Smash Comics # 38 (December 1942)
Midnight feature (The Riddle of the Cave Man Menace)
This story opens with yet another awesome Cole splash page. (Though, it does bother me that the size of the "cave man" alters dramatically throughout the course of this story.)
On the first page of the story proper, we find Midnight and Gabby pummeling nameless Big City thugs. This comes to a screeching halt, however, when Gabby announces, "Migosh! It's eight o'clock!!" Immediately, our heroes (along, it seems, with everyone else in the city) drop what they're doing and rush to the airport.
On the first page of the story proper, we find Midnight and Gabby pummeling nameless Big City thugs. This comes to a screeching halt, however, when Gabby announces, "Migosh! It's eight o'clock!!" Immediately, our heroes (along, it seems, with everyone else in the city) drop what they're doing and rush to the airport.
As he nears the field a short nondescript man makes his first appearance. This guy and his attempt to get Midnight's attention will become a running gag throughout the story.
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| This recurring, yet unnamed, character reminds me of the "professor" who appeared in Smash Comics #36-37 |
The reason for this impromptu city-wide sabbath is the return of Sir Squinchworth, a famed-British-lord-exploring-the-dark-corners-of-the-world type character. Squinchworth announces the "most stupendous" find of all time: Zor the Caveman--a neanderthal discovered inside a Siberian glacier!
Unfortunately, while Squinchworth is regaling onlookers with tale of how he thawed Zor out, the latter manages to break free from his cage and begin running amok!
Owing to Dave's delayed response to the crisis arising from his radio duties, Wackey and Gabby come up with the hare-brained idea that the Gabster will "hold off the brute" until Midnight is free.
Now if the prospect of an unarmed talking monkey holding off a giant prehistoric hominid armed with a spiked club did seem questionable enough, Cole kicks things up a notch when Gabby--in the midst, mind you, of pursuing this threat through the streets of Big City--cuts through the zoo and gets caught up in a little monkey small talk.
While the suddenly, profoundly, irresponsible Gab catch up on the latest monkey gossip, Zor breaks into the leopard cage, clubs it to death and apparently eats the whole thing.
Now, either Zor eats really fast, or Midnight is really slow because by the time he shows up at the zoo, Zor has picked the leopard bones clean and is just laid back on the grass looking for shapes in the clouds (or something). As Midnight approaches and finds the caveman seemingly blissful and serene, he speculates whether the "savage" may actually have been purposefully starved to turn him vicious!
About this time, a mob of suit-wearing Big Citizens (I guess that's what we should call them) show up at the zoo prepared to kill Zor. Midnight grabs his new friend and beats a hasty retreat.
As luck would have it, during the strategic withdrawal, Midnight runs across Gabby who has--it seems-taken up the cause of unionized monkeys...
Back at the lair, Wackey has a moment of fright when Midnight shows up with the Cro-Magnon crusher in tow. Dave reassures the Doc they'll have nothing to fear from Zor so long as he's kept well-fed. He then tells the inventor to "simmer down and listen to my plans."
Owing to Dave's delayed response to the crisis arising from his radio duties, Wackey and Gabby come up with the hare-brained idea that the Gabster will "hold off the brute" until Midnight is free.
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Ummm...yyyeeeah... That's a rock-solid plan there guys. No way anything could go wrong.
Also, one wonders where Zor acquired this spiked club from? Is this the kind of thing just laying around Big City, or was Squinchworth actually stupid enough to imprison a cave man with his weapon? |
While the suddenly, profoundly, irresponsible Gab catch up on the latest monkey gossip, Zor breaks into the leopard cage, clubs it to death and apparently eats the whole thing.
Now, either Zor eats really fast, or Midnight is really slow because by the time he shows up at the zoo, Zor has picked the leopard bones clean and is just laid back on the grass looking for shapes in the clouds (or something). As Midnight approaches and finds the caveman seemingly blissful and serene, he speculates whether the "savage" may actually have been purposefully starved to turn him vicious!
About this time, a mob of suit-wearing Big Citizens (I guess that's what we should call them) show up at the zoo prepared to kill Zor. Midnight grabs his new friend and beats a hasty retreat.
As luck would have it, during the strategic withdrawal, Midnight runs across Gabby who has--it seems-taken up the cause of unionized monkeys...
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Who knows? It was the 1940s. FDR was in the White House and I guess all things socialist were hip?
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