In his must-read book “1000 Comic Books You Must Read”, author and comics maven Tony Isabella’s entry for WINGS COMICS # 1 (September, 1940) reads as follows:
“Fiction House published several pulp magazines devoted to air adventure / war stories, duplicating that success in this title with such features as The Skull Squad, The Parachute Patrol, Jane Martin, Clipper Kirk, Suicide Smith, Greasemonkey Griffin, and Powder Burns.”
Oh, how I wish I’d thought of the name “Powder Burns”! If I ever “borrow it” someday, please don’t tell anyone!
Think these stalwart stewards of the skies have no relevance today? Guess again?
Consider their connections to well known fictional pop culture icons of the future!
“Clipper Kirk” could very well be an ancestor of Captain James T. Kirk of STAR TREK. Boldly going… etc. etc.
Conversely, I’d suspect “Suicide Smith” is decidedly not related to Doctor Zachary Smith of LOST IN SPACE. “Suicide mission, did you say? Clearly, my Robotic Friend, here, is better suited to the task than I! Speak up, you Bubbleheaded Booby! Tell them my delicate back will simply not stand the strain!”
“Greasemonkey Griffin” sounds as if he could be a grand-uncle-or-something to Peter Griffin of FAMILY GUY. Indeed, if he’s anything like Peter, his bumbling may have been responsible for every disaster attributed to Gremlins.
And, given his age, “Powder Burns” PROBABLY IS IN ACTUALITY Mr. Montgomery Burns of THE SIMPSONS. “Excellent!”
Sure makes me want to go out and buy a copy of WINGS COMICS # 1… if only I had the 240.00 for “Good” or the 3,000.00 for “Mear Mint Minus” that Overstreet says it would have cost me in 2003 – the latest year I have a guide for.
Oh, well… At least Mr. Burns can buy one!
“Fiction House published several pulp magazines devoted to air adventure / war stories, duplicating that success in this title with such features as The Skull Squad, The Parachute Patrol, Jane Martin, Clipper Kirk, Suicide Smith, Greasemonkey Griffin, and Powder Burns.”
Oh, how I wish I’d thought of the name “Powder Burns”! If I ever “borrow it” someday, please don’t tell anyone!
Think these stalwart stewards of the skies have no relevance today? Guess again?
Consider their connections to well known fictional pop culture icons of the future!
“Clipper Kirk” could very well be an ancestor of Captain James T. Kirk of STAR TREK. Boldly going… etc. etc.
Conversely, I’d suspect “Suicide Smith” is decidedly not related to Doctor Zachary Smith of LOST IN SPACE. “Suicide mission, did you say? Clearly, my Robotic Friend, here, is better suited to the task than I! Speak up, you Bubbleheaded Booby! Tell them my delicate back will simply not stand the strain!”
“Greasemonkey Griffin” sounds as if he could be a grand-uncle-or-something to Peter Griffin of FAMILY GUY. Indeed, if he’s anything like Peter, his bumbling may have been responsible for every disaster attributed to Gremlins.
And, given his age, “Powder Burns” PROBABLY IS IN ACTUALITY Mr. Montgomery Burns of THE SIMPSONS. “Excellent!”Sure makes me want to go out and buy a copy of WINGS COMICS # 1… if only I had the 240.00 for “Good” or the 3,000.00 for “Mear Mint Minus” that Overstreet says it would have cost me in 2003 – the latest year I have a guide for.
Oh, well… At least Mr. Burns can buy one!
2 comments:
Joe,
"Powder Burns" sounds like a bewigged character from an 18th century English novel... come to think of it, just HOW old is Montgomery Burns, anyway?
Chris
Chris:
“Powdered-Wig Burns”? Very good!
Or, perhaps, the “powder burns on Powder Burns” resulted from his firing his brand new flintlock at solicitors and ancestors of Homer Simpson and Smithers! Ya know… He just MIGHT be that old!
A glimpse into the thought process behind this Blog entry:
Upon seeing the names “Kirk”, “Smith”, “Griffin”, and “Burns” all lined up in a row in Isabella’s passage, I couldn’t help but throw together something like that!
Joe.
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