Showing posts with label Avon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Avon. Show all posts

Friday, June 4, 2021

Asian Antagonists MASK OF DR FU MANCHU Part 4/Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

Does that recap the story in style or what?
Avon Comics pioneered the concept of using the inside front cover to present background info and/or recaps which is so prevalent today.
What's really kool is that they used a page of new art, instead of a cut-and paste of text and already-used art!
And now, the conclusion...
Interesting to note that Dr Fu Manchu is shown to be honorable, and wouldn't attempt to retaliate after his defeat, simply to assuage his ego/vanity.
It goes against the usual "Yellow Peril" stereotype of Asians being without morals and ethics, doing anything, no matter how loathsome or inhuman to achieve their goals!
Though the adaptor of the Sax Rohmer-penned novel is unknown, the comic is illustrated by then-young up-and-comers Wally Wood and Joe Orlando (who split the penciling and inking almost on a panel-by-panel basis)!
Though Fu's comic book appearances were infrequent, he became an ongoing character at Marvel as the father of their resident martial arts master, Shang-Chi, who turned against his father when he discovered he was not the altruistic and benign person he deceived his son into believing!
The "Devil Doctor" battled not only his wayward son, but other martial arts heroes as shown HERE!
You'll note there's no mention of Fu in the upcoming movie Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings!, though Shang's father does appear!
When Marvel lost the licensing rights to Fu, they modified the character of Shang's father in comics to become Zheng Zu, an immortal sorcerer, and in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Mandarin, based on a "Yellow Peril"-type supervillain dating back to the 1960s, who was Iron Man's arch-enemy.
(The movie Iron Man 3 introduced a false Mandarin, an imposter played by an out-of-work actor, into the movie continuity.
This one is the real character, heading the Ten Rings terrorist/criminal group which wounded and kidnapped Tony Stark, forcing him to become Iron Man.)

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Friday, May 28, 2021

Asian Antagonists MASK OF DR FU MANCHU Part 3

When Last We Left Our Protaganist...Who's Also Our Antagonist...

...under a flag of truce, Sir Denis Nayland Smith and Shan Greville meet with Dr Fu Manchu to make an exchange...Shan's kidnapped fiance Rima Barton for the artifacts Fu covets!
It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn...
Though the adaptor is unknown, the tale is illustrated by young up-and-comers Wally Wood and Joe Orlando (who split the penciling and inking almost on a panel-by-panel basis)!
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Serial Fu Manchu

Friday, May 21, 2021

Asian Antagonists MASK OF DR FU MANCHU Part 2

May be NSFW due to xenophobic "Yellow Peril" stereotypes about Asians.
Sir Denis Nayland Smith foils Dr Fu Manchu's attempt to steal the Mask and Sacred Sword of El Mokanna which could unite millions of religious fanatics under Fu's command!
However, Smith's young associate, Shan Grenvile falls prey to the feminine wiles of Fu's daughter, Fah Loh Suee and is captured...
Do We Have to Tell You...
Continued Next Week!

Though the adaptor is unknown, the tale is illustrated by young up-and-comers Wally Wood and Joe Orlando (who split the penciling and inking almost on a panel-by-panel basis)!

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Friday, May 14, 2021

Asian Antagonists MASK OF DR FU MANCHU Part 1

NSFW Note: Racist, xenophobic Asian stereotypes ahead...
The most famous example of the Yellow Peril "evil Oriental" stereotype was Sax Rohmer's incredibly-popular Fu Manchu!
To Be Continued...
This 1951 one-shot from Avon Comics was based on the novel Mask of Fu Manchu, which had already been adapted for both a radio serial and a movie (starring Boris Karloff as Fu and Myrna Loy as Fah Lo Suee)!
Though the scripter is unknown, the tale is Illustrated by young up-and-comers Wally Wood and Joe Orlando (who split the penciling and inking almost on a panel-by-panel basis)!
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Monday, June 22, 2020

CoronaVirus Comics WITCHCRAFT "Man Who Bribed Death" and WEIRD "Death Trap" plus...

Though this was the spotlighted tale in Avon's WitchCraft #4 (1952)...
...it wasn't the cover feature!
In fact, the cover...

...had nothing to do with any of the stories inside, even though it's by Al Hollingsworth, who did illustrate the following tale of deliberate death by disease!







What appears to be the intended cover (also by Hollingsworth) was used a year later on the Avon one-shot Night of Mystery (1953), and of course, it has no connection to any of the stories in that issue!

While "Man Who Bribed Death" has never been reprinted, the script was reused, almost verbatim, as the basis for this short from Eerie Publications' Weird V4N1 (1970) illustrated by Argentine illustrator Oscar Fraga, whose work in the American comics market was exclusively for Eerie Publications and consisted solely of re-dos of 1950s stories like this one!







Interesting that the locale for the second half wasn't updated from Korea to VietNam.
This retelling, unlike the color comics original, has been reprinted several times...
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