[dwilt]

Munson Paddock was born in Wisconsin in 1886, and his artistic talents were recognized while he was still in Kenosha High School.  After graduation, he moved to Chicago and worked for the Chicago Daily News, also contributing numerous cartoons to “Judge” magazine in 1907-8 and occasionally thereafter.  Munson relocated to New York City where he was apparently employed by the New York Herald, which syndicated several of his comic strips in 1907-1909.  However, his published work seems to have declined after this; on his 1917 U.S. military draft form he identifies himself as a free-lance “commercial draftsman,” and his 1920 and 1930 census entries show his occupation as a commercial/advertising artist (in fact his 1970 obituary says he was “a one-time commercial artist”).   

Paddock worked in the comic book industry between 1936-1946 for a wide variety of publishers: National/DC, Fox, Harvey, Prize, Quality, Fawcett, and several minor companies.  He was credited under a variety of names, including “Cecilia Paddock” (his paternal grandmother’s name was Martha Cecilia Munson Paddock), and it’s possible all of his work has yet to be identified, but he has at least 100 credits in this period.  However, after 1946 he seems to have done no more comic book work, presumably resuming his commercial art career full-time.

Paddock’s comic book work varies considerably.  His heavy brushwork is one stylistic trademark (his earliest cartoons in “Judge” and elsewhere are done in a fine-line style), but on other stories he either deliberately used a more conventional technique and/or was inked by someone else.  One consistent aspect of Munson Paddock’s work is the frequent appearance of beautiful “Gibson Girl” type women, which can be seen even in his earliest “Judge” cartoons.

His most reprinted story is “The Obi Makes Jumbee,” which originally appeared in “Spook Comics” #1, linked below.  This book was published by artist Bernard Baily’s company and is a mix of straight and humorous supernatural content.

Another good example (which was the subject of the Reading Group 22 back in 2014, so it’s not “officially” recommended here) is “Slapstick Comics” #1, for which Paddock did the cover (possibly his only cover work) and an interior story.  It is worth a look (https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=26569).

The other comic linked here is “Master Comics” 47, which features a Bulletman story by Paddock in a more restrained mode, although his brushwork is still noticeable.  This issue also features a bizarre Captain Marvel Jr. story mixing “realistic” Mac Raboy art with wild funny-comic art (which looks a bit like Dick Briefer’s work), old-fashioned artwork on Hopalong Cassidy (by Harry Lemon Parkhurst), and adequate illustrations on the other stories by a variety of journeymen artists.

Master Comics 47   https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=26701
Spook Comics 1   https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=28363

[The Australian Panther]

Quite apart from Paddock, a couple of very interesting books.
Thank you.

[Quirky Quokka]

Hi dwilt - Some interesting selections. For the Slapstick Comics one, is Firetop the story he did? I thought it might be as it’s featured on the cover.

Cheers

Quirky Quokka

[dwilt]

Yep, that's the one.

[Quirky Quokka]

Slapstick Comics #1 - Firetop

As I wasn't in the group way back when this was discussed, I thought I'd have a look at the Firetop story by Paddock.

Cover - Well, it's certainly interesting, but in a bizarre kind of way. We learn who all of these people are in the first story, but if I just saw this on a spinner stand or news rack, I would think it was the edgy kind of humour rather than the Laurel and Hardy kind. It looks like it's aimed at an older audience and the woman's hair-do looks like she's got a boxing glove sitting out the front of her head. From the cover alone, I'd also assume that Firetop is not one of the good guys, and the story bears that out.

Firetop Story

There's a lot of detail in the splash panel, including the character in the bottom right who appears to be threading a rope through the eyelet of a needle nose.

In the last panel on p. 2, Firetop excuses himself to take a quick powder. Not sure if I have the reference right. Is it meant to be some kind of drug? Why?

p. 3 - In the large panel where he's sitting on his throne in front of his treasures, I don't understand the blue sign at the bottom: 'Fireman Fireman save my child ... and the child was bigger than the fireman.' Is that just meant to be bizarre or is it a quote from something?

Also, Crepe Suzette would need a can of hairspray to keep that hair-do in place. If she leaned in that close to Firetop, she'd go up in flames. Also, her main role seems to be to look glamorous with a cigarette holder I wonder if they had plans for her to be more involved?

As others said in that previous discussion, the detective is too stupid to be believable. It's a common trope to have a bumbling detective, but this one would have to be a complete imbecile not to realise at any point that he was actually dealing with Firetop and the gang.

