Saturday, September 29, 2012

Captain America And Golden Girl

Towards the end of the original series Captain America's girlfriend Betsy Ross replaced his sidekick Bucky in the comics, something that was mostly ignored in later stories.

Golden Girl

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not to be confused with "The Golden Girls". For other uses, see Golden Girl (disambiguation).

Golden Girl is the name of two fictional superheroine characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics, the first of them during the 1930-1940s period known to historians and collectors as the Golden Age of Comic Books.

Golden Girl (Betsy Ross)

Golden Girl

Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Captain America Comics #1
In-story information
Alter ego	Betsy Ross

Publication history

Marvel Comics' first Golden Girl, Elizabeth Ross, first appeared, without yet a superhero identity, as Betty Ross in Captain America Comics #1 (cover-dated March 1941). A supporting character who appeared in occasional stories, she succeeded Bucky as Captain America's sidekick in issue #66 (Dec. 1947), in the 12-page story "Golden Girl", by an unconfirmed writer and by penciller Syd Shores. Golden Girl appeared in Captain America stories through issue #74 (Oct. 1949), except for issue #71, and also in the Captain America stories in Marvel Mystery Comics #87-88 and #92 (Aug. & Oct. 1948, June 1949).
She was not specified as having been related to a Colonel Ross, a U.S. Army officer, in the Captain America story "The Wound No Man Could See" in Marvel Mystery Comics #88 (Oct. 1948).^[1] The 2010 miniseries Captain America: Patriot retroactively revealed that she was the aunt of General Thunderbolt Ross, and the great-aunt of his daughter Betty Ross, two characters introduced in The Incredible Hulk #1 (May 1962).

Fictional character biography

Immediately before and during World War II, Betsy Ross was a member of the U.S. Army's Women's Auxiliary Army Corps, and later worked as an FBI agent. She became a friend and later girlfriend of Army Private Steve Rogers, unaware of his dual identity as Captain America. She had adapted her name slightly to Betsy Ross — the name of the U.S. colonial-era woman to whom legend ascribes sewing the first American flag — by the time that Captain America's sidekick, the second Bucky (Fred Davis) was shot and wounded. This third Captain America — Jeffrey Mace, who'd succeeded the M.I.A. Rogers and the killed-in-action William Naslund — revealed his civilian identity to Ross and trained her as his new partner, the costumed crime-fighter Golden Girl. After a handful of adventures, culminating in a battle with the Red Skull in Hell,^[2] Ross and Mace retired, and were married by 1953.^[3]

References

^ The Grand Comics Database at its ''Marvel Mystery Comics #88 entry, queries, "Col. Ross (Golden Girl's father?)"
^ Captain America Comics #74 (Oct. 1949)
^ The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe vol. 2, #5 (April 1986).
^ Citizen V and the V-Battalion' #2 (July 2001)

External links

Grand Comics Database
All-New Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z: Update 2 - Adam II to Zodiac (May 2007)
International Catalogue of Superheroes: Golden Girl

* * *

Golden Girl was one of the girl sidekicks they gave the main Marvel ( then Timely ) superheroes in the late forties, along with "Sun Girl" for the Human Torch and "Namora" for the Submariner.

I don't pay much attention to the story about different Captain Americas, which is something they came up with later on to explain why they still had Captain America around during the period that he was supposed to be in suspended animation according to the later comics.

Even before Golden Girl replaced Bucky as Captain America's sidekick, the previous issue had hinted of things to come.

I'd go for that keen brunette myself.

Bucky is shot! Who will save the comic book now?

The same blonde they always have in these comics, except that they don't always have her, for some reason.

Incidently, it's not supposed to be the same brunette, although it looks as if it was.

Golden Girl continues in her new role for the next several issues. This is #67.

This is #68.

#70 had an invasion from Mars, something they'd also done in an earlier issue.

In issue #71, Bucky was brought back.

Issue #72 found Captain America and Golden Girl taking a fantastic voyage through a man's mind.

And issue #74 found them facing "The menace of the deadly dreams", which sounds as if it ought to have been related to the other story, though it wasn't.

Meanwhile, Captain America and Golden Girl also appeared in MARVEL MYSTERY.

MARVEL MYSTERY 87

These have her in a red and blue costume instead of a yellow and green one.

MARVEL MYSTERY 88

MARVEL MYSTERY 91

Golden Girl was missing from the last issue that actually had a Captain America story. Unless you count the girl on the cover, who wasn't to be found anywhere inside.

But the last issue of the original run still had a blonde on the cover who could be Golden Girl, although neither she nor Captain America actually appeared in any of the stories inside.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #76

The last appearance of Betsy Ross in the old comics forgot about her role as Golden Girl in the earlier stories.

Betsy Ross was revived along with Captain America in 1954, but they said she was a girl reporter instead of a secret agent. Art by John Romita.

MODERN APPEARANCES OF GOLDEN GIRL

The "Golden Girl" in WHAT IF #44 didn't wear the same costume, but appeared to represent the original Golden Girl associated with Captain America. The Captain America she's with, however, is supposed to be an impostor who is defeated by the real Captain America. But if the "other" Captain America who fights him in the story is the "real" one, why are all these friends of Captain America with the wrong one?

"Hangman" was a character the Archie comics company had as a superhero. Marvel comics used the version showed here as a villian in other comics.

MARVEL ADVENTURES #37 at least had Golden Girl back in her old costume, even if the art looked kind of funny.

This story changed a lot of details, stating that the adventure was set in 1954 ( which was after the actual "Golden Girl" comics ) and mentioning Baron Zemo ( who they didn't have till the 1960's comics ).

Somehow, the later comics fail to provide us with a satisfying conclusion.

But we know what REALLY happened-

THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!!!

