World's Greatest Super-Heroes - a DC Comics 100-Page Super-Spectacular

I have wanted this comic book for such a long time.  I remember seeing images of it and people talking about it for years, but I've never been able to find a copy (at least, not at a reasonable price that I was willing to pay!). Thankfully, at a recent comic book convention, a dealer had a not-quite perfect copy (but still fully in tact with no tears or rips and no pages missing) for a very reasonable price - so I bought it!  The reason I wanted it is because it truly does feature the world's greatest super-heroes:  The Justice Society of America!  That's right - while many consider the Justice League the world's greatest super-heroes, ever since I met the JSA way back in 1980 in that classic JLA/JSA/New Gods cross-over, I have been in love with them.  The idea of an alternate earth where the super-heroes did grow older, where they had children, where some of them died fascinated me to no end - particularly when I was introduced to my favorite all-time comic book character, the Huntress (the grown daughter of the Earth-2 Batman and Catwoman!).  Thus, ever since that time, I have hunted down and read pretty much every possible appearance of the JSA that I could find - and this is one of the comics that I have never been able to get my hands on - until now!

 

DC 100-Page Super-Spectacular featuring World's Greatest Super-Heroes! (for only 50 cents back in 1971!) is a reprint issue, giving readers of the early 1970s an opportunity to read (or re-read, as the case may be) stories starring the Justice Society and some of its members from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s.  The book opens with the two-parter "Crisis on Earth-One!" and "Crisis on Earth-Two!" from Justice League of America issues 21 and 22 (Aug. and Sept. 1963, respectively).  The stories that follow are those of individual members of the JSA - The Spectre, Johnny Quick, the Vigilante (not the Marv Woflman/George Perez version), Wildcat, and Hawkman with Hawkgirl.  And, yes, I realize the Vigilante was never truly a member of the JSA; however, he was later included in the All-Star Squadron in the 1980s, so it could be said he was later retconned into the group of Earth-Two heroes!

 

Anyway, that opening story with the first historic cross-over of the JLA and JSA is always a treasure to read.  "Crisis on Earth-One!" re-introduced the Justice Society of America to young readers of the 1960s who may have never heard of that team (since its last appearance was back in 1951 with the cancellation of All-Star Comics).  By this time, the Flash of Earth-One had already discovered the existence of Earth-Two and its super-hero counterparts, but the two teams had yet to meet.  But when the villains of both Earths find a way to switch places in order to commit crimes, the JLA and JSA find themselves at a disadvantage - not only do they not know these other Earth's villains, but the ne'er-do-wells have set a trap to ensure the JLA and JSA cannot defeat them!  The two-part story continued into "Crisis on Earth-Two!" and allowed the Green Lanterns of both Earths to free the kidnapped Flashes and ultimately defeat the Crime Champions of two worlds.  The words of the Earth-Two Hawkman at the end of the story are oh-so-prophetic:  "We're going to keep in touch! There's no telling when we may be called upon to join forces again!"  And join forces again they did, every year in an annual team-up that saw them eventually meet up with a number of other teams, including the Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Freedom Fighters, the Legion of Super-Heroes, the Shazam family, the stars of the Old West, the New Gods, and even the All-Star Squadron!  Gardner Fox likely had no idea what an iconic story he had written, one that still resonates with fans more than 60 years later!

The Spectre's story, from More Fun Comics issue 55 (May 1940), is the oldest reprinted story in this comic.  With art by Bernard Baily, the story finds the ghost of vengeance battling another spirit who walks the Earth, only this one is spreading evil.  It seems he may have met his match, but a last minute trick enables the Spectre to turn the tables on his nemesis and imprison him for all eternity in solitude - a fate the villain had planned for the Spectre!  The author of the story is not identified, but an online search reveals the writer as Jerry Siegel, one of the creators of Superman!

The next tale features Johnny Quick and His Magic Formula in "Stand-In for 100 Convicts." from Adventure Comics issue 190 (July 1953).  I really enjoyed this story, as (a) I like the character of Johnny Quick, and (b) it was a creative story.  A prison warden agrees to release 100 criminals from prison on the belief they will not return to a life of crime - but when $100,000 worth of diamonds disappears, it seems the criminals have gone back to their old ways.  Johnny is on the case, but he discovers that only one of the criminals has gone bad - the others are searching for the bad seed, hoping that by bringing him back in, they can prove they have changed.  Johnny agrees to help and must distract the warden and the police in order to give the criminals a chance to find the one who stole the diamonds! Using his speed, Johnny tries to pretend to be all 100 of the released criminals, a pretty nifty trick!  Even though it is only six-pages in length, the story is full of action and dialogue (and, in today's comics, this would probably be spaced out into a six-ISSUE story, rather than just six pages).  The artist is identified as Ralph Mayo, but online sources indicate Hy Mankin was the artist, and Don C. Cameron was the writer.

Next up is the Vigilante and his little sidekick Stuff in a story titled "The Galleon in the Desert!" (from Action Comics issue 146 (July 1950).  I'm not going to lie here, I did not read this story.  The Vigilante is not a character that interests me, and while the art of the nine-page tale was actually pretty good, I just didn't have the desire to read it.  It was written by Joseph Samachson and drawn by Dan Barry.

The Wildcat story, however, I did read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  "Crime Wore a Costume!" is actually an unpublished Golden Age story that never saw print before this comic, which made it a special treat.  The artist is identified as Jon Chester Kozlak, and I discovered online the writer was Bob Kanigher.  The story finds Ted Grant and his boxing contender, Mike Bailey, putting in a holiday appearance at a local department store when a group of Santa-wearing criminals try to escape with all the contents of the jewelry department! Ted quickly changes into Wildcat to fight the criminal Santas, and Bailey steps in to help, unmasking Wildcat's nemesis, the villainous Huntress (not the Batman and Catwoman's daughter from the late '70s, but the tiger-striped one from the Golden Age who Roy Thomas eventually renamed "Tigress" in his Young All-Stars series).  She sets up a number of traps for Wildcat, including a very nearly beheading; but, Wildcat manages to outwit the feline thief and flip her right into the hands of the waiting police.  

This issue wraps up with a tale of Hawkman and Hawkgirl from The Brave and the Bold issue 36 (June/July 1961) titled "Strange Spells of the Sorcerer."  Story by Gardner Fox and art by Joe Kubert, the Hawks find themselves battling a noted magical authoriy, Konrad Kaslak, and unknowingly the sly woman, Mavis Trent.  It must be noted that this Hawkman and Hawkgirl are the Katar and Shayera Hol of Thanagar - the Hawks of Earth-One!  It's a silver-age tale that was published just 10 years prior to this reprint and is only one of the two stories that originally appeared in that issue of The Brave and the Bold.  The story is a bit darker in tone and color than its Golden Age predecessors, and it is also longer than any of the previous tales (other than the JLA/JSA two-parter).  It's interesting that with all the other stories in this issue focusing on Earth-Two characters, they would end the issue with the Earth-One Hawks.

