Captain Midnight is often overlooked when great Golden Age comics are discussed. Perhaps that is because the Marvels truly ruled Fawcett, or because he never really fit neatly into a specific genre. Whatever the case may be, there are a lot of great Captain Midnight stories and this issue features a couple of true classics. The first tale,
Beyond the Sun is a wonderfully fun and funny story involving a trip to Saturn and an encounter with its evil (and ugly) ruler, Xog. Captain Midnight went to outer space a great deal in his later years, allowing for some truly inventive stories. Len Frank's artwork is far from gorgeous, but his creature designs are superb and grotesque. Cap's escape plan is brilliant, but Xog survived and would seek his revenge against Earth in the very next issue.
The second and final story (this was the 36 page era) is also a lot of fun with the evil Dr. Osmosis using a 'Chameleon Oil' to impersonate Captain Midnight. He uses Cap's popularity in an attempt to overthrow the U.S. Government. Again, Frank's art is serviceable at best but the sheer lunacy of the story makes this a terrific story. Captain Midnight is a very affordable title as compared to many of its contemporaries, so I highly recommend tracking down at least one issue. The post-war issues with sci-fi themes are particularly enjoyable. I've read a good number of these books, but none put as big a smile on my face as this fantastically fun issue, making it is a worthy member of the Hall of Fame.
Captain Midnight is often overlooked when great Golden Age comics are discussed. Perhaps that is because the Marvels truly ruled Fawcett, or because he never really fit neatly into a specific genre. Whatever the case may be, there are a lot of great Captain Midnight stories and this issue features a couple of true classics. The first tale, Beyond the Sun is a wonderfully fun and funny story involving a trip to Saturn and an encounter with its evil (and ugly) ruler, Xog. Captain Midnight went to outer space a great deal in his later years, allowing for some truly inventive stories. Len Frank's artwork is far from gorgeous, but his creature designs are superb and grotesque. Cap's escape plan is brilliant, but Xog survived and would seek his revenge against Earth in the very next issue. 
The second and final story (this was the 36 page era) is also a lot of fun with the evil Dr. Osmosis using a 'Chameleon Oil' to impersonate Captain Midnight. He uses Cap's popularity in an attempt to overthrow the U.S. Government. Again, Frank's art is serviceable at best but the sheer lunacy of the story makes this a terrific story. Captain Midnight is a very affordable title as compared to many of its contemporaries, so I highly recommend tracking down at least one issue. The post-war issues with sci-fi themes are particularly enjoyable. I've read a good number of these books, but none put as big a smile on my face as this fantastically fun issue, making it is a worthy member of the Hall of Fame. 
1 comment:
Not ugly, adorable!!!
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