Number 1166: The All-American flying, two-fisted, butt-kicking girl

Miss America was one of the patriotic heroines of World War II, created for Marvel Mystery Comics in 1943. You can read her history here. Otto Binder is credited for her creation, as he is for these two seven-page backup stories from Marvel Mystery Comics #52 and #56, both 1944. The Grand Comics Database credits Charles Nicholas with pencils and inks.

I like Miss America, and I like the earnest attempt to create a super character for girls. Miss America is slim and svelte, looks like a teenager, but looks can be deceiving. She can fly, put a grown man out with her fists, and give the heave-ho to enemies of Uncle Sam.

I found these stories online in about 2003, and saved them. They were only 500 pixels wide. I have enlarged them to 725 pixels. If you are the person who put these online originally I'd like to hear from you, give credit where it's due.

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Today is the release date for Zombies, yet another book in Craig Yoe's fantastic series of comic book reprints.

This time Craig has teamed up with one of the great bloggers, Steve "Karswell" Banes of The Horrors Of It All. I've followed Steve's blog since its inception, and his knowledge of horror comics of the 1950s is unparalleled. Craig was right to get Steve to help, because in my opinion there isn't anyone more qualified.

I haven't seen the book, and yet I'm recommending it. Readers who've read my past reviews of the series know how highly I prize these books from Yoe, not just for their contents, but for their permanence. When you buy a Yoe book you are buying a guarantee of a quality product, printing, paper, binding...there is no skimping, but the books are very affordable. You can't afford to miss them, that's for sure.

Go to Amazon.com or Yoe Books to order. If you're fortunate enough to have a great comic shop locally that carries these books, please support them.

Number 680


Scourge of the Nazis! The origin of Miss America


After a long hiatus, Miss America returns to Pappy's, this time with her two-part origin story from Marvel Mystery Comics #'s 49 and 50, from 1943.

Her look was a bit different in her earliest adventures. I like the hood; later on it changed and looked like a beanie perched on her hair.

According to the Grand Comics Database, the origin was written by Otto Binder. Part 1 in Marvel Mystery #49 was drawn by Al Gabriele, and Part 2 by Charles Nicholas.

I've shown some other adventures of Miss America, a very entertaining second banana feature from 1940s Timely Comics. Click on "Miss America" in the link below to see the others. I took the scans from the internet about 2003, on a website devoted to Miss America. I'm glad I saved these because I believe the site is gone. The only thing I did to the scans was enlarge them from 500 pixels to 600 for easier reading.

Number 423


The Photo Phantom


The Human Torch and Toro flame on, from Marvel Mystery Comics #83, July 1947.


The postwar period was a tough one for those two hot-heads. They no longer had America's war enemies to give the hotfoot. How do you follow that act? By solving mysteries, apparently. This particular story involves some blackmail and a masked photographer who pulls a few camera tricks. In these days of Photoshop, where no one can trust a photograph, it's hard to remember when a picture was worth a thousand words, or in this case ten thousand dollars.

The Grand Comics Database gives us a couple of names with question marks for credits. They throw out Al Fagaly? and Carl Pfeufer? for artwork chores, so take it for what it's worth. The cover they credit to Al Avison and Syd Shores. It's a pin-up style, not unlike the kind Alex Schomburg was doing in that era when like Torch and Toro, he had to give up wreaking havoc on the Axis powers.

Number 412


II from WWII


The second bananas filled up the comics during World War II, and like the main superheroes they fought the enemies of America. They took their lumps and doled out plenty of punishment, but never made it to the lead spot. This pair, the Vision and the Patriot, are a good example of those back-of-the-book types: "They also serve who don't make the cover spot." At the time in Marvel Mystery Comics, where these stories are from, Alex Schomburg was doing the covers, which usually featured Human Torch melting through a wall and about to fry some Japanese or Nazis.

I scanned these two backup stories from a reprint, Captain George's Comic World #23 & #24, a double issue from 1969. George was a Canadian store owner and publisher of old comics material. These are from Marvel Mystery Comics #41, March 1943. The artwork, according to the Grand Comics Database, is credited to Syd Shores. The Sub-Mariner story from that issue is here.