The wrap-around cover to this reprint issue is a masterpiece drawn by comic legend Neal Adams and features a conglomerate of heroes from both Earth-One and Earth-Two (interestingly, the front cover features mostly Earth-One heroes, while the back cover focuses mostly on Earth-Two heroes).  While I didn't really need it, I do like the fact that DC included a handy guide on the inside back cover to all of the characters who appeared on the cover.  This likely helped the readers back in 1971 who did not recognize many of the Earth-Two characters. I find it interesting that when identifying the characters, those who have doppelgangers on both Earths are identified by their Earth (such as Superman of  Earth-One and Superman of Earth-Two), but characters who have no doppelgangers are simply identified by their name (such as Mr. Terrific and Wildcat).  Black Canary is the only character identified as being from both Earth-One and Earth-Two, since she originally came from Earth-Two, but crossed over and stayed on Earth-One in one of the annual JLA/JSA crossovers.  There is also interspersed among the stories "A Checklist of DC Super-Heroes" (appearing on pages 35, 51, 97, and 98), which not only lists a number of the characters used by DC at the time, but provided the characters' first appearances.  The list is in alphabetical order and includes many well-known characters as well as some obscure characters such as Air Wave (first appearance in Detective Comics #60, Feb. 1942), Bwana Beast (first appearance in Showcase #66, Jan/Feb 1967), the Ghost Patrol (first appearance in Flash Comics #29, May 1942), and a number of others.  For me, this guide was a lot more informative than the character guide on the inside back cover!

Overall, this was a great issue of reprints and one I am absolutely thrilled to now have in my collection!

RATING:  10 museum animals brought to life out of 10 for keeping the Justice Society of America and its members "alive" for readers of every generation to read, fall in love with, and enjoy!

Minerva Keen's Detective Club - Book One of the Minerva Keen Mysteries

I debated on this book for a bit before I finally bought it. I'm not exactly a fan of James Patterson, and even moreso when it seems publishers use his name to sell series and books written by other authors (such as this book, where James Patterson is plastered across the top of the dust jacket in large, bright letters, while "and Keir Graff" is below Patterson's name in much smaller, darker letters).  But, I eventually gave in because (a) I learned this was only the first in a series of books, (b) it is a mystery series with a female protagonist, (c) the character's last name is similar enough to the pseudonym used for Nancy Drew's author, and (d) I got it at a discounted price at Wal-Mart.  The combination of all of those factors had me buying the book.

Minerva Keen's Detective Club is, admittedly, unlike most other mysteries I've read. As with all kids' series today, Minerva is only twelve-years old (whatever happened to the amateur sleuths in kids' mysteries being OLDER, such as sixteen to eighteen, so that the kids reading them had something to aspire to?), but she is definitely quirky.  The daughter of globe-trotting parents who are geniuses in their fields of study, Minerva is definitely smarter than your average pre-teen.  Her brother, Heck (short for Hector) who is striving to become the next big chef, is a major klutz, getting in so many accidents the local hospital knows the family well.  Her cousin, who is taking care of Minerva and Heck, is working on her college dissertation - but her head is so far up in the clouds, Minerva feels like she is the one taking care of Bizzy (short for Elizabeth).  Minerva does not have any real friends to speak of, but her world is about to change when a mystery falls in her lap.

Playing chess with a retired old man who lives in the same apartment building (his name is Kermit, by the way - notice the very odd names in this book?), Minerva thinks she has him beat - until he collapses onto the chess board.  It turns out he has been poisoned, and one Detective Taylor is determined to find out who and why.  But Minerva is even more determined because Kermit was her friend and the building's landlady seems to be pointing the finger at Minerva as the culprit!  Kermit survives, but he is unconscious in the hospital.  The next victim does not survive.  Nor does the third.  Or the fourth!  Someone is clearly poisoning the residents of Arcanum, the 100-plus year old apartment building Minerva's family calls their home.  Minerva has to figure out who it is before she or her brother are next!

Lucky for Minerva, she has a new club to help her out!  When a proposed Debate Club at school fizzles out (no one shows up to join!), she changes her mind and makes it a Detective Club.  The only member from her class that joins is one Santos Salgado, the tallest boy in the sixth grade and also the quietest.  But he has qualities that prove to make him invaluable to the club.  Minerva's brother, Heck, also joins (he pretty much pushes his way in), and it turns out he's not a bad assistant.  The three of them think they have it all figured out, but they just have to convince Detective Taylor, who, oddly enough, does more than just tolerates Minerva's constant interference - he actually utilizes her assistance!

Some of the things I found to be odd about this book:  first, the author(s) have no problem showing Minerva and her brother burping and farting.  While the burping is unintentional (Minerva burps when she gets nervous), the farting is very intentional - and there is an entire chapter devoting to Minerva and Heck farting loudly and smelly in order to get their cousin Bizzy out of the apartment!  The burps and the farts are all quite descriptive, and while I know kids may giggle at reading about these things, it just seems extremely inappropriate for a serious mystery book; and this book is serious - with three deaths and two seriously ill patients (yes, there is a fifth poisoning!), perhaps the burps and parts are meant for some levity?  Whatever the reason, it seemed very out of place and basically made the main character seem even younger and more immature than she already is.

Second, the solution to the mystery pretty much comes out of nowhere.  There is absolutely no mention of these characters anywhere in the book prior to the climax, and the weapon and reasoning are not hinted at in any way.  I'm not really fond of mysteries that do not plant any sort of clues to the solution somewhere within the story, even if they are obscure.  I suppose one could say the chess game Minerva is playing with Kermit while he is unconscious in the hospital (don't ask!) could be a clue (as it is ultimately revealed that the moves Kermit are making is the clue), but one would have to be a highly skilled, nearly expert chess player to know the moves and what they are called in order to figure that one out - and even if you did, it wold not mean anything until Minerva, Santos, and Heck actually uncover the weapon in the building's penthouse (which, by the way, is never mentioned at any time in the book before the final chapters, despite the number of floors in the building being discussed several times throughout the story).

Third, Detective Taylor's quick acceptance of Minerva as his "assistant."  I cannot picture any Chicago police detective every accepting help from a twelve-year old child, let alone giving her information on an ongoing investigation and allowing her to call him at any time.  I know, I know - the police in the Nancy Drew series were always bending over backwards to help Nancy - but Nancy was also an eighteen-year old girl whose father was a well-known, well-respected attorney in River Heights (not Chicago!).  The ready acceptance of Minerva just makes the story feel all that more fictional - I think a little conflict between the detective and Minerva might have actually played off better for the story.

Otherwise, it was a fairly decent mystery, and aside from the farts and burps, the three kids do make a pretty good little "detective club" - they each have their own unique personalities and skills, and they manage to compliment each other as they work together.  There is also what appears to be perhaps an ongoing subplot surrounding Minerva and Heck's parents - are they really just traveling scientists, or are they something else entirely?  It will be interesting to see where the next book takes them.

RATING:  7 slices of lemon cake out of 10 for introducing a new group of detectives that are a bit outside the norm.

Mercy at the Manor Manor - a Gothic parody

There's a reason why, when I go to a used bookstore, I wander around the entire store, looking at books in pretty much every section - even sections that I would never normally buy books (such as the romance section, or the westerns) - and there's a reason for that.  This book is one of those reasons! While browsing through the romance section at the Family Book Store in DeLand, I saw the spine of a book that had a title that didn't make sense - Mercy at the Manor Manor.  I immediately thought this had to be a misprint, because why else would they have printed the word twice like that.  So, I pulled the book out and looked at the cover - with its cartoon-style art and very Gothic-style design, it seemed very much like any typical Gothic romance from the '60s.  Until I read the blurb at the top:

Could a beautiful young bridge, brought to the seacoast of Brooklyn, be completely unaware of - everything? You bet!

Obviously this was not your typical Gothic romance! And that's when I spotted those three small words just below the title: "A Gothic Spoof." Well, needless to say, that book was purchased faster than you could blink an eye.  I love the whole Gothic genre, and I definitely love a good parody, so mix those two together, and it's sure to be a fun read!  And it was!

