Thursday, October 31, 2013

Lois Lane, Voice of Reason

Action Comics hasn't given me much in the way of pickings lately, but then along comes issue #184!


Wow... Donald Whitmore just took a Random Slap (tm!) from Lois Lane.  And when Lois is telling you to quit being such a spaz, you should probably pay attention.

And now, our latest installment of a little feature I like to call:

Gah! (tm!)


Gah! (tm!)

You just know some stupid kid shot another kid in the head with an arrow trying to replicate that stunt.  Seriously, kids... don't do that.

Hey!  Let's Learn Something! (tm!)


Okay, Buzzy, if you know that Wolfie is a bad driver, why are you in the car with him?  What possible sense does that make?  Are you hoping that you and Susie there will have adjoining plots in the cemetery where you can hold hands for all eternity, because that's really the only reason that comes to mind. 


Say what you will about Wolfie, but that is a bitchin' car.




So as far as we know, Wolfie is going to get assaulted by the truck driver and, since this is before the Gault legal decision that actually gave some due process rights to children, it's entirely possible Wolfie is about to disappear into the system at some juvenile detention institution until he reaches adulthood.  But enjoy your time at the beach with Jim, Susie!

Oy.  See you tomorrow!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Captain Swastika... Because the Name "Captain Nazi" Had Already Been Taken...

Just a little bit of random fun from Pep Comics #28, and hang onto your hat, because I give you...


Captain Swastika!  

I am not making that up, nor is he in the middle of a costume change.  The man wore a fedora and trousers complete with socks and dress shoes in addition to your typical super-villain costume.  The sheer "I don't care what I look like" factor makes me want to respect the man, but I just can't do it.  Off to the Costume Hall of Shame (tm!) with ye, Captain Swastika!

And now, another installment of Wait... What? (tm!)


Wait... What? (tm!)

And finally, let's check in on Bentley of Scotland Yard:


Wow... "Solved without explanation?"  Bentley must have really been phoning it in those last few years.

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Technically, Dad Doesn't "Need" Tobacco for That Pipe, Either...

From Golden Age Green Lantern #18, it's time for some Fun with Out of Context Dialogue! (tm!):


Excuse me?

Stop whatting you for a bicycle?

I... I don't know what to say from there.  Let's check out this CMNS Moment... of Comic Book Greatness! (tm!):





See, if Glee had more moments like that, I wouldn't have stopped watching a couple of years ago.

Finally, let's check out some Fun with Out of Context Artwork! (tm!):


Ah, puberty.

See you tomorrow!

Monday, October 28, 2013

Kids Dressed Up as Superheroes? What an Incredible Incident!

Let's start the week off right with a look at Golden Age Green Lantern #18!


Well, stuff happens when you saunter.  Everyone knows that.


No one messes with the intellectual property rights of Alan Scott.

In this issue... egad, it's painful to even say it... Green Lantern fights....

... the Dandy.

No, I'm not making that up.  I've mentioned before that the Golden Age wasn't so golden when it came to villains.  For every Joker, there was... well, there was a Dandy.  Here, we see him using his incredible power of foresight to...

... oh, I'll let him explain it:




Wait... What? (tm!)

Why would iron fillings have any effect on...

... you know what?  Just never mind.  It will only end in frustration and tears.  Let's take a look at some Fun with Out of Context Dialogue (tm!):


Okay, you all know that I don't judge, but someone should probably see a urologist.  That's all I'm saying.

See you tomorrow!

Friday, October 25, 2013

Superman, You Stingy, Self-Seeking, Money-Mad Miser!

Oy!  This week was a bit more action-packed than I would have thought, but that's no reason to ignore Action Comics #176:


Did you know that Superman used to work for Halliburton?

Yeah, I know... not very timely, but I stand by it.

Meanwhile:



Oh, Lois... we all know that Superman plus a million bucks is making your ovaries explode.  You're not kidding anyone... you've never wanted him more.

Although I think her use of the term "miser" is what really has her in a snit.  It's not that Supes is bringing home some cheddar, it's that he isn't spending it on Lois that's the real problem.

Check out this plot from the Congo Bill feature...


The first thing I thought was, of course, Old Yeller.  But this comic came out a solid 4 years before the movie.  And, just so you'll know how incredibly thorough I am, the Old Yeller book upon which the movie was based came out 3 years after this ish of Action Comics.

Was Fred Gipson, author of the Old Yeller book, inspired by something he read in Action Comics?  It's entirely possible, because Action has always been a popular title.  You just never know.

Hmmmm....

See you Monday!  

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Who Asked Ya, Wise Guy?


Checkin' out Startling Comics #20!


At first I was really excited because not only is there a giant snake, but it looked like Pyroman was going to be beating up on the KKK.  But they were only Nazis.  And normally, beating up on Nazis is always awesome, but I was kind of all set for the KKK.

