Number 1540: Headless but well-dressed

This is day three of our Week of Quality, featuring popular characters from Quality Comics of the forties.

“The Dress Suit Murders” from Doll Man Quarterly #9 (1946) is intriguing to me because we have what looks like a headless man committing murders, and because he is in evening wear, he is called not “the headless killer” (which would be my choice if I were writing the newspaper headlines that would accompany the lurid stories of his murder spree), but “Dress Suit.” That’s about as unlikely a name for a killer as any I can think of, but the name also provides a clue to the murderer.

The story is well-drawn, according to the GCD,  by Dan Zolnerowich, who also did superior work for Fiction House. The cover illustrating the story is by Al Bryant.

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The origin of Doll Girl, from Doll Man #37 (1951):

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Number 1471: Doll Man and the Vulture

I once opined that Doll Man was the dopiest name for a superhero ever, because I thought boys would be unlikely to buy a comic book with the word “doll” in the title. Maybe I was wrong (the character was around into the early ’50s, after all), or maybe boys had their sisters buy Doll Man Quarterly for them. Anyway, I've come up with a solution. Rename Doll Man “Action Figure Man” and the problem is solved.

But Doll Man is no longer being published...so...never mind.

This is the third posting for our Week of Quality, spotlighting Quality Comics of the 1940s. Today’s Doll Man story comes from Doll Man Quarterly #1 (1941). It’s time to mention the obvious, that these early Quality issues had weird coloring. The colorist(s) presented jarring color schemes, including a Caucasian flesh tone that looks like everyone has jaundice. I’m not sure it’s what was intended, but it runs through this issue. Years ago I read (was it in The Steranko History of the Comics?) that publisher Everett “Busy“” Arnold, who had a very hands-on approach to his comic books, was color blind. He might ask a staffer, “What was the color of the cover of last month’s Hit Comics?” because he couldn’t see it. Maybe that explains the oddly colored magazines from the early years of the line.

The art credit is given to John Cassone ? The question mark means the Grand Comics Database is not sure.

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Number 1386: “...nor iron bars a cage...”

Even if we accept for fictional purposes that a full-grown man can shrink himself into doll size and change instantly into a superhero, the idea that such a superhero would be held in a prison cell meant for normal beings causes incredulity. There’s more than the usual suspension of disbelief in this tale from Doll Man Quarterly #4 (1942). Superheroes exist in a universe where they are extraordinary beings, but beyond the reader accepting their powers we aren’t usually supposed to believe that anyone would be as extraordinarily dumb as the jail warder in this story.

The Grand Comics Database lists Max Elkan ? (question mark means they aren’t sure) as the artist.

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Number 1295: Doll Man’s fuzzy dino

Years before Jurassic Park, Doll Man battled a reconstituted dinosaur skeleton which a scientist has mixed with a “gibbon brain” to create a hybrid furry prehistoric critter. This is the third of our Furry Fiends and Foes week, matching superheroes with hairy adversaries. In this adventure from Doll Man #9 (1946) we have the biggest creature of the week up against the smallest superhero.

Dan Zolnerowich is given credit by the Grand Comics Database for this well drawn story.

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