Interesting that the detective in the last panel says, 'I'll get him ... even if it takes me into the next issue of Slapstick Comics".  But am I right in assuming this was a one-shot that never got off the ground? I did a quick search but could only find references to this story. Perhaps not surprising it wasn't picked up.

Overall - The story wasn't very good, and the humour wasn't my style. But the art was interesting, if bizarre at times.

An interesting introduction to this artist.

Cheers

QQ

[SuperScrounge]

In the last panel on p. 2, Firetop excuses himself to take a quick powder. Not sure if I have the reference right. Is it meant to be some kind of drug? Why?

Take a powder is an old American phrase meaning "to leave hurriedly". Popular in the 1920s.

Not sure why powder was used I would guess it's related to women saying they are leaving to powder their nose, but then again maybe it's related to gunpowder which in a sufficient quantity could make someone leave quite quickly. (Boom!)

p. 3 - In the large panel where he's sitting on his throne in front of his treasures, I don't understand the blue sign at the bottom: 'Fireman Fireman save my child ... and the child was bigger than the fireman.' Is that just meant to be bizarre or is it a quote from something?

A search brought up several movies with the title "Fireman Save My Child" the earliest a 1918 Harold Lloyd short, but I feel like the title must come from an older usage that my searches failed to bring up.


Master Comics #47

Corp. Hitler Jr.
Odd that German kids are reading an English language book.

Very, very light-hearted story. Then again, with a war on, there was plenty of grim and gritty to go around.

So was the Captain Marvel Jr./Freddy Freeman drawings just Mac Raboy tracings/paste-ups with someone else drawing the more cartoony art?

Tumbleweed Jr.
Cute.

The Strange Accuser!
What exactly was strange about the accuser?

I did like the panel design on page 4 where Hopalong is getting lassoed.

Captain Marvel Meets The Ferocious Fans!!
Cute promo, although asking questions is hardly ferocious. ;-)

The Candid Camera Killer!
Nice art, although Bulletgirl seems to be smiling in panels where a different expression might have worked better.

War Bonds Ad
I liked that “one down - and two to go!!”. :-)

Hoodoo Harrigan
Okay chapter. 19 chapters? I wonder if the plan was to collect the overall story at some point into a book? I know Western Printing (which did Dell and Gold Key) would reprint text stories, but I'm not sure about Fawcett.

Heap Big Magic
Okay, although there are a number of stories where the hero has to outdo some kind of magician/witch doctor/whatever. It was a big mistake for Gibson to ask Balbo to help out.

Oh, and then there's a page explaining how some of the tricks were done. Cool.

Amid The Head Hunters
Okay, although Sergeant Holly punishing Weston sounds like how Private Steve Rogers had to deal with a pesky sergeant in the Captain America stories.

Krak-A-Jap machine gun ad
Snicker. Oh, an understandable name for wartime, but oh so inappropriate now.

[Quirky Quokka]

In answer to my questions about Firetop's 'take a powder' and 'Fireman save my child', SuperScrounge said:

Not sure why powder was used I would guess it's related to women saying they are leaving to powder their nose, but then again maybe it's related to gunpowder which in a sufficient quantity could make someone leave quite quickly. (Boom!)

and

A search brought up several movies with the title "Fireman Save My Child" the earliest a 1918 Harold Lloyd short, but I feel like the title must come from an older usage that my searches failed to bring up.

Thanks for that, Super. I never would have thought of that for powder, but it makes sense in hindsight. And thanks for searching for the fireman one. Probably a cultural reference of some kind that made sense to the writer, but hasn't lasted well.

And regards the Master Comics book, SuperScrounge said:

Corp. Hitler Jr.
Odd that German kids are reading an English language book.

I actually wondered if they were meant to be Dutch children because they appear to be wearing clogs, but then that wouldn't make sense in the context of the rest of the story.

The Strange Accuser!

I did like the panel design on page 4 where Hopalong is getting lassoed.

Yes, that stuck out for me too. I don't recall seeing that particular layout before.

Heap Big Magic

Oh, and then there's a page explaining how some of the tricks were done. Cool.

Though I did smile at the idea of kids being told to use sharp knives and to stick a needle in an apple. No warnings about parental supervision. What could go wrong? 

Cheers

QQ

[Robb_K]

In answer to my questions about Firetop's 'take a powder' and 'Fireman save my child', SuperScrounge said:

(1) Not sure why powder was used I would guess it's related to women saying they are leaving to powder their nose, but then again maybe it's related to gunpowder which in a sufficient quantity could make someone leave quite quickly. (Boom!)

and

A search brought up several movies with the title "Fireman Save My Child" the earliest a 1918 Harold Lloyd short, but I feel like the title must come from an older usage that my searches failed to bring up.

