The Era -- Day By Day

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Tsk. Lost over $30G to Harpo Marx. It's the quiet ones you got to watch.

America, 1941.

America, 1941.

"Let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not my will but yours be done..."

"Really? Just an old army cot? I've been in much better secret underground bases than this."

Get your resumes ready, kids.

Having a key is not as important as knowing what that key unlocks.

Don't go getting any ideas there, Mom -- Bim is happily married to a woman half his age.

Poor kid had his heart set on Pop performing the ceremony down at the Sugar Bowl.

0-for-3.

 

[Fading Fast]

...The actress wife of former Mayor Jimmy Walker charged today that he had forced her to entertain his "repulsive friends." Mrs. Walker, who has reverted to her pre-marriage name of Betty Compton, filed another divorce complaint today in Key West, Florida, containing statements of specific examples of cruelty on the part of her estranged husband. Miss Compton accused the ex-Mayor of being a "tormenter and pickerer, who damned me in front of my friends," and who on one occasion forced her to flee a moving automobile in an effort to escape his "screaming." An earlier divorce complaint was dismissed for lack of evidence...

After the Mungo embarrassment, I expect to be reading something about this on Page Four today or tomorrow. (After seeing the Daily News today, I guess we'll have to have hope for tomorrow.)

...El Loco Mungo is reported to be at his home in Macon, Georgia -- although he is due to report to the Montreal training camp today -- but no matter where he goes, the rollicking righthander can't seem to avoid trouble. Today he learned that Senor Gonzalo, the Cuban nightclub dancer and former matador whose wife Mungo entertained in his room at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, intends to sue him for $100,000 for injuries sustained in the ensuing brawl. Gonzalo will also seek damages against Mungo for breaking up both his marriage to the lovely Senora Cristina Gonzalo, alias Miriam Morgan of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and his nightclub act. The Gonzalos and Miss Lady Vine, nightclub mistress-of-ceremonies were all dismissed by the hotel following the incident....

Boy, this is the story that won't stop giving, "...the lovely Senora Cristina Gonzalo, alias Miriam Morgan of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania...".

... (Look, at least read the manual first.)...

It's not often I say this, but she should listen to George.

... ("He would hardly abandon his car." Boy, that's some real Batman-level detective work there, Dan.)

Also, "the Skull didn't just float down the river..." "It doesn't seem likely."

I don't know, abandoning your car to escape by boat seems a pretty smart way to elude the police. It didn't happen in this case, but still, why dismiss it out of hand?

... Get your resumes ready, kids....

That's a quality move on Skeezix's part.

...
Poor kid had his heart set on Pop performing the ceremony down at the Sugar Bowl.....

Paul can perform the ceremony when he marries Lana and Pop can perform it for his marriage to Lillums. Problem solved.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"The Cuban night club dancer and former matador..."

It's the little details that raise this from just another ho-hum, prosaic celebrity scandal to a true work of art.

 

[Harp]

These are the forgeries of jealousy.

William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night's Dream

Difficult to peer inside Third base's heart, assuming envy to be his lot may be erroneous; yet one may conjecture
love for Burma enflames jealous rage at his perceived rival.

 

[LizzieMaine]

President Roosevelt last night pledged a bridge of ships, planes, food, and guns to Britain and other nations fighting the Axis powers. In a historic speech delivered at the annual dinner of the White House Correspondents' Assocation, and broadcast to the nation over all networks and to the world by shortwave, the President pledged that "our country is going to play its full part." In describing the Administration program under the new Lease-Lend Act, the President disclosed that the first installment in a $7,000,000,000 aid package was on its way to Britain within five minutes of his signing the bill on Tuesday. "This is an all-out effort," declared the President. "Nothing short of an all out effort will win."

(If you missed the broadcast last night, a transcription is available here.)

Brooklyn-born United Press correspondent Richard C. Hottelet remains in the custody of the German Gestapo today, and is being held incommunicado at the Alexanderplatz Police Station in Berlin on a charge of "suspicion of espionage for an enemy power." Representatives from the United States Embassy were denied permission to see Hottelet following his arrest early yesterday morning, and the U. S. State Department is pursuing a full investigation as to the circumstances of his arrest. Gestapo agents also appeared at the Berlin office of the United Press following Hottelet's arrest to question employees and to search desks and files. German authorities have indicated their investigation will follow "normal procedure under German law."