Mercy at the Manor Manor is the story of Mercy Manor - the happy new bride of Arthur Manor, the heir to the Manor Manor (and yes, that really is the name of the family homestead!), as well as the family curse.  Because this is a Gothic story, after all, so there has to be a family curse.  It's the "Sheepshead Curse" - which I thought would have something to do with a literal sheep's head, but instead it has to do with a fish (which I did not know existed, but apparently does - literal name is "archosargus probatocephalus," which grows to 30 inches, but is commonly only 10 to 20 inches, and normally has dark stripes down its side).  So, it seems there is a stuffed and mounted fish hanging in Manor Manor that has cursed this family for generations, and every time it falls from the wall, something bad happens to someone - including Arthur Manor's previous fiance, who died from a tragic accident while on a parachute ride at Coney Island (trust me - you can't make this stuff up!).  Yet, the memory of Becky Funch (pronounced "Funk," in case you were wondering) still haunts poor Arthur, which really puts a cramp in Mercy and Arthur's honeymoon - although, let's face it, if you're going to spend your honeymoon in the family manor that is supposedly cursed where your ex-fiance's mother remains as the housekeeper, well, you can't really expect that girl's memory NOT to haunt you.

The main character - Mercy - is your typical oblivious blonde.  She's so enamored by her husband, being married, and the idea of living in a grand manor, that she does not really understand much of what is going on around her.  Which is what drives some of the humor in the book.  In Gothic stories, the heroine is usually oblivious to a small degree, wondering what is going on around her - but in this book, poor Mercy accidentally uncovers a hidden room behind the wall of her bedroom and mistakes it for a dressing room with no light!  She thinks little to nothing of the hole in the stairway that later causes her husband to fall down the stairs! And she sees absolutely nothing wrong with the hookah that Arthur's father carries with him at all times.  She doesn't even seem fazed by the fact that she and her husband have absolutely no marital conjugations during the entire length of the book (and remember - these two are on their honeymoon!).  No, she is the perfect, naive, innocent young bride who comes to the dark, foreboding manor that is just filled with secrets...

Reading the book, I could easily picture this as a film in the same vein as the Airplane! or Naked Gun movies.  The silliness, the slapstick, the innuendos and double entendres - this book is just RIPE for a parody film.  I giggled, I laughed, I shook my head - Mundis was definitely able to capture the spirit of the Gothic tale and create a satire while staying true to the source material.  The mysterious husband who is keeping secrets ... the stepmother who seems to be in control of the house ... the housekeeper who doesn't like the new bride ... the handsome young lawyer who seems to have eyes on the bride ... and the curse that holds the family hostage in their own home.  But the sarcasm, the one-liners, and the slapstick are smoothly intertwined with the dark tale to make for a fun, light-hearted read that will definitely have you smiling the whole way through!

The surprising climax reveals, like any good Gothic novel, that the supernatural thought to be real was nothing but a hoax used for the wicked machinations of those trying to gain the property and wealth that comes with Manor Manor.  In fact, the ultimate reveal reads somewhat like a Nancy Drew mystery, which has to be more than coincidental based on references I found within the book:

1.    Mercy is told to stay away from the room with the "green door" (p. 54) - which hearkens back to the Penny Parker mystery, Behind the Green Door, written by Mildred A. Wirt;

2.    Mercy reminds herself that she donated all of her Nancy Drew books to the VA hospital (p. 134), unable to recall Nancy Drew's fail-safe formula for sleuthing - and, of course, Mildred Wirt (Benson) wrote a number of the original Nancy Drew books; and

 

3.    Mercy discovers a number of notes written by various women to her husband, one of which is signed by none other than Penny Nichols - another series of books written by Mildred Wirt (Benson) under the pseudonym of Joan Clark.

 

Now, that has to be much more than a coincidence that this one book, published in 1967 (by none other than Simon & Schuster!), has three references to series written by Mildred Wirt Benson!  For a moment, I wondered if perhaps "Hester Jane Mundis" was a pseudonym, being curious if the real author was a Benson fan; however, I discovered Mundis is, indeed, a real author, and this was one of several books she wrote (some of the others being about vitamins and reincarnation - go figure).  I would be curious to know if Mundis read Benson's books growing up, but then I thought about the fact that in the mid-1960s, I'm not sure if Mundis would have known Benson had authored the Nancy Drew and Penny Nichols books.  Perhaps she had simply read all three series (Parker, Drew, and Nichols) when she was younger and threw in the references for fun?  Who know ... that may be a mystery none of the sleuths will ever solve!

 

Regardless, the book was a truly fun read, and I'm definitely glad I bought it.  When researching information about the author, I was surprised to discover that the book is not easily found.  I'm guessing perhaps not many copies were sold back in the day, so if you want to find a copy, you better start searching!

 

RATING:  10 large helpings of lima beans out of 10 for Gothic tropes and parody zaniness combined to make a FUN-tastic read!

Penny Parker Mystery Stories No. 9 - Saboteurs on the River

Well, with this book, we have now passed over the half-way mark for the Penny Parker Mystery Stories.  I'm still kicking myself for waiting so long to finally read these books, as I have quickly discovered these stories truly are some of the best that Mildred Wirt Benson wrote.  Penny is a bit spoiled, but quick to help those in need; she has a fantastic rapport with her father, her best friend, her housekeeper, and her reporter "boyfriend"; and her witty dialogue and snappy comebacks give the character a level of realism that is lacking in so many children's mysteries where the protagonist is always so perfectly polite and poised!  I've reached the point where I live for those snarky comments, and they always bring a smile to my face.  So many people say that Millie put a lot of herself into Nancy Drew, but I have to wonder if perhaps Penny Parker doesn't gives us a better glimpse into Millie's nature.

Saboteurs on the River is a unique mystery, in that it directly deals with World War II without every actually mentioning the war.  The basic plot is that German spies have dynamited one bridge in Riverview, and there are plans to dynamite another, more important bridge that is described as the "only artery to the Riverview Munitions Plant" (p. 139).  Penny gets involved because she and Louise happen to be out on her father's sailboat when it capsizes, and the bridge watchman has to help pull them out of the water - but in so doing, he misses the motorboat that crashes into the bridge with a deafening explosion (p. 10).  Of course, he gets fired, and Penny feels obligated to help the man find another watchman job.  This ultimately leads to her smoking out some saboteurs who are determined to do more damage.

There are quite a few references to the war times within the story, the first being a reference to the American Protective Society (p. 66).  While such a society never existed, there was once an "American Protective Association," established in the late 1800s, which was an anti-Catholic society fighting for what members believed to be a threat posed by the Roman Catholics to the alleged traditional Christian beliefs of the American people.  This may perhaps have given Wirt some inspiration for her anti-American group.  Throughout the story, Wirt gives readers plenty of examples of the hardships experienced during the war time - from the drugstore soda fountain not having any pineapple, whipped cream, or chocolate, to Penny's sad realization that "one by one, familiar faces were disappearing from the Star office" (p. 73).  There is also the discussion about people who are willing to steal hawsers (thick ropes or cables used to for mooring or towing a ship), because they commanded a high price second hand (p. 74).  Additionally, Jeremy shares his suspicions that the waiters at the Green Parrot are German (p. 92), and the Green Parrot is described as being a "rendezvous for anti-American groups" (p. 115).  There is even a test black out that happens, in which Penny and Louise are forced to take refuge in a church basement until the test is over (pp. 119-20).  In all of these examples, Wirt never once actually mentions a war, but it is clear that the conditions under which Americans found themselves in the early 1940s influenced her writing of this story (even going so far as to have Penny and Louise walk everywhere, or take the bus - she never actually uses her own car).