Thanks for that, Super. I never would have thought of that for powder, but it makes sense in hindsight. And thanks for searching for the fireman one. Probably a cultural reference of some kind that made sense to the writer, but hasn't lasted well.

And regards the Master Comics book, SuperScrounge said:

Corp. Hitler Jr.
Odd that German kids are reading an English language book.

(2) I actually wondered if they were meant to be Dutch children because they appear to be wearing clogs, but then that wouldn't make sense in the context of the rest of the story.

The Strange Accuser!

I did like the panel design on page 4 where Hopalong is getting lassoed.

Yes, that stuck out for me too. I don't recall seeing that particular layout before.

Heap Big Magic

Oh, and then there's a page explaining how some of the tricks were done. Cool.

Though I did smile at the idea of kids being told to use sharp knives and to stick a needle in an apple. No warnings about parental supervision. What could go wrong? 

(3) Interesting that the detective in the last panel says, 'I'll get him ... even if it takes me into the next issue of Slapstick Comics".  But am I right in assuming this was a one-shot that never got off the ground?


Cheers

QQ

(1) "Take a Powder" was universal slang for going to the washroom (toilet) in US and Canada when I was growing up in the 1940s and 1950s, and, indeed, it came from usually am pair of young, well-to-do women in a restaurant, excusing themselves to leave the men, generally to talk over strategies for the infatuated one to "get" the young man of her choice on that arranged date interested in her (and eventually marry her).  The young debutants needed a chaperone to meet eligible bachelors on their first few dates.  This clichée came from seeing many US 1920s and '30s films.  "Take a powder" meant to leave abruptly (which sometimes meant that the lady wasn't interested in the man, so the women "jilted" the men, and left the restaurant (didn't return to the table, OR the spoiled, wealthy, future heiress, decided she wanted to marry her date, and needed to discuss, right away, strategies to "win" him).  It never had anything to do with explosives.

(2) No.  They were northwest Germans, who, culturally, were much closer to Dutch people in language and customs than to their fellow German citizens from central and southern Germany.  Back in my grandparents' and great grandparents' times, most people in European countries spoke their local dialects at home and with their families, friends and neighbours, and learn the "national language" in school and from the radio and national newspapers.  The culture of the Low Germans (Low Saxons, Angles, Jutes, Friesians,etc.) is very similar to The Dutch People. Their Plattdeutsh language is a sister language to Dutch.  Unfortunately, mostly, old people, farmers and less educated people speak dialects these days, thanks to national education, TV films and The internet.  The North Germans also are heavily into fishing, and dairy farming.  They wear similar hats, and wooden shoes (clogs).  So do The Danes.  I still have clogs at my flat in Denmark, and my home in Holland.  And I had a German-made pair when I lived in Bremen, Germany.  A Dutchman can speak Dutch to a Platt speaker, and he or she speak Platt back and they can understand each other, like a Norwegian speaking with a Swede.  There's lots of rain and seawater seepage on farms and in coastal towns in coastal northwest Germany.  Lots of water on the ground. You wouldn't want to wear water-soaked shoes on a cold day.  They also had Dutch experts build windmills to drain their coastal lands so they could farm it.

(3) Yes, you are correct, that "Slapstick Comics", like "Spook Comics", "Tally-Ho Comics" and so many others of Baily's titles, was just a one-shot.  He never had any really long-lasting series.  I guess he wasn't very good at marketing his products (which generally contained exceptional artwork, from the likes of Baily, himself, Mac Raboy, Frank Frazetta, Howie Post, and so many other excellent G.A. artists.  And yes, it seemed that Baily was fascinated with "Evil intentions" of villains, and reproducing such emotions in the heavy details of twisted features and wrinkled skin.  His Devils and evil villains were always not only featured, but drawn in more detail, with much more detailed emotional expression than his innocent victims, heroes, and well-intentioned characters.  I love his artwork from the early and mid 1940s.

[crashryan]

In answer to my questions about Firetop's 'take a powder' and 'Fireman save my child'

Of course I had to stick my nose into these questions. The more I dug the more explanations turned up. Everyone has their own pet theory. Finally I stumbled across this (very) lengthy survey, with copious examples:

https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/156736/why-does-to-take-a-powder-mean-to-run-away-or-to-leave

The thread will either fascinate you (as it did me, of course) or bore you silly. The highlights:

To take a powder in the sense of "to consume powdered medicine" dates back to the 17th century. Some think that the "to duck out suddenly" sense evolved from this--the "powder" was a laxative which necessitated a sudden exit. All the examples, though, use the phrase in a generic sense. Personally I think the laxative explanation sounds too pat.

