) They don't come much lower, meaner or tougher. A counterfeiter put away by the Chief, Tuffy jumps the prison wall to escape, beats the Chief up within an inch of his life, gives his own girlfriend a black eye, beats up one of his men for lying, and even chains his dad in a cave and cons him into making funny money for him. But, the Owl proved to be tougher.

Humpy: A hunchbacked malevolent genius. He had built a small idol-like statue that could cause explosions. He was captured by the Skyman.

Hyena: 1941, Silver Streak Comics #13 (Lev Gleason). Foe of Silver Streak. Created by Don Rico.

Hypnotist: Mystery Men Comics 12 (Fox).Unnamed fat Chinese (?) man working for a sexy woman hypnotizes Asian men so that they will sleep while being smuggled inside large fish. The plot is uncovered by Lt. Drake of Naval Intelligence and he¹s captured.

The Hypnotist: 1946, Startling Comics #40 (Better). The Hypnotist seems to be a member of a hooded gang though he only wore a tuxedo and simple domino mask. He hypnotized a woman into believing she was an Egyptian priestess and about to commit an act of human sacrifice if not for the intervention of the Fighting Yank. NOTE: This is a cover only, one of the greats by Alex Schomburg that tells a whole story by itself.

Immortal Emperor: (Better). Tall and lanky with a cylinder head and a face like a wall outlet, he teams up with Lilith and Dr. Voodoo in efforts to defeat Wonderman II and conquer the solar system.

The Invincibles: Yankee Comics: 3 or 4 (Chesler) A foreign soccer team is secretly made up of spies to spread Nazi propaganda. When their underhanded and rough playing decimates the ranks of the American team, the kid gang Young Americans get involved. The Young Americans is a bit different from most kid gangs in that it actually has at least 2 girls and one African American as part of the group, all playing active and equal parts in the story.

Iron Jaw I: 1941, Silver Streak Comics #9 (Lev Gleason). A robot; foe of Silver Streak. Created by Bob Wood

Iron Jaw (II): Boy Comics (Lev Gleason). An incident during WWI left a German soldier by the name of Von Schmidt horribly disfigured and doctors were forced to replace his jaw with one of metal. He's a vicious soldier who has been reported dead many times. He killed Chuck Chandler's father for daring to speak out against the Nazis. A German sub sank the transport bringing Chuck and his mother over from France, and gunned them down in the ocean. Surviving, Chuck became the Crimebuster, Iron Jaw's most implacable foe. Iron Jaw could take a large amount of punishment, such as a chair breaking across his head without flinching and was thought to be dead on at least one occasion.

Jack the Clipper: 1945, Topsy-Turvy Comics #1 (R. B. Leffingwell and Co). Anthony Durrant writes: Jack the Clipper was a maniac who clipped off the beard of the famous Civil War veteran Admiral Rockjaw, and later cut off the long white hair of a United States Senator. He was caught by the boy detectives Mickey and Ickey and unmasked as their favourite cartoonist, J. Drawingboard Easel. Easel had been running out of ideas and had adopted the nom du guerre Jack the Clipper in order to gather material for his comic strip, Subman.

Jack the Rabbit: Champ Comics 22 (Harvey): Recurring foe of the Liberty Lads: Skip and Chuck, two Simon & Kirby boy types who seek out excitement accompanied by G-man Lee Hunt. Jack was a round fella with pointed ears, loud clashing clothes and not above gruesome torture.

Jake & Lil: 1948, Dynamic Comics 24 (Superior Publishers). Billed as the king and queen of the silver wire (high wire), this couple employed a large rubber ball that Lil would burst out of during their act. She would then give a small souvenir ball to someone in the audience. Usually this person was the kid of someone they planned to rob. At home under electric lights, the ball would expand and burst, letting loose a gas that would kill everyone in the house. Then Jake and Lil would pilfer the house at their leisure. Unfortunately for them, Dynamic Man figured out their scheme.

Japanese Sandman: American bomber pilots are executed by someone calling himself the Japanese Sandman and sends word back to the Americans. Captain Raleigh aka the Boomerang flies to Japan in disguise to get to the bottom of the mystery. What he finds is a wily Japanese Colonel and some Japanese men schooled in the arts of Jiu Jitsu and hand to hand combat, the best of whom is the Japanese Sandman. Thanks to the timely arrival of his girlfriend Diana in a costume near identical to his and armed with a bow and arrows, Boomerang wins the day.

The Jester: February, 1949, Western Adventures (A.A. Wynn): This murdering owlhoot and his gang were raiding local gold-mines as well as Wells-Fargo stages forcing townspeople to go to Jake Bellum for extravagent loans. Even Bellum was a bit of a mystery man, who kept his face in shadows while making his deals. Things were good for the Jester and Bellum until the Cross-Draw Kid interrupted one of his gold heists. He soon tracked the wily thief to the office of Bellum and discovered Bellum was nothing but a stuffed dummy used by the Jester. Following his trail, the Cross-Draw Kid revealed to the townspeople that the Jester (and Bellum) were aliases for "Lips" Hawkins, a ventriloquist who performed at the saloon. Chasing the Jester, the Kid uncovered the fact that the big gang that the villain had used to terrorize the small town was also nothing more than dummies on horseback. After a big fight, the Kid took the Jester back to town to face justice.

The Jingle Man: This killer sent rhyming letters to his future victims, signed the Jingle Man. He was captured by the Scarlet Archer on his first case revealing him as his romantic rival, bitter at the death of his father blamed on a group of financial schemers who had forced him out of the group. He targeted each man (and the girlfriend since her father died years before) and killed them in keeping with their specialties: finances, food supplies, etc.

Joltin' Joe: 1945, Star Studded Comics #1 (Cambridge House). This bug-eyed crook was insuring packages that were being shipped, and then sinking the ships in order to collect on the insurance. Turns out he was in league with the insurer who was milking his own company, defrauding the stockholders. Both discovered it was very unlucky to cross Luckyman.