As for the plot itself (the sabotage of the bridges), one has to wonder if Wirt took this story from the news.  In April 1940, there was a major sabotage of the Lysakere Bridge in Norway which made big news (Lysaker Bridge Sabotage), and just two years later, in 1942, the FBI foiled a plot in New York City, in which saboteurs had plans to blowup the Hell Gate Bridge, which at the time carried four vital rail arteries - two for passengers and two for freight - a bridge that was considered an icon of American engineering (Hell Gate Bridge Sabotage).  It is likely Wirt would have been familiar with both of these stories, and she may have "borrowed" the idea for this book.

An odd element to this story is the rather quirky character, "Noah" - an old gentleman who has built his own ark, with the belief he has been called of God to save the animals from an oncoming flood.  There are a number of references to, as well as direct quotes from, the Biblical account of the Flood in Genesis, and at the end of the story, Penny herself quotes the Bible when she informs old Noah that God already promised never to flood the Earth again, with the rainbow as a sign of that promise (p. 210).  I've never read anything to indicate Wirt was a religious person, and one of the members of our reading group, who knew Wirt, indicated he had never known her to go to church.  So, it was a bit strange to find all of these Biblical references in the story.  Although, perhaps with the seriousness of the tale, Wirt simply wanted to add a light-hearted character to the story (particularly when the girls distract old Noah, and he ends up pulling his long, white beard into the washboard where he is washing clothes! - p. 141).  

And speaking of characters, Carl Oaks, the bridge watchman, is a vile man, and Wirt does not hold back in writing him that way.  He loses his job because he was helping Penny and Louise when the saboteur struck; but when Penny has her father help him find another job as a watchman on a barge, he is so ungrateful and demands that Penny have her father find him a new and better job (p. 76)! Later, when Penny finds him bound and gagged on a barge set adrift (p. 126), Oaks claims to be so disgusted that he tells Penny he has quit and will not help her notify the Coast Guard about the unmanned barge (p. 129). When he tells Penny to let her father know he's "done with this lousy job," Penny smartly replies, "My father can bear the shock, I think" (p. 129).  Again, it's these snarky responses that is one of the large reasons why I enjoy this series so much.

One thing I did notice in the book is that Penny is suddenly using the phrase "oh, my aunt!" quite a bit (pp. 20, 23, and 152).  This is not a phrase Penny has used in any of the previous books, and being unfamiliar with it, of course, I had to research the phrase.  It seems the phrase was originally a British / English phrase that has a number of variations, such as "oh, my sainted aunt" or "oh, my giddy aunt."  The sources I found online indicate the phrase was used to indicate shock or surprise long before the more vulgar expletives became commonplace.  It's funny this expression, never used in any prior story, should suddenly pop up repeatedly in this one book.  Makes one wonder of perhaps Wirt had recently heard it when she was writing the book, or if was suddenly becoming popular again around that time.

Another interesting reference pops up when Penny finds herself being shunned by Sara Ottman, the sister of the man being accused of the sabotage.  Penny refers to herself as "a little prig" (p. 28).  It turns out this expression comes from the poem, The Mountain and the Squirrel, written by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which begins with the lines:

The mountain and the squirrel

Had a quarrel,

And the former called the latter

"Little prig."

I find it interesting that Wirt would pull a somewhat obscure literary reference like this and have Penny use it to refer to herself.  The word "prig" refers to a person who offends others, or irritates them, by observing social proprieties in very pointed manner or to an obnoxious degree (Definition of Prig), so Penny was being rather hard on herself simply because Sara reacted the way she did.

One final tidbit that our reading group found interesting is that in Chapter Eight, the two policemen are introduced as Officer Adams and Officer Benson.  Now, if those names seem familiar, perhaps that is because you are thinking of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams and Mildred Wirt Benson!  However, while Harriet married her husband in 1915, Mildred did not marry George Benson until 1950, some seven years after this book was published.  Thus, while the "Adams" name could have been a nod to Harriet (with whom Wirt had been working at the Syndicate), the "Benson" name could not refer to her own married name that would not come to be for another seven years.  Some preternatural foreshadowing of her own future, perhaps?  One never knows...

In any event, the story was a bit darker than normal, but it still had a strong plot that seems the norm for the Penny Parker series, with some interesting characters that draw the reader into the story.  The ending, though, is a bit ... far-fetched, for lack of a better word ... where Penny tells old Noah that her father will buy him a truck to carry his animals around as he travels (p. 211).  Now, mind you, this was during the war time when things were already tight, and she doesn't even ask her father's permission - she simply volunteers it, and even though Mr. Parker feels he has been "knicked to the tune of an expensive truck" (p. 211), he does it anyway!  Just another example of how the Parkers must be quite affluent for Mr. Parker to constantly be doling out funds to help all of the strays her daughter volunteers him to help!  (And let's not even mention the amount of money the paper's editor, DeWitt, shells out to bail his cousin, Burt Ottman, out of jail!  These newspapermen must really be raking in the dough!)

RATING:  9 foul-mouthed parrots out of 10 for managing to write an entire mystery around an element of war without once actually mentioning the war!

Short Lived Comic Series #26 - Ellery Queen Detective (Dell Comics)

Anyone who is a fan of mysteries will immediately recognize the name of Ellery Queen.  You may not know exactly who he is, but you know that name is associated with solving crimes.  That is pretty much where I stood when I came across these comics in a sale bin at a local comic convention a couple of years back.  The dealer had three issues of the comic, and when I looked it up online, I discovered these were the only three issues that Dell Comics published, so I picked them up.  Yeah, it's taken me a while, but I finally got around the reading them, and surprisingly, they were quite enjoyable!

Ellery Queen Detective is a series of three comics published in Dell's Four Color line of comics, based upon the fictional mystery writer who helps his police detective father solve murders  Created way back in 1929 by Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, Queen appeared in quite a large number of novels, as well as on radio and television and in a number of films.  Queen actually appeared in a four-issue comic series published by Superior Comics back in 1949, as well as a two-issue series by Ziff Davis in 1952.  The three comics I picked up were published in 1961 and 1962 by Dell Publishing Company.  I hate the fact that comics back in the day did not often credit the creators (writers or artists!), so I have no idea who wrote the stories, who drew them, or who provided the beautifully painted covers.  Each issue contains two stories, although the second issue does have a two-page mini-mystery in-between the two main tales.

The first issue (no. 1165, Mar.-May 1961) contains "The Mummy's Curse" and "The Underwater Clue."  In the first mystery, Ellery must figure out who killed the night watchman at a museum where a new mummy's sarcophagus has been brought in by ship for display.  Strange accidents are happening, which several professors believe may be part of the mummy's curse should anyone attempt to find the jewels said to be hidden with the mummy.  What I found to be fun about reading this story is that just before the big reveal, the last panel on the page before asks readers, "All the clues are in ... can you name the watchman's murder?"  Then, the next page provides readers with Ellery's revelation as to the killer's identity.  And, as the caption said, all of the clues were visible within the story, if you knew what to look for!  Thus, heading into that second story, I kept a keen eye open as I followed Ellery along the path to uncover the killer of a fishing supply store owner and a boatman.  And, sure enough, the story provided the clues, and when it came time for the revelation, I was prepared (or at least, I thought I was) - this story provided a little surprise there at the end.

