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The Secret Lives of Villains #246
Golden Age Showcase: Atomic Tot
So I just discovered Rick and Morty last night.
It’s a good show, a bit dark, bleak, and incredibly pessimistic.
I bring this up because it provides a direct contrast with my love of superheroes.
Yes they’re bright, colorful, and probably have no place in modern society but that’s not the point.
Superheroes are supposed to be titans of morality and/or walking metaphors that can solve all their problems by punching them or blasting them with energy rays. Sure, sometimes they may a bit more complicated and complex, but in the end that’s what they are.
Superheroes did the right thing, ate their vegetables, said their prayers, and told little Timmy that doing the right thing came first, no matter what. They were uncomplicated lessons in morality for kids in an uncertain and dangerous time and that is something that the Golden Age of Comics did better than almost anyone else.
So let’s talk about a superhero named Atomic Tot, who was a superhero that was unquestionably for the kids,
and kind of dropped the ball in that regard.
Origin and Career
Atomic Tot made his first appearance in Quality Comics’ All Humor Comics #1 in September of 1946.
That joke on the cover of the issue? That’s as good as they would get.
He was created by comic book writer and artist, Ernie Hart. While I can’t find a picture of him, I can tell you that his most famous creation was the famous Super Rabbit for Quality Comics.
Pssh, the idea of talking anthropomorphic animals is so lame. Who could possibly make any money off of that?
Anyway, before Atomic Tot got his name he was originally known as “Mitymite”, the weakling son of a poor peasant living in a land being terrorized by an evil giant.
Yes the captions are in rhyme, to explain why I don’t have time.
Mitymite grows up wishing to meet this princess, but is blocked by the wicked giant. Humiliated, he swears revenge.
So what does he do? Does he subject himself to strange experiments? Find a magical artifact? Nope! He eats his cereal and works out.
Wheaties would love this guy.
Naturally he defeats the giant, by tossing him out a window…presumably to his death.
However, it turns out the princess isn’t all she cracks up to be and Mitymite acts like a total dick and abandons her.
It’s worth mentioning that he looks like he’s only six year old.
Mitymite was given a modern update in the very next issue. His new name was Atomic Tot and he got an alter ego of Tom Tot.
His second adventure saw him stopping an evil scientist that was kidnapping children and turning them into monkeys. Why? To sell them to the zoo of course.
How does he do that and wouldn’t it make more sense to sell them to laboratories as test specimens? I don’t know and the comic doesn’t care.
It’s worth mentioning that Atomic Tot could be incredibly cruel to his enemies. He even threatened to turn the scientist into a monkey if he didn’t help return the kids.
Atomic Tot would go on to have five more stories just like this one. There really isn’t anything else to say.
So what happened?
For some strange reason, Atomic Tot did not survive past the 1940’s.
Why he didn’t last long is a real mystery.
For some bizarre reason, Atomic Tot wasn’t fondly remembered enough to get a reworking in modern comics either, although he did make an appearance in an anthology title called Not Forgotten which was successfully funded through Kickstarter a few months ago.
The anthology has a website, it’s pretty interesting stuff and worth checking out.
Atomic Tot is a superhero boiled down to its most basic essence. There is no complicated backstory, no surprising plot twist about his parents, not horrifying life event that inspired him to become a superhero. He’s just a kid who has the ability to do great things and decides to use his talents for good.
Huh, come to think of it…that is pretty boring. Maybe all this straight laced morality isn’t quite for me than.
The Secret Lives of Villains #245
The Secret Lives of Villains #244
Crowdfunded Comics that deserve more attention: Drawing Blood
Normally this blog is reserved for obscure, small time artists and creators looking to fund a project that would have a very difficult time getting attention from a major publisher. That’s the spirit in which sites like Kickstarter were created and it’s a spirit that we appreciate and aspire to.
However, today is the day where we attempt to sell out in a blatant attempt to gain more views and popularity.
Today we’re looking at a project called Drawing Blood. It’s a biographical graphic novel detailing the rise and fall of a humble comic book creator named Shane Bookman. The project is headed by Kevin Eastman, David Avallone, and Ben Bishop.
As of the time of writing the project has already reached over $40,000 of it’s $75,000 goal and ends in 24 days.
Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2073065927/kevin-eastmans-drawing-blood-vol-1-a-graphic-novel/description
Why I like it
I like it because it’s a biography about indie comic book legend Shane Bookman and his journey from the highest highs of success to the lowest lows of fame and fortune.
What, you’re telling me that you’ve never heard of Shane Bookman? The creator of the 1992 hit comic “Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls”?
