New Profiles

What's this page? Instead of having to go to the individual pages for new profiles and updates, this page is where all the updates will now reside. For a little while at least and then they will be moved to their respective homes. The first one will be sizeable, but afterwards, they will be shorter and more frequent.

Updated 02-24-10

Arpor: 1941, Fantastic Comics #15 (Fox). Arpor is the high priest of a cult of Kali in the US. In addition to counterfeiting coins, he has a hatred of Samson and tries to kill him through various death traps and a lightning gun (a lightning rifle in actuality). His cult is smashed and he's captured by Samson and David. Arpor is made up to look more like a Mongol and the statue of Kali is in the style of a Buddha. His cult is made up of what look like American gangsters as well as other Asians similar to himself.

Baron Siva: 1941, Big Three #4 (Fox). On one hand Baron Siva is just another of a long line of bald madmen and would be conquerors that crossed Samson in the pages of this comic. On the other hand he visibly stands out with a large bulbous head (in a globe at one point) and a wiry body weaing a see-through shirt. He kidnaps the members of America's "Defense Board" to force her to surrender. He has various super-weapons like a small paralyzer ray gun. He is actually captured alive by Samson and David.

Black Hood: 1940, Fantastic Comics #12 (Fox). Karl Wolff heads up the Black Hood organization, a group of 5th Columnists. His plans of sabotage are stopped by Yank Wilson and his plane is shot down by Wilson. Wolff and his men wear identical black masks and costumes with a skull over crossbones in a red circle on the chest. Wolff is differentiated from the others by his mustache. NOTE: While the strip started off in the future, by this point in time, it had all the earmarks of being contemporary to the times published.

Borgo: 1940, Big Three #1 (Fox). When Fred James fires Borgo for stealing radium, he vows revenge on him and his scientist brothers. Borgo recruits a gang and through a powerful mirror reflecting sunlight, manages to cause accidents killing three of the brothers. He captured Joan Mason who was writing stories about the James brothers' murder and took her to his lighthouse lair. Borgo was deranged, not above killing his own henchmen to keep them from talking, torturing the final two brothers and trying to kill Joan by tying her to a large drum to kill her with its vibrations. She and the brothers were rescued by the Blue Beetle who captured Borgo and the survivng members of his gang. Borgo used the lighthouse and mirrors to cast blinding light and carried a reflective mirror shield.

Captain Nomo: 1941, Fantastic Comics #18 (Fox). Nomo leads two lives, one as a respected member of the Coast Patrol and a second as a masked enforcer for a smuggling racket paid to get Sub Saunders out of the way. Instead, he gets captured.

Lu Cheng: 1940, Fantastic Comics #13 (Fox). Lu Cheng is a vampire whose lair is in a cave in the Gobi Desert where he has a group of Asian women hypnotized into believing they are vampires as well. He's blown apart by a grenade thrown by Captain Kidd, freeing the women from his control.

The Condor: 1941, Big Three #2 (Fox). A modern day and ruthless pirate, he bribes city officials to not call out the Coast Guard while he launches his deadly raid. He apparently drowns while fighting against the Blue Beetle. He survives for a return visit, wearing a yellow cape. It is also revealed that he uses a claw-handle dagger. This time he's apparently killed when he falls into the hold of a ship onto the boiler. The Condor was a powerful looking man, dressed in a black suit, yellow cape and wore a black pirate's tri-cornered style hat when looting. Otherwise, he sported a dark widow's peak.

Crimson Circle Gang: 1941, Big Three #2 (Fox). Murderous gangsters who mark their crimes with a large flaming circle on the fronts of buildings they attack. Stopped by the Flame.

Cyclops: 1940, Fantastic Comics #9 (Fox).In the Lost Valley, there's a race of one-eyed beast men. When Captain Kidd discovers it, he finds they are headed by one that speaks very good English. Rescuing a white girl that had been captured, Kidd takes the fight to the head cyclops, unmasking him as an explorer called Perez apparently gone insane and whom Kidd had been searching for. Perez leaps to his death to avoid capture. The story is unclear whether the other beast men are the real deal or natives he had made up.

Dablo: 1940, Fantastic Comics #9 (Fox). In the future, Dablo is the last of the Ray Men. He's completely psychopathic, wanting to kill off every living inhabitant on the planet. He has a large hole in his head from which he can shoot deadly rays. He's judged and condemned to die but on the eve of his execution he's visited by the mysterious Hood who gives him his powers back that enables him to escape. He and the Hood go to his undersea lab but Sub Saunders finds him and defeats him and the Hood.

Doc: 1940, Blue Beetle #3 (Fox). Looking a bit like a crazed French painter, the Doc is kidnapping various women in order to put together the perfect woman. In his employ are large black thugs who are able to briefly go toe-to-toe against the Blue Beetle. The Doc's dead body is found after he leaps from a rooftop into a river to avoid capture.

Dr. Blood: 1940, Big Three #1 (Fox). Vicious gangleader of the "Inner Crime Ring", he possessed a cannon that fired a paralyzing ray which he used to steal other inventions and knock over banks. His gang could wear long gray hooded robes that protected them from the rays. He and his gang are presumably killed when Samson picks up the building they are in and throws it against another one. Hopefully, both were otherwise abandoned.

The Eel: 1941, Big Three #2 (Fox).The Eel is an older gentleman who has come up with a way of quickly and quietly destroying ships. He has the paint treated with a special additive when they are being repainted and then shoots vast amount of electricity into the ship causing a reaction that quickly eats the steel. He keeps a powerplant and base at the bottom of the bay. He and his men drown when his lair is broken into by Samson. His henchmen wear green scuba style suits (so their drowning may be premature), the main one being named Shark Tooth.

The Fang: 1941, Fantastic Comics #17 (Fox). Bald master criminal, he fought the Black Fury throughout his run. In his second appearance, he had the power of invisibility (possibly obtained from an emerald that had carvings that were supposed to reveal the secret of invisibility that was in the care of the Black Fury).

The Ghoul: 1941, Fantastic Comics #17 (Fox). The Ghoul wears a skull mask and dark suit and is a criminal mastermind.

Giant's Dagger: 1941, Big Three #2 (Fox).Tom Patten and Roxdon cooked up a scheme where the thief Patton would steal millionaire Roxden's jewels and collect on the insurance money. Only Roxden betrayed Patten and he went to jail where he apparently perished in a fire in 1937. Years later and Roxden is slain by a giant dagger which skewers him. Which has Blue Beetle investigating and tussling the mysterious man known as "Smith" who seems a match for his strength. Smith is later revealed to be Patten who was disfigured in the fire and now has a headquarters under the cellar of his old home. Deranged, he kills his wife before she can betray him and almost succeeds in killing the Blue Beetle, Mike and Joan with a torture device before a replica of the Giant's Dagger which holds up the ceiling gives way and buries just him. Patten is a large man, bald and with a leering face when he's in his murderous rage but otherwise doesn't seem too disfigured. The giant dagger he carried around in a "violin case" and which he could use as a spear (the size of it, it would have to be a bass, not a violin).

The Hood: 1940, Fantastic Comics #9 (Fox). In the future, this mysterious man gives the villain Dablo his ray powers back that allows him to escape on the day of his execution. The Hood plans to use Dablo to take over the city and then dispose of him later. The two hole up in Dablo's lair at the bottom of the sea. Sub Saunders comes to investigate though. He outfights Dablo and fights with the Hood. Unmasked, the Hood stands revealed as Judge Ord, head of the Tribunal that had tried and convicted Dablo. During the fight, the Hood is thrown off a cliff and killed.

Karno: 1941, Fantastic Comics #17 (Fox). Undersea pirate that shows a bit more style than Sub Saunders' usual foes in that he sports a mask and a roguish mustache. He and his crew kidnap Sub because Sub is the best sub-mariner in the business.

Kilgor: 1940, Fantastic Comics #4 (Fox). Kilgor is your typical mad scientist, built a giant robot army with funding by Rigo, a foreign dictator. He then uses the robots to kill Rigo and his men and sets himself up as dictator. His robots are destroyed by Samson and he is killed by one of them himself when he rebuilds it but doesn't issue a command quick enough.

Kong: 1941, Fantastic Comics #15 (Fox). In the future, Kong is an under-sea pirate with a fortress and army under the sea who demands a billion dollars or he'll bomb New America and wage war upon her. He's captured by Sub Saunders

Leopard Women of Venus: 1940, Fantastic Comics #3 (Fox). The Leopard Women of Venus fly on the back of saurians through space. They dress in spotted red tights and shoot flames through a horn on the skull-caps on their heads. They capture Space Smith and Diana and transport her to the robot scientists of Venus.

Lucifer: 1940, Fantastic Comics #6 (Fox). In his first appearance, he just seems a one-off villain facing against Flip Falcon who is trapped by Flip. Later (issue #15), he and his demons become recurring foes for Falcon when he travels through the 4th Dimension. He is able to speak backwards magic.

Mastermind of Crime: 1940, Blue Beetle #3 (Fox). Brian Downhill is the hooded Mastermind of Crime. He plans a series of violent crimes in order to hold New York City for ransom, to have all control turned over to him. In addition to his army of thugs, he has his own island off Central America. His endeavors are foiled by the Blue Beetle.

The Monster (un-named): 1941, Big Three #6 (Fox). This bizarre looking villain is not given a name. His face is pale white, looking a bit like a humanoid cat-fish with his drooping mustache and wearing a loose fitting blue tunic, orange/tan slacks and brown boots. He is behind the kidnapping of serveral teen-age girls at a camp. When captured by the Flame, he stands revealed as bank owner George Benson. Years earlier, Benson and Mr. Tracy the owner of the camp were in love with the same woman, Sally Crane but she spurned Benson's advances. Jealous, he tried to cause the bankrupty of the camp and indirectly caused the death of Sally. When her daughter got older and looked the same as her, he went insane in his obsession and jealousy, vowing to have her any way possible.

Negus: 1940, Fantastic Comics #3 (Fox). Negus is a powerful witch doctor with real black magic powers. He has a crystal ball with which he can spy on others and makes his home in a great tree. Captain Kidd destroys the tree and possibly Negus himself.

Nekroff: 1941, Big Three #2 (Fox). He's billed as a mad general and he does seem to have an army at his command. He's apparently killed by an explosion in his bid for conquest caused when Samson throws his amphibious tank into a river followed by a tank of Nekroff's poisonous gas which is highly explosive when contained.

Porky Hogg: 1941, Big Three #2 (Fox). This obese crime boss had his gang train to take on the Blue Beetle, seeing him as their only obstacle to plundering the city through the use of a secret cannon gun they were going to use to shell the city. They manage to pin the murder of a young boy on him but he ultimately clears his name and while it appears that Porky is killed by falling off a building, the newspapers claim that he was "captured". In addition to the cannon, Porky had an advanced television screen with which he could spy on the city and a subterranean lair.

Queen of Evil: 1941, Fantastic Comics #22 (Fox). In Thebes, 1000 BC, Nagana is "called the daughter of Isis", a faithful worshiper. However, she is envious of the goddess' hold over the city and plots evil. Isis strikes back at her, leveling the temple. Nagana spends the next 3000 years as a statue when archaeologists uncover her and she comes back to life. Isis realizes that she cannot destroy Nagana directly, so she ressurects Kalkor a faithful worshipper and priest-to-be that had stood up against Nagana in Thebes.

Queen Izzuki: 1940,Fantastic Comics #6 (Fox). This Queen rules the Amazons in Amazoland. She kidnaps Dr. Chandler in order to make him operate on her and make her young and beautiful again, after which she plans to force Captain Kidd marry her. Kidd manages to escape with Dr. Chandler, leaving the Queen an old hag.

Rasputin, Jr: 1944, Cat-Man Comics #25 (Holyoke). Rasputin Jr is a hypnotist who puts on shows. His main bit is showing that hypnosis cannot force people to do something that offends them morally. He picks a girl out of the audience and hypnotizes her and then hypnotizes her friend, having her friend first stab her in the back with a cardboard knife and then showing the person wouldn't do it with a real knife. Rasputin is also with a gang of crooks and seeing the Deacon as part of the audience, the Deacon is recognized as being a former great safe-cracker. The banker's daughter is hypnotized into guiding the crooks into a bank (where they kill a guard) and a hypnotized Deacon is ordered to crack the bank vault. The Deacon struggles mentally against the command. Mickey had shadowed the Deacon and picks up a gun and blasts the crooks, killing Rasputin and breaking the hypnotic hold.

Professor Simm: 1940, Fantastic Comics #9 (Fox). Another bald-headed mad scientist (all that brainpower must make hair fall out). From his "Island of Mystery", Professor Simm held the US hostage. Supposedly, the island featured prehistoric creatures and man still alive and Simm somehow managed to get them to do his will. As some of the giant lizards breathed fire and his cave-men could ride the aquatic ones for invading, some were clearly modified by Simm. He's stopped by Samson. Simm begs Samson not to put him in a cage with the creatures, that they'll kill him which of course Samson does. The scene shifts before we see his end as Samson fights off other creatures and un-corks the volcano, letting it erupt and killing every creature on the island, except for the giant condor that he used to fly away on. What about other birds and the aquatic dinosaurs you ask? Or the possibility that Simm pulled a Br'er Rabbit on Samson?

Singapore Sally: 1940, Crash Comics #2 (Tem Publishing). Sally is a beautiful blonde woman who has established herself in the native quarter of Singapore as the "Queen of the Quarter". Surrounded by a gang of murderers and cut-throats, she has managed to evade capture until detective Red Castle comes for her after she had committed a murder in New York. Castle managed to out-tough and outfight the gang and capture the ruthless criminal boss. Sally herself is not above doing torture herself.

Thorga: 1939, Fantastic Comics #1 (Fox). Thorga is the first villain to face Samson and thus the first of his parade of foes that were bald geniuses and madmen that tried to conquer the world through super-science. And, like most of them is killed in fighting the hero. In addition to his army, he has advance tanks and airplanes.

Underground Race: 1940, Fantastic Comics #12 (Fox). Looking like devils with red skin, pointed ears and horns, this underground race is lead by a king from their volcano lair where they plan to strike at the surface world with their lava machines. Stopped by Captain Kidd who destroys the machine and sets the volcano off, presumably killing the invaders.

The Voice: 1940, Fantastic Comics #2 (Fox). The island of Morgia appears to be off the African continent. Supposedly, it has a vast resource of gold but none ever reaches the mainland. Captain Kidd and his friend Freddy investigate and find a large talking idol god who exchanges whiskey for gold. The Voice of the god drowns fleeing from the adventurers through the underwater passage that leads to the temple.

Von Haupt: 1939, Fantastic Comics #1 (Fox). Von Haupt has a lab hidden deep in some un-named wilderness. He's a fat man with a iron gauntlet over his right hand. Using his V-rays, he is able to shut off the motor of Captain Kidd's plane as he flies overhead. He tells Kidd that has unlocked the secret of immortality, that the withered stump of his right hand is the only part he cannot protect. His secret seems to involve strapping people to large dynamos and stealing their life-force, skeletonizing them. In fighting Kidd, he shows himself to be immune to bullets. However, he falls into a vat of sulphur which seems to kill him and reveal a mechanical hand under the gauntlet. Kidd barely escapes before Von Haupt's whole lab and his men are blown to kingdom come.

The Web: 1941, Big Three #4 (Fox). Criminal mastermind with male pattern baldness and possibly above average strength judging the size of a piece of rock he picks up. He has a special type of radial ray that causes physical damage, carries a cat-of-nine-tails whip and likes to use bombs. Knocking the city's power supply out, he and his gang plan to loot the city. They are stopped by the Blue Beetle. In trying to blow up the Blue Beetle, the Web falls on his own bomb, killing him.

Whitey: 1942, V... Comics #1 (Fox). While this is his first published appearance, Black Fury and Chuck have encountered him before. He would appear to be your average gangster and drug dealer but he has a knack for disguise, preferring that of an old man with beard and glasses and he somehow survives shooting himself in the head and falling into the waters and coming back.

Fawcett Villains:

Dr. Andro: 1940, Nickel Comics#7. Dr. Andro created a device that would allow him to switch the minds of people with animals and used it on crooks to have them steal for him such as a mugger in the body of a gorilla. While in their animal bodies, the crooks could not talk. His plan is uncovered by Warlock and when he tries to kill Warlock but mortally wounds the gorilla-man instead, the gorilla chokes him to death as it dies. Warlock used the device to cure the other crooks. Dr. Andro dressed in dapper clothes and carried a weighted cane with which he knocked out his opponents.

Baron Gath: 1940, Nickel Comics #1. 200 years ago in Transylvania, Gath was a black magician and evil lord. He gets entombed in his castle in suspended animation. When the castle is transplanted to America, during the restoration, the spell written on the stones that keeps him captive is wiped clean and frees him. He quickly establishes himself over the region and employs various demons such as a vampire in red tights and cape and a man who can turn into a wolf working as an innkeeper. Gath is supposedly killed by a blow to the head by a hammer which is also supposed to dispose of his minions. He's stopped by Warlock the Magician.

Black Mandarin: 1942, Whiz Comics #34. In the Far East seaport in or near China, Lance O'Casey and Mike find trouble when they witness the selling of a beautiful woman who manages to escape but leaves her slippers behind. They find that the buyer was working for the Black Mandarin who wants the slippers and willing to kill for them. Turns out the Black Mandarin is a traitor to China, spying for the Japanese, and the woman is an agent with dangerous information contained in the slippers. O'Casey and Mike aid in the capture of the Black Mandarin. He dresses in a black robe with a black cap and long mustache whiskers.

