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DC Villains
Highwayman: 1948, All-American Western #104 (All-American Publishing/DC).
In the Old West, a mysterious costumed mask man is robbing
stage coaches and payrolls. He even manages to outfight Lt.
Dan Foley of the Fighting 5th who had been sent to investigate.
Eventually Foley and his Indian guide and friend Wingfoot
manage to capture the masked man and he stands revealed as
transplanted Englishman and rancher Reginald Torbin who was
emulating his ancestor Dick Torbin, the famous highwayman.
His downfall was in part to carrying the emulation too far
in wearing an identical costume as the one of Dick’s in a
portrait hanging in his home that Foley had seen while meeting
with the rancher.
Tigress: 1938, Action Comics #1 (DC).
Sexy and dangerous master criminal and foe of the magician
Zatara. Even in this adventure, they already had met at least
once before. While she had a penchant for tight striped tops,
she didn't wear a costume as such, a red headband, black &
yellow top and blue skirt. She isn't above manhandling the
hero, and is the leader of a gang of crooks. Fred Guardineer's
bold line art helps to make her really stand out.
Timely
Villains
Captain
Suicide: 1945,
All-Select Comics #6. Japanese commander, he broadcasts
a threat to the Allies of defeat by invisible robot bombs.
While he gives a good fight, hešs ultimately defeated by
the Destroyer. Itšs revealed there are no bombs but mines
detonated by remote control from flying zeppelin. He's apparently
killed when the air-ship goes down in flames.
Cat's
Paw: 1939, Marvel Mystery Comics# 11. Darci
points us to this villainess. She is a master villain and
crime boss, wearing a black cat costume complete with tail,
leaving only the lower half of her face visible. She also
carries a whip, called the Cat's Paw. Over the course of
9 issues, she spars with the Angel, but saves his life earlier
in the storyline. When he returns the favor in the final
act, she agrees to surrender if he allows her to go in another
room to change. He consents and when he hears a commotion
and rushes into the room, all he finds is her burning costume
and an open window to a five hundred foot drop into the
swamps and quicksand (what kind of place was this anyways?).
NOTE: Of interesting note, just today by having to go
through all my pages and a posting on a message board about
this particular character, I realized this entry is pretty
much identical to an entry on the MLJ Encyclopedia of the
Cat's Claw, a Bob Phantom foe, information provided by Mr.
Durrant, although readers that have read both assure me
there's also quite a bit of difference.
Ghosts: 1941, Daring Mystery Comics #7. On her way way to a masquerade
ball Betty Barstow investigates the reports of ghosts at
Woodline Cemetery that her boss private investigator Dan
Hurley dismisses as drunken tales by the caretaker. With
her knowledge of Jui-jitsu, she easily takes out the counterfeiters
using it as a base of operations. The police get a laugh
out of them being taken out by a woman dressed as a "Silver
Scorpion" and the papers get quite a few headlines.
Betty on the other hand decides to continue moonlighting
as the crimefighter. NOTE: The Silver Scorpion's
costume is almost all yellow, with what may be silver boots,
bracelets and a silver scorpion emblazoned on her red cape.
Iron
Duke: 1940, Mystic Comics #3. Despite the colorful
name, Iron Duke is a run of the mill gangster who goes around
setting fires for people wanting to collect on insurance
or refusing to pay protection monies. Stopped by Joshua
and Joel and Flexo.
Dr.
Leech: 1942, USA Comics #4. Dr. Gustave Leech
is billed as the Nazi scientist of "sudden death". Bald-headed
and with a monocle, he heads a Nazi spy ring in the South
American country Arbolivia as well as commanding a submarine.
With which, he destroys cargo ships carrying food and such
to the country, hoping to ultimately sway the country to
the Fatherland's side. He's apparently killed when his submarine
is destroyed by Captain Terror.
Lens,
the Unknown: All-Winners #2. This Nazi agent
first tussled with the Whizzer when he was arranging for
wholesale slaughter of women through jewelry with poisoned
gems. With a dark hat, coat and glasses, his identity remained
a secret and he managed to evade capture by shedding that
identity while the Whizzer rounded up the rest of his men.
Prince
Shinto: Anthony Durrant
writes us: Prince Shinto was a heavily scarred Japanese
nobleman who sent a group of young boys to perform acts
of sabotage on an unnamed Pacific island; these boys would
sneak in and out of the U. S. Navy installation there without
anyone knowing who had done the sabotage - at least until
one of the boys was killed while stealing a jeep. The Young
Allies (including Bucky and Toro) were called in and they
allowed a group of young native boys to pose as them and
allow themselves to be captured by Prince Shinto. In the
process of trying to free the native boys, the Young Allies
destroyed Prince Shinto's base and the Prince as well.
The Vampire: 1940, Daring Mystery Comics
#2. Arch-enemy of Mr. E. While only the one adventure is published,
it's evident in the story that he and Mr. E had numerous clashes
previously. The black hooded and robed Vampire does not display any supernatural abilities, but seems more of a mad scientist and criminal mastermind type.
Zarpo: 1941, Captain America Comics #9. This inventor went
mad after being mocked and continual refusals from the government
to buy his invention of a special small time bomb, one that
explodes 5 minutes after being near a human being. He starts
going after various men that were refused it, killing them
with his 'bomb of doom." He's apparently slain by one
of his own bombs during a fight with the crime fighter Father
Time.
Unknown
Sources
The
Hawk: Anthony Durrant
tells us: The Hawk was a slender villain who dressed up
as a hawk and carried a trained hawk that he would use to
bring down various circus acrobats, which he kept concealed
under his cape. Unfortunately for him, his last target was
the circus run by the Announcer, and in the process of trying
to stop a set of quadruplets from performing their trapeze
act, he was killed by the lion after he ran into his cage
to retrieve his pet hawk, which had flown into the lion's
cage. His real name was Ravonno and he was a former circus
magician which explained his ability to disappear and to
switch himself for his trained hawk, making it look like
he changed shape. NOTE: Sadly Mr. Durrant didn't
provide me with any publishing info, so not sure where the
proper place is for this entry.
Pretty
Face: Anthony Durrant
tells us: Pretty Face was a ruthless killer who left his
trademark - a card with a picture of a heart pierced with
an arrow on it - at the scenes of his murders. He mistakenly
kidnapped Ethan Hunt, Special Police Operative 13, on the
assumption that he was Tom, a fellow police officer and
the fiance of a girl named Rosie. His plan was to burn down
his hideout with both Tom and Rosie in it, killing them
both. Unfortunately for him, Rosie dashed water in his face,
and Hunt pulled off Pretty Face's handsome face to reveal
his real one - Pretty face's real face was hairless, with
big wild eyes and frizzy hair, the result of a warehouse
fire. Just as Pretty Face was about to shoot Hunt, Tom burst
in and shot him.
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