You know, the comic that started off as a darkly humorous parody of the grim and gritty comic books of the time and was spun off into a merchandise and tv empire that remains a pop culture phenomenon to this day? In fact, it was so successful that there are rumors there will be a big budget action movie produced by some super Hollywood director named Daniel Flay, who really likes explosions and movie series with a seemingly infinite number of sequels.
Ok, so you probably know that Shane Bookman doesn’t exist. In fact, those of you in the know probably recognized what this project actually is when you saw who was creating it.
For those of you who don’t know, Kevin Eastman is one of the co creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,
You know, the comic that started off as a darkly humorous parody of the grim and gritty comic books of the time and was spun off into a merchandise and tv empire that remains a pop culture phenomenon to this day and has been turned into another Michael Bay reboot that will probably churn out sequels until the day we die.
Drawing Blood was created to be a fictitious, semi autobiographical, darkly comedic look at the creation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the rise and fall of a great artist. It looks like it’s going to be grim, dark, violent, and promises to go behind the scenes of the creation of one of the most famous and popular comics of recent memory.
I love this sort of stuff. Call me weird but there are few things more satisfying than watching a success story pan out with all the trials, tribulations, thrills, chills, and potential for violence.
Why you should donate
Because being a comic book creator is hard, and while a select few creators do get to enjoy the fruits of their labor and create characters and stories that are enjoyed by millions of people,
there are hundreds, if not thousands more men and women who put their heart and soul into their work and got screwed out of their righteously deserved credit.
Ok sure, Alan Moore isn’t the best example but when it comes to talking about creators getting nothing for their work (although while he has made a lot of money you could make a strong case for him getting shafted by watching Hollywood butcher some of his greatest work like V for Vendetta and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) but the comic book world is a special case when it comes to the discussion of creator’s rights and credit.
In the very beginning comic book artists and writers didn’t own anything they created. Their work belonged to the companies that employed them and the only money many o them would see from their creations would be the page rate they received on a work for hire basis.
This is why legends such as Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster,
who created the iconic Superman had to sue Warner Brothers in the 1970’s for the credit and recognition they justly deserved, and why Shuster died in debt.
The struggle of the creator for the rights and recognition to their work is a long and often tragic tale and it’s problems are still being worked out and argued over today.
Some creators, such as the founders of of Image Comics,
have made it possible for creators to have greater control over their work and how it’s used, but it’s still a sensitive and complex issue that’s still being talked about.
I bring all this up because I think that a project like Drawing Blood is important to this discussion. Audiences see the end result of the hard work and sacrifice that goes into creating stories and characters, but not a lot of people pay attention to the stuff that really goes on behind the scenes.
Sometimes the creation of a story is just as import as the actual story itself, and if a project like Drawing Blood can draw more attention to the world behind the story than it is a story worth reading.
Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2073065927/kevin-eastmans-drawing-blood-vol-1-a-graphic-novel/description
The Secret Lives of Villains #243
Golden Age Showcase: The Purple Zombie
So we lost one of the greats yesterday: George A. Romero.
While he did create other films and was a fervent activist throughout his life, the man will always be remembered as the founding father of the zombie movie.
Fun fact: after he made his first film Night of the Living Dead Romero screwed up some paper work with the copyright office and as a result, the film is now in the public domain. You can watch it for free and I highly recommend it.
Yes, zombies are a pop culture staple nowadays. While their time as the dominant force of pop culture has waned, they’re still around making boatloads of money, especially in the comic book world.
So I thought it might be fun to talk about one of the earliest zombies in comic books, and how different a walking corpse from the 1940’s was from the present day walking corpse.
Today we’re talking about the Purple Zombie.
Origin and Career
The Purple Zombie made his first appearance in Eastern Publishing’s Reg’lar Fellers Heroic Comics #1 in August of 1940.
The character was created by Tarpe Mills, which was a pen name for Golden Age writer and artist June Mills.
Mrs. Mills was actually the first lady to create a female superhero, a black cat costumed heroine named Miss Fury.
Let it be said that the early comic book scene wasn’t entirely dominated by male New Yorkers, it was just mostly dominated by them.
When reading the Purple Zombie stories you can actually see a lot of tropes that plague (pun intended) the modern zombie. He was created by a mad scientist named Dr. Malinsky who was seeking to create an unstoppable army in order to take over the world,
However, it’s worth mentioning that there is no specific mention of how this zombie was created.
After establishing himself as an evil bastard, Dr. Malinsky realizes that he has the same problem Dr. Frankenstein had, that his creation realizes what it is and isn’t all that fond of his purpose. The creation bypasses years of therapy and emotional issues by strangling his creator.
You’ll notice three things that make this guy different. First, he’s bulletproof and super strong, thus avoiding the trope of zombies that need to be shot in the head and who are only effective in large groups. Second, he’s surprisingly articulate for a zombie and has no need or desire to consume the brains of the living. Third, his skin looks more black than purple which…raises a lot of very icky moral questions that are a bit more unsavory today than they would have been seventy years ago.
