Yellowjacket Webnesdays: Zip #38 Part Two

When last we visited with the Web, he was knee deep in the midst of a mystery involving a married woman and various missing men, including her husband. Would Professor John Raymond Sr get to the bottom of this mystery and save the sanity of this sultry sister of sorrow?

 

 

Yeah, those one-eyed Nazi's were a dime a dozen back then. You would've thought the monocle would have tipped his wife off as to his true allegiance. But then, we wouldn't have a rip roaring tale to present to you this eve. Well, at least the former Mrs. Freeman landed on her feet and in the arms of another man, while the Web? Well Rose was waiting for him, we're sure, and perhaps she is the mother of the silver age Web? Or perhaps not.

We'll try to bring some other Web and Yellowjacket tales from MLJ and Frank Communale Publications, aka Mighty and Charlton Comics, on a future Webnesday.

Yellowjacket Webnesdays: YJ #10 Part 2

And now part two of Yellowjacket's tenth published adventure from the mid-40's. Will our Stinging Sleuth get to the bottom of the mystery regarding the missing Ed Aubrey? Will YJ's girlfriend Diane forgive him for racing into adventure once more? Will we see the pictured lions and insidious clown ANYWHERE inside this issue? Let's find out together in this golden age classic from Charlton Comics (well, one of their acquired interests, anyway). Sit back and enjoy:

So that was how Ed was moonlighting to prop his posh lifestyle! Guess the lions and clown weren't invited to the party this month. And Diane... I mean c'mon you have to *know* your boyfriend himself moonlights as a superhero, why the playa hating? Don't hate the player, hate the game. Anyways. this issue continues an odd trend of having Yellowjacket appear without his niche, i.e. his faithful bees. Were they taking a break with the lions and the clown?

Tune in later on for the second half of Yellowjacket Webnesdays, as we conclude the Web's final golden age adventure.

Team-Up Tuesdays: Marvel Mondays Madness!

On the outskirts of Marvel's main fictional universe, a team of alien adventurers formed to protect a strange world made up of floating enclaves connected in a metallic web floating through space. We have already considered two of their members which were at least partly inspired by the Comet and Hangman. Two more members of this society also gained some notoriety. One tied to the Champions, an analog for the Crusaders, the other a native Xandarian who struck off on his own to explore the cosmos with his cosmic abilities.

Powerhouse was a young Rieg Davan that gained the power to harness energy which allowed him to magnify his superhuman strength further.  Much like Lancelot Strong aka the Shield, he had great potential yet his life was prematurely snuffed out before his career could take off.

Firelord began as an ordinary lad in Xandar society Pyreus Kril that was second in command of a stellar vessel, who first assumed his friend and captain's place after his abduction, and later adopted a similar set of cosmic powers from the same cosmic entity when the former captain was himself killed. Much like Fireball and Inferno, his fiery disposition was matched by his manipulation of thermal energies around his body. While never officially joining a team like his MLJ counterparts, he was ultimately on the same side of good. But there were other Champions, like their Crusader forebearers, for another Monday.

Fear not, you Charlton fans (both of you) for Mighty Marvel also featured a team-up of an energetic captain and a spunky femme federali (no, not Captain Atom and Eve  Eden aka Nightshade) i.e. Captain Mar-Vel and Major Carol Danvers aka Ms. Marvel.

But that is a tale for another week yet to come.

Marvel Mondays: The Comets and their Avengers

In perhaps the most outright homage of a concept from the old MLJ by Marvel Comics, we introduce you our loyal (and few) readers to the Comet! Harris Moore was a citizen of New York City during the 1950's when, while simply minding his own business, one of those extremely confident plot devices... er a small comet... irradiated him. He was then transformed into a flying powerhouse, with the ability to manipulate electrical energy. Adopting the alias of the Comet, he became a crimefighter during a time when there not many, if any, operating publicly.

When Comet abruptly left his family, his son Frank thought this meant that his father was the victim of gangland. Hence, he created a flying pod and specialized hand gun that ensnared his foes, developing the alias of Crimebuster.

This is extremely similar to the modus operandi of the Hangman, who used ropes to entangle his foes, seeking vengence against criminals including the man who shot his brother  the Comet!

Unlike this pair, the MLJ/Mighty superhero siblings didn't play nice as the former heroic Hangman turned villain temporarily. They last spoke during the his dying breath with apologies exchanged between both brothers.

Even the flying pods were somewhat similar, although the now evil Hangman's choice of head gear left something to be desired!

Eventually, Frank met his father who had since taken up residence on an alien world named Xandar to protect it's residents (sound familiar...like say planet Altrox?). There he formed the Champions of Xander and eventually recruited his son into their ranks. Alas both father and son were killed in conflicts with alien forces. No doubt, this had something to do with the Comet connection between Marvel and MLJ's characters (MLJ owned the rights) and the family legacy connection of Crimebuster and the Hangman to their father and older brother, respectively.

Will there be another Charlton or Mighty MLJ character we can dig up for next Marvel Monday? Join us in seven days... or tomorrow!