Circa 1910 the expression take a runout powder began showing up in newspaper articles about boxing and baseball. The expression may have started as sporting slang and moved into general speech. The researcher speculates that "runout" was simply added to the old medicine-related phrase.This form circulated for a decade or so before being trimmed (1930s-40s) back to take a powder.

Like most of you, I never heard "take a powder" used outside of old movies and radio shows. People from my dad's generation (b. 1917) never used it. I guess that by the time I became aware of such things the expression had gone extinct.

Some entries suggest that "take a powder" is related to going to the the toilet, since in earlier days the ladies' bathroom was called the "powder room" in polite company. It was the room where women adjusted their makeup as well as you-know-what. So "I've got to go powder my nose" was a polite way to excuse oneself. My mom (b. 1922) used this expression (as well as "the little boys' room" when talking about my brother and me). However "taking a powder" predates "powder room" (mid-19th century) by quite a bit. They're probably unrelated.

The earliest reference to Fireman, save my child!--and the one that pops up constantly in searches--is Udo Keppler's famous political cartoon for the satirical weekly Puck (1910).



That's President Taft, a Republican, suffering a "consumer revolt" over the effects of his high tariffs. The elephant is the Republican Party, of course. He's handing Taft to Theodore Roosevelt, hoping TR can save them from the mess they got themselves into. (Splendid drawing, by the way!)

However I believe Keppler's cartoon used an expression that was already widely known. The visual of a fireman saving a child goes back at least to the 1850s when Currier & Ives published their "The Life of a Fireman" print series. None of the prints used the precise phrase as a title.



I'm going to step out on a limb and suggest that Keppler was referencing Edwin Porter's groundbreaking silent film, Life of an American Fireman (Edison, 1903). It's available on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4C0gJ7BnLc

About halfway through a firefighter rescues a woman from an upstairs room. She begs him to go back for her child. The child is rescued and mom and kid have a happy reunion. Those early Edison shorts had a big cultural impact. The short has no intertitles, but I wouldn't be surprised if public discussion labelled the scene "Fireman, save my child!" Just a guess, you understand.

[SuperScrounge]

the fireman one. Probably a cultural reference of some kind that made sense to the writer, but hasn't lasted well.

The first time I encountered the expression, "Fireman save my child" came from a 1970s letter column in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes where a reader suggested a new hero named Firechild and the editor joked that could cause a problem if we have the phrase "Fireman save my child."

Quite possibly that was the last time the expression was ever used. 

Something about the wording makes me wonder if perhaps it was originally used in a stage setting, like a play or possibly a vaudeville routine.

Crash, that was an amazing find with that link on 'take a powder'.

There's lots of rain and seawater seepage on farms and in coastal towns in coastal northwest Germany.  Lots of water on the ground. You wouldn't want to wear water-soaked shoes on a cold day.

Oh, thank you! I never understood why they wore wooden shoes, but that makes so much sense.


Spook Comics #1

Up Pops The Devil!
Round and round the mulberry bush...

What is it with Baily's focus on villains in his books? Did he just not like heroes? Did he think there was a hidden market of villain fans out there?

Gregory the Ghost
Errrrrrggg... not funny.

Death In The Bathtub
Seemed like normal mystery, but the ending was a bit odd.

Cheap Skate
Ehh... nothing special or funny.

Dr. Paul Barer
Slightly more interesting than the other so-called comedy stories.

The Obi Makes Jumbee
Odd little tale. Nice art, although the heels on her shoes don't look like they would work with such energetic dancing.

So who is Montgomery? The side story in the paper on page 4, panel 6 seems rather prominent just to be random. Although the tops of the letters of the word hidden by the guy's head could read Ward which could refer to the store Montgomery Ward, still the possibility that this could be a clue to the writer or someone involved in the comic is possible.

[karl.birchcake]

I focused on the Paddock stories in linked issues, and barely brushed through a couple of others. The younger kids-oriented stories in Spook weren't really my thing, but I enjoyed the two more "mature" ones.

Mister Lucifer: Up Pops the Devil -  the art is  great, the panels varied and dynamic when needed. Does anyone know who was the artist? I couldn't find him in the credits section and didn't spot the signature.