The Blackmask: 1940, Nickel Comics #1. A super-criminal with a vast criminal empire including several hideouts with deathtraps and a submarine. In addition to regular crimes, he steals the plans to various experimental gadgets and weapons. He is unmasked by the new hero Bulletman as Stephen Doone, the publisher of the newspaper The Trumpet. He wears a black hood and has a pet cat.

Blue Devils: 1940, Nickel Comics#6. The Blue Devils are a gang of extortionists, thieves that have the town of Eagle Valley under their murderous thumb . Their leader is called Lucifer, the worst of them. Lucifer and his gang are stopped by Bulletman. Lucifer and the gang wore identical blue robes and hoods with horns. The robes had a skull and crossbones emblem over the breast while the hoods had a black silhouette of one where the mouth would be. As they dressed identically, don't know how they knew which one was their leader.

Choker: 1941, Master Comics #13. The Choker is an escaped mad man. He wears loose fitting orange/brown pullover shirt and pants, no shoes, a beat up floppy hat and cape. He is tracked down by Zoro and proves not above using a gun if he has to but apparently is killed by Cheeta who sinks her fangs into his throat to protect her master.

The Crystal: 1941, Whiz #15. Head of a gang terrorizing the pretty Ronnie Keller in order to get her money, he ultimately stands revealed as her guardian Mr. James. The Crystal wears a suit and a hood of one-way glass as a mask (looks more like a bucket than the Moon Man's globe). He's unmasked by the Companions Three in his second appearance, Master Comics #14.

The Cult of Jama, the devil-god 1940, Master Comics #7. Imelda Loree seems to be under a curse. All men that seem interested in her die by mysterious and violent means. Investigating, Zoro discovers she was born on the date of a festival of the Jama cult. The cult, popular in America among society members, was believed to be stamped out some years earlier. Zoro eventually uncovers a small group is still practicing the devil worship and hoping to make Imelda their queen. Zoro exposes their chief as Murdock Daw who is just using the cult to frighten Imelda out of her money. The cultists all wear black hoods that cover their heads.

Kor Deno: 1940, Nickel Comics #2. Kor Deno is a demon that rules over a forest near the city of which Warlock the Magician lives. When a man builds his home too close to the forest, all the women of his bloodline are cursed to never love for Deno will destroy their husbands. The man's grand-daughter Valya is living under that curse as the demon stole her nurse and anyone else that loved her. Warlock intervenes and thinks he's chased off the demon, allowing Valya to love but moments later the demon returns and steals her and her lover away forcing Warlock to track Kor Deno to his Dark Kingdom which lies under an ancient abbey and graveyard deep in the heart of the forest. Kor Deno appears to Warlock as an old hermit named Simon until he is able to lure Warlock deep into his home where he is the more powerful and where he keeps all his victims stolen from the forest over the years in suspended animation. Ultimately he's blasted to bits by Warlock's magic lamp. As Simon, Kor appears as an old man with a long white beard but he is able to take other shapes such as a giant demon bird or an ill-defined smokey form with many dog heads. He is also able to call forth a phantom army, and other magics as the situation demands.

The Dragon: 1941, Master Comics #11. Asian crimelord dressed in long robes and armed with a gas gun, he heads a gang of white men, killing those who won't pay protection money. He's stopped by Zoro and revealed to be a white man himself: John Lorenson, a banker. The story has a hole in it in that it shows the Dragon ordering his men to kill Lorenson and Zoro just happens to be on the scene to prevent the murder. It's not shown just what Lorenson would have done if Zoro hadn't been there.

Doctor Drown: 1940, Master Comics#1. Dr. Drown is a fiendish man torpedoing ships from his yacht at the bottom of the sea for looting. In addition to the under-sea yacht, he has faithful though small brontesauruses and a mechanized sea monster that looks a bit like a prehistoric turtle as well as other undersea monsters that do his bidding. In addition to a gang, he has a faithful right-hand man in the hunchback Romez. He's opposed by Shipwreck Roberts.

Firehawk: 1940, Master Comics #4. El Carim is vacationing out west, watching a movie being filmed when the set is plagued by mysterious deaths of actors' faces spontaneously bursting into flame. After the first one, the three main actors are given death threats, extorting money from them or suffering a similar death which immediately befalls the leading man. El Carim figures out that it's their make-up that has been treated with thermite causing it to catch fire from the body heat. He soon captures Firehawk and unmasks him as Zarrow, the actor playing the villain of the movie and who has a background in chemistry. As Firehawk, he wears a green costume with a bird-head mask and brown cape, looking a little more like a parakeet.

Honest John: 1942, America's Greatest Comics #4. Thuggish Honest John Black steals a device that sprays a purple mist that spreads to form an intense blackout that requires special goggles to see through. He then gathers a bunch of crooks and uses it commit daring crimes. He briefly captures Bulletgirl and holds her hostage but she and Bulletman soon capture him and the gang.

Horned Masks: 1940, Master Comics #9. In the Ozarks a group of men dressed in dark cloaks and horned hoods ride about on horseback terrorizing the town. They are stopped by Zoro, the Mystery Man when their leader accidentally stabs himself instead of the hero.

Horrible Hand: 1942, Whiz Comics #34. The horrible hand is a red hand, all that's left of a demon, the rest of his body destroyed. Like a summoned demon, the hand is able to do the will of its owner. Enter Trug, a black magician whose powers were stolen by Ibis and looking for new ones. He uses the hand for thefts and murder, but is stopped again by Ibis. Ibis seals the hand in a globe and buries it to prevent others from using it again.

King Leon: 1940, Master Comics #9. King Leon rules the asteroid Djung and its people with an iron fist. He hopes to make Princess Zyra his queen which sets him against the hero Captain Venture. Not only that, Venture manages to convert to his cause Tazon, Leon's scientist, doctor and hypnotist. King Leon becomes a recurring foe.

Leopard Men: 1940, Master Comics #7. Natives dressed in leopard skins, they are a villainous group that transcends the one story as Leopard Men eventually pop up to bedevil most jungle characters, probably owing to the popularity of the ERB story "Tarzan and the Leopard Men." These Leopard Men are after the ivory of elephants and murder a young woman's father resulting her to grow up to be the Elephant Queen. She seeks out the Jungle King to help her with the raiding Leopard Men. Being outfought and captured, the Jungle King manages to get the surviving ones to swear an oath of peace.

Lucifer: 1940, Nickel Comics#6. Lucifer is the leader of the Blue Devils, a gang of extortionists, thieves that have the town of Eagle Valley under their murderous thumb. He's unmasked as Stuart Vinton, an attorny who befriended Elsa Martin who ran the local newspaper and one of the few that had the courage to stand up to the gang. Lucifer and his gang are stopped by Bulletman. As Lucifer, he dressed like the rest of his gang, blue robes and hoods with horns. The robes had a skull and crossbones emblem over the breast while the hoods had a black silhouette of one where the mouth would be. As they dressed identically, don't know how they knew which one was their leader.

Man of Ages: 1942, America's Greatest Comics #3. The Man of Ages is an embodiment of evil. Earliest report of him is in prehistoric times where he claims he'll live as long as evil lives on Earth but the tribe throws him into a great pit to his death, they think. He resurfaces again to cause mayhem and destruction and fights Bulletman. He's last seen, apparently drowning but Bulletman wonders whether that is truly the end of him or if he'll return in the future to bedevil another hero. He makes comments that he was around confronting other heroes of the past: Alexander, St. George, Horatius. In the present, the Man of Ages is bald, wears a clear globe on his head for some reason and predominantly blue costume with an emblem of an hourglass against a red circle on his chest. He carries a gas gun as a weapon that emits a poisonous gas that would kill most people and is able to briefly go toe-to-toe against Bulletman.

Jeff Marlowe: 1940, Master Comics #1. Jeff Marlowe is the suave criminal boss of the Mid-West town of Carterville. He is so daring, he does not care that his identity is known. He's opposed by Carterville's local hero, Devil's Dagger, though he's good at staying a step ahead of the hero.

Masked Man: 1941, Master Comics #15. Suspicious behavior at the Rantrill mansion has Zoro investigating and discovering a masked man that has a machine that has turned two men into hulking monsters. Zoro knows of a jungle herb that can restore the enlarged tissues to normal size and luckily carries some with him. He uses his sword cane to inject one and then the other after catching him, revealing them to be brothers Bob and John, called home to visit their ailing mother. Then it's just a simple matter of catching the masked man and revealing him to be Garvey, their half brother who had been disowned for stealing family jewels.

Monsters of Monterlay: 1941, Master Comics #11. Mad scientist De Vaux has his lab in Monterlay Mansion where he has managed to turn 3 men into monstrous giants. His assistant Gregg is suspicious of his actions and calls his old friend El Carim to investigate. El Carim manages to cure at least one of them with his magic. De Vaux chooses suicide over capture and injects himself with an unknown substance.

Morto: 1942, America's Greatest Comics #3. A servant in a secluded mansion that also has at least one tower finds a strange book in a long forgotten library. As he opens the locked book, he sets free Morto, a genii or spirit of murders past. Morto draws denizens of the underworld to him like a magnet and he inspires them to go on a killing spree. But, they are mostly stopped and he's disappointed. Wanting to ally himself with the world's greatest killers he seeks out the Axis leaders. Together they hatch a plan to capture many of the American leaders and kill them at one time (well Adolph decides he'd rather hold them hostage, but Morto plans to kill them anyway). However, his gang of cut-throats are stopped by Mr. Scarlet and Pinky and he is physically outfought by Mr. Scarlet. Defeated he has to return to his book which the servant replaces on the shelf. Morto looks a bit like a pirate or cavalier with loose-fitting clothes, cape, buccaneer boots and a large cavalier hat, long hair and beard. He is able to fly and turn intangible and inspires murder in crooks and such but no superhuman strength.

Mumbo Jumbo: 1941, Master Comics #16. On a rubber plantation in South America, Zoro is called in to investigate as a weird figure is riling up the natives and fermenting revolt. Mumbo Jumbo appears to be a well muscled native with long white hair and beard (no mustache) and steer horns coming out of the side of his head. Zoro pits his trickery against Mumbo Jumbo who is quickly gaining the status of a god to the natives, by painting his cheetah in white phospherescent paint. Mumbo appears to meet his end when he's about to spear Zoro but Cheeta jumps him, biting him in the neck. He is recognized as Graynor, who had been sacked with two natives for stealing.

Olbaid: 1941, Master Comics #16. Somebody is threatening the wealthy to pay up or suffer death and several bodies have surfaced, crushed to death as if in the grip of a superhuman strong-man. El Carim happens to see someone as he's driving through the city that arouses his suspicians, a man with a huge trained python. He tracks him to a hidden lair near an abandoned amusement park and finds the gang of murderers headed by Olbaid or Diablo if you prefer. The villain looks like Black Adam decked out in red robes and has powerful black magic but is still defeated by El Carim.

Roxo: 1941, Master Comics #18. Roxo is a giant of a man wanted for murder and robbery. Hiding out in the North Woods, he goes native, grows a long beard, wears animal skins and carries a big two-headed lumberjack axe. He also befriends a mammoth that is still alive in the woods. The Companions Three come investigating, kill the mammoth and capture Roxo.

Sea-Devil: 1940, Master Comics #7. Pearl divers off an island in the Philippines are being attacked and killed, and Shipwreck Roberts and Doodle are asked to investigate. They find in the deep waters a man in a green diving suit with a red horned hood is responsible. He's un-masked as Sam Mindoro who used to own the island and was attempting to take it back.

Simla Smith: 1940, Nickel Comics#6. Simla Smith has built himself a Roman style island kingdom on the African coast, complete with gladiatorial games. He dresses a bit like Nero, only all in red. He also has giant sized man-eating venus flytraps. His reign is brought to an end by the Jungle Twins and he apparently dies, eaten by sharks.

Son of Count Dracula: 1941, Master Comics #20. People have gone missing, chalked up to a vampire residing in a castle in the mountains outside of town and private detectives Splithair and Undermeyer get the case. However, while they are investigating, Splithair also goes missing and Undermeyer is frightened out of his wits. Bulletman had followed them and uncovers a dwarf in a white beard and a man with batwings and a batwing like face (it's colored gray but the text describes him as having shockingly white features). They manage to flee while Bulletman takes Undermeyer to safety, but he returns and with the help of Bulletgirl, capture the duo and free his captives. He's unmasked as Splithair who was kidnapping the people and holding them for ransom, using the vampire ruse to keep people away.

The Throttler: 1941, Master Comics #19. A rich old man receives letters from the Throttler threatening the kidnapping of his daughter. He hires guards as well as the Mystery Man Zoro. That night her friend staying the night is kidnapped by accident. Zoro rescues her and proves that the butler and an accomplice are behind the plot. Other than his unique name, the Throttler has little else to recommend him.

X-33: 1941, Master Comics #17. Possibly one of Germany's oddest agents. He's a large man in green great-coat and uniform with a helmet with a golden cross painted on. Even more surprising is that it seems he's wearing a knight's armor under the uniform. He gives Minute Man a few hard moments until knocked into a river. Turns out he's not just a man in armor but a robot that was shorted out by the river. Minute Man figures it's related to the pilot-less planes he'd come across and uses a two-way control on the robot to send a destruct signal back to the source, ruining their robotized operation.

Quality Villains:

The Figure: 1950, Plastic Man #23. The incredibly beautiful and curvacious Figure is also a genius at mathematics. She uses that combination to become a crime boss and mastermind. She is stopped by Plastic Man

Veda Kane: 1942, Police Comics #6. Slinky Veda Kane comes from India married to an middle-aged American. She dresses in a green skin-tight costume and performs for audiences, mimicking the moves of the cobra. Through poisoned cigarettes she kills her husband and stepson. Confronted by Chic Carter with evidence of her crimes and apparent madness, she kills herself by injecting herself with venom.

Updates: 01-08-10

Baron Von Kampf: 1939, Speed Comics #1 (Harvey). Baron Von Kampf is an evil genius aiming to take over the world. He is able to invent ray guns and other diabolical devices such as a large ray machine that shuts off airplane motors and their radios. He also has a knack of getting armies of men to follow him. He looks a bit like Dr. Sivana only with extremely pointed ears and a military styled outfit. A step above many villains in that he appears in several early issues, his plans routinely foiled by Shock Gibson. He returns in issue 11, teaming up with the master villain Comrade Ratski from issue 10. At this point, Von Kampf is hiding out in the Florida everglades. He has command of an army of "zombies" (See under their own entry). They are unable to outfight Shock Gibson and the duo's plans stopped again by Shock Gibson, it looks like the end for them as the pair are surrounded by alligators.

Comrade Ratski: 1940, Speed Comics #10 (Harvey). Ratski is the employ of a foreign government and kidnaps leading scientists to come up with fantastic inventions in his bid for conquest such as an earthquake machine and a way to grow giant insects. Stopped by Shock Gibson, he returns the next issue, teaming up with Baron Von Kampf, an early recurring villain of Shock Gibson's not seen for several issues. At this point, it's unsure if Ratski is still working for his home country or now an independent though he's still billed as "comrade". They meet up in the Florida Everglades where Ratski has command of an army of "zombies". Their plans stopped again by Shock Gibson, it looks like the end for them as the pair are surrounded by alligators. Ratski has a thick brown beared with a spikey waxed mustache.

Devilfish: 1940, Speed Comics #6 (Harvey). The Devilfish is a submarine commander operating in the Atlantic and reporting to a hostile foreign government. He comes up with various nefarious plots but is opposed by Lt. Jim Cannon, the commander of a Q-Boat in the British Navy. In addition to a being a submariner, he's a capable pilot though Cannon is better. But, he has the talent of great villains to survive certain death.

Duke: 1941, Speed Comics #12 (Harvey). This man with a blue hood headed the notorious Duke Mob, a gang making a killing off of insurance scams and murder. He and his gang are captured by the Crash, Cork and Baron. He's unmasked as the meek looking investigator for Internation Insurance.

The Gypsy: 1942, Lightning Comics v3#1 (Ace). This dark robed hag came forth, telling fortunes with her crystal ball, foretelling doom and a curse upon Lake Aircraft Company. Turns out, her son was foreman of the plant and he had convinced her she had real powers with the aid of her husband (who also dressed like a gypsy). When her husband and son die in a plane crash while fighting the Sword, she confesses to all.

Hitler-Devil: 1943, Four Favorites #12 (Ace). George Smith is in Tunisia where his unit is slaughtered and it looks like sure doom for him until he's visited by Hitler-Devil mix. He looks like Hitler only with a red cape, a forked tail and a red skull-cap with horns and a swastika emblem. He offers George safety and another 100 days to live if he swears to give him his soul. After he makes the agreement, George discovers he cannot die so he decides to kill as many Germans as possible before Hitler comes to collect. Then the Hitler-Devil makes him a coward and to betray all that he holds dear, to demoralize his fellow soldiers and their faith in America. However, the Unknown Soldier intervenes, and goes to the Master of Good and calls forth spirits of patriots to inspire the heroic patriotic spirit inside George and he goes forth to fight and die as a true American hero, thus thwarting the Hitler-Devil's plans.

Hood II: 1940, Speed Comics #10 (Harvey). Underneath a lighthouse, the Hood maintains a secret base of spies, with a U-boat and seaplane, from which they are sinking convoys. The Hood and his gang are captured by Captain Freedom and the Young Defenders. The Hood is revealed as an agent disguised as Mr. Borgam, the head of United Shipping which was how he was getting info on the convoys as they were using his ships. At the end of the story, the real Mr. Borgam is presumably still held captive in Germany.

