Anyone with a passing familiarity with comic book history knows that Fawcett Comics; one of the great powerhouse publishers of the Golden Age made their mark in the industry publishing the illustrated adventures of The Marvel Family- Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel, Jr. and Mary Marvel. In addition to that illustrious trio, however, Fawcett produced a number of other costumed and adventure-hero features, and this huge volume compiles some of the best and most interersting among those. Before The Big Red Cheese was even a gleam in writer Bill Parker’s eye, Fawcett tried an earlier Superman inspired character in Master Comics. His name was, logically enough, MASTER MAN. As far as we know, no one has ever reprinted a complete MASTER MAN story before, but this collection opens with MM’s second story (reprinted from Master #2) in it’s entirety, with art by the little-known Newt Alfred. After the Marvels, Fawcett’s best-known comic book creation was probably SPY SMASHER, having made it into movie theatres with a successful adventure serial, and various mass-market licensed products. He’s here in this book starring in “The Island of Whanno”, from Whiz #34, as drawn by Alex Blum. Mr. SCARLET was Fawcett’s answer to Batman, and his strip enjoyed a long run in Wow Comics. “Mr Scarlet and Pinky Meet The Homesick Hill-Billys” shows how Fawcett’s more whimsical approach kept Scarlet from coming anywhere NEAR to being any sort of Darknight Detective in this story illustrated by Jack Binder and his studio from Wow #34. BULLETMAN was another Fawcett heavy hitter. See why in a tense melodrama featuring a psychotic killer known as The Bouncer, in an untitled story drawn by Ken Bald, originally appearing in Master #28. EL CARIM was an atmospheric magician adventurer that also ran in Master Comics. See him here working hand in hand with the cadaverous Fate, Taker of Lives in a Lou-Fine inpired story drawn by George Tuska and the Chesler Shop. Lance O’Casey, rough and tumble seafaring roustabout appeared in every issue of Whiz Comics. Find out why he was popular in “The Deadly Islands”, from Whiz #152, as he matches wits with the sultry costumed villainess SHANGHAI LIL!! Dr. VOODOO was another early Whiz feature, appearing here in an untitled story from Whiz #34. COMMANDO YANK combined combat fatigues with a mask and patriotic theme to fight the Axis behind enemy lines. See him in action in Czechoslovakia in “Commando Yank Battles His Friends”, drawn by Al Carreno, originally seen in Wow #24. DAN DARE was a two-fisted private eye from the companies’ earliest days. Check him out in “Counterfeiter’s Conspracy”, drawn by a young Harry Anderson for Whiz Comics #9. Of a similar vintage is RICK O’SHAY, “swashbuckling American soldier of fortune”, as seen in this volume’s Ken Battefield- drawn episode set in Laos, from an early issue of Wow. DON WINSLOW of The Navy was another Fawcett staple that also appeared in serials, on the radio and in a newspaper strip. Despite his conventional approach, he could come up against some bizarre adversaries, as in “The Venom of The Snake”. This villain was freakish enough to have stepped out of a Dick Tracy story of the era. This appearance is tastefully drawn by Winslow’s regular art team of Carl Pfeufer and John Jordan, from Don Winslow #50. CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT was a popular radio star long before he became a costumed hero at Fawcett, where he had a strong run into the late ’40’s Our example returns one of his favorite villains in “Captain Midnight Fights Five Fleas”, as delineated by Leonard Frank from Captain Midnight #67. GOLDEN ARROW was a Western-themed vigilante that eschewed the six-gun for the bow- and did so successfully enough to also last for the entire run of Fawcett’s flagship Whiz Comics title. He’s here in “The Greed For Gold”, drawn by Tony Cataldo from Whiz #135. The DEVIL’S DAGGER was another rarely-seen early masked avenger, reprised here in an untitled story initially seen way back in Master #2, illustrated by the ubiquitous Ken Battefield. And no collection of great Fawcett heros could be complete without an example of IBIS the INVINCIBLE, one of (if not “the”) the most successful of the comic book magicians. Here, he and his companion-partner Taia must counter the out-of-control use of an ancient mystic artifact in “Ibis And the Rod of Hermes”, from Whiz #61, with art by old-time pulp illustrator Munson Paddock. Finally, cover star MINUTE MAN (Fawcett’s “take” on a Captain America- style hero) brings down the curtain in a feature-length story from America’s Greatest Comics #7- “Minute Man Makes The Dictators Buy War Bonds”, with art by Phil Bard. 17 full stories plus short fillers- add it all up, and it’s a full 140 pages of vintage Fawcett action/adventure in complete story black and white reprints using state-of-the aet reproduction- a steal at $29.95 a copy!
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