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Monday, April 20, 2015

Number 1724: Star Spangled robots

Today we begin a theme week I’m calling Deceased Comics Week. Postings will come from DC titles no longer being published. Like the other comic book publishers, DC (aka National Comics or Superman DC), published what sold, and if it didn’t they axed it and published something else. The public is fickle, fads come and go, including what comic books sold the most.

First up are two stories, both featuring robots, from Star Spangled Comics #36 (1944, published in an anthology format for 130 issues, from 1941 to 1952 ). The character, Robotman, masqueraded as a human. The feature was drawn by veteran cartoonist Jimmy Thompson. Thompson was a good artist, but in this case it appears he didn’t read the script. Creatures are thawed out of the ice, and the script says they are “mammoths” and ancestors of elephants, but Thompson drew dinosaurs.

The second story features one of the female patriotic heroes of the World War II era, Liberty Belle, created, written and drawn by Chuck Winter and Don Cameron. In the story an inventor creates robot soldiers. Liberty Belle makes a rah-rah speech about Nazi soldiers acting like robots, and that American men, superior because they fight for democracy, should fight. Not robots. Say what...? Modern robots, as we know, are useful in many industries as utility devices, designed to do critical but repetitive work. I would say that if robots could stand in for humans when bullets and bombs are flying, then we need robots, not humans, to take the brunt of the attack.


















11 comments:

Crios said...

But this isn't the Doom Patrol Robotman, right?

Alicia American said...

I'd like 2 apploud Liberty Bell's patriotical anti-drone stanse & also her fashion scents Yay! OMG Nazis = Robuts yo #BADASS

Mike Britt said...

Hey, dinosaurs are mammoth in size, so Jimmy Thompson got it half right

Pappy said...

Lord Crios...someone else can probably answer your question. I can't.

Pappy said...

Mike, I guess. But...jeez...someone should have changed the captions after the pencils came in.

Pappy said...

C'mon, Alicia. I suggest we get an army of giant Rock'em Sock'em Robots to wage our wars.

BillyWitchDoctor said...

Edited from Wikipedia:

The first Robotman was a scientist named Robert Crane whose brain was placed inside a robotic body after he had been fatally shot. Since Crane had to be legally dead for his assailants to be charged with murder, he created a civilian identity as Paul Dennis, accomplished with lifelike face mask and gloves.

Cliff Steele became Robotman after a race car accident destroyed his body. Dr. Niles Caulder subsequently placed Cliff's intact brain into a robotic body.

J_D_La_Rue_67 said...

Thanks Pappy for inroducing me to another fine character.
"your SNAKY SCALES are no match for my modern steel"...
Snaky scales for Mammoths? Looks like the writer is also a bit confused. Siegel created Robotman, but I think (I hope) this script is by Joe Samachson.
@Lord Crios:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotman_(Robert_Crane)

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robotman_(personaggio)

Sphinx Magoo said...

Lord Crios, no, this is the Golden Age Robotman. You might recognize him from appearances in All-Star Squadron and the Golden Age miniseries.

TheUUShadow said...

Lord Crios

The Golden Age Robotman seen here and the Silver Age Robotman from Doom Patrol are Indeed two different Individuals. Golden Age was a Scientist who was killed and his brain placed In his robot creation to somewhat preserve his life. Silver Age was a race car driver who crashed and was "saved" In A similar manner.

Alicia American said...

LOL Rockem Sockem Robuts got feelerings 2 yo!!! LOL