PLANET PAYSON & PUNCH POWERS - Crisis of Ionite on Earth!

This one's gonna be a little weird...

A couple of weeks ago, I was reading through some of the comics that I've gotten off the Golden Age Comics Downloads site. I read this one story that for some reason I really kind of liked. Unfortunately, the issue was incomplete and the story was missing at least a couple pages off the end. So I just figured "Oh, well, whatever..."

Yesterday I was thinking about that story again. I had forgotten that it wasn't complete, just remembering that I wanted to use it on my blog. The problem was: I couldn't remember what comic it was in or even what the title of the feature was. I was stymied! How was I going to track it down!? For some reason, I did remember that the story had something to do with "ionite." So I just took a chance and Googled "ionite." After digging through the results, I found a hit on the Grand Comic Book Database. Success!! Or so I thought. The hit was for an issue of PLANET COMICS. While I do have the entire series, I knew that I hadn't been going through them (they're on a disk, not physically on my computer). But the line on GCBD: "Ionite, a new metal discovered on Mercury, is...;" was a 100% match with I remembered from the story!!

I set ComicRack to show recently read comics. And started going through them hoping to get lucky. And I found it!! Punch Powers from LUCKY "7" COMICS!! But what about that listing on GCBD for PLANET COMICS #7? So I pulled out the disk with my PLANET COMICS collection and started looking. I was kinda stunned when I found the Planet Payson story. It was the same story!!! Not a rewritten or redrawn story...the same story!! They changed the title, they changed the lead character's hair from blond to black. And re-lettered whenever the character's name appeared. It even gives a different person credit for creating the story. But it was the same story!

Really, I could've just run with the Planet Payson story, but it's been scanned from microfiche. I HATE microfiche. Mostly because 90% of the time, the scans from fiche are unreadable. And I don't like the look of the reproduction. Planet Payson wasn't so bad, but I had awesome scans for the first 4 pages of Punch Powers (and he has a cooler name)! The dilemma.

So, I'm going to start with the 4 Punch Powers pages and finish with the fiche-y Planet Payson pages. Hopefully it won't cause too much stress... I'm also including the first page from Planet Payson for comparsion.

Planet Payson from
PLANET COMICS #7 (July 1940)
Punch Powers from
LUCKY "7" COMICS #1 (1944)
story & art by ?

While really I could end the post here. There's just more insanity that I have to get off my chest!!! Here's the cover to LUCKY "7" COMICS #1:

The cover says "Read Pioneer! Sir Gallagher - Dick Royce and many other new features!" Based on his appearances in DAREDEVIL COMICS #2 (August 1941) and WITTY COMICS #2 (1945), the guy on the cover is definitely Pioneer. The thing is: Pioneer is nowhere to be found inside LUCKY "7" COMICS #1! Neither are Sir Gallagher or Dick Royce!
GCBD, for whatever reason, labels the cover feature of this issue as Punch Powers, although there's no resemblance between the two characters.
They may have taken their misinformation from Howard Keltner's Golden Age Comic Books Index 1935-1955 (an awesome index of super-hero appearances you really should download). He also states that the cover features Punch Powers.
The Official Overstreet Comics Book Price Guide 38th edition lists Pioneer, Sir Gallagher and Dick Royce (along with Punch Powers and Congo Raider, who do appear) as features in this issue.

It's so bizarre that just by trying to track down one story, I've uncovered so much information that probably nobody even cares about!! LOL!

All the comics mentioned in this post
are available for free from
Golden Age Comics Downloads!!

MARVO 1-2 GO+: The Super-Boy of the Year 2680

Or -- Marvo 1•2 Go+ or -- Marvo 1.2 Go+ ...?

It's hard to say, really. The title post is how it appears on the cover of SUPERWORLD COMICS #3 (August 1940). The first option is what it looks like in the "logo" of the story. The second I've found in a couple of web searches. So, I don't know...

This story is just kinda wacky. Starting with the lead character's name. Apparently, by the 25th century, last names have become so complicated, that we will be using government registered names instead. Because 1•2 Go+ rolls off the tongue so well...

Ronald Byrd, via The Golden Age Directory, offers:

It's back to the future for the adventures of Marvo 1.2 Go+. I suppose that's pronounced "mar vo one point two go plus," but who knows? In the year 2680, Marvo is the son of one of the world's greatest scientists. Although only 15, Marvo has inherited his father's intelligence (literally, it would seem, since it is claimed he has the knowledge of "an average scientist of 40") ... The "+" at the end of Marvo's name (which he wears emblazoned on his future-tunic) is a status symbol, heretofore awarded only to adult men (and only ten of them), which allows him to use the "super-hypnobioscope" ... to learn while he sleeps.