Hood III: 1940, Speed Comics #10 (Harvey). The Hood is a cadaverous looking scarecrow of a man, his skin like wrinkled brown leather over a thin frame and long blonde hair. He wears a long over-coat and a tall hat, completing the scarecrow look. He's a murderer and a robber, he and his tough man Mr. Gabby rob a plane, murder the co-pilot and parachute out. However, also on the plane is Joanie of the Young Defenders which draws the rest of them and Captain Freedom into the case. Gabby is killed by members of the Hood's gang when he's disguised as Captain Freedom. The Hood himself is spooked by Joanie who he thought was killed and fleeing her "ghost", he runs into the path of a train and his body is last seen falling from the bridge (so I guess there's a chance that he survived that less than sure death).

Hooded Riders: 1940, Speed Comics #7 (Harvey). Dressing in white hooded robes along with cowboy gun belts, they are terrorizing ranchers in the modern American West until stopped by Shock Gibson. They even keep a captured grizzly bear on hand, but it's handled easily by the hero.

Human Brute: 1946, Speed Comics #42 (Harvey). This is how he's billed in the title, but doesn't seem to go by any real code name. He's Hector Game, a taxidermist who has gone off the deep end. He hates hunters and concocts a formula that will put animals to sleep in a death-like trance. He replaces the dead stuffed animals with the the sleeping live ones and when they come out of their trance, they kill anyone nearby. His plan is uncovered by Captain Freedom and he's killed when he flees to a locked room where a bunch of his sleeping animals are coming out of their slumber.

The Jackal: 1944, Green Hornet Comics #17 (Harvey). Dressed in a canine outfit, the Jackal looks like a human-sized version of his namesake. He embarks on murderous acts of sabotage but is stopped and unmasked by the Zebra. Turns out he's a timid weak looking clerk in the shipyard office pushed to murderous rage by the continued bullying and taunting of the burly shipyard workers.

Juke Box John: 1942, Four Favorites #6 (Ace). Juke Box John runs a diner of the same name near a construction plant. He forces Arlene Clark, an escapee of a woman's reformatory to steal plant secrets or he'll continue killing workers through his unique method: he fakes a phone call for a worker when they are in the diner and the phone squirts a special liquid deep into their easr. Then he has a particular record on the juke box play that hits a specific frequency causing the atoms of the liquid to explode, destroying the victim's brain. Magno and Davey expose Juke Box John as being Arlene Clark's father John Clark who owned a rival company that would have gotten the contract if the company couldn't finish on time. When Arlene got wind of it, he originally had her framed and sent to the reformatory and then blackmailed her into helping when she escaped. Magno seemed more than a little smitten with Arlene through the course of the story.

Killraye: 1940, Speed Comics #7 (Harvey). Killraye was the ruler of Jupiter until earthman Mars Mason opposed his plans and he was forced to flee to his cousins, the Needle Men of the comets. However, his plans are stopped again by Mars Mason and the intervention of the Saturn Men, the long-time foes of the Needle Men. Killraye has rayguns and other devices that a good sci-fi villain needs. He's very much an alien being, his humanoid body being covered with jagged edges like he's made of holly leaves. He has horns, pointed jagged ears, a long nose, large mouth full of pointed teeth, and large round eyes. His returning for a second bout with Mars Mason is what earns him a spot here.

Landor: 1939, Speed Comics #1 (Harvey). Landor lives up to his billing, "maker of monsters". He wears a hooded robe and creates monsters like a seven foot tall woman with functional bat wings, giant mosquitoes, and various Frankenstein styled monsters. He's opposed by the non-powered couple Anthony "Tony" Torrence and Torrence's fiance Marcia (the GCD lists her as Maria, but the stories I've read have her as Marcia). Landor may have powers himself as he repeatedly escapes sure death, and each time Tony seems to think the villain is surely dead this time. Landor's head and face is skull-like ala the Phantom of the Opera or the Red Skull.

The Lizard: 1942, Lightning Comics v3#1 (Ace)?. The Lizard is able to climb walls with webbed gloves and boots and carries pet gila monsters which he has trained to go for people's throats and kill them. In the story I've read, no origin is given for the Lizard nor any indication if his look is a costume or not. He's apparently killed by a combination of a bite from one of his pets and the multi-story fall it causes. His ill-gotten gains are taken by the Raven and used to build a playground for poor children.

Madame Intrigue: 1944, Speed Comics #34 (Harvey). Axis agent and a master of disguise. Or is that mistress? She is involved in plots in the Middle East during the war where she runs afoul of Pat Parker and the Girl Commandos. In her second outing with them, she falls into a vat of fluid that causes advance aging (to be used against tanks and such, causing the metal to rust and fall apart) and she ages to a crone.

Old Man of the Mountain: 1941, Pocket Comics #2 (Harvey). In a crater of an extinct volcano in the Andean mountains, the Old Man of the Mountain is a mad scientist. He kills all that come across him and so his crater is a mass graveyard of lost pilots. He dies trying to kill Spin Hawkins, falling into a pit.

Queen Sheba and the Black Knights: 1940, Speed Comics #8 (Harvey). Shock Gibson goes to Africa to investigate reports of slavers. He finds himself against an armored knight which he easily defeats. The knight tells him of "The Secret Kingdom" beyond King Solomon's Mountains which Shock heads for at once. The kingdom is ruled by Queen Sheba, descended from the original, while her knights are descended from medieval crusaders that had wandered into the secret kingdom years all those years ago. She reveals that she needs the slaves to complete her pyramid which Gibson does easily with his great powers. She then agrees to free the slaves if he will rescue her son from her enemies, the black knights who are garrisoned in a castle. Speed is able to easily outfight the black knights and return the prince to Queen Sheba. She proclaims the slaves free and invites Shock to stay as king but he turns her down and returns to America. Sheba is a caucasian and a red-head and no mention is made of the boy's father (maybe that's why the great need for the pyramid). Also, the leader of the black knights is not named, nor does Shock take them prisoner, so ostensibly, they still remain a threat to Sheba's rule.

Satan: 1941, Pocket Comics #1 (Harvey). At one time, Satan was mortal, a conquistador travelling with Ponce DeLeon looking for the fountain of youth. This nameless man does find it, but drinking of it transforms him into a deathless man in the image of the red devil from whom he takes his name. He searches for death as well as causing as much misery and death as possible. To this end, he allies himself with Adolph. In his first outing, he's opposed by air cadet Jim Brady and nurse Pat Randall.

Later, he also goes up against the hero Spirit of '76 and has the help of the beautiful and seductive Duchess Tana aka Satana. He seems to have met his doom when he throws an acid bomb at Spirit of '76 and misses, creating a "bottomless pit" and is then thrown into it. Satana is captured and left for the police.

There are definite parallels between Satan and the Claw.

The Teacher: 1942, Lightning Comics v3#1 (Ace). Dennis Durrant writes: The Teacher is a mortarboard and cloak-wearing master spy who kidnaps Captain and Colonel Blake, then sends Colonel Blake out on a mission of sabotage that ends with his death. Captain Blake's daughter Isobel vows to clear their name, and Lash Lighting is assigned to go with her in order to do so, departing on a naval ship under false identities to head to Panama. Of course, the teacher has eavesdropped on Lash's mission briefing, and after Lash and Isobel save the ship on which they are travelling by an attack from captured American fighters piloted by Japanese aviators, he and she are kidnpped by the Teacher at the dock when they arrive at their intended destination, and Lash is strapped to a machine that increases his power a thousand times, then returns it to his body, weakening it severely. He grounds the current, then takes Isobel's hand and sends power into her body, transforming her into Lightning Girl. While Lightning Girl goes to an American fleet to warn it to change course so they will not fall into the Teacher's trap, Lash Lighting breaks the master spy's hold over her father, and he dies while leading a legion of troops against the Teachers own platoon. Meanwhile, Lightning girl succeeds in warning the American fleet to change course, saving the day. She and Lash then discreetly attend her father's funeral, and she vows to stay by his side to help him fight injustice.

Un-named: 1943, Speed Comics #28 (Harvey). Sadly, I don't have the text story behind this cover, so I cannot give this guy a name.

The Vampire: 1945, Green Hornet Comics #23 (Harvey). Cain Murdair calls on attorney John Doyle to commit his younger brother Abel to an asylum as he's clearly insane. During this time, there are reports of vampire attacks in the park. As the attacks continue, Cain calls on Doyle again, accusing his brother of being the vampire. Doyle investigates as the Zebra and soon finds that it's Cain who is insane and thinking he's a vampire. Abel has been the first victim, steadily being bled but when he gets to the point that he cannot supply more blood, Cain is forced to go elsewhere. It turns out that Cain is suffering of "Pernicious annemia", causing his craving of blood.

The Viper: 1941, Pocket Comics #2 (Harvey). In Baghdad, the Viper heads up a gang of mystical fakirs and an army of confederates, all in service to his god, a wooden idol of the Spirit of Night. He has his fakirs gather gems and jewels that he may offer as sacrifice to the idol. The Phantom Sphinx smashes the army and exiles the Viper to wandering in the desert.

Field Marshall Von Klawe: 1945, Speed Comics #36 (Harvey). This bald hefty man is Hitler's top man in Granada. He's captured by the Girl Commandos who get close to him by pretending to be bull-fighters. He has a metal claw instead of his right hand.

Zombies: 1940, Speed Comics #11 (Harvey). Their origins are unknown, but when Comrade Ratski meets up with Baron Von Kampf, the so-called zombies are under the command of Von Kampf. They are not the mindless undead, but something else entirely. These zombies look a bit like the Heap in that they are large, furry or grassy as they are green, but have large ears and one eye. And, they speak, though their sentences are backwards. They seem to have normal intelligence as they can use guns, gas masks, parachutes, and radios and able to make their own decisions. When one group is unable to outfight Shock Gibson, they surrender to him. After the destruction of the Florida headquarters, what Shock Gibson chooses to do with them is unrevealed.

Updates: 12-18-09

FAWCETT HEROES

Companions Three: 1940, Whiz Comics #15. Don, Spike, and Nifty are three pals. They possess not much money but an adventuresome spirit and good in a fight. Don is the dark wavy haired leader and a talented boxer, Spike is blond-haired and Nifty is the slightest of the bunch with slicked back dark hair.

FAWCETT VILLAINS:

Black Giant: 1941, Master v4#21. Cotton planters are being threatened by a zombie master, telling them to fire their workers and hire zombies out for $5,000 a piece. One owner is killed and another gives in and espouses the value of the tireless un-dead workers. The others are threatened by the wailing death and the Black Giant, a large black man that had died, was buried and has come back as a zombie in the employ of this mystery man. Mr. Carlson of the Carlson Plantation seeks out the mystery man Zoro to solve this strange crime. Zoro figures out the zombies to be nothing more than drugged men, including Black Giant, the brother to the man who died. The drugs made them tireless, subservient and unfeeling. The wailing death is nothing more than a whip with a sound effect. The zombie master is Wheeler, the planter that had seemed to give in to the demands.

GENERAL VILLAINS:

Baron Blue: 1944, Scoop Comics #8 (Chesler). Baron Blue is a ruthless and crafty criminal. A master of disguise, no one really has a clear description of him. In his first appearance, he appears as a slightly portly middle-aged man in top hat and suit to match and dark glasses. Underneath his bulk, he's powerfully strong. He manages to escape the Law even after he's shot and partially gassed by ether. Policewoman Dolly O'Dare manages to catch him in the second story in the comic and he seems destined for the electric chair.

The Beggar King: 1946, Red Seal Comics #18? (Chesler). A large powerfully built man with long red hair and spiked beard, he builds an organization of criminals and is not above a little murder and mayhem himself. He's captured by the Black Dwarf.

The Black Terror: 1942, Dynamic Comics #3 (Chesler). Completely unrelated to the Nedor hero, the villain dresses in a dark suit, cape and domino mask. He's a murderous saboteur and kills Detective Dick Starr (stabs him in the back and then blows him up real good). The dog K-9 is wounded but heals enough to track down the Black Terror who had managed to join the army in efforts to avoid the cops. He's killed by his own bomb, thrown back at him by the heroic dog.

Count Morphine: 1945, Red Seal Comics #15 (Chesler). Bald half-Japanese bootleg baron who spent a stretch in jail. When he gets out, he pretends to going straight, opening up some kind of matchmaking service/dance club as cover. The reality is that he picks a couple, tortures the girl in order to coerce the guy to commit robberies. His scheme is exposed by reporter Lucky Coyne and crew.

El Conquistador: 1945, All New Comics #11 (Harvey). Dressed head to toe in armor as a Spanish Conquistador (of course, none of the conquistadors wore full plate mail armor, but why quibble), El Conquistador has taken over a tribe of ancient Mayans in Guatamala and uses their superstitions and old fear of the conquistadors to drive them to fight against Guatamalan farmers and hurt their aide of the American War effort. In addition to the tribe, they have a giant reflective disc on top of a Mayan pyramid that can be used to bring down airplanes. It is one such downed plane and missing pilot that brings Pat Parker and her Girl Commandos to investigate. They expose him as a German agent and disable his pyramid but are forced to leave him with the Mayans in order to rescue the downed pilot. The story ends with forces being gathered to go back and take care of them for good.

Dr. Holmes and Hideous: 1942, Dynamic Comics #3 (Chesler). In brown face mask, hat and overcoat, Holmes took over the local gangs and started killing doctors and cornering the drug markets. He's aided by the large and murderous ape-man Hideous. Both are stopped by Dynamic Boy. There is no explanation given as to just what Hideous is supposed to be, he might just be a large African American psychopathic simpleton.

The Panther II: 1945, All New Comics #11 (Harvey). The first panther killing in the small town was of Steve Mason, in love with beautiful Annette but whose relationship was forbidden by her step-father at the end of a gun. Following that were two police officers that were investigating, sending the town into a state of panic. Enter the short rotund criminologist Professor Augustus Bonnard (ie Poirot). He seems to suspect a killer neither man nor beast. His investigation seems to madden the creature, it kills a horse as well as Annette's brutal step-father before going to the zoo into the panther cage where the cats attack it. In the end, it is revealed the marauding panther was Annette in a panther suit, that she suffered from a form of lycanthropy, that she thought she turned into a panther under the light of the moon and she killed without being conscious of her acts. Her step-father was just trying to protect her.

The Professor and Hugo: 1941, Dynamic Comics #1 (Chesler). The Professor is a stoop shouldered middle-aged man with a goatee and walks with a cane. What he lacks in body strength, he makes up with his keen criminal mind. He is helped by the tall and abnormally strong Hugo who is as weak in mind as the Professor is in body. They manage to escape justice at least once while fighting the Black Cobra.

Senor Muerte (Mister Death): 1946, Punch Comics #16? (Chesler). Norton Bemis hires Hernandez to destroy his planes, which he plans on pinning the blame on Shoals, the owner of a rival airline. However, Shoals' attorney is Cal Martin, secretly the hero Rocketman who investigates. Hernandez dresses up in a hooded cloak and flies an unmarked plane with an open cockpit as Senor Muerte. He's captured by Rocketman and Rocketgirl and Bemis' plans come to naught. NOTE: The story has a few holes and just seems to end with the revelation that Shoals had discovered Cal's secret identity and he blurbs it to Bemis! Leads me to wonder if the copy I read was incomplete or if this is a truncated reprint of an earlier story which happens.

Shangra: 1940, Crash Comics #1 (Holyoke). Shangra was born the 7th son of a 7th son in a remote region in Tibet. Now, 200 years old, a master of mystic arts and supposedly possessing the secret of immortal life, he is tired and searches for an heir to take over and marry his great, great, great grand-daughter Lonna. Enter stranded American reporters Joan Joyce and Jack Flynn. Jack eventually is bestowed magical powers by Shangra.

The Weasel: 1944, Blue Beetle #34 (Fox). With the war going badly and the Fascist leaders seeing ultimate defeat, one is already organizing for the next one, the German master strategist known as the Weasel. With an organization that is in America and South America trying to get money for their cause, the Weasel is unseen by most of his men. A scientist in his employ comes up with a formula that turns men into physical supermen but lacking any will of their own other than to obey their leader. However, his betrayal and murder of the scientist sets the Blue Beetle on his trail and leads to his eventual capture.

White Mask: 1945, Punch Comics #14 (Chesler)?. White Mask robbed a bank in Texas but the Law thinks that rancher Jim Collins did it, forcing him to flee and become the Gay Desperado (don't know what he has to be gay about as he's a pretty serious fellow). Collins tracks him to Mexico in order to clear his name. White Mask wears green cowboy garb, a Spanish styled hat and red scarf and a white mask covering the top half of his face as well as a distinctive handle-bar mustache. He is apparently killed in the resulting explosion and cave-in of the mine when his henchman tries to blow up the Gay Desperado, making it all the more difficult for Collins to clear his name. Considering the presence of things like automobiles, the stories are set in the modern day West though everyone dresses and acts like it's the Old West.

Updates: 11-23-09

Dr. Anderson/the Twin Terrors: 1940, Super Spy #1 (Centaur). Dr. Anderson is a physician but his business dried up. He studied other sciences on the side and as he slowly ate through his savings he accidentally discovered a way to copy the atomic structure of himself, to make a duplicate that he could control via his thoughts, otherwise it was completely inanimate. He used this duplicate to commit bank robberies while he himself was safely at home. Ultimately, the police got suspicious especially while they had a couple of detectives at his home talking with him while his duplicate gets apprehended. One detective secretly follows and watches Anderson and sees him operate the machine and confronts him and gets the whole story. Note: DC had a similar though costumed villain in Dr. Double X introduced in 1958.

