In late 1939, MLJ Magazines began producing comic books. The "MLJ" came from the first names of the company's founders, Maurice Coyne, Louis Silberkleit and John L. Goldwater. This company still exists, but it is now called Archie Comics! And it's doubtful that they'd expose their audience to a hero known as The Hangman!
One of the superheroes in MLJ's Pep Comics was John Dickering, better known as The Comet. In 1941's Pep Comics #17, John's brother, Bob, was introduced, and The Comet himself was killed!
"Yeah, so?" you may be saying. "Characters die in comics all the time!" Well, not then they didn't. Hard to believe perhaps, but The Comet was the very first comic book superhero to be killed in the line of duty!
(And yeah, I know, the art kinda sucks...!)
Bob Dickering became The Hangman to take The Comet's place, and get revenge on the gangsters who killed his brother John.
With such an original -- dare I say innovative -- plotline, it's too bad that The Hangman -- well, his creators -- had to resort to a little theft when showing the origin of his costumed identity.
Sound familiar? If you're a comic fan, it should!
See? (Just so you know, Batman's origin was first shown in 1939's Detective Comics #33! So he definitely pre-dated The Hangman!)
Oh, well, imitation is supposedly the sincerest form of flattery.
Or plaigiarism.
Thanks for your time.
ha. even then there was little new under the sun...smiles...interesting...did not realize the comet was the first to die...and now it has become cliche...
ReplyDeleteYeah, there's always been a lot of death in the comics, but the heroes rarely died until the last 40 years or so!
DeleteWhy do superheroes always wear those little panties over their tights?
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Because big panties would fall down!
Deletehaha...sorry, couldn't resist! :)
@Janie: Without those "little panties," the reader would learn more about the hero than thew average fan wants to know! Ha.
Delete@Betsy: Very funny!
DeleteThose panties wouldn't really cover much. They appear to be tight fitting, but somehow nothing shows. Now I'm trying to think of what Coleridge wrote about the willing suspension of disbelief. It's what I need to develop regarding superheroes.
Delete"Willing suspension of disbelief" is a necessity for comics reading. That's like Superman combing his hair back and donning eyeglasses, and suddenly people don't know who he is!
DeleteWhen I was little dont like when a superhero die:(
ReplyDeleteand still happens me:(
so who copy who?? hangman is first?
Batman's origin came almost two years before the Hangman's, Gloria.
DeleteAnd I suppose I got used to heroes and villains dying. It takes a really good writer to make me feel anything. Besides, in comics, they hardly ever stay dead!
Never heard of him. Figures they would rip Batman off, a little plagiarism goes a long way i guess. But most rip one another off with ease, more so now than then I suppose.
ReplyDeleteWell, I suppose it's hard to come up with original ideas, with 75 years having passed since Superman showed up. But in 1941? Not so much.
Delete