The Obi.. - I liked it, Paddock's work here is impressive. My only nitpick was the dance panels, I understand the story was supposed to be as zany as they come but the dance, Obi's moves, is too much on the goofy side for me (her cheaply 'exotic' costume amplifies that... I thought it was a lazy choice from the artist/writer. I liked the horned headpiece though!). I'd like to see a few more details and the dance poses slightly more realistic (and the dancer's knees and elbows more pronounced).
Aside from that, I enjoyed Paddock's art very much, he did especially well with the faces. I think there's not a single man who doesn't sport a cigar in this story

The script is bonkers, I have to admit I lost the plot after yet another twist.
SPOILER!!!
I don't know if the zombie guy was the real deal or just a pretender in the end (I assume he was real because Obi's dancing ritual got him good).
/SPOILER END

I wouldn't mind reading an Obi-centered serial, but with a stronger supernatural-horror bent, in which her dance would become a prominent, transformative (super)power and influence events and people, living and dead/undead. But then I suppose it would be best suited to the film medium, it takes too many drawings/panels to express the motion (especially this sort of a feverish dance/trance) in a comic story. 
It was sad when she said "I shall never dance again" - I wish she would be given a chance to break her vow in another story      

Compared to all the George A. Romero-derivative zombie stories which are prevalent in the media these days, The Obi seems like a breath of fresh air. I know in the pre-Romero era the voodoo zombie movies and stories were pretty popular (I remember watching the pre-code White Zombie movie a couple of decades ago), and having been tired with the lack of originality of current era zombie stories (in comics, films and elsewhere) I would appreciate it if someone went 'back to the origins' and did a voodoo-inspired one updated to present times. Or mix it up with a Romero-style zombie story.

Firetop

Well, I thought "The Obi" story was bonkers, but it's nothing compared to "Firetop"!
I like how Crepe Suzette is the only character that looks somewhat real and more down to earth than others. I enjoyed the mix of two styles a lot, the Gibson-girl planted in this loony, twisted up world.  Suzette and Firetop are a great match. Speaking of which, I thought the Firetop-centered puns were good fun, this is my kind of silly.

I wonder how this sort of crazy, over the (fire)top stories were written. Was the script set in stone and just waited for the artist, how much was it evolving during the drawing stage, or were they making it on the go?


The Bulletman - Candid Camera Killer from Master Comics 47: 

This story has a lesser quality art and an excessive number of words which doesn't help. If someone haven't identified this one as Paddock's, I wouldn't even think the same guy who did Obi and Firetop was the artist here. The fight sequence is especially awkward. If I were to guess, I'd say this comic was drawn much earlier than the other two AND/OR Paddock shared the responsiblity with someone else, less skilled. It is very uneven compared to the other ones.

I liked the bullet-shaped gravity helmets the most - the invention itself, the design not so much. But then they had to look like this, otherwise Bulletman and Bulletgirl would have to pick different superhero names for themselves. I could see this patent being used in a loonier story, of the Obi/Firetop variety. This pair of bullet-headed heroes would prove to be a bigger challenge to Firetop than the hopeless detective O'Shea.

It's funny how times have changed, today these 'candid camera fans' would most likely be called creeps or stalkers (or worse) for invading other people's privacy. The protagonists took thousands of candid photos in order to find the killer so they are excused, but they seem to be enjoying the 'candid' aspect of the photography a little too much!

I always enjoy it when superheroes in their ridiculous outfits (that aspect, the outfits, haven't really ceased to be more or less ridiculous over the years!) casually stroll into public spaces, like here into a newspaper editor's office, and chat with ordinary, normally dressed folks. It makes them look like loonies from some mad circus. The sillier the outfits the better.

The murderer's motive was insane indeed... Gotta watch out for these landscape photographers guys - with them, you never know!

I'm very tempted to share this short story with my friends from a photo workshop, but since I am the only comic book fan in the bunch I don't think they would enjoy this half as much as I do (besides, even Paddock himself would admit that Candid Camera Killer is a very flawed yarn). It certainly can be a treat for a person who dabbles in and/or appreciates both mediums.

@QuirkyQuokka
I too was pondering about that "Fireman Fireman" sign. It's so specific, looks like a quote. @SuperScrounge, you might be onto something!

I guess Firetop and The Obi are this kind of absurd stories with their own absurd logic where one can expect anything to happen and be prepared that many (or most) things just won't make sense, especially when we try to apply our real world logic to them. Crepe Suzette's hair would absolutely catch fire if she stood next to fire(top) in our world, but it sure looks fabulous in the comic, doesn't it! I think the writer was well aware of the silliness and absurdity of it all, they named her Crepe after all

Last but not least, thanks to all of you guys who took time to dig up sources/ links and write about the most fascinating stuff (honest) like the origins of "taking a powder" and "Fireman, save my child!
I would never guess it (I thought it was about "powdering ones nose" and as such it seemed weird in the context of that scene), if I wasn't reading this thread. It is fascinating how many expressions have their time and at some point become extinct, some disappear and come back decades later, while some others last centuries.