And do you notice that Pyroman is "America's Blazing Battler" on the cover?  That would make sense if, like his name indicates, he actually used fire and not electricity.  This "electric vs. fire" mixup seems so obvious to me that I must be missing something that makes it work.  I mean, you can get burns from electricity, but that's not the same thing as having fire powers.  But I must be right about this being a screwup, because normally folks correct me very quickly around here if I miss something.

Anyway, let's enjoy a little CMNS presents: Well... Touche! (tm!)




Well... Touche! (tm!)

And now.... Random Slap! (tm!):


That was an actual slap.  You can tell by the sound effect.


I love it when people in old comics say "What a Man!"  It doesn't happen nearly as often as you'd think.

Hey, let's visit Don Davis: Espionage Ace!


Don Davis was rather unpopular around the agency office due to his insistence upon receiving spontaneous piggy-back rides. However, agency officials were reluctant to fire him because of concerns that his behaviors were related to repeated concussions:


Did I mention Don Davis gets hit in the head quite a bit?  He should really wear a helmet in the field.

See you tomorrow!


Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Don Davis LAUGHS at Your Bullets!

 Startling Comics #19 was the first time I became acquainted with Don Davis: Espionage Ace.  He wasn't particularly interesting, except I noted that he had a bit of an overconfidence problem:



But this serves as a good foundation for the following Saga in Three Panels (tm!):




This has been a CMNS Saga in Three Panels! (tm!)

Seriously, he gets hit on the head almost as much as the Black Terror and Pyroman combined.

Finishing us up is a dandy piece of Fun with Out of Context Dialogue (tm!) from first-time contributor, Smurfswacker:


You know, Mickey hasn't been entertaining in a cartoon since the 1950's, but he's got some game.  I'll give him that.

Heh!  Great one, Smursfwacker!  Thanks!

See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Sometimes, When Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor Touch, the Honesty is Too Much...

Today's panels come from frequent contributor Robert Gillis from Wonder Woman v1 #158.  And it's good that Robert is looking through them, because love you all though I do, I just don't think I can force myself to read Wonder Woman v1.  I realize it's probably fertile ground, but I think a lot of it has been covered by other blogs and frankly, the subsequent volumes of Diana's solo title are a lot less painful to read.

So, since Robert took the figurative bullet for us, let's take a look at some Fun with Out of Context Dialogue! (tm!):


Well, young lady, that's called being in a relationship.  You don't get to touch others just because the one may not be all that you hoped it might be.


That's actually a good thing.  Maybe that will make you think twice about touching others.


Wow... the three of these are actually telling kind of a story, aren't they?  I can't remember that happening before.

Meanwhile, lets enjoy another installment of Wait...What? (tm!)


Wait...What? (tm!)

I have no idea what happened in that ish, but this is why I tend to avoid Wonder Woman v1.

Thanks for taking one for the team, Robert!

See you tomorrow!

Monday, October 21, 2013

Hi, Big Shot!

Continuing our look at Pep Comics #29, let's savor the many facial expressions of Archie Andrews:


That's right.  Drink it in.

I also noticed in this issue that the Hangman had a power that was fairly unique: A cape that would disappear and reappear at random times.  Thusly:


I didn't say it was a particularly helpful power.

Meanwhile, a trifecta of Random Sucker Punches! (tm!) from Startling Comics #19:


A) I am going to say "Hi, Big Shot!" to someone today and B) I'm not sure, but I think the punch knocked the guy's head clean off his body.  "UG," indeed!


Well, if you wear breeches in the country like that, you kind of get what you get.


I don't know if that's actually a Random Sucker Punch (tm!) because an object was used, but I love it when people say, "Take that!"

See you tomorrow!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Dusty, the Spectacular Bystander

Ah, it's good to be back!  Let's celebrate with a look at Pep Comics #27:


Singing never looks right in comics.  But they did it a lot back in the Golden Age.


WHOA!  I'm not touching that one.

Did I mention they loved to show singing?


I presume he's either standing in the glow of a light somewhere or he has megadosed on carotene.


Good idea, Shield!  Since today seems to be all about singing, let's check out The Cure!



Okay, that's not what he probably meant.


He's a Nazi spy, Dusty!  Kick him in the nards!


Um... Dusty?  You on vacation or something?


I'm not suggesting I'm a hero by any stretch of the imagination, but it seems like Dusty is off to a slow start there...


Great, Boy Detective!  It's a shame you couldn't have done that moments ago when you were standing right next to him and it was revealed that he was a Nazi spy.

But apparently, Dusty did not beat him to a pulp, because we had this encounter a few pages later:


Okay, Dusty!  To review: He's got a gun and he just shot a defenseless old man, so you should probably act while you've still got the element of sur-


OH, FOR THE LOVE OF....!


THERE!  Was that so hard?


You mustn't die, Paul!  Lest the Shield find out I may be a "spectacular boy detective," but that really doesn't translate into combat skills!

Egad!

See you Monday!