#timely comics

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Sub-Mariner - art by Syd Shores (1946)

[browsethestacks]

Reading Marvel Comics

[chernobog13]

From the twisted mind and pen of the one and only Fletcher Hanks!

This is "Whirlwind" Carter's second and last appearance, from the pages of Daring Mystery Comics (vol. 1) #5 (June, 1940).

[smashedpages]

Captain America Comics #1 by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon introduced Captain America and Bucky to the world on this day in 1940.

[silveragelovechild]

Anthony Castrillo

[evilhorse]

The Angel spots the so-called vampire…

[wanderingmind867]

Namor is way cooler than Aquaman, to me. Aquaman was usually always more of a traditional hero, back in the 50s and 60s. But Namor always had an extra anti-hero flair to him. Namor acts the way I'd expect a Prince of Atlantis to act: he's regal and noble, but his allegiance is to Atlantis above all else. The surface-dwellers have only ever oppressed his people, so why should he help them!? Namor will do what he must for his people. If that means he occasionally helps the land dwellers, so be it.

Really, Marvel/Bill Everett may have just had a cleverer premise with Namor than DC/Mort Weisinger and Paul Norris had with Aquaman. Also, marvel created Namor two years before Aquaman! It's almost like aquaman could've been seen as a worse rip-off... And hell, if DC could sue Fawcett over Captain Marvel being too similar to Superman, Marvel should've sued DC for any number of infractions. Starting here. But I can discuss that sometime later.

[comicavalcade]

Excuse you, that's his emotional support shark (it emotionally supports him by eating surfacers) Marvel (Mystery) Comics 84, October 1947

[funnypages]

And for moon ghosts!

[mediaomnivore]

Because I was reading CrossGen Comics' Mystic from 2000 on Marvel Unlimited, I also got a look at the original Mystic from Timely Comics in 1940, which was fun to look back at.

[rei-ismyname]

Beast & Wonder Man judging Dazzler

Fuck off, Wonder Man. Also, Hugo Longride? Come on. How do you run a suspicious underground theatre?

In Beauty and the Beast, Dazzler and Beast bond over their mutant experiences and do romance comic stuff. Before Marvel was Marvel it was Timely comics, and Romance comics were their bread and butter. I think those roots have remained part of Marvel's DNA - most obviously in minis like this and anything with Patsy 'Hellcat' Walker in it.

The formula was deeply focused on feminine virtue and normativity, often having sexualised young women 'straying' to some form of queered romance (only sometimes by choice) like Dazzler does in the panel above - getting browbeaten by a sleazebag for the good of her career.

The 'lost' woman would often be helpless and in some form of mild peril, saved only through the intervention or attention of a 'good' man. Beauty and the Beast subverts the Timely formula by having Dazzler react negatively to Hank's violent entitlement to her attention, and then flips it around by clumsily introducing the shared mutant metaphor and how they each experience it.

It's entertaining enough, though reading without cringing is a challenge. If you're a fan of either Dazzler or Beast it's a must-read IMO. It takes place in the limbo after the initial run of X-Men had been cancelled, with Beast known more as an Avenger/Defender and Dazzler being recently created to unsuccessfully cash in on disco.

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Tessie the Typist - art by Basil Wolverton (1945)

[yojimbot13]

[kekwcomics]

THE ANGEL DETECTIVE (Manvis, 1941)

"The Totem Pole Murders!"

Art: Frank Hamilton? Published by Martin Goodman - yes, that Martin Goodman, whose wife's cousin was Stan Lee.

[jrlunaart]

The original Black Widow has a really interesting backstory, and an intimidating presence. I really hope we get to see more of her in the future!

[browsethestacks]

The Blonde Phantom

Art by Stephanie Buscema