As a side note, I'm afraid the "going to powder my nose" expression lost its earlier innocence a few decades ago and now it's mostly (jokingly or not) related to snorting drugs. I used to hear it sometimes in the 90s and early 00s spoken in a tongue-in-cheek manner by female friends as an excuse to get up from the table for whatever bathroom-related activity (not drugs!!), or just to take a break from the conversation.
I haven't heard it in a while in person, I guess it's become somewhat old-fashioned (again!) but it's still very much alive and in use, fairly recently one of the most controversial Polish politicians was caught on camera using it when trying to fend off/wind up a female journalist (he was leaving the parliament bathroom). [the expression is universal and it translates literally]

[SuperScrounge]

Mister Lucifer: Up Pops the Devil -  the art is  great, the panels varied and dynamic when needed. Does anyone know who was the artist? I couldn't find him in the credits section and didn't spot the signature.

The Grand Comics Database lists John Giunta as both the penciler and inker, although looking at JVJ's art spotting card at the end of the scan he lists Giunta as penciler and Frazetta as inker.

[Quirky Quokka]

Wow, when I asked my little questions about 'take a powder' and 'Fireman Fireman, save my child', I wasn't expecting it to generate such discussion. Dwilt must be wondering how we went off on that tangent, but those rabbit holes can be interesting. Thanks SuperScrounge, Robb, Crashryan and Karl for your responses.

Re 'take a powder', I can see how it could be linked to going to the powder room (or going to powder your nose), though that's not a typical expression in Australia. We know the powder room reference from American TV and movies. But like the Brits, we Aussies go to the loo not the powder room 

Crashryan, the link with taking powdered medicine is also interesting. It reminded me of the Bex powders that were popular in Australia from the 1920s to 1970s. Women in particular were advised to have a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down. They were addictive and eventually banned in the 1970s because of links with kidney disease. I never took any because I was too young at the time, but it's still not uncommon to hear the phrase 'I need a Bex and a lie down'. Interesting how things like that can enter popular culture and remain long after the original reason for the expression has gone.

https://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/bex_powders

And thanks too for all of the suggestions re the Fireman quote. I wouldn't have thought of any of those, but interesting.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

(2) No.  They were northwest Germans, who, culturally, were much closer to Dutch people in language and customs than to their fellow German citizens from central and southern Germany.  Back in my grandparents' and great grandparents' times, most people in European countries spoke their local dialects at home and with their families, friends and neighbours, and learn the "national language" in school and from the radio and national newspapers.  The culture of the Low Germans (Low Saxons, Angles, Jutes, Friesians,etc.) is very similar to The Dutch People. Their Plattdeutsh language is a sister language to Dutch.  Unfortunately, mostly, old people, farmers and less educated people speak dialects these days, thanks to national education, TV films and The internet.  The North Germans also are heavily into fishing, and dairy farming.  They wear similar hats, and wooden shoes (clogs).  So do The Danes.  I still have clogs at my flat in Denmark, and my home in Holland.  And I had a German-made pair when I lived in Bremen, Germany.  A Dutchman can speak Dutch to a Platt speaker, and he or she speak Platt back and they can understand each other, like a Norwegian speaking with a Swede.  There's lots of rain and seawater seepage on farms and in coastal towns in coastal northwest Germany.  Lots of water on the ground. You wouldn't want to wear water-soaked shoes on a cold day.  They also had Dutch experts build windmills to drain their coastal lands so they could farm it.

(3) Yes, you are correct, that "Slapstick Comics", like "Spook Comics", "Tally-Ho Comics" and so many others of Baily's titles, was just a one-shot.  He never had any really long-lasting series.  I guess he wasn't very good at marketing his products (which generally contained exceptional artwork, from the likes of Baily, himself, Mac Raboy, Frank Frazetta, Howie Post, and so many other excellent G.A. artists.  And yes, it seemed that Baily was fascinated with "Evil intentions" of villains, and reproducing such emotions in the heavy details of twisted features and wrinkled skin.  His Devils and evil villains were always not only featured, but drawn in more detail, with much more detailed emotional expression than his innocent victims, heroes, and well-intentioned characters.  I love his artwork from the early and mid 1940s.