So, having enjoyed that first issue, my own "detective" skills were itching to solve another crime, so I immediately delved into the second issue, featuring "The Witch's Victim" and "The Missing Man."  While advertised in that order on the cover, the stories were actually reversed inside.  The first story finds Ellery searching for a man who has gone missing, believed to have stolen $200,000 worth of diamonds!  For me, this was one of the easier ones to figure out, and I managed to be right!  And in the second story, a superstitious man is scared of the coven of witches, who he believes are determined to see him dead.  And eventually, he is murdered.  The killer in this story is relatively easy to spot as well (it seems the more you read these stories, the easier it becomes to spot the clues!).  And this issue features a surprise two-page mini-mystery in the center of the book - "A False Alibi."  It's a quick one, and there is really only one clue that gives away the identity of the jewelry thief - but if you're careful, you'll spot it!

The third, and sadly final, issue features more supernatural-themed stories with "The Voodoo Victim" and "The Curse of Kane" (gotta love the alliteration!).  In the first tale, Ellery and his father head to Haiti to find a gun smuggler and end up having to disprove a voodoo hoax and find a murderer!  This one proved a bit more difficult to figure out, although there was one element of the story that was pretty easy to figure out (even if it didn't help me identify the killer).  The second story, though, was one of the most interesting of the series - a family of fortune hunters, all waiting for their father to die to get their hands on his money.  But, the wrong person is killed, and Ellery must figure out who did it!  While it was not difficult to spot the killer, it was a rather intriguing story. 

I have to give the writer(s) credit, whoever they were, because it can't be easy to tell a well-plotted mystery in just 14 to 16 pages, but whoever wrote these tales managed to do it beautifully.  Each story could easily have been an episode of the television series, and each story did, indeed, show the readers the clues along the way - you just had to be skilled enough to spot them!  And while the artist remains unnamed in the comics, the art does remind me a lot of Dan Spiegel, whose comic book art I remember from the old Crossfire series published by Eclipse back in the '80s.  I did discover that he did quite a bit of work for Dell back in the day; however, one online source indicates Mike Sekowsky may have done the interior art for these stories.

In any event, it is the covers that I truly have to admire.  It appears from what I can find online, George Wilson provided the painted cover art, and a magnificent job he did.  The covers, all painted in mostly dark colors to set the mood, have a definite action scene from one of the stories inside, and the characters truly come to life.  Wilson appears to have been a rather prolific cover artist for Dell, Gold Key, and even Classics Illustrated.  I wonder what ever became of the original art used for these covers...

It's rather a shame there were only three issue of Ellery Queen Detective.  The stories were fun, the art was great, and the character was definitely one worth reading.  In fact, I'm curious now about the television series, which a friend of mine says followed this same format of asking the viewers if they had caught all the clues and could identify the killer.  I may have to see if I can dig up some of those old episodes...

RATING:  10 poisoned fruit bowls out of 10 for combining murder mysteries with comic books to create some truly great stories to read (and solve!)

Friday Barnes, No Escape

This book is the first book in the continuation of the Friday Barnes series.  The series originally had only eight books, and the last book provided a somewhat nice conclusion (even if it did leave it open-ended).  But, apparently, the author decided to to continue the adventures of this Sheldon-like young female sleuth, for which I am very glad.  However, this book is a clear departure from the previous eight books for a number of reasons.  In fact, the book feels very much like a transition for the character, which makes me wonder what the future books have in store for our dear Friday.

Friday Barnes, No Escape opens with the usual recap from the end of the last book - Ian is leaving for Italy with his mother and her new husband, and Friday is left behind; but they make a promise to meet at that very spot in the airport in four years when they both finish school - to solve a mystery, of course!  Then, we get to the first chapter, which finds Dr. Belcredi (the school's headmistress) and Melanie Polly (Friday's best friend) sitting in a prison waiting room for Friday to be released.  Wait, what?!  I actually went back and read the end of the last book to make sure I didn't miss anything, and I confirmed that I did not.  So, how in the world did Friday end up in jail?  Well, remember how I said this book was a departure?  This is one of those instances.  Author R.A. Spratt actually does a time jump here, leaving readers with a bit of a mystery as to why and how Friday Barnes got thrown in jail, and how exactly is she getting out nearly a year later?  Spratt gives readers a few clues here and there before finally revealing the whole truth - Friday created a hypothetical scenario that was used by real terrorists, and so she ended up in jail (even though she didn't mean to do it, she still did it, however unintentionally).

So, it's back to Highcrest for Friday, whose whole demeanor has now changed.  She no longer wants to solve mysteries, and she has no desire to face all of her old classmates.  But, as she quickly finds out, she is not the only one who changed.  Her enemies have younger classmates to terrorize, so she is not a target on their radar any more.  Ian is gone, having to moved to Italy.  And speaking of Italy, it seems the upper class students are taking a trip to Italy, and the headmistress thinks it would be a good idea for Friday to join them - but Friday has no desire to go.  She would rather stay at the school and NOT solve mysteries.  Like helping Parker find his lost passport.  Or figuring out why Dr. Msamati has been so sleepy in the mornings.  Until Uncle Bernie calls.  He needs her help.  The museum where he provides security is fearful of being robbed, and only Friday can help him ensure the security system will prevent any thefts!  Thus, it's off to Italy for Friday and Melanie (and the rest of the upper class students).

The trip overseas turns out to be an interesting one - not just for Friday and her classmates, but for the reader as well.  Friday keeps telling everyone that she is no longer solving crimes or other mysteries, but it seems the one she really has to convince is herself.  Because no matter how hard she tries, it seems she is always solving one mystery or another - like how the airplane attendant got a chocolate-covered macadamia in his pocket ... or working out why the nun's tractor was not working ... or how the nuns' raspberry gelato got food coloring in it ... or even fixing a water heater problem when the heater isn't broken.  But, ultimately, it's the mystery surrounding the stolen lens from Galileo's telescope that scores Friday her biggest mystery in this book (other than why Ian claims to have written to Friday in jail, when she never received any of his correspondence).  The solution is not necessarily overly surprising, nor is Ian's involvement in the whole thing - but what does come as a big surprise is the offer Friday gets at the end of the book - an offer that, if she takes it, will definitely change the direction of this book going forward!

As always, there are a lot of fun moments in the book, mostly involving either Friday's lack of social skills or Melanie's unusual observation abilities.  Friday has a number of emotional moments throughout the book, which, again, marks another departure from previous books, as she has pretty much been lacking in a lot of the self-pitying emotions that many other students feel at her age.  Her self-doubt and constant wonder over whether Ian still likes her or not is a marked change in the character, and perhaps it is a sign of growth (both physically and emotionally).  The one constant is the overarching mystery that runs alongside all of the smaller, done-in-one-chapter mysteries that Friday solves along the way.  In any event, the series is definitely going in a completely different direction from here, and I, for one, can't wait to see what's next!

RATING:  9 cups of crema all'arancia gelato out of 10 for keeping the Friday Barnes series going, keeping it fresh, and keeping the surprises coming!

The House of Mystery - Book #2

It's been nearly four years since I read the first of the two The House of Mystery novels based on the old DC Comics horror anthology title.  After obtaining the first book, I spent a number of years tracking down the second prose novel at a reasonable price (I found several online, but the prices were more than I was willing to pay).  I happened across this particular copy of No. 2 at a decent price, so I bought it - and when I got it, I was surprised to find that it was autographed on the cover by Bernie Wrightson, the artist who illustrated the book!  Wrightson (1948-2017) was a rather famous comic book artist, most particularly known for his art in the horror genre - so, to have his autograph on this book is pretty special, in my opinion.  And now that I had the second novel, it was time to sit down and read it.

