The Swami and the Spectre

In case anyone missed the news, Mykal has unleashed a blog devoted to DC's coolest classic supernatural creation-- THE SPECTRE! The blog, appropriately enough, is called "The Spectre Lives", and in typical Mykal fashion is nicely designed and overloaded with awesome insight... it's sure to be your one stop destination for everything you want to know about The Spectre-- and more! THOIA salutes our friend's effort with a Spectre post of our own, a Silver Age glimpse into another favorite "Avenger of Evil" era from the May - June 1974 issue of Adventure Comics #433, featuring an evil swami and his murderous henchman, a spooky meeting at midnight in a cemetery, ghosts, and a shattering climax in the ever ironic pre-code horror vein of justice. (Artwork by Jim Aparo.)

Number 1112


Delinquent in Space


I've had the scans for these two stories prepared since January, 2011. I'm just now getting around to posting them because in over a year I haven't really been able to think of anything to say about them, except they're crazy. The scripts are by editor Richard E. Hughes writing as Shane O'Shea.

Under the O'Shea pen-name Hughes wrote the classic Herbie stories. There's one sequence in part 2 of "Delinquent in Space" which I could swear I've also seen in a Herbie comic: Gene the delinquent masquerades as a bearded Soviet in order to get access to the spaceship. Or am I just hallucinating after licking one of Herbie's hard-to-find-cinnamon lollipops?

The original story, appearing in Adventures Into the Unknown #114 (1960), was apparently popular enough to call for a sequel in AITU #122. Artist Ogden Whitney, whose solid art style didn't vary no matter the subject, gives it his professional polish, just like he did for Herbie.

Number 1111


For badder or worse


Ruth, a nanny who seems like a perfectly nice girl, falls for Artie, who turns out to be bad...then she falls for Carl, who is badder.

Some girls do dumb things like that. She got clobbered in two panels because she fell in love. That's really dumb, and any woman who puts up with that should be advised that the abuse will only get worse. (Apologies to readers who are offended, and rightfully so, by such panels.)

This is a love story that is also a crime story. There must be conflict, and in this case it involves bank robbery, domestic violence and shootings. Bob Powell and his staff drew the story, and as always it's a solid illustration job. I've mentioned several times that I love Powell, and love to show his work. In this case I found scans of five of the six original art pages of "Past Dishonor" at Heritage Auctions.

(There is something that bugs me about Harvey comics of this era. The use of !! double and !!! triple exclamation points. One ! is always sufficient, and should be used sparingly, if at all!!!!!!)

From First Romance #10 (1951):

PAGE 4 MISSING.