THE END!!!

Reblogged from http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/3937 :

Martin O'Hearn says:

August 16, 2011 at 12:24 pm

“Golden Girl” and “The Enigma of the Death Dolls” were written by William Woolfolk. I’m transcribing his script sales records on my blog at the rate of one or two months (his time) per week (our time). In a couple of our months I’ll progress from 1945 to the 1947 entries that include those stories. A number of his Timely scripts are hard to track down because the editors there came up with titles completely divorced from his tentative ones. He described “Golden Girl” as “Cap gets new partner”; that one, at least, was easy enough to match up.

Read about this period in the comic book in the Kirby Museum:

http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/3937

Marvel Wikki For Betsy Ross:

http://marvel.wikia.com/Elizabeth_%22Betsy%22_Ross_(Earth-616)

Marvel Wikki Index For Betsy Ross:

http://marvel.wikia.com/Category:Elizabeth_%22Betsy%22_Ross_(Earth-616)/Appearances

Marvel Adventures #37 Preview:

http://marvel.com/images/gallery/story/8336/images_from_preview_marvel_adventures_the_avengers_37/image/441190

Syd Shores:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syd_Shores

Willaim Woolfolk:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/09/arts/william-woolfolk-86-writer-behind-comic-book-heroes.html

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Funnyman

Funnyman was another character that Superman's creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster came up with after being fired by DC comics.

Funnyman (comics)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Funnyman #1 (Jan. 1948). Cover art by Joe Shuster.

Funnyman is a fictional comic book character whose adventures were published in 1948 by Magazine Enterprises.

Publication history

After leaving DC Comics and suing that company in a dispute over the rights to Superman, the character's co-creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, rejoined their former DC editor Vin Sullivan—who had bought their character and edited the earliest adventures—at his new company, Magazine Enterprises.

The duo's new creation, Funnyman, starred in a series that ran just six issues (cover-dated January–August 1948). The premiere issue was preceded the previous month by a black-and-white "ashcan" printing for copyright reasons.

A newspaper comic strip debuted in October 1948, but Funnyman also failed to find an audience in this format, and his strip was soon dropped.

Fictional character biography

Larry Davis is a red haired television comedian with mannerisms based on those of Danny Kaye. Larry's manager/agent June Farrell talks him into performing a superhero-like stunt in order to obtain publicity. This stunt goes wrong when Larry finds himself in a real crime scene. Larry stops this criminal, not knowing what he is doing is real until after the fact.

Discovering that he enjoys fighting crime, Larry begins a career as a costumed crime fighter under the alias Funnyman.

References

Funnyman appears to be based on comedian Danny Kaye. Not surprisingly in view of the fact that the same guys were the creators of Superman, his girlfriend appears to be another version of Lois Lane.

Wikipedia readily acknowledges the fact:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Kaye

Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; 18 January 1913 – 3 March 1987)^[1] was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian. His best known performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire nonsense songs.
Kaye starred in 17 movies, notably The Kid from Brooklyn (1946), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947), The Inspector General (1949), Hans Christian Andersen (1952), and – perhaps his most accomplished performance – The Court Jester (1956). His films were extremely popular, especially his bravura performances of patter songs and children's favorites such as "Inchworm" and "The Ugly Duckling". He was the first ambassador-at-large of UNICEF in 1954 and received the French Legion of Honor in 1986 for his many years of work with the organization [he died in the next year].^[2]
^........Kaye was sufficiently popular that he inspired imitations:

The 1946 Warner Bros. cartoon Book Revue had a lengthy sequence with Daffy Duck impersonating Kaye singing "Carolina in the Morning" with the Russian accent that Kaye would affect from time to time.
Satirical songwriter Tom Lehrer's 1953 song "Lobachevsky" was based on a number that Kaye had done, about the Russian director Constantin Stanislavski, again with the affected Russian accent. Lehrer mentioned Kaye in the opening monologue, citing him as an "idol since childbirth".
Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster also fashioned a short-lived superhero title, Funnyman, taking inspiration from Kaye's public persona.

Danny Kaye with Virginia Mayo

With costar Virginia Mayo

With Vera Ellen, Rosemary Clooney, and Bing Crosby in WHITE CHRISTMAS.

Lois Lane by Joe Shuster

Reblogged from http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/

Danny Kaye:

http://www.angelfire.com/film/dannykaye/DannyKaye.htm

Funnyman at Toonpedia:

http://www.toonopedia.com/funnyman.htm

Funnyman In Australia:

http://ohdannyboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/siegel-shusters-funnyman-in-australia.html

New Book On Funnyman:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/book-news/comics/article/43671-new-book-reveals-funnyman-siegel-and-shuster-s-other-hero.html

"Lois Lane And Lola Lane" by Benny Drinnon:

http://benny-drinnon.blogspot.com/2012/04/lola-lane-and-lois-lane.html

"I Love Lois Lane" by Another Guy who said that:

http://www.sitcomboy.com/Lois/loisopen.html

Lois Lane at DC Wikki:

http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Lois_Lane

Lois Lane at Superman Site:

http://www.redboots.net/loislane/llane_index.htm

Thursday, September 20, 2012

'Legion Of Darkness!" - John Force, Magic Agent

John Force was a secret agent with magical powers in a series of stories published by the American Comics Group.

There were a lot of spy stories in the 1960's. "Magic Agent" was different in that he had magic powers, something that was true of a number of characters in the American Comics Group stories at the time. They were the publishers of ADVENTURES INTO THE UNKNOWN, which was one of the first as well as one of the longest-running fantasty comic books of the time.

The Comic book JOHN FORCE, MAGIC AGENT only ran three issues, but later the character was revived and ended up being the last regularly published character the American Comics Group had before going out of business.