The House of Mystery (no. 2) followed the format of its predecessor, in that it contained eight stories of horror and suspense written by Jack Oleck.  Just like the old DC comic series, each story is set in a various time period, with settings ranging from high-rise apartment buildings to Transylvania castles to long forgotten islands.  And each story ends with an ironic twist that, in most cases, an astute reader will see coming a mile away.  But that doesn't lessen the impact of those endings, as they remind the reader that nothing is ever really what it seems, and you have to be very careful what you wish for, because you just might get it - only not in the way you expect!

The book gets us started with "Wolf Spawn," a story about a man who is absolutely convinced that his wife is a werewolf.  He calls his brother-in-law and begs him to put an end to his wife's nocturnal frenzies - but it turns out it is all a ruse to rid himself of his wife and inherit her fortune! He quickly discovers though that lycanthropy can be a family curse!  After that rather long opening tale, Oleck treats us to a brief story about the "Sweet Smell of Success," in which a man congratulates himself on finally ridding himself of a nagging wife that he never loved - but there's something still nagging at him, and he can't shake the feeling his wife is still around!

"Island of the Damned" is a rather sad tale about a woman who sets about conning a deformed man in the hopes of stealing whatever treasure he has hidden on his island home for misfits.  But she learns that every action has its consequences!  "Where Dead Men Walk" is probably my favorite story of this collection, as it deals with a deadly vampire and a woman's attempt to convince her husband the abandoned castle they are honeymooning in is actually the home to a real vampire.  With the help of a determined priest, the woman sets about trapping the vampire and ending his reign of terror - and in the end, it's the priest who is the final nail in the coffin!

The fifth story, "Message from Beyond," is less supernatural and more about karma.  It tells the tale of a charlatan psychic who has been scamming widows and unsuspecting women out of their money - only this time, his tricks backfire and his true nature is revealed.  "Sacrifice" is one of those ironic stories about a man wanting to live forever, and he continually regains his youth by sacrificing his wives - but what happens when you have a wife you really love and she willingly offers to sacrifice herself for you?  Tobin soon finds out!

The penultimate tale, "Never Say Die," is rather unique - a petty thief gets caught in the act, and when he is shot by the police, he finds himself on a strange train ride to purgatory.  Desperate to get off the train and back to his life, he makes a deal that sends him back to the real world - but what he comes back to is not the life he was expecting!  And the final horror story in this collection is "Donovan's Demon."  This is a love story of sorts, as Donovan attempts to summon a demon of avarice in order to get the riches he needs to keep the woman he loves.  But someone stands in his way, so he makes a deal with the demon to remove that obstacle - and, as always, fate has a way of intervening, teaching Donovan a horrifying lesson!

The one thing I really wish they had added to this (and the previous) book was the inclusion of Cain, the caretaker of The House of Mystery in the comic series published by DC.  A comedic narrator who introduced the stories in the comic, it would have been fun to see (or rather, read) him introducing each of these tales.  We do still get the beautiful pen and ink line drawings by Wrightson at the beginning of each story, which are dark and horrific, setting the mood for each tale.  But Cain's absence is definitely felt, although we do get his one and only novel appearance here on the cover of the second collection of stories.  Perhaps they wanted to avoid the humor, to keep the stories dark and "scary" for readers.  In any event, there was no third book in this series, so this ends the jaunt into the the terrifying tales awaiting just inside The House of Mystery!

RATING:  10 magnetic chalk boards out of 10 for hearkening back to the days of good old horrific tales of terror and suspense!

Kitsy Babcock, Library Assistant - an Avalon Books Career Girl Romance/Mystery

A dear friend of mine who has taken seriously ill was moved up north to live with her daughter - and because of that, her daughter listed her house and all the belongings for sale through an estate sale company.  Now, my friend was planning to open a used book store focused on mysteries (for both children and adults), but sadly, that never was able to happen due to problems with the city.  Thus, her house still had literally thousands of mystery novels, including hundreds and hundreds of children's mysteries.  I was notified of the estate sale and went to her house to buy some books that would be a keepsake and a reminder of my dear friend.  One of the books I purchased was one that I had never heard of, but which piqued my interest because it featured a librarian - and, let's face it, it's not like there are a ton of children's mysteries out there featuring a library assistant as the main character!  Plus, since another good friend of mine happens to work in the library, I thought it might make for a fun read.

Kitsy Babcock, Library Assistant was published back in 1958 by Avalon Books (although the copyright appears to have been held by Thomas Bouregy & Company).  The author is listed as Joan Sargent, but some research shows this was a pseudonym for Sara Lucile Jenkins Cunningham (1904-1963), according to the Library of Congress records.  Mrs. Cunningham wrote books in both the children's / young adult genre, as well as in the adult romance genre, utilizing this same pseudonym, as well as others.  What I found interesting about the book (well, one of the many things I found interesting about the book) is that according to the inside front flap of the dust jacket, Avalon Books apparently included a "Plasti-Kleer Jacket Cover on all Avalon Books."  This leaves me wondering if the jacket protector on the book is actually the original plastic cover used to protect the dust jacket.

In any event, the story turned out to be a different type of read for me.  I had expected somewhat of a mystery for Kitsy to solve (and "Kitsy," by the way, is a nickname for Katherine), but while there is a slight mention here and there of something that could potentially be a mystery, nothing really develops until more than half way through the book!  The first half of the book focuses more on Kitsy's money problems, her desire to remain at "University" (which, oddly enough, has no name other than simply "University"), and her obtaining a job at the "City Library" (yes, that's the name used).  Readers follow along as Kitsy learns in the ins and outs of working at the library, as well as her growing interest in the black-haired artist, Donald Mitchell, who also works at the library.  I did enjoy the relationship between Don and Kitsy, as there was plenty of fun banter back and forth, and the joking dialogue came across as natural and real for two young people who are fast becoming friends (and, eventually, more).  What starts off as a nervous meeting for Kitsy quickly grows into a casual friendship, then a deepening, more trusting friendship, and ultimately a loving relationship.  It develops naturally over the 220 pages of story, making the characters seem more real than not.

Based on these elements, I began to feel like the book was more of a career romance story than a mystery.  While I did like the character of Kitsy, I am just not a huge fan of romance stories.  So, when there was a hint of a mystery - the elderly man wanting to donate his collection of papers detailing some of the rich history of Florida (more on that later) who is afraid someone is trying to steal them ... and the strange man Kitsy refers to as "Mr. Gray" who frequents the library but who makes Kitsy somewhat uncomfortable - I kept waiting and waiting for something to develop.  Well, it took more than 130 pages before something happens, but when it does, boy, is it a doozy!  Poor Kitsy walks in on the criminal wanting to steal the papers from the library, gets knocked out, and wakes up in the hospital.  Upon her release, she convinces Don to help her follow up on a clue as to the identity of the thief, but they both end up kidnapped, tied up in a hotel room at gunpoint, and left to figure out how to escape and recover the stolen papers!

