I remember my first encounter with Spy Smasher in the pages of a Justice League of America crossover. I didn't understand why this guy wasn't a bigger deal. He had a neat costume, great name, and cool mission statement. I even copied him for my stable of made up heroes that I liked to draw - I named my guy Spy Fighter.
Hah! Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteI was always fond of the Spy vs Spy vs Spy strips (with the female Grey Spy that would always best the other two)
ReplyDeleteWould also love to see Spy vs Spy vs Spider-Man ;)
This one is just fun to say out loud.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school, the local PBS station (Channel 9 in Evansville, IN) showed the Spy Smasher serial.
ReplyDeleteGreat cover Ross. You are right about this classic character. He actually had his own on-running serial back in the 40's. I would love to see SPY SMASHER VS SPY MASTER (the original version from IRON MAN) in the future.
ReplyDeleteJust my two cents: Spy Smasher was a fairly big deal during/after the war, as shown by his getting a serial. He got wiped out with the rest of the Fawcett characters in the Superman / Shazam lawsuit wars. And the public image of spies changed, via James Bond, U.N.C.L.E., S.H.I.E.L.D., etc, so that his mission statement and methodology wasn't really relevant any more. I am kinda surprised that he didn't show up in some version of the All-Star Squadron and just in that one JLA/JSA teamup. When DC did finally revive the name & costume, it was with an all-new female character that went nowhere.
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ReplyDeleteFour words: Ross? I LOVE IT!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it would work maybe it wouldn't but the colour scheme is right for it Spy Smasher VS Enemy Ace. "The Skies are the killer of us all." - Enemy Ace.
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ReplyDeleteThis is one of your all-time best, Ross, and that is saying a lot!
ReplyDeleteHere's a really far-out request, Ross.
ReplyDeleteThe original Defenders vs. the original Fatal Five!
You could probably use some of the cover art from DEFENDERS (v.1) #'s 26-29 to simulate the time travel.
Jay Johnson said...
ReplyDelete"I am kinda surprised that he didn't show up in some version of the All-Star Squadron and just in that one JLA/JSA teamup." All-Star Squadron was probably during the period when DC was only leasing rights to the actual Marvel family & some of its main enemies, rather than to other Fawcett-owned characters as well, before it decided to buy the lot.
@Mike Shirley: Another interesting team-up might be Spy vs. Spy and Heckle & Jeckle 9 they both appear to have beaks).
ReplyDeleteAt the time he actually was a fairly big deal. He got his own book for a while, between '41 and '43. There was a movie serial about him, in 1942, after Captain Marvel, but before Batman, Captain America, Vigilante, Superman, and Blackhawk.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if his popularity was buoyed or hindered by the fact that his regular feature was in Fawcett's "Whiz Comics". Captain Marvel was the lead feature. And I don't know if the Captain helped him or eclipsed him.
@Ken Halloran: there was apparently a story arc, during WWII, where an Axis-brainwashed Spy Smasher had a running duel of wits with Capt. Shazam! Sort of the "Batman v. Superman" of its day.
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