Before Superman came around and began the costumed hero movement, a trench coat and fedora seemed to be the apparel of choice for fictional crimefighters. I can understand why, it is a pretty cool look. I don'y know how practical it was, though. I used to wear a trench coat, and they are not easy to run in, let alone engage in fisticuffs. Plus, I have to imagine those hats would fall off in the midst of battle.
Dick Tracy is now officially a member of the Trench-coat-and-Fedora Brigade (lol!).
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though: have you ever had either of these guys team up with the Shadow?
Click on The Shadow label to find out!
ReplyDeleteI had a trench-cat, too, and agree about the difficulty of running in them; but, 'style'...
ReplyDelete^_^
Mind you, Dr Occult also starred in one storyline (before Superman's debut) in which he wore a red-&-blue 'superhero' costume that included a cape...
I am surprised Roy Thomas did not have him in All Star Squadron. I really loved that book.
ReplyDeleteIn the final issue of that comic they had the big stars (Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, etc) replaced by Quality heros. I imagine in Ross-verse (is that an official term>) they would have been replaced by the Invaders!
I prefer "Earth-STF"
ReplyDeleteI remember that storyline. It's when Siegel and Schuster were briefly working for another company. So, they changed Doc's pseudonym to "Dr. Mystic." for the war against Koth (arguably, the most powerful of the Lords of Chaos).
ReplyDelete@Carycomic: try STF #1290.
ReplyDeleteGlenn Host said...
ReplyDelete"I am surprised Roy Thomas did not have him in All Star Squadron."
He did, with the trench-coat rather than the 'superhero' look, towards the end of the series.
"I really loved that book."
Seconded.
Ross, have you ever done a 'headshots in the frame' cover like JLA #207 and the excellent Arrowverse cross-over 'Crisis on Earth-X' poster that came out yesterday? I imagine it would be an enormous amount of work.
ReplyDeleteYes in one of the JLA/Phoenix issues, also Issue #300 JLA/Avengers... and 2000 will have some of theat as well.
ReplyDeleteDick Tracy and Dr. Occult--Twins separated at birth?
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU!!! THANK YOU!!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up on the South Side of Chicago, reading Dick Tracy in the Trib in the '70's - Crimestoppers Textbook! I gotta get back there to see in person the Tracy statue.
Speaking of the Trenchcoat Brigade, maybe Tracy could join that whole team for an adventure.
ReplyDelete(I hadn't even been aware of the team -- consisting of Dr Occult, Mr E, Phantom Stranger, and John Constantine -- until I looked up Mr E with the idea of suggesting him for a team-up with Mr T. And that cover could also feature the iconic image of a certain extraterrestrial eclipsing the full moon from the front-basket of a kid's bicycle.)
"E.T.---run like heck--from Chthulu!"
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it...how about Keith Richards vs. Chthulu?
Bob Greenwade said...
ReplyDelete"I hadn't even been aware of the team -- consisting of Dr Occult, Mr E, Phantom Stranger, and John Constantine"
There were also some characters created by writers who'd been denied the use of Constantine: Willoughby Kipling, and Ambrose Bierce...
To be fair, Phil Foglio didn't create Ambrose Bierce...
ReplyDeletePS: I currently have a trenchcoat, and am using it for a walk-on as Harpo Marx in a local play production (well, rehearsals so far; it doesn't open until this coming weekend). I'm not finding it difficult at all to run in -- at least, not any more than I usually do. I don't know that David Tennant had much trouble running in the Tenth Doctor's trenchcoat, either. (To be fair, though, both his trenchcoat and mine are of a somewhat lighter design than one usually sees, such as what Tracy and Occult are wearing in this cover.)
ReplyDeleteBob Buethe said...
ReplyDelete"To be fair, Phil Foglio didn't create Ambrose Bierce..."
To be fair, no, admittedly he didn't... not exactly. But did he create a rather unexpected comics-book version of that personage, and I loved the explanation for the ‘brigade’ that he put into his Bierce's mouth:
"You learn the basics, have a hideous experience in a graveyard, they give you a trenchcoat and steal your razor. Like an assembly line, really."
^_^