Thanks for the extra info, Robb. I'm afraid I'm not very good at European history and geography, so I hadn't realised the cultural similarities between the north Germans and Dutch. And the one-shots are interesting. You wonder what they might have done if any of them had taken off. These days, I think of one-shots as the comic books that have a complete story in them rather than being part of a series. We have a good comic book store in my town, and if I see a comic book that looks interesting and isn't obviously marked as a Part 2 or 8 etc, I ask the store owned if it's a one-shot. I don't mind a limited series, but I do like to read a whole story.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Master Comics #47 (1944)

I enjoyed this comic and ended up reading the whole thing.

Captain Marvel Jr

I knew that comics were sent to service personnel during the war, so I thought it was an interesting ploy to have kids reading those comics too. I liked the comedic art style, and a very different twist on Hitler than I've seen in other wartime comics. It's a ridiculous plot, but for some reason, I found it entertaining. Some of it was pure satire, so a step up from just a silly premise.

Interesting that 'ERSATZ' was used as the word to turn Hitler into Corp. Hitler Jr. It's one of those words I've heard before, but couldn't define when pressed. So I looked it up and it means 'an inferior substitute for something else', so ironic that Hitler himself is speaking out a word that means he is inferior to Captain Marvel Jr.  Even though Hitler failed to win over the children of Germany in this story, the real-life situation was of course much more dire with the rise of Hitler Youth. So for me, this story had hidden depths.

Tumbleweed

A cute one-pager, but again with a deeper underlying idea about how easy it is to make assumptions about other cultures.

Hopalong Cassidy

One of the better westerns I've read. Solid, more traditional art, with some interesting layouts and perspectives, especially the one on the 4th page that shows the guy on the roof lassoing Hopalong.

Bulletman

As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Jim and Susan are taking pictures of others who are taking candid pictures so that they can hopefully snap the Candid Camera killer. Though on p. 1, they didn't seem to worry that they were taking one of the pictures face on and could be seen by the other photographer. Fortunately, he wasn't the killer. 

p. 4 What a trooper Susan/Bulletgirl is. If someone told me I was going to be the decoy for someone who'd already killed 24 women, I doubt my response would be, 'Swell, what's the set-up?' 

This is the first Bulletman and Bulletgirl story I've read, and I like them well enough to read more. Though I wondered why so many women had to be killed before they found the killer. I assume they didn't get there in time to save the last girl, so that would make 25 dead women before the killer was found. A bit grim, to say the least.

Balbo the Boy Magician

I'm not really familiar with Balbo, so didn't know his back story or why his companion was an African-American man. John didn't seem to be treated as stereotypically as some other black characters from this era, and I found a few interesting thoughts about him.

https://mikegrost.com/balbo.htm

It was good that justice was done, the imposter was uncovered, and the Indians regained control. Though I did wonder if the Indians would actually become rich. Would they have reaped the benefits of mineral deposits on their land in 1946, or would the government or a developer have somehow profited from it instead? At least there was a happy ending in this comic.

Balbo's Magic tricks

It was interesting that they demystified a couple of the tricks and showed the reader how they were done. Though I had to smile at the thought of kids being told to use sharp knives and to put a needle in an apple, with no mention of parental supervision or the danger of leaving a needle in an apple. What could go wrong.

Morgus, this is one for you to try at home and tell us how you get on   

Minute Man

I'm showing my ignorance again, but I was suprised that there were enemy aircraft called Mitsubishis. Is that the same manufacturer that makes the cars today? Very popular in Australia.

Best line in the whole comic book is on p. 2 - "No job for a panty-waist, Weston!'

I did a quick google search to see if there had been headhunters in India, as I hadn't heard that before. Turns out there were, but the first thing A.I. threw up for me were the kind of headhunters who scout out staff for businesses. LOL I guess there aren't too many of the other headhunters around today.

Had to laugh when Minute Man finds the 'Made in Japan' mark on the back of the button. Handy that the Japanese wrote that in a prominent place in English too.

I wondered what the gliders would have been made out of if they could be set alight with flaming arrows?

Interesting for the cultural cringe factor today, but would have been a good yarn back in the day.

Ads

Even though the 'Krak-A-Jap' machine gun is 'safe, harmless' and only makes the sound of a machine gun, I wondered how many frayed nerves there would be in the neighbourhood if kids were making a racket with those? And I love the coloured ad on the last page. What parent wouldn't want an axe to arrive in the mail for their child?

Overall

I know we were mainly looking at Paddock's work on the Bulletman comic, but I actually enjoyed this whole book.

Thanks for suggesting it, Dwilt.

Cheers

QQ

[karl.birchcake]

Mister Lucifer: Up Pops the Devil -  the art is  great, the panels varied and dynamic when needed. Does anyone know who was the artist? I couldn't find him in the credits section and didn't spot the signature.