Blue Spark: 1940, Super Mystery Comics #2 (Ace). The Blue Spark was a scientific genius with a criminal streak. He invented a burrowing machine, a mighty ray gun that he could mount on top of cars or his burrowing machine and melt solid steel with it, and an electronic brain machine that he could hypnotize others, with which he built a criminal gang. It might be argued that he was running out of ideas when he also created inflatable rubber suits for his gang, when filled with air it made them almost impervious to the mightiest blows of the hero. 'Course, the villains couldn't actually run around inflated constantly and it took tanks of air, hardly an instantaneous tactic. He uses these devices to get people under control, rob banks, and extort industrial magnates. He is eventually captured by Magno who is able to release the hold on the victimes by overcoming the electrical hypnosis with his magnetic powers. The Blue Spark wears a dark blue tights suit covering his body but his eyes and hands with what looks like a crown underneath his mask. His men wear a light blue version, red trunks and a yellow circle on their chest where the valve is to fill the suits up with air.

Dagger Man: 1943, Cat-Man #20/v2 #7 (Holyoke). Dagger Man is a crook and gang-leader who is very talented at throwing knives. Wanting a secret formula for a silent explosive, he is rebuffed by the scientist's widow. He robs a big bond drive of a million dollars in which to pay for it. However, the Deacon and Mickey are in the audience and manage to track him and his gang to widow's house, just missing the sale. They chastise the widow and continue to chase after the villains who promptly turn around to go back to the widow's house, to steal the million dollars back reasons the Deacon. It turns out that the widow was playing a dangerous game, she had surmised the crooks' intentions and had given them a forumula for head-ache powder and had cops waiting for the crooks. Between them and the Deacon and Mickey, Dagger Man and his gang are captured. Dagger Man didn't wear any special costume or mask, just a suit, a mustache and his throwing knives distinguish him. Although this was his first appearance, the Deacon and Mickey do recognize him so he obviously had made a name for himself.

Dr. Bio and his Spider-men: 1945, Startling Comics #35 (Standard). Dr. Bio is your bald headed scientist type with delusions of grandeur. He thinks of himself as the greatest scientist of the 20th Century and plans on taking over the U.S. To this end, he has created a breed of huge deadly poisonous spiders with human faces that he'll use to terrorize the populace and kill officials and those that oppose him. Their faces are about the same size as the normal human, giving you an idea of their scale. The superhero Captain Future stops the spiders, revealing their faces to be just masks, though they are no less a threat considering their giant size. He then captures Dr. Bio and his human gang.

Dr. Inch: 1946, Black Terror #15 (Standard). Dr. Bio is a scientist but also a midget whose mind has become warped, bitter over his lot in life. He hates all strong normal sized men so he creates a machine that when a person is bathed in its rays, they become the slaves of Dr. Inch's will. The good doctor then uses them to commit daring crimes. When the Black Terror investigates and is temporarily rendered senseless due to a blow to the head (you'd think he'd wear a helmet, it happens so often), Dr. Inch is able to use his macine to bend the Black Terror to his will as well. He commands his slaves to steal a large valuable diamond, but a bullet grazing the Black Terror's head, brings him to his senses. Pretending to still be enslaved, he leads the cops and Tim back to Dr. Inch's hideout. When the macine is destroyed during a fight, the men's minds are restored and Dr. Inch is captured. In addition to his machine and planning, Dr. Inch isn't above using his height to disguise himself as a child nor shooting and killing guards at close range.

Doctor Oxyo: 1944, Four Favorites #15 (Ace).Great scientist of the Reich, this corpulant menace created both a base in the stratosphere and undersea from which the Nazis can launch their attacks. His bases are destroyed and Oxyo possibly drowned in an attack by the Unknown Soldier.

The Flying Ghost: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #3 (Lev Gleason). Great Nazi ace Von Gruber was shooting up the frontlines before disappearing. Shortly later, the Flying Ghost appeared, a yellow checkered German airplane with no pilot in the cockpit. He is finally brought down by Capt. Lee Curtis who is flying with a French squadron as America was not in the War yet. With no pilot to shoot at, Curtis opts for setting his ship on an intercept course and then bails out. Seaching through the wreckage they find that the plane was equipped with a second hidden cockpit in which Von Gruber secreted himself and flew the plane. The artwork to the text story, symbolically displays him as a skeleton pilot, not too dissimilar to the same company's hero, the Ghost.

Ghonda: 1945, Four Favorites #19 (Ace).Ghonda is a suave and extremely capable smuggler out of India. He's hired by gem merchant Lorenzo to smuggle diamonds. He and Lorenzo are captured by Lightning and Lightning Girl. While he wears a western (as in European/American, not cowboy) suit, Ghonda sports a red turban and a big black mustache. He prefers using his wits and a sacred dagger he keeps on his person to a gun, though his comrades don't share that compulsion.

Ghost of Graydon Castle: 1941, Victory Comics #1 (Hillman). Carl Meyer is a Nazi scientist. His experiments with spiders in South America drove some natives insane and he was forced to flee to the USA and he chose Graydon Castle (it was transported stone by stone to overlook the Hudson) as a prime place to continue them, especially as the owner was away. He made a clay mask and illuminated it and his hands and started spreading the idea that it was haunted. He killed and replaced Graydon's lawyer and so was able to doctor the will so that ownership of the castle would go to Meyer if Graydon's heir could or would not live there. Then one night, as the ghost he visited Graydon and frightened him to death. When Ruth Graydon decides to disbelieve in ghosts and take up residence at the castle, he's forced to either scare her or kill her. What he doesn't know is that the mystery-man the Crusader has been on his trail and had tracked him down. Meyer had developed red spiders whose bites would drive their victimes mad, to thinking they were spiders themselves. At the present, they were attracted to a specific perfume but he was working that they'd be attracted to human odor and thus would unlease a plague of madness on the USA for the Reich.

Groff: August 1941, Victory Comics #3 (Hillman). Groff is a daring Gestapo agent, doesn't even bother changing his name while operating in the US. He has green eyes that seem to work like a flashlight (or maybe artistic way to show that he can see in the dark) as well as being a powerful tool for hypnosis which he is a master. Although, he fails at bending the Crusader to his will who captures him.

John J. Hix/Ghost: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #2 (Lev Gleason). John J. Hix was a millionaire fanatic who developed a fixation on the pretty Doris Dare of radio and sent her threatening letters and was sent to an insane asylum. After a couple of years, he kills one of the attendants, escapes and holes up in a supposed haunted house. From there, he dresses up in a sheet as a horned ghost and hires a couple of thugs to kidnap Doris. She's rescued by "the Duke" Kelly. Hix had wired the house with explosives and blows the house up trying to kill Doris and Duke, but they manage to escape. Hix is presumed killed in the explosion.

The Hooded Ravens: 1939, Silver Streak Comics #1 (Lev Gleason). In the modern West that looks a lot like the Old West operates a gang of owlhoots who wear white hoods with their cowboy gear and call themselves the Hooded Ravens. Their leader in places looks to be dressed all in white, looking like the original Ghost Rider. But, the story is a little confusing on that part. They are captured by Barry Lane.

King Loti and the Spiritmen: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #3 (Lev Gleason). On a far planet Lance Hale and Professor Grey discover King Loti and the Spiritmen. They are described as having no souls nor bodies and are less evolved than humans. However, we see them having human like bodies with the faces of beasts, mostly lions. They are ruled by the human looking King Loti who claims to have a device that gives them human bodies and will enslave the Earth. As King Loti's real appearance is that of a vulture-headed man, it's unsure if the device is what gives the supposedly bodiless spiritmen the beast-men bodies or if it's what makes Loti look human and will do so for the rest. Loti also has the ability to be invisible although the treatment that gives Lance Hale his superior strength also allows him to see Loti during those times. One of the spiritmen's weaknesses seems to be that by enacting a strong force of will through the medium of silver, their bodies can be willed out of existence. It's not easily done as it took both Myra and Professor Grey to do so against one small group of them as Hale battled them.

The Little Men and Noman: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #2 (Lev Gleason). The Little Men are dwarfish men with large heads and Noman is their "creation", a large bald man with above average strength, possibly a zombie or android of some sorts. Their goal is to rid the world of beauty and kidnap beautiful women to do so. Mr. Midnight investigates and tracks them down. During a big fight with Noman, a gas that is harmless against humans is accidentally released that disintegrates the Little Men! With their deaths, the women are set free but the secrets of the Little Men went with them.

The Living Torch: 1942, Man of War Comics #2 (Centaur). Professor Books has found a way to temporarily produce living torches (they die shortly after, all burnt up) and fires them through a special cannon at armored cars and such. His plans are discovered by Fire-man and Nancy and he and his henchmen are killed by their latest Torch who breaks free before he dies.

Luko: 1941, Man of War Comics #1 (Centaur). On the coast of Mexico, Luko is a self-styled dictator with an underground base hosting a huge army. He is goaded into preparing to attack the US by an invisible Mars; however, he and his army are stopped by Man of War. Luko is apparently killed when shot by FBI agent Wanda Hall.

Jackel: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #7 (Lev Gleason). "Fat Sam" Jackel runs an airline and at the behest of the exotic Euroasian beauty White Dragon Flower, plans on replacing several pilots of a General Staff flight with those of her spies in order to kidnap the officials. Stopped by Cloud Curtis.

Lurida: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #3 (Lev Gleason). Lurida is an evil woman who spent time in Africa. While there, she learned of the "Gem of Evil" which could be used to summon the Shadow Monster. She somehow learns of the adventures Lance Hale had that has resulted in him carrying a fortune in gems and reasons that the Gem of Evil is one of them. She hires men to steal it and she uses it to call forth the Shadow Monster and commands it to commit various crimes of mayhem from which she and her gang can profit. Hale sets himself against her gang, shooting many of them. She offers Hale a place by her side, but he destroys the gem, banishing the monster. Lurida seems to prefer death over capture and jumps into roaring flames that were originally meant as a death-trap for Hale.

Madame Death: 1944, Four Favorites #15 (Ace). Madame Death is a criminal leader. She may be middle-aged or the smoking and life of crime may have left her a little hardened looking. Her chief henchman is a man by the name of Dark Eyes. They aren't above murder and selling plans to foreign governments to make their money. Captured by Lightning and Lightning Girl.

The Maestro: 1943, Four Favorites #9 (Ace). This is one of the odder villains. The Maestro plays a violin with which he is able to command bees, having discovered their secret language. Thus, he has a bee inspired costume: yellow-black striped tights top, yellow boots, blue trunks, antennae, and gossamer wings. The antennae and a radio allow him to block Lightning and Lightning Girl's powers. Originally, the Maestro was Basilo Tosca, a musical genius and conductor while also planning robberies for his small gang to commit while the victims were away from home attending his concerts. That life of crime came to an end when one person failed to attend the concert and the crooks were interrupted which put Lightning and Lightning Girl on his trail. It was at this time that years of experimenting with bees paid off and he discovered that he could communicate with them through his music, thus the costume and replacing his henchmen with bees. The Maestro would return, changing his costume and some of his m.o., becoming an almost grotesque figure. His music could enslave others and he wore a dark suit, cloak and top hat (retaining an antenna to counteract Lighting's powers). In his employ he had a hunched back midget dressed as a jester that was his headsman and torturer, carrying a mace that he could use to deadly effect.

Marcus: 1945, Four Favorites #19 (Ace).This villain invented clocks whose chimes would put listeners into a paralyzed trance and leaving them with no memory of going under. He sent the clocks anonymously to his two former business partners whom he felt had cheated him. He managed to kill the first one while a whole dinner party was entranced, including the hero Magno. Magno & Davey managed to figure things out through a little luck and with earplugs were able to stop him from killing his second partner. Sadly, this bald villain only has the neat m.o., and being called "the watchmaker of doom" to recommend him.

The Mummy: 1942, Man of War Comics #2 (Centaur). Famed Egyptologist Professor Stone is killed while going over the "Book of Dead" which reveals ancient secrets, one of which is hypnotism. Soon, a mummy is running around, hypnotising people such as Stone's niece. Investigator Chic Ferrell uncovers his identity as Dr. Carver, a rival of Stone's who wanted the "Book of Dead", and had arranged to have a fake mummy sent to Stone full of drugs. He had to go after the niece before she remembered and revealed that there was a tunnel between Stone and Carver's houses. Carver is shot by Farrell and presumably falls into the vat of acid he had prepared for killing Stone's niece.

Ohisis: 1943, Four Favorites #9 (Ace). 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt, Princess Ohisis, daughter of pharaoh Ibis (sure there's no relation) and beloved of Fadouah lived. Fadouah was an alchemist and he discovered the secret of immortality and had Ohisis drink it. Before he can also partake of the potion, the Nile overflows and he rushes to save his countrymen only to be mortally wounded by a falling column. Ohisis doesn't want immortality without him and so he tells her that the antidote is in some imitation diamonds, crushing them will make a powder that she can swallow and die. Alas, the flood had destroyed his laboratory and washed away the diamonds, losing them somewhere buried in the mud. Ohisis lives a long life, watching civilizations come and go until the diamonds are discovered in the modern day. This brings her into conflict with the criminal the Clown who in an attempt to steal some government diamonds instead gets the imitation Egyptian ones while she accidentally makes off with the real ones. They work out a deal while Magno & Davey are caught in the middle. True to form, the Clown double-crosses her and she delivers what should be mortal wounds to him. Then she crushes the fake diamonds and joins her beloved Fadouah in death.

The Panther: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #4 (Lev Gleason). The Panther (also called the Panther Man) robbed both a bank and a jewelry store and in each place, killing someone horribly. Ace Powers investigates and discovers the Panther is an escaped patient from an insane asylum, having gone crazy when his face was horribly scarred in a car accident. The Panther wears a mask resembling a panther's head as well as an outfit complete with claws on his hands and feet though minus a tail. He appears to fall to his death fleeing a burning building but he returns the next issue, setting free other inmates of the asylum and garbing them in similar garb, all in a single-minded effort of ridding the world of Ace Powers. In issue 6, it is revealed that he was seemingly doing the work of a weird supernatural being calling himself the Spook who kills him in a "The Pit and the Pendulum" manner.

Pretty Face Killer: 1937, Detective Picture Stories #5 (Centaur). A handome man who kidnaps his victims and holds them for ransom, killing them if necessary. He leaves behind a calling card of a heart with an arrow through it. Detective Thurston Hunt unmasks him as a man whose own face was horribly disfigured, burned off claims Pretty Face, though he doesn't look that bad, probably the art not up to the task of really showing that kind of horror. He has taken to wearing life-like masks to disguise his features. He's shot, possibly killed by the boyfriend of his latest kidnapped victim.

The Purple Hand: 1942, Four Favorites #6 (Ace). Lightning has been invited to a masquerade party and during the party, a judge is killed by electrocution in some mysterious way, much like another judge the night before. To add to the macabre scene is that on his face is a purple hand imprint, apparently burned there. Lightning investigates, suspecting someone at the party. As he tracks the killer, he comes across a strange duo, a gunman and Maizie, a woman dressed as a witch, who seem to know something about the Purple Hand. Soon, they too are killed in the same mysterious way. Lightning finally discovers that the Purple Hand is John Radford, a man convicted and executed twenty years earlier! Only his body somehow was able to withstand the electrical shock and had revived shortly after. With the help of Maizie, his girlfriend, he faked his funeral and got a new face. He created a small portable charger and a gauntlet wrapped with copper coil that allowed him to commit his murders. He had feared that the judges were beginning to suspect him despite his new face and his ex-girlfriend had tracked him down and was blackmailing him, hence his murder spree. In the opening splash page and one scene where battling Lightning, the Purple Hand wears a blue hood, white shirt and orange/tan slacks and the copper glove, otherwise he's in a pirate's disguise at the masquerade party and when he's captured.

Queen of Hearts: August 1941, Victory Comics #1 (Hillman). Daring spy and 5th Columnist, she's their counterpart of the Spade of the Secret Service. Like him, she leaves a playing card to identify her actions. She evades capture several times.

Robot Terror: 1941, Miracle Comics #4 (Hillman). Most of the world believes mad scientist Howland to be dead, but he's not only alive but he's built the marauding Robot Terrors: about 8-foot tall robots that are bulletproof, strong enough to stop a car dead and can fly via a small propellor on the tops of their heads. The Sky Wizard uses Howland's own microphone to command them to attack each other. When Howland tries to intervene they choke him.

Rokula: 1941, Silver Streak Comics #7 (Lev Gleason). Rokula keeps a base full of scientific marvels including machines that allow him to hypnotize others which he uses to make kidnapped scientists create stuff to help him become ruler of the universe. Stopped by Zongar

The Spook: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #6 (Lev Gleason). A robed and hooded figure claiming to be a creature of the dark who cannot abide sunlight so he reigns below ground. It seems he was behind the Panther Man's activities and kills him for his repeated failures. The Spook also commands skeleton men (a little hyperbole, they more resemble cadavers), who he gives to life by the powers of his mind and who are immune to bullets and such. When the Spook is knocked unconscious, his skeleton men likewise collapse. Escaping from their clutches after witnessing the sad gruesome death of the Panther, Ace Powers has their lair blown up.