Backtracking a second, I was surprised to discover when I started reading the book that the story is set in Florida.  I'm assuming this may be because the author, according to sources I found online, married her husband in Miami in 1952 and died in Florida more than ten years later.  Thus, when this book was published, she was living in Florida, which would have given her first-hand knowledge of the state.  This, of course, created a mystery in and of itself, as Cunningham never actually names the city where Kitsy is attending "University," and everything is described in such generalities, that it is hard to determine an exact location; however, she makes mention of Orlando, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Pensacola, Key West, and other locales being some distance, which basically crosses those cities off my list.  The "City Library" where Kitsy gets a job is described as "larger than she had imagined it, a three-story marble building that covered a block" (pp. 22-23), and it has a "portico that lay behind tall columns" (p. 23).  This could easily described the downtown Orlando Library (which I am more than familiar with, since I work only a few blocks from that building), but since Orlando is mentioned as a distant city, it could not be that one.  I thought perhaps it might be Tampa, since the University of South Florida is a large university there, but none of the libraries in Tampa fit that description.  Then I considered Miami, since there is also a university there, but, again, none of the libraries fit that description.  So, perhaps Cunningham simply used the description of the Orlando library for her fictional town.

 

In addition, the papers that are the subject of the theft are said to be important historical papers from the "Hernandez" family - a family that "[c]ame from Spain and had one of the first grants from the king of Spain ... [their] descendants have always been bookish people and interested in Florida.  They kept scrapbooks and diaries and bought books about the country..." (pp. 34-35).  While not completely accurate, it turns out there was a real Hernandez family who played an important part of Florida history, eventually owning a number of plantations throughout the state (Hernandez Family in Florida).  The book also makes reference to the Frazier family, claiming "John Frazier just about discovered this part of Florida" (p. 46), to which Kitsy responds, "I always thought it was Ponce de Leon" (p. 46).  The story further explains that after the United States bought Florida in 1821, "Mr. Frazier ... came south of Jacksonville and began to tell everybody how wonderful the country was" (p. 46).  Now, doing some research online, I was not able to find a reference to a John Frazier in Florida history such as this; however, I found two "Frazier Parks" in Florida - one in Jupiter and one in Miami Gardens.  Neither of them appear to have a library just across the street, though.  So, it is likely the whole Frazier story is just that - a story made up for this book by the author.  However, it does give some indication that perhaps the setting of the book is on the east coast, since Kitsy assumes Ponce de Leon is the one who discovered "this part" of Florida, where she and Don are. 

Aside from being set in my home state of Florida, there is also a fun connection to Canada. While talking with her dorm-mate, Maggi, Kitsy mentions Maggi's plans to take a trip to Canada over the summer (p. 119).  This throw-away line struck me for two reasons - one, my friend who is a librarian (and who was part of the reason I bought this book) lives in Canada; and two, the copyright page of the book indicates the book was published simultaneously in "The Dominion of Canada by the Ryerson Press, Toronto."  Thus, this book was just full of surprises - the Florida connection, the Canada connection, the sudden danger into which Kitsy is thrust half-way through the book.  It definitely made for a more enjoyable read and increased my liking of the book!

 

And one last thing to mention - this book is apparently not a very easy one to find. Searches on eBay, Etsy, Abe, Amazon, and other sites reveal almost no copies of the books for sale, and definitely none if dust jacket.  I feel very fortunate to have found the dust-jacketed copy that I have (and at such an unbelievable low price to boot!).

RATING:  10 brand new library wings out of 10 for showing the world that a librarian (or even a librarian's assistant!) can solve a dangerous mystery when the need arises!

Short Lived Comic Series #26 - George of the Jungle (Gold Key)

George, George, George of the Jungle, Strong as He Can Be!

(Tarzan Yell!!!)  Watch Out for That Tree!

Although I've never seen a George of the Jungle cartoon in my life, I've heard that song and known that one line from the song ever since I was a child.  A comedic version of Tarzan was not really a character that interested me, so I never went about looking for the cartoon or anything based on it.  In fact, the whole reason I ultimately sought out the two Gold Key comics based on the cartoon has absolutely nothing to do with the title character; rather, it has everything to do with one of the back-up stories in the comics based on another cartoon created by the same production company.  That was the character of Tom Slick.

Honestly, I'd never heard of Tom Slick until the end of 2021, when I purchased a copy of Retro Fan magazine (because it had an article about Dark Shadows actress, Lara Parker - and if it involves anything Dark Shadows, I buy it!).  After reading the article about Ms. Parker and her years as the tormented witch, Angelique, from the 1960's Gothic soap opera, I flipped through the magazine. While glossing over the article about George of the Jungle, written by one of my favorite comic book creators Scott Shaw! (and yes, the exclamation point goes there!), detailing the character's history from its creation through the comic books and eventual movie starring Brendan Fraser, I noticed a little blurb on the bottom corner of page 30 that featured the cover of Tom Swift and his Motor Cycle.  That book, first published back in 1910, seemed out of place in an article about a Tarzan knock-off, so I read what it said under the picture:

Long before "Young Adult" was a book genre, boy inventor Tom Swift was piquing the imaginations of juvenile readers ... He inspired Ward Productions' Tom Slick, shown here racing his Thunderbolt Grease Slapper in a 1967 animation drawing by Lew Keller.  (Retro Fan, No. 17, November 2021, p. 30)

Well, needless to say, my curiosity was now piqued.  As a longtime collector of children's books, I have a near complete set of original Tom Swift books, as well as complete sets of the Tom Swift, Jr. series, the Tom Swift series published by Simon & Schuster in the 1980s, and all of the Tom Swift series that have been published since.  Thus, if there was a character out there who was inspired by Tom Swift, I wanted to know more about it.  The Retro Fan article gave some details about the character, who was basically an after-thought creation by Jay Ward and his production company after ABC picked up his pitch for cartoons of George of the Jungle and Super Chicken.  ABC wanted a third character to fill the time slot being given, and Ward, a self-proclaimed fan of Tom Swift in his youth, came up with Tom Slick!

 

The more I read of the article, the more I learned.  Tom Slick was named after Tom Swift, and the article stated that "[t]he too-subtle-for-kids gag was if Tom Swift was still around, 'he wouldn't be a backyard inventor, he'd be a racecar genius,' definitely not Victor Appleton's 'Tom Swift, Jr.'" (Retro Fan, No. 17, November 2021, p. 33).  At this point, I was hooked.  I went online and discovered some of the cartoons on YouTube and watched them. Then I set about finding those two George of the Jungle comic books published by Gold Key comics back in 1969 (a very important year for me!).  I ultimately tracked them down via eBay (since I could not find either issue any any of my local comic stores, nor at any of the comic book conventions I attended) and set about reading the adventures of Tom Slick.

The first issue (February 1969) features book-end stories starring the title character, with the inside front and back covers also featuring one-page stories of George. In between the two book-end tales are a six-page story of Super-Chicken and a five-page story of Tom Slick.  The second issue (October 1969) follows the same format, but it drops the inside front and back cover stories.  The one bad thing about Gold Key comics (and a number of similar publishers back in the day) is that the issues, in most cases, do not identify the writers and artists on the stories.  Some online sources indicate that Paul Fung, Jr. may have provided the art for the second issue, but there is no confirmation for this.

The first Tom Slick story, "Monster Rally," is based on the second episode of the television series, "Tom Slick and the Monster Rally."  Watching that episode online in comparison with the comic adaptation shows that the comic pretty much nailed it word-for-word (with a few variances to account for the limited page count).  Tom has entered a race in the "gloom-shrouded Transylvanian Alps at Monte Karloff" against some frightening competitors - Lobo Fangosi (driving his Four-Claw Ferrari Road Ripper); Reggie Frankenstarn (driving the La Monsa Special); and Count Lou Gossie (driving his Red Corpuscle Bloodmobile).  While the guys and ghouls of Monte Karloff have no love for Tom, he does have the support of his girlfriend, Marigold, and his elderly mechanic, Gertie Growler.  The three monsters have cars with unique features - claws, coffins, and creepy bats - Tom manages to stay slow and steady (reminiscent of the tortoise in his race with the hare!) and win the race.

