Number 1460: The Phantom Ladies

A week ago I showed a story drawn by Frank Borth, and I included the splash panel for his first Phantom Lady story in Police Comics #17 (1943). I have that story today, and you can see what a superb artist Borth was, one of the top-notch talents at Quality Comics. The story, though, is filler; a bit of fluff.

The Phantom Lady, who is Sandra Knight, has a beau named Don, who doesn’t have a lot to do in that first story. He appears again in our second story from Phantom Lady #22 (1949). I don’t know why Phantom Lady, still Sandra Knight, moved from Quality to Fox Features and got a new costume. I assume the reason no one notices Phantom Lady is Sandra is because in those sexy costumes no one is looking at her face.

Sandra’s boyfriend, Don, is back in “The Case of the Robbing Robot,” with more to do in this story. He gets to dress in drag. The story has some humor to it, and is drawn by Jack Kamen in his pre-EC days.

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Number 1451: Battlin’ ‘bots

I used to watch my younger brother playing Rock’em Sock’em Robots with his buddies. I was a little too old when they became a fad in 1964...I was way too mature. I’d sniff with derision at the youngsters’ juvenile antics in trying to knock each others’ robot heads off, then go in my room and read comic books.

The idea for fighting robots wasn’t new, and had been used in science fiction before. It was used as recently as Real Steel, a movie from 2011.

So, we have two roughhousing robot stories today: “Stuart Taylor in Tales of the Supernatural” is from Jumbo Comics #101 (1947), and the Robotman story, “The Battling Robots” is from Star Spangled Comics #81 (1948). Robotman is drawn by Jimmy Thompson, and Stuart Taylor is credited by the Grand Comics Database as being drawn by Jack Kamen.

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Number 1069


"Back, fiends!"


There's no writing like comic book writing. The title of this post comes from a panel in "Flee the Mad Furies" (a title that is itself pretty supercharged). You don't see the word "fiends" all that often except in comic books.

These are two stories from Ghost Comics #4, Fall 1952, both reprints, but I don't know from what issues of what comics they are reprinted. Drew Murdoch is the main character of "Ghost Gallery," usually found in Jumbo Comics. "Flee the Mad Furies" is drawn, according to the Grand Comics Database, by the Iger Shop. There is a lot of Matt Baker in there, although I wouldn't guarantee it's all Baker. The other story, "No world for me!" is drawn by Jack Kamen.

The cover, which was reproduced large size in the 2010 Fantagraphics book, Four Color Fear, is drawn by the very talented Maurice Whitman.

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Number 810

Arrrrrrggghhhhh. It's Talk Like A Pirate Day...again

Here we are again, and yet another tip of the Pappy cappy to those days of yore, sailin' o'er the bounding main, pirate lads...and pirate lassies.

Black Bess be one of those lassies. She showed up in Fight Comics #53, 1947, in the Captain Fight story. Personally, I wish she'd stuck around a little longer, because I like the short-shorts and long legs. I also love the pirate hat. Red with a jolly roger! I guess there's no mistaking who she is, is there?

The story is drawn by Jack Kamen.

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