Suez: 1941, Blue Bolt v2#3 (Lev Gleason). Suez is a stage magician and spiritualist (and possibly escape artist) who uses all the tricks of the trade to commit daring crimes that end up reported as being done by a "ghost crook" that causes Sgt. Spook to investigate. In addition to his various stage tricks, Suez also has powers of hypnotism, is able to somehow turn himself invisible, AND he can see Sgt. Spook who is normally invisible to mortals (to the point that he doesn't realize he's being chased by a ghost and not just a rival magician). Suez has the stereotypical look of silent film villain: long mustache, cloak, suit with tails.

The Vampire: August 1941, Victory Comics (Hillman). A vampire is stalking the city, leaving dead and barely alive drained victims in his wake. The Crusader barely rescues one woman, receiving a nasty punch and cut on his chin. He notices the cut is from a signet ring with the symbol of a fang and research reveals that to be the coat of arms of the Rostavic family of Transylvania and there's a Count Rostavic currently living in the city. He captures the Vampire and reveals him to be Rostavic who was using a strong sedative in the fangs to knock out his victims and then took them to his lab where he was draining their blood which he was providing to Germany who was paying him.

The Wanderer: 1937, Detective Picture Stories #5 (Centaur). A master villain that for 4 years committed daring crimes and being pursued by "Old Jacques" who helped first the French Surete, Scotland Yard and lately the Metropolitan police in America. This tendency to move from place to place and being unpredictable in his methods earns him his name. He's a crack shot, good at disguises and seems to work alone. He's confident enough of his crimes, he's taken to goading Jacques by telling him what he plans to do next, daring him to stop him. Sadly, this is the only appearance of the villain and the elder sleuth.

White Dragon Flower: 1940, Silver Streak Comics #7 (Lev Gleason). An exotic Eurasian agent, White Dragon Flower is working with airline owner "Fat Sam" Jackel to replace several pilots of a General Staff flight with those of her spies in order to kidnap the officials. She doesn't do much in this story, but she remains free though her plans are ruined and Jackel is captured by Cloud Curtis.

X-Atlantis: 1941, Miracle Comics #4 (Hillman). X-Atlantis is an ancient sorcerer, master intellect, and tyrant of ancient Atlantis. At some point he died or was near death, but his intellect lived own via macines that slowly sustained his body even after it mummified and his mental powers allowed him to rule all of the undersea Atlantis. When surfacer Bullet Bob Dunn inteferes and trespasses in the Hall of Aeons where his body and machines are kept, the machines revive X-Atlantis and he vows to use his powers to enslave the world. However, he is presumably killed when Bullet Bob escapes and uses his ship's ray guns to destroy the Hall of Aeons. X-Atlantis is a bald old man in robes, befitting an ex-Mummy. All of the Atlanteans have some mental ability as they communicate telepathically, but X-Atlantis' is either far greater or amplified by his machines. He boasts also that he has occult powers though he doesn't display any ability not explained by the science fiction of the strip. As this version of Atlantis has a breathable mist like atmosphere, it is safe to assume these Atlanteans do not breathe underwater.

MLJ Villain:

The Radium Corpse: 1943, Jackpot #9. Mike O'Hara is a killer and slated for execution. Nearby, Dr. Edward Stimes has been experimenting with radium and using it to make someone immune to death and is apparently ready for human trials. He secretly aims his machine to the coordinates of the execution chamber and bathes O'Hara in the rays the same time the switch is thrown. O'Hara is bathed in a blinding blue light and he dies but there's no pulse in his body and he's pronounced dead. Mr. Justice is suspicious and is investigating when Stimes arrives. Stimes is shocked to find O'Hara not only dead, but his skin burnt away. O'Hara rises, his body glowing and the flesh transparent enough to show his skeleton (ala Dr. Phosphorous) and for some reason now has pointed ears. He kills a guard and Stimes flees back to his lab, to destroy the machine and end O'Hara's un-natural life. Mr. Justice changes to his ghost form and goes to Hell to see the Keeper of Lost Souls, for he knows that O'Hara died and thus his soul has moved on. After a brief struggle with the Keeper and Imps of Hell, he gets the scepter and heads back to the realm of the living. O'Hara has managed to track down Stimes, the destruction of the machine doesn't kill him and O'Hara kills the doctor as Mr. Justice arrives. Using the scepter and a spell that he knows, he commands the spirit of O'Hara back into the corpse. Once the corpse is animated once more, it becomes mortal and the radium consumes him. The Radium Corpse is colored yellow with a white corona, but the text says he glows blue. He doesn't seem to have any other powers beyond his un-natural life, the two killings he commits are by strangulation.

Updates: 10-14-09

Boro: 1941, Star and Stripes #2 (Centuar). Boro is the leader of the Great Question's underground army. This army is one of monsters. Gray, they look a bit like rats only the heads are borderline human with long prehensile trunks like elephants. Boro himself is able to grow to a story or two high and is a physical match for Amazing Man. Boro and his men are drowned when the Great Question lets the sea in on the underground lair in an effort to kill Aman and the others.

Torchy Byrnes: 1942, C-M-O Comics #2 (Centaur). Torchy Byrnes heads up a gang of arsonists (natch) and kidnappers. They intimidate Haynes, burning down his various properties and getting a huge share of the insurance money. They kidnap his daughter to insure he'll play fair, but the Invisible Terror makes things too hot for them and they are captured. Torchy has reddish brown hair, a goatee beard and likes playing with matches.

The Devil of the Deep: 1937. Funny Pages v2#1/12 (Comics Magazine Co/Centaur/Chesler). Dave Dean is diving for pearls in an area of the South Seas, waters rumored to be haunted. Indeed, he is almost killed by a wreck when a strange fish-man cuts his airline. The devil also kills a native diver belonging to rival Wing Po. Going back down, Dave Dean finds the devil off the wreck, fights and stabs him and sends him to the surface. Investigating the wreck, he discovers that it was deliberately sunk, a corpse tied up. Surfacing, the devil is revealed as debonair Philip, cousin to the man who was at the bottom of the sea and who had killed him for the fortune. Ok. Don't know why he just didn't remove the body, the chief evidence that it was murder.

Dr. Dietz: 1941, Liberty Scouts #2 Centaur). In an underground lair, Dietz holds Dr. Thorndike prisoner, forcing him to help him perfect his disintergration ray gun which he hopes to mount on a state of the art airplane and be unstoppable. However, his plans are foiled by Thorndike's intervention and the investigations of undercover man Steve Crawford. First he is tricked into killing his own men and when he flees in the airplane, his own ray-gun is turned against him and blows his plane out of the sky, presumably killing him. Dietz is a roundfaced man with glasses and slick dark hair and mustache. Despite his weight, he is able to move quickly and throw a hard punch when he has to.

El Zingaro: 1943, Amazing Man Comics #22 (Centuar). A hooded and robed man who also carried a pair of revolvers, he is leading his own private army of banditos, taking over oil wells, ranches and gold mines of Mexico to fund an invasion of the US. He and his gang are stopped by the Voice who through his powers brings their headquarters down around their ears.

The Falcon: 1937, The Comics (Dell). International man of evil, he kidnaps Dr. Doom's son and holds him in Marovia in exchange for secret war plans.

The Ghost: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #13 (Centuar). The Ghost and his gang have a small fighter plane which they use to force down large transport planes for loot and hostages. However, on one such flight is Minimidget and Ritty who escape capture. They rescue the hostages and mount an attack against the gang. The Ghost himself sneaks off and gets in his plane for a getaway. Minimidget and Ritty tie a line across the path and cause the plane to crash on take-off and burst into flames, apparently killing the Ghost. The Ghost and his gang wear red hooded robes, the Ghost's has a skull on the front. With the sole exception of strongman and guard Jo-Jo who walks around bare-chested.

The Gorgon: 1937, The Comics (Dell). Masked super criminal and kidnapper. Opposed by Tom Beatty.

Josef: Gordon Fife and the Boy King (newspaper strip?) The large Sydney Greenstreet type villain headed a criminal gang in Kovnia. He was a little unique in that he used hypnotism to hypnotise Gordon Fife to steal the crown jewels.

Kamroff: 1937. Funny Pages v2#2/13 (Comics Magazine Co/ Centaur/Chesler). This Russian chartered Dave Dean's schooner to make a trip across the Berring sea. Turns out, he has pals there that had escaped from a Siberian prison along with the prison director's beautiful daughter Natalie and stolen jewels and wants passage back to Alaska. After close calls, Shorty and Dave manage to turn the tables on the cut-throat crew and capturing them, last seen waiting for the hangman. Among his group is Ivan the Mighty, dressed as a Cossack but colored yellow, maybe partially Mongolian? Kamroff himself is bald with a van dyke and a monocle.

Karrion: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #13 (Centuar). The old hag Karrion rules great vultures in the Land Beneath the Sea and is more than a little bit nuts. When Chuck Hardy kills one of her pets, she attempts to use his crossbow against him. However, the bow has a legend attached to it. One, it always hits its mark, and two, it can only be used for just purposes. If used for evil, the culprit will die a sudden death. It holds true as the arrow bounces off a rock and strikes Karrion in the throat, killing her.

Master Mind: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #13 (Centuar). While a young man, he had been shot in the legs by a police chief during a raid. To save his life his legs had to be amputated. He travelled the world and spent time in India where he discovered the talent of being able to look at the photo of a crook and bend it to his telepathic will. Because of his strong mental powers, the Indian populace called him the Master Mind. He returned to America and devoted his powers to destroying the now retired police chief. To this end, he remotely bent crooks to his will and telepathically ordered them to attack the chief's house and kill him and his daughter. However, he had not counted on the intervention of Mighty Man. He was able to either through device or force of will hold Mighty Man to one spot while his strong giant and bodyguard Trojan attacked Mighty Man. While they wrestled, Master Mind aimed a powerful ray gun at the hero but Mighty Man had gotten the upper hand and threw the giant against Master Mind, crashing the two against the wall. The villain's chair was full of destructive devices to kill others but the impact caused it to explode, ending his threat.

The Professor: 1942, C-M-O Comics #2 (Centaur). The Professor lives in a big mansion and has developed a large anti-aircraft ray gun (they call it a ray gun, but it looks like the other). He lays a trap for messengers to find out the orders and scheduled flight plans and manage to trap Star Spangles Branner and his pals who are doing some work as messengers. Branner figures something is rotten and manages to turn the tables. The Professor works with a long-haired fellow who talks in rhyme called the Poet, a midget who disguises himself as one of the boys to deliver fake messages called "Little Dude" and several other toughs not even so nick-named. The Professor and the Poet are apparently killed when Branner and pals turn the ray gun on them. The Professor wore a long trench-coat, wide-brimmed hat, thick round glasses and bit of a long face.

Professor Zorn: 1941, Stars & Stripes #5 (Centuar). Professor Zorn is a bald scientist working for the Nazis and charged with getting rid of the Iron Skull with the aide of Bernice Wild and spies to lure him into a trap, to lock him into an iron maiden and then with one of his inventions, solidify his body into immobilization. They fire him from a cannon as a human missile into DC. There, the process seems to wear off and he goes into a mindless age. Witnessing, Bernice feels remorse and talks the FBI into letting her approach the Skull and calm him down. He calms down on his own, but Bernice comes to him, promising she can reverse the process (thought it was no longer working?), they head back to the headquarters and she cures him. Zorn and his men show up and the Iron Skull is able to take them captive. Miss Wild meanwhile had disappeared.

Rad Omeron: 1938, Cocomalt Big Book of Comics #1 (Chesler). A Martian bandit and interstellar bandit, he kidnaps Dr. Carter's daughter Gloria in hopes to hold off the officials and get free reign on plundering. However, he's tracked and possibly killed when blasted by a ray gun by Dan Hastings. NOTE: This is an oddity of a book. Various features seem to indicate it's a continuation of Centaur's Star Comics, the GCD lists it as a Quality book, but the mag and features claim that it's copyrighted by Harry "A" Chesler syndicate and includes characters like Boodini, Dan Hastings, Lucky Coyne who all appeared in books by Centaur, MLJ and later Chesler's own line. The book otherwise seems to be a product of sponsorship by Cocomalt and early vaudeville, radio and animated (!) star Joe Penner.

The Purple Dragon Gang: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #16 (Centuar). The Purple Dragons are a gang for hire and have been contracted to destroy an airplane factory. In order to keep the Iron Skull from interfering, Al Avison and the others kidnap Professor Kenneth Shenton in order to impersonate him and trick the Skull into agreeing to some experiments. Avison injects the Skull through his one vulnerable spot, an artery on his arm and incapacitates him while slowly rusting his body. However, the real Shenton escapes, the Skull is given an antidote and the plant is saved. Avison goes nuts on the gang and they scatter. One of the gang, the Moose who has a large nose and long face, decides to try to go straight and joins up with the Iron Skull in tracking Avison down.

The Skull-Men (un-named): 1940, Amazing Man Comics #12 (Centuar). The Shark agrees to help out a scientist and travel to Mars via a rocketship. However, the ship crashes into an unknown planetoid on the way there. The planetoid seems barren but for a malevolent un-named race of men in robes whose heads resemble skulls. They capture the Shark and put him with some other scientists that had traveled there by rocketship (!), all but one having gone insane. Discovering that the skull-men will destroy his ship, the Shark and the one sane scientist manage to outfight the skull-men, rescue the others, restore their sanity and return to Earth.

Thacker the Great: 1941, Amazing Man Comics #19 (Centuar). Aman and Zona are investigating a series of suicides at a hotel across the street from where Thacker is advertised performing. After coming across the name Thacker in relation to a realty company, Amazing Man follows up with some research and discovers all the suicides happened on one side of the building when the sun was the strongest because Thacker needed the sunlight to reflect off his large mirror to hypnotize from the distance across the street. Thacker was the brother of the president of Thacker Realty Company who were hoping to drive the price down with the suicides. Amazing Man's mind proved strong enough to resist the hypnotism and captured Thacker.

Torchmen: 1945, Startling Comics #32 (Standard). Nazi Major Horstel developed radium powered jetpacks as an effort to save pilots lives as opposed to parachutes. However, a design flaw makes them have a tendency to burst into flame after sustained use. He adapts the jetpacks to also have a hood with a nozzle to re-direct the heat and flames. Soon, he and a small gang are destroying planes and sabotaging war plants which attracts the attention of the Fighting Yank. Their flight, flame powers, and numbers allow them to get ahold of his cloak but even without his powers, he fights on. With the help of Joan and his ghostly ancestor (who has to save him a couple of times as well as directly intervene this time), he is able to defeat them: Horstel is apparently captured while the others are apparently killed when the Fighting Yank turns their weapon against them. Horstel has a monocle over his left eye.

The Vulture: 1941, Amazing Man Comics #24 (Centuar). This bald man leads a gang of saboteurs. In addition to blowing up plants, he is also kidnapping draftees, stamping them with a hypnotic stamp that enslaves them to be part of his private army. Below ground, the Vulture is also building tanks and guns using his slave labor. The stamp is on the chest and of a vulture sitting on a skull. He even manages to trap Amazing Man's assistant Tommy. Ultimately, his plans are undone and he barely escapes, revealing himself to actually being Mr. Que/the Great Question, Amazing Man's most hated enemy.

Updates: 08-28-09

The Coal People: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #11 (Centuar). Centuries ago, a race of Indians were forced underground where they built a huge city. The strange gas and their eating coal (?!) turned them into giant coal people: about 12 feet tall, with coal like skin. When they see their first white man and with white hair, they think he's a god and so imprison him. However, when they later find a dead coal miner, they eat him and discover he's quite tasty and so start raiding the coal mines for other miners. Mighty Man discovers their hidden city and that they are a match for his strength. However, he also discovers they are afraid of fire and so escapes after rescuing their "god" and seals off the mine, sealing them and their city in.

Doctor Magno: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #8 (Centuar). As a soldier in the World War of 1950, he had his hands shot off and they were replaced with steel hands that had magnetic properties, properties he seems able to control. After the war, he used his talents to organize criminals, but was captured and put away by the Iron Skull. He escaped and again started organizing all of Chicago's crooks. Only this time, after he has captured the Iron Skull and committed brazen robberies, he kills them with gas as payment for earlier betrayals by them. He's ultimately captured by the Iron Skull and for his murders, to receive full punishment by the law.

Doctor Stepet: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #7 (Centuar). A crazed bald hunchbacked scientist, with his fantastic machines he is able to instantly vaporize whole lakes and holds the country for ransom. His plans are stopped by the Shark and it's unclear whether Stepet is captured or killed by a giant octopus doing the bidding of the Shark.

Doctor Toyat: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #7 (Centuar). In the year 1960, Toyat and his assistant Kito kidnap women in order to make them powerful giants under his control. Toyat is also able to make self-destructing humanoid robots. He's stopped by the Iron Skull and forced to return the gals to normal. Preferring death to capture, he electrocutes himself.

The Elemental: 1940, Amazing Man Comics #9 (Centuar). At a concert, amateur pianist Bill Wend is overcome with the desire to play and rushes the stage to do so. The music that he is compelled to play summons an alien evil being, an elemental. It grows to huge size and terrorizes the crowd, eating some of them. However, the Magician from Mars is able to match his size and brute strength and he flees. From there he enters an alliance with a "Mad Professor" who kidnaps people to feed to the elemental so it can grow in power until it can summon its brethren and conquer the Earth. The Magician from Mars is able to track them down and defeats the Elemental by singing beautiful notes, it shrinks as it loses its power agonizingly until ultimately it is sent back to the dimension from whence it came. The professor is presumably killed when the Magician from Mars brings down the staircase which he was fleeing up.