The second Tom Slick story, "Blimps Away!" is based on one of the final episodes of the television show, "The Badyear Blimp."  Instead of a car race, this time Tom is competing in a blimp race.  He has converted his Thunderbolt Grease Slapper into a hot air blimp and is set to win the race. But the dastardly Baron Otto Matic is determined to cheat and beat Tom.  First, he throws a melon with a bomb in it - only to throw the wrong melon, having the one with bomb blow up in his face (literally!).  Next, he tries moving the pylon the blimps are following, but falls into a hole in the street.  He tries shooting a cannonball, but hits the wrong blimp; and he fires himself into the sky on a rocket that leaves too early to hit Tom's blimp!  Once again, Tom wins the race (and during the whole race, Gertie is trying to shoot an apple place on Marigold's head, but continually misses and hits the villains trying to stop Tom!).

In reading the comics (and watching the cartoons on YouTube), I did not really see much of a connection to Tom Swift, other than the similarity in name.  Tom Slick does not come across as a super-genius inventor, and he doesn't solve any mysteries; however, he does manage to convert his Thunderbolt Grease Slapper into whatever is needed for the particular race (such as changing it from a car to a blimp in the second story above).  I supposed that could be considered a similarity, although that's stretching it, in my opinion.  Other than the reference in the article in Retro Fan magazine, I am not able to find anything that connects Tom Slick with Tom Swift.  I suppose we will just have to take Shaw's word for the fact that Jay Ward was a fan of Swift and based his character on him.

The George of the Jungle stories, which were obviously the main feature of these two issues, were not really my cup of tea.  In them, George has to help a doctor figure out what is ailing Shep, George's "bow-wow" (but is actually an elephant); he inadvertently saves a sultan's 300-pound pearl; he has to outwit a real estate mongul from taking all of his land; and he must escape the clutches of a hunter intent on getting the head of an "ape-man" for his trophy wall.  George is a dim-witted clutz who normally escape danger through his own clumsiness.  I suppose if I were a young child, I might find them amusing, but as an adult, I thought they were rather trite.  And I did not even bother reading the Super Chicken stories - not a concept that appeals to me at all.

RATING:  5 quickly-knitted bat-mittens out of 10 for introducing me to a cartoon character of years past of whom I had never heard and who has a (very) loose connection to a children's series icon!

Aggie Morton, Mystery Queen - Book Four - The Seaside Corpse

It's always disheartening when I find a series that I enjoy reading, and when I get three or four books into the series, I discover that the series has come to an end!  I picked up the first Aggie Morton mystery because it was said to be an imaginary tale of "What if Agatha Christie solved mysteries as a child?"  She and her best friend, Hector Perot (an obvious play on Christie's famous detective, Hercule Poroit) seem to have a knack for not only uncovering dead bodies, but for also following the clues to ultimately discover who the killer is - not unlike Christie's own detectives, Poroit and Miss Marple.  The first book was a fun read ... as was the second ... and the third.  So, now that I've come to the fourth mystery, I had no doubt about how much I was going to enjoy it - but I didn't realize that this was the final book in the series!

The Seaside Corpse takes young Aggie and Hector to the coast of England, more specifically to Lyme Regis.  Aggie's sister has had her baby, and while Aggie's mother takes care of the newborn and her mother, Aggie and Hector are taken to the seaside to assist a husband and wife team of paleontologists dig up the bones of an ancient ichthyosaur along the rocky shore.  They find that they are part of a young scientist team of children, including Arthur Haystead (the brother of a local constable) and Oscar Osteda (the son of a wealthy American interested in purchasing the bones).  The four of them will be learning and assisting Professor and Mrs. Blenningham-Crewes - but what they quickly learn is that Mrs. Blenningham-Crews (who insists every simply call her Nina) is the brains of the operation; however, being a woman in the early 1900s, it is her husband who takes all the credit for the work she does.  This, obviously, creates a lot of tension in the small camp.  There's also Helen, the daughter of the cook who helps with kitchen duties and laundry (and who secretly sneaks off to see a boyfriend her father knows nothing about); there's her father, Spud, the gruff cook who is overly protective of his daughter; Everett Tobie, the artist and photographer who is documenting everything about the prehistoric find (and who seems to be more than just friendly with Nina!); and there's Cavalier Jones, the circus ringleader who also happens to be exceptionally strong - and wants more than anything to add that ichthyosaur to his collection of circus oddities!  And let's not forget Nina's spinster secretary, Sylvia Spinns, who has a few secrets of her own to hide...

Aggie and Hector pick up on all the various tensions running through the camp, but Aggie is so excited about helping out and learning about this ancient creature, while Hector is more focused on avoiding snakes and keeping clean, that they don't pay much attention to things.  Until the body turns up on the beach!  Aggie and Hector stumble across the dead body of Professor B-C (as he is affectionately called, because no one wants to have to say that full name!) lying face-down in the sand.  They are not quite sure what to think, until they see his hat caught a ways up the side of the cliff, just below the church and its cemetery ... and until they find a small bag in that very cemetery containing two glasses and a flask with the initials B.C. on it!  There was definitely something suspicious going on, and unfortunately, it seems like pretty much everyone at camp had a motive to want the professor dead!  A wife tired of her husband taking all the credit ... a photographer who has his own desires for the professor's wife ... a cook angered by the professor's treatment of his daughter ... a laundress who doesn't like the attention she has been getting ... an American millionaire who will do anything to get those bones ... a circus strong man who is determined to get the bones for himself ... a secret boyfriend who wants to protect his girl ... in fact, there's only one person at camp that Aggie and Hector are sure did NOT do it, and that is Miss Spinns - and that is because they figure out exactly who she really is!

Author Marthe Jocelyn definitely saved the best for last.  This mystery is without a doubt worthy of the queen of crime herself.  I followed the clues right along with Aggie and Hector, and I could have sworn I had it all figured out - until Jocelyn manages to pull out one last surprise that left my jaw on the floor.  I certainly was not expecting the revelation that came, but it definitely made sense.  And not to leave her readers wondering if there would be more mysteries to come, Jocelyn provides several epilogues - we find out exactly what happens with the bones of the ichthyosaur, we find out the future plans of Arthur and Oscar, and we are ultimately left with a tear in our eye as Hector's parents finally reach out and call him home to Belgium!  It's a touching scene as Aggie and Hector say goodbye to one another (although the final epilogue has Aggie planning the perfect gift to send Hector on his birthday - and is the perfect set-up for her future as Agatha Christie!).

Jocelyn integrates some real history into the story, as the kids visit the grave of Mary Anning, a woman who discovered Jurassic marine reptile fossils in the same place where the Blenningham-Crewes were digging up their find.  And incidentally, Mary's brother dug-up an ichthyosaur skull in 1811, and Mary found the rest of the skeleton a few months after (which very well could have been the inspiration for this story).  Her tombstone in the story even records her accurate date of death (March 9, 1847).  I always enjoy reading fictional stories that throw in a few factual elements, as no matter how fantastic the tale, those real facts give the story some level of grounding.

I guess if this series had to reach its conclusion, this story was the perfect way to do so.  I applaud Jocelyn for taking a leap of faith and sharing these stories with the world, and I have no doubt Aggie and Hector will continue to live on in the hearts of fans everywhere!

RATING:  10 silver-scaled adders out of 10 for a well-written mystery with a surprising twist, and for giving Aggie and Hector the most wonderful send-off!