The Genuine Imitation Jonesing Bogart Library of
Defunct, Free and Obscure Komix Neat Stuff Emporium and
Snake-Oil Patent Medicine Show Incorporated, LLC !
by Art Bowshier
First off I doubt that I will talk about anything new. Unless it is web based. I may pick a comic out of my collection. I may snag one off the Digital Comic Museum to talk about. I have always looked for different kinds of comics. Charlton, Dell, Gold Key, Tower, Comico, and other publishers old or defunct may show up on a whim! I won't pretend to dazzle you with wit and wisdom. You undoubtably have enough of your own. Most of all it will be available for free on the internet--(Except, those from my collection). Maybe a web comic that I came across. It will be something that grabbed my attention somewhere. I also took the longest winded Stupid Title I could think of to name the column. Call it genuine for short.
Secondly, Let's pick a book. Let's bop over to the Digital Comic Museum or DCM. Let's pick a top rated book. One with recognizable characters. Master Comics Number 34. Just remember these stories are products of their times.
The cover is by Mac Raboy of Capt. Matvel Jr. Fighting Capt. Nazi and it says: Capt. Nazi Flies! Raboy is a fine artist and is noted for this series... (Did I mention that this book is 68 page five stories, a text story, and a one pager of Humor.) This book is from Dec. 30, 1942--seventy years ago. ..give or take. Capt. Nazi is taken to a prisoner scientist by Adolph Hitler himself and is given a flying gas. His mission- to weaken the Americans. Boo-hiss-boo! The story itself was not great,but the flying scenes are gorgeous to look at. Needless to say Capt. Nazi is not victorious. It was inventive tho-- the villian had a weakness, the flying gas wore off a times. The artwork stands the test of time against anything done today. Rating- 4 Stars
Our second feature is Bulletman and Bulletgirl meet the Killer Gorilla.
Police get calls about a gorilla on the loose and a Night Watchman is killed. A broken neck and bent bars on the window. A quick car wreck and Bulletman shows up. The art is assembly line stuff, passable but not great.(Assembly line style is when different parts of the story were handled by different artists. One artist would draw backgrounds, another cars, another major characters, letterer,etc....). Bulletmen flies after the escaping woody wagon and follows it to the circus tent show. And promptly slugs the gorilla and nearly gets killed. He ie saved by roustabouts with spears. The boss and a midget run him off the lot. (Did I mention that our hero wears a bullet shaped shell on his head? Think Beldar Conehead flying Detective.) He shmoozes with Bulletgirl and asks her to the tent show. Now he does not wear a mask. He has been kicked out and he's going back girlfriend in tow. They buy WAR BONDS. One gets wet and the ink runs--fake-fake -fake. Bulletgirl gets grabbed by the gorilla. Yadda yadda yadda more fights and the solved mystery ends. Rating 2 and 1/2 stars.
There is submarine text story that was to be continued.
Minute Man is up next. It is drawn in two styles, one Joe Simon like and the other a very good portraitist He is Fawcett's Capt. America clone wrapped in a flag costume It happens in IRAQ and involve look a likes and fisticuffs with Germans just bound and determined to mess up supply lines to the Middle East.. Heroes never lose in this world. An interesting story with dynamic action. Rating 4 stars
There is an ad for three 326 page books- Holiday Comics, Gift Comics, and X-mas Comics (The first X_book?) for a whopping 50 cents a piece.
There was a very Al Capp like ad selling War Bonds and War Stamps too. one page humor.
Balbo the boy magician had a story involving a bank robbery! The art work was workman like in a style that used little shading and showed the kids how to do magic tricks.. Rating 3 tars for inventiveness.
The next feature is licensed from Holly-Wood. who-who!! Hopalong Cassidy. Played on screen by William Boyd. Hopalong is the sherriff. There's a crooked card sharp that shoots down another player and Hoppy wants to run him out of town. It aeems the gambler just won the biggest ranch in the county. The Ranchers daughter pleads with Hoppy to arrest the villian SIME LEECH , but he can'r without proof. There's the Rub. Leech even offers to let the beautiful daughter stay on the ranch so he can protect her.. A saddlesoap opry if I ever saw one. Rating 3 stars because of an older style of artwork..
I mentioned the ads because they were so noticeable. Awhile back I saw and ad on this site for the Red Ryder range rifle that was so prominent in the movie--A CHRISTMAS STORY. It cost three ninety-five and could be shipped for a dollar. It was the higher priced gun in the ad.
Happy Trails and may the good lord keep a liking you! See ya'll next time!
Same Bat time--same bat channel.
Art Bowshier is an adherent to the four horsemen of fandom-Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror, Comic Books, Movies, and Professional Wrestling. He despises video games because he considers them OC brain-rot. He quit reading new comics back in the 80s when DC did Crisis.
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