Tuesday, November 29, 2011

RADIO PATROL "KIller on the Loose"

From the 1950s, when "prowl cars" were still a novel concept...
...here's a violent pre-Comics Code tale by Steve (Spider-Man) Ditko!
Radio Patrol was an ongoing feature in Charlton's Crime & Justice, though this story from #18 in 1954 was Ditko's only contribution to the series.
It was also the final chapter in the short-lived existence of this version of Radio Patrol.
This series bore no relation to an earlier long-running newspaper comic strip which was adapted into both a short-lived radio show and a movie serial.
That strip, which featured totally different characters, had been canceled in 1950.

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Tuesday, November 22, 2011

POLICE TRAP "Masher"

Even in the 1950s, women served on the front lines of the war against crime...
...as seen in this tale from Police Trap #1.
This tale of female empowerment from 1954 is from the short-lived Police Trap #1, illustrated (and probably written) by Bill Draut, who also did a lot of comics work in the 1950s-1970s, primarily for Harvey, Toby, and DC in literally every genre from crime to superhero to romance.
He continued working until the mid-1980s, ending up (like many other comic artists) working on tv animation, where he was one of the primary designers for the original GI Joe cartoon series.
And, please remember to be observant and careful when you ride public transportation!

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

THE BATMAN & THE SHADOW "Who Knows What Evil--?" Conclusion

Art by Mike Kaluta
While tracking a group of counterfeiters in Gotham City, The Batman is saved by an expert marksman who shoots a criminal (who was about to kill the Darknight Detective) in the hand!
The wounded criminal runs into a dead-end alley...and disappears...with only a mocking laugh to indicate anyone had been there!
The crook is later found tied to a lamppost near a police station, dazed and confused, as if...hypnotized.
A clue from the crime scene leads the Caped Crusader (as Bruce Wayne) to Tumbleweed Crossing, where he meets another visitor...Lamont Cranston, a scientist investigating the water supply, which is loaded with minerals and would be perfect for matching the government's formula for the ink used in printing...money!
Believing nearby long-abandoned native cliff-dwellings would be an ideal base of operations for the counterfeiters, The Batman is ambushed as he heads there, but an antique autogyro swoops down and distracts the gunmen long enough for the Cowled Crimebuster to capture them.
As he nears the ruins, The Batman speculates about the identity of the mysterious laughing marksman in the antique aircraft.
Could he be...?
Let's not tell The Shadow that The Batman thought his secret identity (Lamont Cranston) was the counterfeiter!  ;-)
This appearance in Batman #253 came between the first and second issues of The Shadow's bi-monthly Bronze Age run at DC, back when comics actually came out on schedule.
It was a nice tip-of-the-fedora to the long-believed idea that the pulp character was a primary influence on the creation of the Caped Crusader. (A fact confirmed by Shadow historian Anthony Tollin HERE.)
Denny O'Neil was also writing The Shadow comic, and this issue's cover artist Mike Kaluta, who had already done a number of wonderfully-moody Detective Comics and Batman covers, would come to be the definitive Shadow artist for all versions of He Who Knows What Evil Lurks... since. (much as James Bama's version of Doc Savage is the iconic one all others have been based upon.)

We'll be presenting the other Batman story featuring The Shadow in the near future!

for goodies featuring other Silver Age heroes, besides The Batman and The Shadow!

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

THE BATMAN & THE SHADOW "Who Knows What Evil--?" Part 1

Less than half of legendary pulp / radio detective The Shadow's Bronze Age appearances have been reprinted in hardcover or trade paperbacks!
Two of those were appearances in Batman comics, which will never be reprinted due to licensing issues, so we'll re-present them here for your entertainment.
We'll find out what the Caped Crusader discovers, and toss in some other kernels of knowledge,
next week!
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for goodies featuring other Silver Age heroes, besides The Shadow!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

POLICE TRAP "Alibi?"

Not every crime is solved as fancifully as a Sherlock Holmes tale...
..sometimes, it's plain and simple police work, done by the book, that produces results!
Though the scripter for this tale from Police Trap #5 (1955) is unknown, the art is by the legendary Jack Kirby (pencils) and the talented Mort Meskin (inks).
This fascinating title showing how the rank and file police operated lasted only 6 issues.