Nevertheless, this zombie sets out to find the people who backed his creation and remove them from the face of the Earth.
It’s never mentioned who the backers were working for, but with a name like Otto Von Heim it’s safe to assume they were working for the Nazis.
In a rather interesting twist, this zombie was actually captured and sentenced to death for the murders.
This is where he gets his purple skin, and his jailers realize that he can’t be killed.
The zombie is released into the care of Malinsky’s former assistant and swears to do nothing bug good from here on out.
Again, some kind of uncomfortable racial overtones here (it’s worth mentioning that pre Romero zombies were often associated with African or “voodoo” religions) but as origin stories go it’s pretty fleshed out and well done for the Golden Age.
Sadly, the zombie’s brush with organized crime wasn’t over. Realizing that a large, bulletproof, super strong, nearly unkillable monster could be useful in committing crimes a gangster named Joe Coroza kidnapped the Purple Zombie in an attempt to use him as a weapon.
His human friend tries to rescue him, but is forced to contend with an army of mechanized skeletons as well as the gangsters.
However, it turns out that the man who created the moving skeletons was actually a good guy and the Purple Zombie decided to join forces with him and go off to fight in Europe for the forces of democracy.
It’s nice to know that the idea of using creatures more often associated with horror to do good is older than a lot of people think.
The plan is a success and the Zombie and his skeleton pals successfully stop the death ray from killing thousands more. Their solution…cold blooded murder.
After successfully defeating the death ray and single handily winning the war (I assume) the heroes find themselves forced to land in a mysterious lab.
It turns out that the scientist forced them to land there so he could show them their time machine and in the very next page… 
Jesus, this comic jumps around more than an over caffeinated toddler.
The two find themselves in 64 A.D in the middle of the Roman Empire.
The Romans do the surprisingly sensible thing and declare these two strangers to be madmen. They also understand modern English.
Thankfully, lions are no match for the two.
Unfortunately, they now have to contend with the entire city of Rome burning.
Thankfully, they are saved by the actions of their colleagues in the present day who manage to transport them out of danger into the Medieval Ages.
It turns out they’ve landed straight in the middle of the Crusades and wind up meeting King Richard I of England.
They would have been on good terms if it wasn’t for their sudden transportation to the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
Honestly, I don’t know if the author is trying to be educational, or if she’s just name dropping random historical figures who were popular at the time.
They meet up with Sir Francis Drake while he’s bowling,
(fun side note: the story is that Sir Francis was supposedly bowling when he received news of the Armada so props for possible historical accuracy)
and the two men help him defeat the Spanish Armada until they’re whisked away to the French Revolution.
I’m beginning to think the scientists controlling the time machine hate our protagonists.
The two suffer through one more trip into prehistoric times,
and then they’re transported back to the modern day where it is revealed that the Purple Zombie wasn’t actually dead to begin with. He was actually faking his death in order to escape and wound up becoming an unwitting participant in the original experiments.
So I guess you could argue that the Purple Zombie wasn’t actually a zombie.
Goddammit.
So what happened?
The page above is the last page we would ever see of the Purple Zombie.
We’ve talked about Eastern Publishing before and how it was going through a rather turbulent time in the late 1940’s when it merged with a bunch of other publishers to become Standard Publishing and eventually stopped making comics in the 1950’s.
But even if Eastern Publishing had survived, I think that the Purple Zombie would have been doomed anyway. For starters there were companies in the 1940’s who were using zombies and monsters much more effectively and with much better artwork.
And even if the Purple Zombie had managed to become more popular, it stood no chance against the backlash against comics in the 1950’s that wound up creating the Comics Code.
With that being said I actually like the Purple Zombie. While he had a pretty average power set and wasn’t technically a zombie, he had a pretty good back story and enough heart and dedication to be a pretty good superhero.
The Secret Lives of Villains #234
Golden Age Showcase: Bulletman
Quickly, when you hear the name “Bulletman”, what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?
Personally I image some sort of dark, brooding, Punisher type hero who lets his guns do the talking and they aren’t taking “no” for an answer.
Kind of like what you might have found in a lot of comics from the 1990’s.
Side note: the above image is a character named Overtkill. Yes, that is how you spell his name.
Well, in the 1940’s a company called Fawcett Comics created a character named Bulletman and he looked like this:
Good Lord…that hat!
Origin and Career
Bulletman made his first appearance in Nickel Comics #1 in May of 1940.
He was published by Fawcett Comics and was created by writer/editor Bill Parker and artist John Smalle.
Bill Parker created Fawcett’s most popular character, Captain Marvel.