'Faces' Jeffre: 1940, Amazing Mystery Funnies v3 #1 (Centuar). Faces had been a noted actor in vaudeville, able to to easily change his voice, face and mannerisms to suit his roles. However, when vaudeville dried up, so did the the demands for him as an actor and he turned to the easy life of crime. He quickly discovered that his abilities on stage gave him a great advantage, to be almost unrecognizeable. Eventually, his crimes and boldness grew to the point that he wasn't above committing murder and he was captured, tried and sentenced. He used his acting ability to escape prison and met back up with his gang. He didn't stay free very long as he opted to disguise himself as a local farmer while shopping at a store in New Jersey. He gave himself away as his acting seems to have been more of mimicry than method, so he bought more stuff than a down and out farmer would have, didn't bother to disguise his decidedly non-farmer hands and the clincher, after giving exact change for everything, he did the same for a pack of cigarettes - not realizing that in New Jersey, they didn't charge tax for cigarettes like they do in New York. A small text story, that doesn't have him facing any super detectives or such, but his skill at disguise made him notable enough.

The Power: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #8 (Centuar). The Power is a pseudo-Napoleon with military styled garb. On his island of Castle Rock, he has amassed an army and slaves and advance technology. He also has agents in various governments working to bring them down, some already fallen. All for becoming ruler of the Earth. He also likes to collect unusual things, which is his undoing as his agents capture Minimidget and Ritty as a gift for his collection. With the aide of a captured scientist, the duo manage to escape and alert the American forces of his hideout who launch an all out attack. He is apparently killed as he tries to escape in his private plane and it's shot down.

Princess Istrid: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #8 (Centuar). Haughty Princess Istrid is the step-daughter of Kustan, the ruler of the subterranean kingdom of Aquatania. She resents the popularity of the outsiders Chuck Hardy and his blonde girlfriend Jerry and would like to see them dead. She meets her own untimely end in a foreign land a couple of issues later when men that were bribed to carry her back home just kill her on the way as they already have the gold and no one would know.

Sir Morbid and his Ten Knights of Doom: 1939, Amazing Mystery Funnies (Centuar). Sir Morbid and his knights have usurped the throne of his nephew, Prince Albert of Avon. Time tossed 'Reel' McCoy and Speed Centaur help the prince defeat the knights and regain his throne.

Stone-Age Killer: 1943, Four Favorites #9 (Ace). Gammon is a racketeer and is being chased by what appears to be a caveman complete with a club who is after the one bit of money that he earned honestly and hid away for his daughter, the model Tina Grand. Gammon is half dead when he flees to Mr. Risk and tells him where the money is hidden. While Risk is out of the room, the caveman catches him and kills him with Risk's letter opener, framing him for the murder and forcing Risk to get the money and hope to capture the real killer. It works out and the caveman is unmasked as Legs Levelle, Gammon's old partner. NOTE: He wasn't given any code-name as a cave-man in the story, so the name "Stone-Age Killer" is my term that sounds a bit catchier and less generic than "Un-named caveman".

Vulcan: 1940, Prize Comics #7 (Prize). This ruler is of a race from the Earth's core and tried to conquer the surface world. He was opposed by Dr. Frost over several issues.

Updates: 08-18-09

Fang: 1944, Tally-Ho Comics #1 (Swapper's Quarterly/Baily Publications). Fang is a green skin villain, a face not too unlike a crocodile's crossed with the GA Red Skull, and wearing red robes. He's got some ability to bring forth imaginary monsters who can wreak very real and deadly damage. We first see him on Desolation Island, a dismal gloomy island where various cutthroats and pirates can find refuge. He's too evil for even them and they bind him and take him to the Arctic where they hope the cold will kill him. However, as soon as he manages to free himself from his bonds (maybe his powers don't work while tied?) he calls forth a sea serpent to destroy their ship. Then he calls forth an army of savages to attack a group of Eskimo natives. They have protection of their own and pray for the "mighty one" to save them. An idol of an ice man with a blue baseball cap, buttons and boots, smoking a pipe and holding a hatchet comes to life as Snowman and fights Fang. Fang briefly gets the upperhand and somehow manages to create a semi-tropical underground lair with crocodiles where he can plan his global conquest. Ultimately, Snowman defeats him and Fang falls victim to his own crocodiles. Whew.

Minstrel: 1947, All Top Comics #8 (Fox). Boris is a great celebrated opera singer. However, when he's rebuked by the woman he loves, he slaps her and she throws a brush that hits his throat and damages his voice. His mind turns and he travels in hopes to get his voice back. Later he arrives in Africa dressed as a medieval wandering minstrel and talking always in rhyme. He harbors a deep hatred for women and seems able to kill with a song, killing one of the white tribal women of the tribe that Rulah hangs out with and then again his former love who has pursued him. Before she dies, she reveals to Rulah that Boris is wanted for killing women in America. Rulah fights the Minstrel and discovers that he uses his lute as a powerful bow to fire little darts. In the fight, the taut bow string snaps around Minstrel's throat and strangles him.

Sneer: 1947, All Top Comics #8 (Fox). With slightly malformed legs that limit his mobility, Sneer has become a mad scientist, dressing in Medieval style tights and slippers with a modern-day shirt, jacket and tie. He has created the Eonscope which he uses to bring forth "The Treacherous Trio", three criminals from the past: Blackbeard the pirate, Jack the Ripper, and Doctor Crippen. He has them committing various crimes on his behalf though they cannot suppress their baser instincts. Which is how Joan Mason gets on the trail, having been assigned by her editor to get the story on a series of bizarre murders which has her path crossing with Jack the Ripper. Luckily, her boyfriend is secretly the Blue Beetle and he sends the killers back to the past and the police arrest Sneer... although the Commissioner doesn't believe Mike's story about Sneer so who knows what happens with him.

Skeleton Key: 1945, Key Comics #3 (Consolidated). According to the GCD, while the story was titled "The Story of the Skeleton Key", it sadly had nothing to do with this rather colorful villain on the cover.

The Specter: 1946, Startling Comics #40 (Standard). Dennis Reading is the Specter. When he is caught cheating his business partners, he is turned out and left destitute. He puts together a small gang (with his number one man named Steve whose advice he actually listens to!) to get revenge. On his left black gloved hand, he wears a ring that has a cyanide poisoning needle which is how he mysteriously kills. When we first see him, he is debonair but sinister looking guy with a mustache in formal wear with a cape, making him quite the dashing villain. He and his gang are captured by the Oracle.

Treacherous Trio: 1947, All Top Comics #8 (Fox). The trio are Blackbeard the pirate, the serial wife killer Dr. Crippen and Jack the Ripper brought from the past to the present day by mad scientist Sneer. They are outfought and sent back to the past by Blue Beetle.

MLJ Villains

Red Dugan: 1940, Blue Ribbon Comics #3. Red is a modern day pirate of the seas but his life and enterprises are in jeopardy from a rival pirate gang led by Spike Wood. Surviving, he's inspired by a Martian movie and forces Dr. Cardo to create a fish-man monster that will obey his commands. The creature has the general form of a green man, giant red "claws of the killer lobster, teeth of a tiger-shark and the heart of the barracuda" (?). It also has a shell on it's back like a turtle or crab and can survive in water and out. He uses the creature to first kill Cardo and then to enact his revenge on Spike Wood and gang. What he fails to realize is that the monster didn't kill Cardo, but only wounded him as Cardo managed to make him incapable of killing his creator. The strip didn't continue into #4, so don't know if Cardo managed to stop the creature nor if they cross paths with Jim, Bill & Ted aka "the Devils of the Deep" whose strip this appears in.

Gustave Ritter:1940, Blue Ribbon Comics #4. WWII has lasted to the year 2039 and much of civilization is in ruins. Gustav Ritter is a half-caste Mongol warlord whose barbaric hordes have conquered much of what is left and enslaved them even though his armies are only armed with knives, spears, bows and arrows. He uses his slaves to build a massive palace (more akin to Hindu architecture than Mongolian). He's opposed by Doc Strong and a small gang of scientists who seek to rebuild civilization and science.

Updates: 07-17-09

Sam Broot: 1940, Jungle Comics #2/3 (Fiction). Anthony Durrant writes us: "Sam Broot was a small-time gangster from Chicago who killed a man and had to flee the country. He travelled to Africa, where he became the Chieftain of a brutal tribe. A huge man with a potbelly, Broot wore a top hat on his head, apparently as a badge of office. He burned down the house where Ann Mason lived, which caused her love Ka'anga to go after her. He defeated Broot after a terrible struggle and was able to remove him as chieftain of the tribe. The second enemy to ever be faced by Ka'anga, Sam Broot first appeared in Jungle Comics #2." The GCD lists this story as being in #3 but it's not always the most accurate.

Captain Kidd: 1944, Reg'lar Fellers #27 (Eastern Color Printing). A thin bald scientist with dark glasses and what looks like some fanged teeth, Kidd has found by extracting oxygen from water, he can create a blanket of hydrogen that cancels out radio waves when directed at a radio tower. He uses this to extort money from Waldine, head of a radio station. Kidd is captured by Hydroman who reveals him to be Waldine's ex-partner Mark Kidwell.

Death: 1942, Mystery Men Comics #30 (Fox). Sir Anthony Durrant shares: "Death was a criminal in a brown robe with a skull for a head; he went to the surface world and began kidnapping innocent people to work a uranium vein he had discovered. The Blue Beetle and his reporter friend Joan Mason discovered that he was a fraud and that he and his "assistant" Necrow were one and the same man. Apprehended by the Blue Beetle, he committed suicide rather than be captured."

Colonel Hakashi: 1949, Spy and Counterspy #2 (American Comics Group). Anthony Durrant reports: "Colonel Hakashi was a survivor of the atomic bomb explosion at Hiroshima whose face was left so disfigured that he had to wear a black mask over his head. Hakashi founded a society called the Black Avengers in order to get revenge on America for the atomic bomb blasts, but was stopped by two American agents, one of whom was Lotus Blossom, the only female member of his group and the girl who had discovered his prototype atomic balloon bomb years before. Colonel Hakashi appeared in Spy & Counterspy #2, which was the last issue of that comic to bear that title, it changed to Spy Hunters by the third issue."

Indira: 1940, Reg'lar Fellers #2 (Eastern Color Printing). The beautiful Indira is the Queen of Dacoits in modern day India. Her goals for power have two obstacles: Kalla Khan who rules a thuggee cult and the American writer Chickering Mann.

Kalla Khan: 1940, Reg'lar Fellers #1 (Eastern Color Printing). A modern day leader of a Thuggee cult of worshipers of Kali. He has a secret underground lair in the Temple of Kali where he has been amassing a secret arsenal of weapons. He has two problems. One is the heroic writer Chickering Mann who is living in India. Another is the beautiful but evil Indira, Queen of the Dacoits

Mad Fiddler: 1940, Reg'lar Fellers #12 (Eastern Color Printing). The Mad Fiddler wants to conquer and set up a new order based on the order of music. To this end he needs funding and so he steals a formula that allows him to make fake Stradivarius violins. He also hijacks radio waves and communicates to his gang members through regular radios. He's opposed by the fledgling hero Music Master.

Mr. Death: 1939, Mystery Men Comics #5 (Fox). Mr. Death is an innocent looking unassuming man which accounts for him being able to kill 150 people by his own estimate. He just calmly walks up and shoots them. No explanation is given for why he does this. When the newspapers carry a story written by Gail Blanch how the hero Mystery Man is going to capture him and then goes on describing Mr. Death as a "huge, powerfully-built man" he feels the need to confront and correct her. Which of course, was the Mystery Man's plan all along. Text story by Will Eisner. The artwork calls him Dr. Death, but at no point is he referred to as such in the story.

Nicoli: 1939, Mystery Men Comics #4 (Fox). Criminal mastermind who approaches it with a scientific bent. To aid in these endeavors, he's created a gun that temporarily paralyzes its targets as well as a larger machine that will do the job permanently and belts that make him and his gang immune to the effects. He's captured by the Green Mask who uses the gun in later cases (though reduced from a rifle to a handgun). You can tell Nicoli is an evil genius as he has a monocle over his right eye, a hawkish nose, a widow's peak hairstyle and long waxed mustache.

Walrus Men: 1939, Mystery Men Comics #5 (Fox). The Walrus Men are stone age savages at the South Pole with long tusk like teeth lead by their chieftan Numa. The cave to their tribe and a huge reptilian monster they give human sacrifices is sealed by the magician Zanzibar.

Updates: 05-29-09

Baroness Brunhilde: 1944, Catman #23/24 (Holyoke). Baroness Brunhilde is mentioned at the end of Blackout's adventure in #23 as being a threat against the German Underground and even the hero seems to be taken aback.

Butcher: 1941, Wonderworld Comics #21 (Fox). Bald white suited Nazi spy. He's incredibly strong (kills a British agent by throwing a large spear) and able to go toe to toe with the hero London. They had possibly met sometime outside of this story as both hero and villain recognize each other. However, he is outfought by London but is then killed by Tibbets, another undercover German agent because the two were in competition to prove which was Hitler's top operative and was afraid Butcher would now talk.

Captain (un-named): 1941, Cat-man Comics #4 (Holyoke). Dressed in a military costume, this un-named man commands a zeppelin, a weapon that casts destructive lightning bolts and his own secret island that he can submerge. With these, he is able to lay waste to entire cities on behalf of a foreign power bent on world conquest. Despite that, his plans to destroy America come to naught thanks to the intervention of Dr. Diamond. Diamond calls him "Captain" at the end, thus I refer to him as such here.

Demons of Death: 1943, Cat-man Comics #22 (Holyoke). The Deacon and Mickey find a dying man in a remote area talking of demons of death. Investigating they uncover a group of devils. When they spot them robbing a bank they suspect them of being humans in devil disguises and when confronted in their lair done up like a version of hell with a fire all around and a throne for the head devil, they do confess to being the Board of Directors of the Center City Bank and this was their way of embezzling the funds. The leader is Pierre Lamarte, the vice-president. The dead man was the bank president they had killed when he wouldn't go along with the scheme.

Doctor Gaunt: 1942, Cat-man Comics #15 (Holyoke). Doctor Grant is an elderly doctor in a small town. He gets no patients as he's old and never made much money out of his years of service and sacrifice and people just call him Dr. Gaunt. It turns his mind, he puts on a cloak and top hat and sets out to rob and murder a banker as well as leaving a strange note for the police. He's spotted by some other crooks who decide to lean on him, but kindly old Dr. Grant has a hypnotic presence and maniacal strength when he's Gaunt and he soon has control of the gang. They are all captured by Cat-Man and Kitten. Dr. Gaunt is also intelligent enough to have invented a gas that not only kills but dissolves the body.

Doctor Sinister: 1942, Cat-man Comics #13 (Holyoke). A small runt of a man, but knowledgeable of pressure points and fiendish torture that he can lay a full man out with the right touch. He's a chief of Nazi spies and when he tires of hearing how his men keep getting stymied by Cat-man and Kitten he puts his deductive mind to work to divine their identities and put them out of the action. He'd have succeeded if not for chance and kidnapped a friend of Merryweather's who also had an eleven year old daughter, mistaking them for his targets. He and his men are easily captured.

Duke Loran: 1941, Amazing Man Comics #22 (Centaur). Duke Loran is the jealous suitor of Princess Deila in the subterannean kingdom/city of Atlantia. Jealous of the attention she shows Reef Kinkaid after he is marooned there, he turns to murder and treason. He attempts to kill Reef and secretly forms an army of real frog-men to overthrow the kingdom. However, Reef Kincaid and Princess Deila are able to commandeer an undersea tank and rout the frogmen. However, Duke Loran not only remains free but his perfidy is left undiscovered. Atlantia was the first city of a lost continent 9000 years ago. When a tidal wave destroyed and sank much of the land, there were survivors who had fled to some caves in the hills. The cataclysm had expanded the cave but also put the only entrance beneath sea level and they rebuilt their civilization there.

Faux Phantom Falcon: 1942, Cat-man Comics #13 (Holyoke). The Phantom Falcon is trying out his new plane after his last one was crashed when he spots a duplicate of his plane in the skies. The two have a deadly duel, and it's all he can do to shoot down his duplicate, though behind enemy lines. He lands in order to get a look at his imposter and is surprised to see a female spy who had hoped to fly the plane into England without being shot at. Her plans for mayhem in England are left undisclosed as he's forced to leave without her, though she'll have to find a different way to sneak into the country.

The Four Horsemen of Doom: 1944, Cat-man Comics #23 (Holyoke). Super-scientist for the Nazis, Dr. Grotz hooks up 4 volunteers to a strange machine and empowers them as embodiments of the four horsemen of the apocalpyse: Famine, Pestilence, War, and Death. They ravage occupied Europe until confronted by Cat-man and Kitten. Famine falls over a cliff when his mad charge is dodged by Kitten, Cat-man knocks Pestilence over the same cliff. Kitten uses a car as a bomb and War and Death perish in the flames.

Ghost of Duke Edgeroy: 1941, Cat-man Comics #4 (Holyoke). The legend is that for 200 years, the ghost has haunted the Glascow castle in the Blue Stone Mountains and recently Sir Wilkens Sidney has been seeing the ghost and has called on Rag-man to help clear up the mystery for a hefty award. The ghost promptly does appear dressed as a cavalier with a yellow-greenish death-head face. Rag-man captures the Ghost and exposes him as Marty Vance, a well known racketeer who with Sidney's servants was running a counterfeiting operation out of the castle. NOTE: The various elements of the story don't really add up. The location is obviously meant to be America despite the presence of a castle with a knighted owner and a ghostly duke. The ghost's appearance suggests the Duke being from centuries earlier than 200 years ago as well.