Marvo had 2 big adventures, in SUPERWORLD COMICS #2 & 3 (May & August 1940).

from
SUPERWORLD COMICS #3 (August 1940)
story by Charles Hornig; art by Frank R. Paul
[cover by Frank R. Paul]

Drat, no next month for Marvo 1•2 Go+ the Super-Boy!
This was the last issue...

Fun with Dialogue Out of Context!

TYPHON! -or- WTH were they smoking that day? HA!

I almost wasn't going to run this story, as the person who scanned it at Golden Age Comics Downloads chopped about a 1/4 inch off the bottom of almost every page. Not a major thing, but kind of annoying none the less. But I couldn't resist!!

Typhon appeared in WEIRD COMICS #1-7 (May 1940-October 1940). And let me say, never was a feature more appropriately placed. They don't come much weirder than this tale.

In fact, it's just so weird, that I'm going to change my regular posting style so I can comment throughout. Deal with it...

(Oh, and skip the first caption box, that basically tells you the entire story, start to finish...)

from
WEIRD COMICS #2 (May 1940)
story and art by ? [as Phillips Judge]

Yes! Let's drop down more! Because there will be more light by which to see...
"I'll phone the other subs not to lower."
"Typhon phones his other subs to stay at their level course."

The sub doesn't crash into an invisible wall, they hit the invisible wall.
Except -- "...there is no wall or obstacle..."
"This is unreal, yet true!"

I'm not sure at what point Typhon and friends got past the wall, or if the mermen went through it.
If there's no water behind the wall -- how are the mermen with fishtails swimming, or at least staying upright?
It's a good thing the writer told us they have "long red seaweed hair," because for a minute I thought their hair was yellow!
HA!

So they tied everyone up to catch them, but then untied them to carry them in?
HA!

It's the sign of a good writer who makes sure everything is clear, so we all can follow the story. The caption tell us that the humans are almost fainting...then the characters reaffirm that "I'm fainting!"
You have to love a villain who laughs at your discomfort, but orders you to be relieved.
So -- did the quick-freeze guns backfire? I'm not quite sure as to why the mermen were frozen into blocks...

If the writer hadn't told me that everyone was covered in ice, I never would have guessed!

"...a fight begins...." "We must fight them!" "The men fight the mermen."
Did someone tell Cecelia not to get involved? She seems pretty defiant, "Back off buddy, this one's mine!"
O!

Is Cecelia swearing!!? There's no call for that!!

How sad that the water drowns...
So, why exactly do the mermen shrink?
Apparently it's not only Typhon's ray gun that goes down...

PARTING SHOT:


You go girl!

HA-HA!

O!

IBIS the Invincible and the Vampire Twins!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Have some vampires!!

Prince Ibis, man of miracles and master of white magic, first came to life in the Egypt of 4000 years ago! Put in suspended animation for centuries, Ibis has awakened to battle modern crime and evil with the aid of his magic Ibistick!

I dunno, sounds kinda dirty to me. But you know how my mind works. ;-)

Ibis had a fairly lengthy career; including the entire run of WHIZ COMICS #2(1)-155 (February 1940-June 1953), his own IBIS, THE INVINCIBLE #1-6 (1942-Spring 1948) and ALL HERO COMICS #1 (May 1943).

Well, that wraps up the 13 Days of Halloween!! Have fun tonight!

from
WHIZ COMICS #101 (September 1948)
story by ?; art by Charles Tomsey



from
WHIZ COMICS #102 (October 1948)
story and art by ?

Grand Comic Book Database lists an artist for the first chapter, but not for the second. It kinda looks like the same guy to me, though.

ZERO, Ghost Detective!

One day to go! We're giving the vampires a rest today. Instead, we've got ghosts!! But no real super heroes. Oh, get over it.

Today we've got Zero, Ghost Detective! Kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, only without the slayer abilities...or the vampires. :-) Zero spent his career chasing vengeful spirits and sending them on their way.

Zero's ghost detecting days ran in FEATURE COMICS #32-72 (May 1940-October 1943).

Since his adventures tended to run only 5 pages, I'm giving you two!

from
FEATURE COMICS #39 (December 1940)
story by ?; art by Charles Sulton?



from
FEATURE COMICS #50 (November 1941)
story by ?; art by Al Bryant



PARTING SHOT:


Yeah, I'm not saying a word this time.