Remember this, it will be important later.
As for origins, Bulletman’s civilian identity is Jim Barr. His story takes a welcome break from the “I’m just going to fight crime because I’m rich and I have nothing better to do” school of thought and takes its cues from the Batman school of crime fighting. Namely, his parents get killed by criminals so he decides to fight crime at a young age.
No word on what happened to his mom.
A couple of things are interesting in this origin story. First, the boy is a scientist and never had any aspirations to be an athlete, so that’s a pretty good deviation from the norm.
Second, he develops a “crime cure” because he believes that crime is a disease that can be treated like malaria or small pox.
Wow, there’s…enough to unpack in that last panel alone to fill an entire book. So let’s skip over that and save it for arguing in the comments.
Sadly, Jim suffers from the plight that all smart people seem to suffer from in fiction, having his career hampered by idiots and jocks.
Three things to note here on this page. First, this is the best scan I could find. Second, the only one who believes in him is a pretty lady named Susan Kent, who eventually becomes his girlfriend and wife. Finally, notice how the cop in the second to last panel is openly justifying torture to extract a confession from a criminal using a rubber hose.
Meanwhile the “crime cure” works! Sort of…
I mean, it turns him into a superhero so yeah…he gets to cure crime by punching things.
He continues his reckless use of using things without testing them by building a gravity defying helmet and leaping out a window before it can be tested.
Thankfully the helmet works, even if he looks hilarious in it, and he manages to stop the criminals and save the day.
Bulletman would go on to be one of Fawcett’s most successful heroes, second only to Captain Marvel. After his career took off (har har) he did something strange and actually didn’t fight Nazis or Nazi spies. Instead he fought criminals both with his superpowers and as a police scientist.
Of course, just punching people can get boring pretty quickly so in April of 1941 Bulletman appeared in Master Comics #12 and his lady friend Susan Kent wound up discovering his identity.
The police chief’s daughter did in a matter of months what Lois Lane couldn’t do in years and in the following issue she confronts him about it.
The two wind up reconciling after Susan saves Bulletman’s life by giving herself the same powers and “finding an extra helmet lying around”.
And the two became a crime fighting couple to be reckoned with.
So what happened?
By all accounts Bulletman and Bulletgirl should have survived into the modern day. He was a popular character, he had an interesting backstory, and he was regularly seen with one of the most popular superheroes of the 1940’s.
And that was the problem. See, while Fawcett Comics had a huge amount of success with Captain Marvel it turned out that his greatest enemy wasn’t a super villain, but legal action.
It turned out that DC Comics looked at the hordes of tall white guys with super strength, super speed, flight, and a secret identity and decided that a lot of them were a little too close to their big time money maker: Superman.
We can debate the truth to this statement all day, but what’s not debatable is the results and in the case National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Comics National Comics won and Fawcett was forced to pay damages and cease publication of Captain Marvel.
It’s worth mentioning that the case made its first initial court appearance in 1941 with the final decision made a decade later, making this one of the longest copyright cases in comic book history.
Fawcett was decimated by the case and ceased publishing comics in 1953, and while they would restart publishing comics in the 60’s, they wound up handing their entire stable of superheroes over to DC comics in 1972.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl made the leap as well and appeared in a new superhero group called “The Squadron of Justice” to defeat the forces of a villain named King Kull.
They kept the helmets because why the hell not? They make the costume.
The two would be moved into the All Star Squadron, a DC Comics superhero team that was placed in a universe where World War 2 was still happening.
The two would go on to have a fairly important supporting role in DC’s SHAZAM! books. He got to meet Green Lantern mentor Abin Sur,
and at one point, Bulletman was actually accused of being a Nazi collaborator in 1998’s Starman #39 although he was naturally cleared of all charges.
Bulletman and Bulletgirl would also have a kid! In 1997 they had a kid named Deana who donned her mother’s helmet and became the hero Windshear.
She dated Captain Marvel for a bit and helped her Dad rescue Marvel from a villain named Chain Lightening.
The group has even inspired copies of their own, although they were all published within DC Comics so there was no court case. In 2005 Grant Morrison published a book series called Seven Soldiers, which was based on many of the old Fawcett characters. Bullet girl became “Bulleteer” and she looked like this.
So nice to know the phallic helmets didn’t just remain, they got bigger.
In a way I’m upset that Bulletman and Bulletgirl wound up where they are today. By all accounts they should still be around today since they did hold their own with some of the big name heroes of the Golden Age of Comics and the fact that they were a capable pairing as husband and wife adds an interesting dynamic that you don’t really see with a lot of comic book superheroes.
They were a solid team with a solid story and a solid power set and deserve a place right alongside their famous colleague Captain Marvel.