Yellowjacket Webnesdays: Zip #38 Part One

We carry on this week's edition of Yellowjacket Webnesdays, we continue the theme set by Yellowjacket of a missing husband, a panicked wife, and a detective in tights investigating a mystery. This is from Zip Comics #38, the Web's final golden age appearance:

Next week we solve the mystery alongside the Web on the missing men... and maybe an explanation on why John once more dyed his hair from its natural redish blonde?

Yellowjacket Webnesdays: YJ #10 Part 1

In this weeks Yellowjacket/Web two-parter, we see some common elements. A husband who disappears, a wife in frantic panic, a criminal detective on the case, and a mystery that knocks our costumed crusaders for a loop. First up, part one of Yellowjacket Comics #10:

Vince's gal Diane is making quite the partner in both his civilian and heroic aliases. What will Yellowjacket discover when he finally tracks down Two-Face.. er not THAT one. He was owned by National Publication.

Next up is the Web turn at a twist of a tale...

Team-Up Tuesdays: Unpublished Crisis Issue

Taking a cue from the excellent The Brave and the Bold: The Lost Issues blog, here is a rather amateurish take a missing issue of the 1985's DC Comics series Crisis on Infinite Earths incorporating another Earth that has since been assimilated into DC proper after an attempt at re-imagining Archie's Red Circle characters with the !mpact line of the 90's:

What is interesting about this issue of Mighty Crusaders #12 is two things...the red skies and the battle with the elements near the Statue of Liberty. Shades of Earth-Four perhaps? This would have been an ideal juncture to introduce the Earth-MLJ team to Charlton's Sentinels of Justice given the Crisis motif of two parallel worlds running through DC's Justice League of America title since the early 60's.

Marvel Mondays: The Captains of the Cosmos

Captain Atom debuted amidst the the Cold War when atomic power was a scary prospect. He was revived and had a three year run until 1967, when another Captain... this one from outer space... was introduced at Marvel Comics. This Captain was inspired by a different contemporary topic... space exploration! Both liked that stars and Starlin!

Mar-Vell was a military captain, much like Atom's civilian identity, only he was sent by his race the Kree to Earth. At first an agent for their interests, he ultimately turned his attention to the affairs of the humans. In the process of doing this he changed his costume and gained cosmic energy manipulation powers which included superhuman strength and intense radiation discharges.

He also gained a human alter ego, of a kind, in Rick Jones whom he traded places with from his universe and that of the Negative Zone. His run didn't last much longer than had Captain Atom's, and ultimately he was doomed to an early death  thanks to toxicity obtained from a villain. Meanwhile one of Cap's inspirations over at Charlton Comics was immune both to toxic substances and to cancellation of his titles.

Next week we turn our attention back over to the MLJ crowd with a two-for-one, as we're keeping that entry "all in the family":

Sideline Sundays: Non-Legionaire Kids and Lads

Sidekicks have since the very beginning of comics been a mainstay. And the stronger the sidekick, the more apt they are to pull their own weight. Such was the case with an intentional sidekick, and a lad who would later be reintroduced as one. We present Kid Muscles and Golden Lad!

Kip Muscles changed his first name, and THAT was his origin along with training next to a master bodybuilder.

Tommy Preston's origin was  bit more complicated, but not by much. He found a golden heart made from the Aztecs and stolen by a Spaniard. And somehow from that gold ornament he gained great strength and flight!

While Kid Muscles was a continual partner of Mister Muscles, appearing in his two tales from the mid 1950's, Golden Lad operated solo for 5 issues in the mid 1940's before being brought back in Charlton Bullseye #10 wherein he met Thunder Bunny. He teamed up with the latter twice, assisting him in tracking down the Hermit... a villain that kept heroes like the Lad in stasis for decades to keep them out of criminals' hair.

Friday Fiends: Mechanical Monster Madmen

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is only skin deep. And so on and so forth. So goes such adages on physical appearances. And today as never before western society is obsessed with this... so much so that anyone who is unattractive on the outside is thought to be even more so on the inside. At least, that was the thought in the 60's and 70's when Pascal and Enigma were introduced.

Our tales begin with a meeting of a heroic pair: Fly and Shield (Fly #8), and Blue Beetle and Question (Charlton Bullseye #1).

As the gentlemen met during impending threats of high tech gangs, they soon learned that the masterminds behind them were monsters of the worst kind... humans turned evil!

Pascal was born with a facial disfigurement that modern medicine couldn't fix, causing him to turn to  amonster movies motif. Enigma was simply a madman hiding his face out of vanity!

Pascal would return years after his initial defeat for a rematch with the Fly, when a director used Pascal's life story as the basis for a film. Enigma had a previous undocumented case battling Beetle.

In both instances, these tales also led to the mad monsters' defeat!

Yellowjacket Webnesdays: Zip #29 Part 2

And now, part two of the Web's adventure in Nazi Germany from Zip Comics #29 as he attempts to extract opponents to this regime. Will he accomplish this feat and live to tell about it? How will he deal with the evil Captain Murder? Who is the famous individual we promised you would see towards the end of the tale? Let's see below:

So, in answer to last weeks queries: 1.) Web's hair is still red... for the moment that is, 2.) Not only did John Sr come out of Nazi occupied Germany unscathed and none the worse for well, he actually 3.) inspired Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of England during this period. to publicly thank this costumed hero for his courage! You go, boy!