263 – Stripesy Alopecia

I’d be upset too, Pat! Star Spangled Comics #36 (July 1944) shows that Pat Dugan (Stripesy, of The Star Spangled Kid fame) is balding in the weirdest way – little chunk of red curls on front and bald everywhere else. Only in the comic books, kids!

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262 – Dancing With Fakes

Wonder Woman masquerades as herself and finds herself dancing with a fake Superman while other fake Justice Society members rock out with Etta Candy and her girls. I like how each costume is a fake, but not an obvious one (Flash’s lightning bolt goes the other way!).

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261 – Mr. Mxyztplk

Mr. Mxyztplk makes his first appearance in Superman #30 (June 1944). In it, the mischievous court jester from another dimensions tortures Superman with his magical powers until Superman tricks him into saying his name backwards. The writers even encouraged the readers to write in if they want to see the character again.

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259 – Etta Solo

Joining Lois Lane and Alfred the Butler, Etta Candy makes her solo feature debut in Cavalcade Comics #7 (June 1944). Her three-page story features her joining a dude ranch capturing a cattle rustler.

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258 – Giganta, Giant Jerk

Giganta makes her debut in Wonder Woman #9 (May 1944), as a female ape that had been evolved through “hyperatomic energy” to a giant aggressive woman. In this story, she has no other powers except for being tall and strong and a bit of a jerk.

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257 – Super Continuity

A rich tycoon of crime (Mr. Blob) tries every means at his disposal to kill the Man of Steel in Superman Comics #29 (May 1944). What I found interesting is that while searching for Superman’s “Achilles Heel”, the villain comes across the only time Superman was ever threatened: that time Superman’s was affected by colliding […]

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255 – Mike Gibbs, Guerilla

Mike Gibbs, Guerilla took on the Japanese in a trenchcoat and fedora throughout World War 2. In Adventure Comics #92 (April 1944), we find him in Korea trying to inspire its leader to revolt against Japanese occupation. From this story I learned that 1) artists did know how to draw Asian people that were not […]

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254 – Almost

Lois and Clark almost kiss in Action Comics #73 (April 1944). We also learn a couple interesting things in this story: Clark Kent collects curious clocks and Lois Lane is allergic to roses.

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253 – Lois Lane Solo

A month after Alfred debuted in his solo feature, Lois Lane is given a shot with “Lois Lane, Girl Reporter”, debuting in Superman #28, March 1944. This first story does not feature Superman, though he is referenced several times as a running gag.

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