Cover Cavalcade

 NOVEMBER IS CHARLTON WAR COMICS MONTH!!!

From 1960, here's a Sam Glanzman cover.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Mysterious Traveler: "The Accusing Corpse" 4/16/44

A supposedly perfect blackmail plot gradually begins to unravel.

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Stolen Manuscripts and Multiple Murders

 

Read/Watch 'em In Order #173

A year after we were introduced to rare book dealer Joel Sloan and his wife Gerda in Fast Company, the two returned in 1939's Fast and Loose.

But they are no longer played by Melvyn Douglas and Florence Rice. Rather, they've been transformed into Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell.

It is perhaps even more obvious in the sequel than in the original that MGM is trying to replicate a Thin Man vibe with this series. The Sloans banter with each other constantly. As with the first movie, this is just fine. Montgomery and Russell have good chemistry together and Russell in particular is a master at playing that sort of character. 

In this one, Sloan is asked to be an agent in the purchase of a Shakespeare manuscript. He and Gerda are staying at the home of the current owner when things begin to get hairy. The manuscript turns out to be a forgery. The owner's personal librarian disappears. And then the owner is murdered.

Gerda isn't happy about Joel investigating another murder after he got shot in the behind last time. But there's no choice. The cops suspect someone Joel believes to be innocent. 

There are a number of other suspects, including a ruthless gangster who tries to threaten the Sloans and later has his thugs run them off the road. Sloan keeps plugging away, even after his best theory is seemingly shot down and two more murders occur. But eventually, he is able to finger the killer and find the real Shakespeare manuscript.

It really is a fun movie. I think Montgomery and Russell play off one another even better than Douglas and Rose (though that's subjective--both couples are excellent). The murder mystery is relatively clever and the banter is indeed witty.

One more movie in the series to go---with different actors again taking over the lead roles. We'll soon see how they stack up against the others.

Avengers Annual #1 (Part 3)

 

cover art by John Buscema

(with alterations by John Romita)

Chapter 3 of Avengers Annual #1 (1967--writer: Roy Thomas; artist: Don Heck) moves the action to Asia, where Hercules and the Scarlet Witch are confronting the Enchantress and the Executioner. The bad guys have brought along an army of trolls, but Hercules  and Wanda wade through those until they essentially give up and go home.

So the battle quickly narrows down to two heroes and two villains. The Executioner figures an epic battle like this needs an epic location, so he carves through dimensional barriers with his axe and brings all four of them to a between-dimensions location called the Citidal of Silence.  This annoys the Mandarin (who is listening in on the battle), because there's something in Asia his supposed minions are supposed to bring him. But Asgardian bad guys have always had trouble listening to mere mortal bosses. The Executioner tosses the communication device away.

It's a nifty bit of irony in that whomever wins the fight, the Executioner's arrogance alone has already spoiled this part of the Manderin's plan.

Hercules and Executioner pound away at each other while Enchantress trades hexes and spells with Wanda. 

Eventually, Herc knocks out his opponent. Wanda has done pretty well against Enchantress in the meantime, but the villain eventually forms up some debris into a frost giant that's a little too much for the Witch to handle. 

So Herc throws the unconscious Executioner into the giant, destroying it and knocking out Enchantress with the ensuing magical backlash from her spell being disrupted.

So it's another win for the bad guys. The two villains are bound with Enchantress's hair, which will keep them prisoners until Odin can judge them, while Hercules and Wanda return to Earth. 

Once again, Don Heck's art is magnificent, with this issue continuing to change my opinion of his art. I never hated it, but never loved it. Now I kinda love it.

The fight is imaginatively choreographed and the arrogance of the villains is captured perfectly. Hercules is portrayed as a big bruiser, but who also keeps his head during the fight. I love that he uses his unconscious opponent as a missile.

Next week, we'll move to Africa to see how Thor and Hawkeye are fairing.

Cover Cavalcade

NOVEMBER IS CHARLTON WAR COMICS MONTH!!! 

A Jack Keller cover from 1970.

Friday's Favorite OTR

 Escape: "She" 7/11/48

Despite the half-hour run time, this episode gives us an effective and atmospheric adaptation of H. Rider Haggard's classic novel.

Click HERE to listen or download.