Lady Satan: 1944, Catman #23 (Holyoke). A brunette woman with a pinched death-head face starts appearing at an aircraft factory, seemingly able to kill the workers by merely showing her face. She is stopped by the Hood and unmasked as the wife of Abel Garling, the company owner. Garling was being paid by the enemy to halt production and had worked up this scheme with his wife wearing the skull-face mask to terrorize the workers. They rigged up the plant grounds with electric wires and when she stepped on a contact plate, her victims were electrocuted.

Mad Ming: 1940, Funny Pages #34/v4 #1 (Centaur). Wu Chang is an oppulent and overweight Chinese Importer. To the underworld, he's also the Mad Ming, head of smuggling empire, leader of a tong as well as having pull in the homeland. He has no problem with murder or torture, even of a beautiful woman. Unlike many "Yellow Peril" menaces, the only part of him that is stereotypical is his long hanging thin mustache. Running his shop, he wears a Western style suit, and he's large and powerful looking if overweight. His first outing, he's captured by G-Man Gene. Prison doesn't hold him long and he returns to undertake other various criminal schemes. Sadly, in those stories, he takes to wearing more stereotypical garb, at least when he's amongst other Chinese.

Marko: 1942, Cat-man Comics #10 (Holyoke). Dr. Marius manages a formula that accidentally shrinks him to Doll Man size. Before he can figure out an antidote, his brother Marko captures him and steals the formula. However, a visit from Rag-man and Tiny shortly later puts them a bit wise to the scheme. When strange thefts are being committed, they realize that the clues point to a small man and deduce that Marko is using the serum. After a battle and being temporarily shrunk themselves, they overcome the villain and unmask him as Dr. Marius himself. Turns out that Marko was forcing him to commit the murders but once he perfected an antidote, he killed Marko and continued with the highly profitable thefts. As the size changing thief, he had an interesting look but no code-name.

Mask of Death: 1942, Cat-man Comics #10 (Holyoke). Various men are given new medals for patriotic duty but are then killed by the Mask of Death, a man in brown business suit with a green skull and a gun that fires electric bolts, giving them his Medallion of Death to go along with their new medals. FBI man Craig Williams investigates as himself and the Hood. The Mask of Death is possibly killed when one of the medals is thrown at him as he fires his gun. He proves to be Krimmer, the State Department's Purchasing Agent who was in reality a Nazi agent. As he was head of purchasing and providing the medals to be given out, he was treating them with a special coating that would attract the electric bolts of his specially designed gun.

Masked Leader (un-named): 1944, Catman #23/24 (Holyoke). The Little Leaders (Kitten and Mickey) in their civilian identities investigate the claims of innocence of a lighthouse keeper imprisoned for signaling enemy subs. They find a Coast Guard man held prisoner at the lighthouse by gang and their un-named masked leader. Overcoming the group, they find out the leader is really Von Hoogstraten, well known sea-raider of WWI, now a spy for Nazi in the guise of the local bait man who would lure the lighthouse keeper out fishing so that his gang could use the lighthouse.

Monstro: 1941, Cat-man Comics #4 (Holyoke). Monstro is a circus gorilla and advertised to be fierce. When he escapes, the public panics and soon random attacks and brutal killings start occuring. However, Lance Rand uncovers that the killings are by gangster Puggsy Sloane dressed as a gorilla to serve as decoy while his gang are committing crimes elsewhere. They had captured the gorilla who is in reality quite peaceful, only advertised as ferocious for publicity.

Nazi Wolf-Dogs: 1943, Cat-man Comics #22 (Holyoke). In one of the strangest plots ever, Hitler has parachuted into Hollywood dozens of vicious and trained to kill wolf-dogs. With a recording of a wolf's howl, the Hood manages to lead them away from the crowds with a truck and over a cliff. Those that don't die that way are gunned down by the army.

Norvo: Cat-man Comics #6? (Holyoke). Norvo is an expert at mass hypnotism and a ruthless criminal to the point that he's institutionalized in an insane asylum. His hypnotism is along the lines of many magician characters like Mandrake. Regardless, he's captured by Lance Rand.

Rajah of Destruction: 1942, Cat-man Comics #15/16 (Holyoke). Fatman in a turban, appeared in the last panel of the Cat-man story in #15 setting the stage for the story of #16.

Silver Fox: 1936, Funny Pages v1#3 (Centaur). The Silver Fox and his men are after "the Sapphire Eye of Sekhmet", a jewel that will allow the user to see through solid objects, with which would allow him to easily find hidden treasure and such. He captures Princess Nadja as well as the Murray family, the father having a line on the jewel's whereabouts. As the story takes place in Egypt, he wears desert robes. NOTE: The date and comic is actually of the beginning of the story. Funny Pages serialized the stories in two-page installments, so it is an actual later issue that the Silver Fox is first mentioned.

Suicide Master: 1942, Cat-man Comics #6 (Holyoke). Central City is subject to a plague of suicides, leading the Deacon to intervene. The Suicide Master kidnaps the Deacon's sidekick, Mickey as a hostage. Central City is not a big city apparently as the Deacon quickly narrows down the headquarters of the gang to being Town Hall itself and manages to save Mickey from being hypnotized into committing himself. The Suicide Master is revealed to being Boss Wilson, the political boss of Central City. He'd hypnotize his victims into signing over all their property and then have them commit suicide. NOTE: He appears in the same issue as Lance Rand's foe Norvo who is billed as a master of mass hypnotism. Suicide Master only hypnotized people one at a time but was obviously very powerful as he could make them kill themselves. He wore street clothes but a yellow handkerchief style mask that covered his whole face. There's also the unexplored/ unexplained angle as to why at one of the victim's houses, the Deacon finds the gang as well as a wall of masks of the various suicide victims.

The Man Who Can't Die: 1942, Cat-man Comics #6 (Holyoke)."Dice" Rovelli is electocuted for committing murder, but is dug up by his henchmen and he embarks on a murder spree, to kill the various men responsible for his death. He is fighting Rag Man before he just collapses, death catching up to him. Dying, Rovelli's last victim confesses all. He was Dr. Walters of the State Prison who had developed a formula that would put someone into a catalytic sleep (that would also keep him from being electrocuted) and had been forced to inject Rovelli with it who was later given an antidote by his men but it seems the formula was only good for sustaining a life for a week.. Rovelli was after the Prison Warden Crane, the DA and Judge Simpson who had framed him for the murder he was "executed" for. Rovelli signed his death threats as "The Man Who Can't Die" and he had his head completely bandaged and possibly a black mask around his eyes (or just an artistic effect).

Papaloi: 1942, Cat-man Comics #6 (Holyoke).A papaloi is an Obeah Priest. When a man just suddenly dies on the street by apparently being crushed to death through no cause with his dying words being "the curse of Damballa", the Pied Piper finds himself investigating a case of death by voodoo which is almost too much for even his magical pipe. He manages to unmask the voodoo priest behind it as Dr. Ralph Hanson. He and the murdered man, Dr. Parday had been doing research into voodoo deep in Louisiana. Hanson had studied voodoo for many years and was the only white man initiated into the secrets of the Damballa curse and used it on Parday when he found that Parday was going to take sole credit for their work. Hanson and his African American assistant are apparently killed when their house burns and collapses on them, the Pied Piper barely escaping himself.

Vampire: 1942, Cat-man Comics #8 (Holyoke). The Pied Piper finds himself facing a murderous vampire. The vampire is red-eyed, pointy eared, and green skinned with a darker green body suit and bat wings flaring out from his arms. He's killed when he crashes through a stairway railing and one of the railings stabs him through the heart.

Werewolf: 1941, Cat-man Comics #4 (Holyoke). Ten years ago in Tibet, Dr. Ralph Arno was bitten by a werewolf, and his close friends Dr. Martin and Dr. Smith were unable to treat him. However, nothing happened until one night a decade later, he transformed under the full moon (looking a bit more like Mr. Hyde than a werewolf, but why quibble). Filled with murderous rage, and apparently stuck as the werewolf, he lets the world think Dr. Arno has vanished while he plans his revenge against his friends that failed him. He succeeds in killing Martin, but the Pied Piper tracks him back to his lair in a deserted lighthouse. The Piper's pipes only incapacitate the supernatural creature down but they also bring the lighthouse crumbling down. The Pied Piper dives into the ocean to safety, but the werewolf is assumed dead. The Pied Piper and Dr. Smith decide that the world never need know that Dr. Arno was the werewolf, to spare his good name before the curse overtook him.

Werewolf II: 1943, Cat-man Comics #20 (Holyoke). In Pineville, Rag-man and Tiny investigate the disappearance of a couple of missing girls which seem to be linked to some sightings of a werewolf and a hermit on the edge of town. They soon find that the werewolf story is true, that in his human guise as Cowan he was bribing the hermit to supply him with prey. He's killed when thrown on pitchforks in a supply store. This werewolf has human like body but the head of a wolf. Otherwise, not too superhuman.

Yellow Hoard: 1941, Cat-man Comics #4 (Holyoke). A group of saboteurs wearing yellow full body hazardous materials type protective suits and hoods, they attack various plants with rifles that fire spheres of fire that also emit a deadly sleeping gas even if the fireballs miss the victim. At the Manison Steel Plant, FBI agent Craig Williams is posing as a worker when the Hoard attacks and as the Hood he unmasks one as a Chinese and gets him to talk. The man says they were smuggled in and forced to work, their leader and hangout is in a Tong Mission in Chinatown. The Hood breaks up the gang and fights their robed and hooded leader and unmasks him as a Nazi agent (possibly the owner of the Manison Steel Corps, the story is light on details).

Zombie Master: 1945, Catman #29 (Holyoke). The Zombie Master looks more like a gypsy fortune teller, wearing a turban, dark suit, monocle and sporting a pointed beard and curled mustache. However, he's in the service of Khara-El whose spirit demanded a human sacrifice. He came to the States and performed a dance of Damballa, knowing his intended victim would be drawn to him. He was soon rewarded by nightclub singer Ellen Cole presenting herself. However, when his powerful dark servent Kuala kidnapped her, the Deacon and Mickey intervened. Kuala easily manhandled them but was shot by a cop and died before the Zombie Master. He rose Kuala as a zombie just in time to fight the Deacon and Mickey once more who had followed the blood trail. Again, the Deacon is no match for Kuala's inhuman strength but when Mickey punches the Zombie Master, the man dies and his zombie with him. Was the Zombie Master truly that frail or just an unlucky punch or was he killed by his god for failing in the sacrifice?

Updates: 03-17-09

The Blitz: 1941, Wonderworld Comics #21 (Fox). Murderous criminal mastermind with an eye patch over his left eye. He had two loyal and equally murderous henchmen by the name of Geepy and Slug. He fought the Black Lion and Cub continuously for their six issue run.

The Chief (otherwise un-named): 1940, Crackajack Funnies #29 (Columbia). Robed and hooded criminal mastermind who heads a saboteur ring and goes after some valuable plans which bring in the Owl and reporter Belle Wayne investigating. When he kills the young industrialist Mitchell Carr it leads to socialite Barbara Belford donning a mask and costume to also get to the Chief, to possibly throw in with him. It's a ruse though, to get him to use a gun that she rigged to explode when used, the shrapnel ripping out his throat and killing him. Thus Barbara Belford gets revenge against her man-servant Thor for killing Mitchell Carr, her fiance.

The Gargoyle: 1946, Mad Hatter #1 (O.W. Comics Corp). Fank Faro is a ruthless criminal who was captured by the Mad Hatter and sent to the electric chair for his crimes. A scientist is given the body for his experiments, and he transplants the brain into the body of a gorilla. Coming to, the gorilla-man kills the doctor in his confusion. Stealing clothes and a rubber mask, he uses his strength to carve a new criminal identity in the Gargoyle, taking over Faro's gang. They commit daring robberies as well as allowing the Gargoyle to enact a little vengeance. Eventually, his gang tires of the murders and the attention they attract and he is forced to rub out his whole gang and continue alone. He is unmasked as the gorilla-man and falls to his apparent death while fighting the Mad Hatter on a roller-coaster, leaving the Mad Hatter in the dark about the death and re-birth of Frank Faro and the reasons behind the killing spree. NOTE: The source of where I read this story actually lists it as being in issue #2, but the cover to issue 1 clearly references this particular story. Whether this is an error on the part of the reprinter or if the story somehow ended up in a separate issue from its cover or whether issue #2 reprinted stories from issue #1 (not unheard of), I don't know. But, the cover appearance clearly makes the Gargoyle's first appearance the first issue, even if his actual story comes in another issue.

The Ghost: 1941, Wonderworld Comics #23 (Fox). aka The Ghost of El Morro, the Ghost of the Fortress of El Morro. For 400 years the ghost has been supposedly haunting the fortress of El Morro at San Juan, Porto Rico (sic) and people that have investigated just disappear. Dr. Clark and his daughter set out to prove it to be hokum, but they too see a ghostly robed figure before vanishing. Yarko gets a telepathic feeling of their plight and heads down to investigate. He discovers that the Ghost is really just a projection using a magic lantern. A gang uses the Ghost myth as cover while they kidnap slave labor to work in a gold mine deep beneath the fortress.

The Limping Man: 1943, Prize Comics #30 & 31(Prize). A master criminal and murderer, he sought the life of a friend of Walt Walters who was running for election to a high office. The Limping Man is good at disguises and quick witted to come up with various murderous plots and making good his escape despite a pronounced limp. His identity in issue 30 is hinted at being retired neurologist Dr. Riddel who seemed to be confied to a wheel chair. He was opposed by Yank and Doodle.

Lone Wolf: 1941,Wonderworld Comics #22 (Fox). A dark cloaked and suited villain that opposed the Flame. He was resourceful and outfitted his house into a series of flame-proof deathtraps. He made at least two appearances and at the end of issue #23, his house was destroyed but he was still seen by the reader getting away.

Nagana, Queen of Evil: 1941, Fantastic Comics#22 (Fox). Originally living 3,000 years ago, she rises in the modern day. She seems to have some magical powers such as calling up flames or her servant Hassan. Or they might be illusions. She is opposed by Kalkor, a high priest of Isis and returning to earth as John Kerry.

Robot Pyroman: 1946, Startling Comics#37 (Standard). For some reason, he's in the splash page but not in the story or cover. But, he looks just too cool to pass up.

Skull Warriors: 1948, Rulah Jungle Goddess #23 (Fox). Sir Harry Goddard has come to Africa looking for the Skull Temple that houses the skull of Genghis Khan. What he finds is more than he bargained for as he and Rulah run afoul of and captured by skeletal warriors. The temple was built by the skulls of the citizens of a city he had captured that had defied him. Rulah recognizes the smoke from a brazier as being from hemp and deduces these skeletons are really natives in outfits using low light and the senses dulling smoke to keep interlopers away and raid the neighboring villages of their wealth.

Sky Pirates: 1940, Sky Blazers #1 (Hawley). Will Sparrow is fired from his piloting job and vows revenge. Visiting a friend of his who has designs for some super planes, they recruit others to their cause and become modern day buccaneers of the sky. They operate out of a secret island base full of modern machines such as radar, a train that takes them from one end to the other, a cave and crane that allows access by sea and water landings of the planes, a globe with all the major airlines of the world on it. They even steal 3 submarines in his bid to become a master of the air and Atlantic. Don't know if they ever gained the attention of a hero.

The White Killer: 1942, Wonderworld Comics #33 (Fox). A man in white tights and cape with a white globe of a head commits wholesale murders at defense factory plants across the country. U.S. Jones and Grumbler investigate with the help of FBI agent Nannette Devlin. Jones sees a link between the chronology of the killings and the schedule of the Blue Socks baseball team. U. S. Jones unmasks the White Killer as Fredericks, the manager of the team. NOTE: The costume is similar to that of the pulps' Moon Man albeit all white so the globular mask is probably argus (one-way) glass. On the cover, the villain is referred to as the White Terror.

Fawcett Villains

Turtle men: Whiz Comics #99. Ibis and Taia investigate the mystery of the great Maelstrom. They find at the bottom a society of humanoid turtles living in a city built on the back of a giant sleeping turtle, whose breathing causes the maelstrom. The race sacrifices whatever prisoners they get from the maelstrom so Ibis first wakens the turtle so that its movements might destroy the protective dome of the city to effect their escape and then turns the turtle into stone so its movements don't cause tidal waves.

Timely/Atlas Villains

The Brain: 1951, Adventures into Terror #4. Otto Von Schmittsder is a great Nazi scientist. At the end of the War, he knows that he is on the verge of being captured, tried and executed as a war criminal. However, he comes up with a way to keep his brain alive after death providing his head is hooked up to a machine within 24 hours of his body's death. Thanks to a henchman this is done (though why not find some way to save the rest of his body...). As just a head, he continues his plans of world conquest that had been stopped by the fall of the Third Reich. He has to use intermediaries though and while he can briefly bend them to his will, they seem to have a knack of ultimately rebelling. Even though he's just a head, he shows no problems of speaking, decomposing, or even mobility as he bounces around like a ball. He was last seen faking his death and looking for a new dupe. NOTE: This falls a little out of the scope of my pages. But, he's a unique character and unlike other horror characters did make more than one appearance and truly deserves the title of mad scientist and supervillain. A natural for someone at Marvel to revive.