The Grand Comics Database lists John Giunta as both the penciler and inker, although looking at JVJ's art spotting card at the end of the scan he lists Giunta as penciler and Frazetta as inker.

Cheers SuperScrounge! I just looked Giunta up and found some of his other stuff on CB+, but so far none of his work impressed me as much as Mister Lucifer.
I think it's safe to say him and Frazetta, who was several years younger, were buddies - apparently they shared credits on at least a couple of stories, most significantly on what was according to wikipedia Frazetta's first ever published comic work: "Snowman" in "Tally Ho" (it's available to read on CB+ ). I guess most of you FF fans are familiar with that particular one already.

[The Australian Panther]

Been in hospitals for a week - everything is fine - thank you - rigorous heart testings --so you havedn't heard from me. 
So, some comments on the comments.

take a quick powder

I am quite familiar with this expression, but then I am a fan of hardboiled and noir fiction and movies. and Dick Tracy. I associate it with 1930s/40s gangster types.

"Fireman Save My Child"

   
There must be an origin for this phrase which we haven't located yet.
Hollywood apparently loved it and made many productions with the title, but oddly, they are mostly comedies.
1927, 1932, 1935, 1954
Connection with Comic creators? 1919 - IMDB

  Fireman Save My Child: Directed by Bud Fisher. Mutt and Jeff own and operate their own firehouse. Mutt believes where there's smoke, there's fire, which gets them into an early scrape. But they are called to an actual fire of a several storied residential building. A frantic woman asks them to save her baby who is located on the top floor of the burning building. 

 

[The Australian Panther]

Master Comics 47   https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=26701

Love the  cover. Nothing to do with the interior comic though.
Captain Marvel JR story is the silliest I have yet seen. 
Captain Marvel Jage 12 - why is the Devil having a meltdown in one panel?
The art on Hopalong is excellent.
Bulletman
The marketing of Cameras to the general population - + cheap and quick processing - caused a huge boom in photography and obvously this story was created at the height of that boom. 
Not sure a story about a crazed murderer who murders women because they are pretty and then disfigures them with acid is something that a preadolescent reading Captain Marvel Jr should be reading tho.
Page 33 Bulletgirl beats up the villian but first panel next page, 'Bulletman comes to her rescue?'
Ok, the story is weird and silly - but not much.
 

[The Australian Panther]

Spook Comics 1   https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=28363

This book looks like a collection of bits and pieces that were meant for other books.
Filler for the cover promoted story.
The Obi Makes Jumbee
Complex and convoluted story - Is he dead or not dead?  Is she guilty or not guilty, In the end its still not clear.
Did he make up the words, Obi and Jumbee? Did George Lucas read this story?   
Visually the most interesting thing is how he draws Caresse. She is always in motion, feet never touch the ground, spinning, twirling jumping. She is exhausting just to watch.
The narrative though is very straigt forward.
I've looked at this one before.Its always good to look at a book again with a different perspective. 
Thanks Dwilt. Good one. You are welcome anytime.   

[crashryan]

Obi and Jumbee are real things. Apparently H. P. Lovecraft used them in some of his weird stories. Here is a blog post that dissects this comic story, explains the terms, and ties it to HPL. Very interesting stuff.

https://deepcuts.blog/2024/11/20/obi-makes-jumbee-1945/

There's also a Wikipedia entry for Jumbee that explains the regional variations of Jumbee.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumbee

[Robb_K]

Been in hospitals for a week - everything is fine - thank you - rigorous heart testings --so you havedn't heard from me. 
So, some comments on the comments.

take a quick powder

I am quite familiar with this expression, but then I am a fan of hardboiled and noir fiction and movies. and Dick Tracy. I associate it with 1930s/40s gangster types.

"Fireman Save My Child"

   
There must be an origin for this phrase which we haven't located yet.
Hollywood apparently loved it and made many productions with the title, but oddly, they are mostly comedies.
1927, 1932, 1935, 1954
Connection with Comic creators? 1919 - IMDB

  Fireman Save My Child: Directed by Bud Fisher. Mutt and Jeff own and operate their own firehouse. Mutt believes where there's smoke, there's fire, which gets them into an early scrape. But they are called to an actual fire of a several storied residential building. A frantic woman asks them to save her baby who is located on the top floor of the burning building. 

I've been wearing a heart monitor for 3 weeks, with a week left to go, and in and out of hospital, too.  So you aren't alone.

[Quirky Quokka]

Hi Panther and Robb

Sorry to hear you've both been having heart investigations. Hoping there were some positive results and solutions. Good to see you back on the forum.

Take care

Nola