Midnight and His Pals Turn Back the Hands of Time! (Part 1) -- Smash Comics #52 (APR 1944)

Smash Comics #52 (APR 1944)

The opening splash page leaves me with the impression this will be one of those rare (but sometimes well-executed) stories that attempts to teach a little "real history" in the midst of an entertaining superhero story.  Let's see how well Gustavson pulled it off.

The opening panels rehash the "Dave-Clark-just-wants-a-relaxing-evening-at-home-but-his-permanent-houseguests-won't-shut-up" trope.  Dave's grousing is interrupted by Wackey boisterously announcing his latest invention:  time pills.

Sniffer reliably questions whether Doc's invention will work; and Doc--just as reliably--seizes the bait and tells everyone to take a pill while he thinks of a time in history they'll all visit.  (Dave, incomprehensibly takes the pill--so much for a quiet evening reading the paper--but decides to put on his domino mask "just in case.")

Doc explains that the pills take a bit to work, and Sniffer complains of his "fiddling while Rome burns"...so you know where this is going.  That's right, they wind up in ancient Rome.  (Now, as Wackey explained the pills originally, you'd think that everyone who'd taken a pill would travel to a different point in time based on what they were individually-thinking about...but it was the Golden Age, so I guess nobody cared about gaping plot holes.)

Now a believer, Sniffer asks how the crew will ever get back home, to which the seemingly apoplectic Wackey announces they'll just take another pill and think of home.  Before they can do so, however, some Romans passing by in a chariot, terrified at the sight of a talking monkey, flee afoot and leave their conveyance behind.  Gabby suggests he and his pals take advantage of this and "see the Tiber for a dime."  To which his confederates--again without much discussion or explanation--suddenly agree.

As the reader sees Gabby and his ride-share companions passing through an arch into Rome, it seems Gustavson realized he needed to shoe-horn an in-story explanation for upcoming dialogue.

"Sure.  That sounds very plausible." -- no one ever

Leir (Marvel) : part 2

In a previous post, I introduced Marvel's largely-forgotten Celtic Thor-analog, Leir.  Today, we examine Leir's second appearance in The Mighty Thor #398 (DEC 1988).  This took place roughly a year after his introduction, in the full-flowering of a story arc that was seeded back during Leir's first appearance.

As Thor #398 commences Asgard is under siege by the forces of the Egyptian death god Seth.  The status of the Golden Realm is quite precarious as neither Odin nor Thor are present in this hour of greatest need.  Owing to the destruction of the Bifrost Bridge, Thor and a coterie of allies (specifically, the Black Knight, Earth Lord, Wind Warrior, and Skyhawk) apply a little reverse psychology to Seth's pretentiously-named minion, Grog the God-Smasher.

When the imprisoned Grog takes advantage of a momentary freedom by opening a mystic portal to the Heliopolitan cosmological plane, Thor and company follow him and are immediately engaged in a titanic battle with Seth's forces.  After locating the death god's "secret weapon" (in the person of Bes) Thor ultimately frees the imprisoned Odin.

Meanwhile back in Asgard, the Golden Realm teeters near collapse.   A rout seems all but certain following the grave wounding of Balder (temporary ruler of Asgard) and the apparent death of Heimdall.  This latter is too much for the Enchantress, who lets out a primal dimension-piercing scream before charging headlong against Seth himself, in order to avenge her brother.

While Amara's attack is a spectacular failure, her war scream turns out to be much more productive.  Though many beings in many realms hear the Enchantress's scream, only the Tuatha de Danaan respond...and I bet you can guess who's in the lead of the relief forces.

Filler Post: Name This Superhero

Sorry guys.  I just had too much going on the past week to finish the post I've been working on.  In the meantime, here's a little blast-from-the-past.  Can you identify him?