Updates: 02/18/09

The Black Doom: 1942, Wonderworld #33 (Fox). The Black Doom is a saboteur in the service of the Nazis. He wears a regular suit but with a black hood. He has a special burrowing "torpedo" that he uses to travel underground and allows him to set explosives deep in mines.

The Black Baron: Airboy Comics vol. 9 #9 (Hillman). 200 years ago, a ship was built using the trees from the Wassau swamp in Poland to take colonists to the new world. The captain of the ship was a baron and he had no intentions of taking them to be colonists but to sell them into slavery. He made several slave runs and when that trade dried up, he turned to piracy. The years past and the crews were replaced but the Baron and his ship endured as have the stumps from which the timbers have come. It turns out that it's the same swamp that gave birth to the Heap and he is drawn to the ship of evil and finds it and its evil captain in North Africa, now operating as a prison ship in the hire of Arabs. The Black Baron and the Heap fight across the ship, until a lantern sets fire to the ship and both fall into the waters. With the ship's death, the Baron also dies. Back at the swamp, wildflowers start to grow where the stumps once stood.

The Bolt: 1942, Daredevil #9 (Lev Gleason). The Bolt is in reality Flash Farnum, an Olympic Decathalon champion. However, Flash is a bully to the point that he couldn't find work and would get hired and fired in one day. He turns to a life of crime where his incredible athletic skills make him a formidble adversary of the Law. Even Daredevil has a tough job apprehending the crook (indeed when Daredevil was just plain Bart Hill and a junior in High School, Farnum had beaten him senseless). He kidnaps Tonia Saunders on a train in order to make good his escape but gets his foot caught in the tracks. Unable to save both, Daredevil rescues the girl while Bolt is run over by the train. Bolt wore no costume but seemed adept at staying in the shadows, and his athletic prowess along with his ruthless nature aided in his avoiding capture by the police. This tale may not be "true" as it's told by Bart Hill to a group of kids including one tough bullying kid to educate him on the sad life of bullies.

Dr. Horror: Captain Battle #2 (Lev Gleason). "King of evil. Master of deviltry." Three witchlike crones called the "sisters of fear" have a mastery of magic and demons. Over a cauldron brew, they create Dr. Horror to be the end-all of evil beings. His appearance is of a giant naked man and he has a sundry of magical abilities that he uses to cause terror, death and destruction like casting lightning bolts from afar. His evil is to such a degree that nature itself fights back, a huge lightning bolt scattering and engulfing demons and the sisters in flame to their doom. Nature pursues him until he perishes in a flow of a mountain turned into lava.

Goldmaster: 1940, Big Shot Comics (Columbia). Dennis Durrant imparts: Goldmaster is a criminal obsessed with gold. In his first appearance, he killed two of the men who had sent him to prison years before. In his last appearance, in Big Shot Comics #3, he shared the secret of how to make gold with a wealthy banker, who intended to use his unlimited gold supply to "buy the government." However, they ran afoul of the Face, Goldmaster's perennial foe, and Goldmaster took his own life by swallowing poison, while the banker and Goldmaster's henchmen went to prison. Goldmaster was a tall robed man very much in the mold of the Claw; he wore a grey skullcap and had pointed ears and a goatee.

Marty Kantz: 1941, Cat-man #1 (Holyoke). Dennis Durrant writes us: Marty Kantz is a vicious gangster, who, with his aid Piler, has planned the robbery of a fur factory and the shooting of the watchman. His other aide - the boss of a small gang that was wiped out by the police previously - doesn't want to be involved in a murder rap and notifies the local authorities anonymously. Marty takes him along to the fur factory where the men are surrounded by police officers and escape in a hail of bullets. "The Boss" is shot in the arm and also manages to escape without the police realizing that he was the informant. He collapses outside a small abandoned church and staggers inside after being awakened by the rays of the morning sun. Once in the church, he bandages his wound with strips from his old shirt and puts on an old priest's suit that is hanging from a post. It is then that the man is ambushed by Marty and Piler and captures them both after a long struggle, leaving them outside the door of the police station with a note reading "WITH COMPLIMENTS [FROM] THE DEACON."

Redbeard: (No publishing info). Dennis Durrant tells me: Redbeard was a pirate who sailed the seas in the Sixteenth Century. Four centuries later, after several ships appear to have been robbed by Redbeard's pirates, Dr. Strange is sent to investigate the theft of a map leading to Redbeard's treasure. After apprehending two men who had been sent to kill him on board a ship that is sailing to Panama, the doctor goes to a party on the nobleman Lupesco's galleon, only to be taken prisoner when Lupesco orders the galleon's crew to set sail. He is taking them toward a rendezvous with a German submarine to which he transfers his prisoners, after which both vessels sail for Redbeard's Island and the prison there, where he holds his party guests captive. Dr. Strange stops him and frees the prisoners, then blows up the island with a torpedo he has captured when they have set sail. He later learns that Redbeard's real name was Lupesco, and that the current Lupesco was his descendant, who wanted to carry on the family tradition.

The Willow-The-Wisp: 1939/40? Silver Streak Comics (Lev Gleason). Mr. Durrant provides: The Willow-The-Wisp was a ball of light that floated in front of its victims and demanded their money. It committed several robberies and these prompted Arthur Bennett, aka the crimefighter Mister Midnite, to investigate the crimes. He realized that the ball of light was a flourescent sphere that distracted the victims' attention, and that the actual source of the voice was a gunman standing behind them - a simple but ingenious "trick of ventriloquism." The police brought the man to justice, but Midnite escaped.

Fawcett Villains

Death: 1942, Spy Smasher #5. White robed skeletal death stalks high ranking officials. Spy Smasher suspects foul play and tries to defeat Death, but then Satan also steps in and Spy Smasher finds himself in an inferno where he and others from the Senate are being tortured for various military secrets. With a hand from Eve Colby, Spy Smasher breaks free. Death's mysterious ways of killing are revealed to be poison darts made of ice (so no clue is left behind) and Satan falls victim to it. Death is unmasked as the Nazi Baroness Von Todt and she leaps into a chasm to her apparent death. The robes of her costume allowed to glide and she seemed invulnerable to blows to the head as her costume included a shoulder harness with a fake skull head on top which also lended to the tall cadaverous appearance.

Lo-Kar: 1949, Whiz Comics #103. An intelligent talking gorilla, he takes offense at the way the animals are being treated at the circus which he works. He leads an uprising of animals, caging the humans and forcing them to perform dangerous stunts and such. Ibis intervenes and manages to broker peace between the two factions, the circus performers having seen the error of their ways.

Updates: 01-26-09

Council of Vampires: 1939, Wonderworld Comics #4 (Fox). Not much is revealed about the Council other than they are ruled by their queen, Anya. Anya's husband is the mortal Luigi Bishop, curator of the London Museum who is anxious to get his hands on the fabled Vampire Ruby that will allow Anya to co-exist among the living. However, when denied the ruby by the current possessors Dr. Fung and Dan Barr. Luigi sets fire to his castle in order to burn them all to death. Dr. Fung and Dan escape, but the ruby and the unholy couple are apparently burned to death.

Deathless Brain: Airfighters (Hillman). One of those brain in a jar types, complete with robotic base. This one was Hidero Okado, who felt humiliation when Commander Perry had opened Japan to Americans and trade in the 1850's. To the point that when his body died, his brain was removed and lived on. Almost a century later, his plans are foiled by the Flying Dutchman.

Half-Man: 1941, Air Fighters Comics #2 (Hillman). This villainous Nazi was so severely wounded, that the left side of his body was replaced with cold steel. He partnered with Goro, "the yellow butcher of Tokyo". The pair went up against Skywolf and his squadron of fliers.

Humpty Dumpty: 1946, The Mad Hatter #2 (O.W. Comics). A bald overweight criminal, he's smart at planning crimes. After a close call with the hero Mad Hatter and barely escaping by running away and jumping into a river, he decides the life of committing crimes is too strenuous. So, he decides to hire his services out as a planner. That doesn't go terribly well as one of the men who avails himself of his services ends up leading the Mad Hatter right to the rotund villain. The villain is played up as being somewhat well known by both police and the crooks. Despite his laziness, he is a competent fighter and carries a cane that the top folds out into a seat, and the staff hollowed out to turn into a rifle.

The Mask: 1940, Samson #1 (Fox). In the East (India), the Mask and Dr. Dag are behind a Thug uprising through their high priest Ko and plan to send the Thugs into cities with test tubes full of deadly bacteria and then will plunder and raze the cities. The deadly duo are apparently slain in their attempt to bring a temple down on top of Samson sets off a wave of fiery destruction throughout the city, burying them in the debris.

The Mummy Who Never Died: 1947, Phantom Lady #13 (Fox). 1,000 BC in the time Axrax in Egypt, Cyto is the overseer of slaves building a temple. However, he is betrayed by his fiance Patra and friend Kanik who destroy the temple, killing slaves and blaming Cyto. As punishment, he is embalmed alive. Witnessing the duo's perfidy as he's being embalmed, he swears to never die. In the present day, Miss Louis is an archaeologist seeking funding to raise the mummy from death from newspaper editor Mr. Waxler. Denied, she persists in her experiments and sends the mummy to kidnap the editor and which draws the Blue Beetle into the case. However, the mummy breaks free of her control and turns on her, seeing the spitting image of his beloved in Miss Louis. The pair are last seen as the mummy carries her into the burning lab while the Blue Beetle rescues Mr. Waxler.

Norgo: 1940, Big Shot #8 (Columbia). A scientist who developed a method of generating intense cold and used it to freeze various cities and then blackmail the US government. Skyman manages to counteract the cold and then tracked Norgo himself down and sent him to prison.

Professor Evil: 1945, K-O Comics #1 (Gerona). Professor Live was great scientist whose mind had become so warped before he died that his two mourners fear had he lived he would have been an incredible criminal. They even open his coffin just to make sure he's really dead. However, even death doesn't stop him as he returns as a ghost, calling himself Professor Evil. He puts together a gang of crooks, but they are soon caught by the Duke of Darkness, another fledgeling ghost. He outfights the professor and while he cannot permanently put him on ice, he can dismember him so that it will take centuries to reform.

Fawcett Villains

Korozan: 1941, Minute Man #1. This man leads an Asian cult against America. Ugly, he was born with a death-head face, only with sleepy looking eyes and a fanged mouth. Thus, he only has hate in his heart. He wears a wide-brimmed hat to hide his features, a cape and over-coat, all brown, looking a bit like a brown version of the Shadow. A good fencer and fighter, he is still defeated by Minute Man and is apparently killed when a powerful blow sends him flying into a furnace.

Vampire Twins: 1948, Whiz Comics #101. Baron Ornzy and his sister Maryani are the vampire twins. While traveling on an ocean liner, their kills attract the attention of Prince Ibis and Taia. The Baron is killed when they try to kill Ibis and Taia (who sleep in separate rooms). The following issue, Maryani tries to avenge the death of her brother and calls forth an evil primeval spirit in the form of a great bat and briefly manages to get Ibis under her sway. However, she is slain when she tries to use the ibistick against Ibis (she commands it to turn him into dust) and the spell is rebounded against her. Ibis then commands the stick to consume the bat in flame. A little curious about the name as it's very close to that of Baroness Orczy, the creator of the Scarlet Pimpernel

Wickedness, Inc: 1943, Wow Comics #17. Operating out of a haunted house is the Sunshine Milk Co., a group of brownie like beings who deliver milk of human kindness in everyday milk bottles. However deep underground are a group of witches that are poisoning their formulas, so that people who drink it turn evil, which happens to Mary Batson, but luckily Mary Marvel is able to fight back. All but one of the witches are captured and brought to the rooms of the Sunshine Milk Co., and are forced to drink of the milk of human kindness and thus reform their evil ways. Except for that one, who is still out there sowing evil and poisoning bottles when she can.

MLJ Villains

Satan: 1940, Zip Comics #3. A devilish fellow and billed as "lord of the underworld", as in land of death, not gangsterdom. His realm is "hell" and a pit of fire and the denizens are devil-men. However, one has to wonder about him being THE Satan as a magic spell by the magician hero Zambini for hell to freeze over, not only works but kills Satan and his cohorts.

Updates: 01-13-09

General Villainy

Dichte: 1942, Exciting Comics #18 (Standard). Dr. Griffin is working on a formula that increases vitality, a small vial is worth a year's supply of food. He's killed by Dichte and his men, all German agents. However, it has side effects, it turns a house cat into a beast the size and ferocity of a lion, which the Liberator is able to subdue and tame. Dichte ultimately gets the idea and tastes the formula, growing to 12 feet tall. The Liberator sics his cat on him while he mops up the gang. Dichte is apparently slain by the cat, it's fate unknown. Maybe the effects were not permanent..

Dr. Hodl: 1940, Exciting Comics #3 (Standard). Bald-headed mad scientist in league with one General Pasko but it's Hodl who is the mastermind of their bid for world power. Hodl invents the Red Blight, a powerful ray gun that can send out a red ray to almost anywhere in the world from their Transylvania headquarters. Whatever the light illuminates is violently destroyed, shaken apart as if struck by an earthquake, from a simple building or train to whole cities. He is stopped by Thesson, hurled apparently to his death from his castle tower.

Dr. Kuroto: 1946, Exciting Comics #46 (Standard). Japanese scientist who with his gang resent the defeat of their country. He comes up with a way to strike back, two chemicals of his own making: one, injected into Egyptian mummies, they become a legion of undead under his control and two, a formula that can utterly destroy them so they cannot be used against him. The Scarab stops him and his undead army with the second chemical as they shrug off his mightiest blows.

Gorilla Men: 1941, Exciting Comics #8 (Standard). In Africa, a train wreck is blamed on gorillas and Ted Crane and his gal Betty investigate. The gorillas seem intelligent as well as tough, Ted puts 4 bullets in one to no avail. At the end, the gorilla men are revealed to be a gang headed by Vincent, a game protector hired off by the Germans. They wore gorilla suits that had weighted knuckles and bullet-proof plating to help them carry out their charade.

League of Lilith: 1942, Exciting Comics #18 (Standard). Dr. Price was working on a device called the cosmoscope, that would utilize the sun's rays for healing. However, when testing it, he was unaware that a "certain planet was in transit across the sun --Lilith the dark moon!" It transforms Price into an evil man, contorting his features and granting superhuman strength. He kills his nurse and intern and uses the device to recruit Carson, a noted physicist, to help modify the machine and then Millis, a hardened criminal. The machine is soon modified so that it can affect people from afar by simply setting it to the year they were born and the League starts recruiting an army. The Black Terror manages to stop the league and destroying the machine, lifting the spell it had put the soldiers under. The three plotters were killed beforehand by Tim using the cannon from an armored truck.

Men of Devolio: 1942, Exciting Comics #19 (Standard). Astronomer John Preston has an invention that was designed to capture the moon's energy but he tries it out on a new planet he just discovered. Sadly, it operates as a teleporter and brings men from the planet Devolio to Earth. Long ago, the planet was part of our system and as it neared again, they had planned on invading Earth. Their own resources allowing them only one spaceship, his teleportation device gives them the means. While veritable supermen themselves, they still pale next to the might of the Black Terror who defeats them.

Nubo: 1945, Exciting Comics #44 (Better). Nubo is a giant black man in medieval styled armor whose strength puts him on par with the Scarab and a champion for a tribe of Egyptians. When their leader Rajad is kidnapped and a fort of white men are blamed, the Scarab has to rescue Rajad and prevent wholesale slaughter by Nubo.

Prince Igor: 1942, Exciting Comics #19 (Standard). On an island in the South Seas, Igor is a white man who has set himself up as a ruler. He controls an gang of natives whose wills are deadened by a drug while made strong and bulletproof. He allies himself with Japan who will be glad to back him him to keep the British occupied. Ted Crane who is on his way to Singapore puts a stop to his plans. Prince Igor and his men are apparently killed when his palace is blown up.

Robotmaster: 1946, Exciting Comics #45 (Standard). This mad scientist had a remote controlled robot. Only appeared on the cover but was kinda cool looking.

Satan-Rex: 1939, Amazing Mystery Funnies (Centaur). Ten years before Einstein, Eric Von Hochwalt came up with the theory of relativity but was ridiculed by the scientific community. Warped and embittered, he entered into hiding, discovered the secrets of agelessness. He later arrived in Tibet with a throng of students and built his "City of the Mists" which surpassed all other cities and is defended by the green mist wall. Now, it's 2009 and he calls himself Satan-Rex and threatens to hurl the planet into the sun, him escaping with a select few to another planet. Only inventor and adventurer Jon Linton and his girlfriend Lisa Kane stand in his way.

X-3: 1941, Exciting Comics #16 (Standard). Diabolical spy and a master of disguises, he's the Nazi man of a thousand faces. He's captured by the Liberator

Updates: 12-30-08

Fawcett Villains

The Water Man: 1951, Captain Marvel Adventures #118. Herman the hermit is a misanthrope but otherwise a brilliant man. Dabbling with chemistry he discovers a way to give some water sentient intelligence. He keeps the water in a barrel as he philosophizes about the deplorable nature of mankind. The water soaks this knowledge up and soon is able to gather itself into a man-like form and walk around. His first step is to try and kill Herman, as all men are bad, after which he sets off for the city for destruction and mayhem. Captain Marvel manages to defeat him by freezing him solid and then taking him to the Arctic.