Meanwhile, in the Bath Beach apartment of Hottelet's parents, Richard C. Hottelet Sr. and Antonie Hotellet of 1928 Bath Avenue, a mood of deep anxiety and concern prevails. The Hottelets learned of the arrest thru a radio news broadcast early yesterday, and spent much of yesterday answering questions from reporters who filled their living room in search of details. "I'm sure Dick will be cleared," declared Mrs. Hotellet, while her husband emphasized "there is no motive he could have for such activity. Richard would not do such a thing for profit. He was well-equipped with funds. He is a discreet boy, and well-balanced. I cannot help but feel that he is being made a scapegoat for some reason." German authorities have denied that the arrest of the reporter is in reprisal for U. S. action against two representatives of the German Transocean News Agency for failing to register as foreign agents. Both the elder Hottelets were born in Germany, and the senior Mr. Hottelet has been an American citizen for twenty years.

A key figure in the retrial of Murder For Hire suspects Harry "Happy" Maione and Frank "The Dasher" Abbadando is being held on $25,000 bail as a material witness. Assistant District Attorney Frederick Loughlin argued before Judge Samuel J. Liebowitz in Kings County Court that there is a significant danger that witness Sam Mazzi is in danger of being rubbed out by gangland figures to prevent him from testifying in the trial. Mazzi was arrested outside the Brownsville home of another key witness and was charged with threatening that witness's wife and children, but he testified that he did so only after he was abducted and beaten by thugs who demanded that he do their bidding.

A City College instructor has been suspended from his job on charges of "conduct unbecoming to a teacher" and "dereliction of duty" linked to his former membership in the Communist Party. Action taken against Morris U. Schappes is the first taken against a teacher in connection with the Rapp-Coudert Committee's investigation of "political subversion" in the city's schools.

(And you can tell that to your repulsive friends!)

(Remainder sale in the book department!)

The Dodgers' full squad reunited in Miami yesterday in time to lose to the Giants 14-13 in a twelve-inning brouhaha. Luke Hamlin donned the goat's horns for the afternoon in giving up eight runs to the Terrymen in the ninth inning, erasing a comfortable Brooklyn lead, and capping it with his famous home run ball to Joe Orengo. The Giants broke the tie in the bottom of the twelfth with a homer off Hugh Casey by Ken O'Dea.

In bidding farewell to Havana, the Flock carries back to the mainland many fond memories of their Cuban adventure, including the deep cobalt blue of the ocean under a Havana sunrise, the Prado on carnival nights when Cuban gaily parade, the 40-cent steaks at the La Maravilla Bistro, and of course, the exotic, romantic dancing of Gonzalo at the Hotel Nacional....

A hundred and twelve horses have been nominated to run in this year's Kentucky Derby, and even accounting for the fact that a hundred of them won't make the final cut, the Run For The Roses is likely to lack any clear favorite when Post Time arrives on May 3rd. Whirlaway and Dispose are among the most highly rated candidates, but neither seems to be a horse likely to run away with the race.

("If You Remember All These Things You're A Real Nineties Kid!")

(If ever there was a week that TREND should be profiling Mr. Van Lingle Mungo, this would be it. And yet we get some boring general nobody cares about. I'm very disappointed here.)

(One thing that always annoys me about westerns is that the horse is always the smartest character in the story.)

(My brother-in-law is a lineman, and if there's one thing he would have no need for on top of a pole, it's a plumber's pipe wrench.)

(Hermann's wearing a cap so you'll know which one he is. And between hanging out in Elaine Carrington's attic and building snowmen in the yard, it's a wonder Miss Hayes gets any work done at all.)

("By mistake?" Sure, Bill, sure. And "I'M HUNGRY???" Pretty hard-core henchmen the Skull hires.)

(Somehow I think George would end up being the first prisoner ever thrown out of Alcatraz...)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Hmph. Churchill disapproves of actors? That's like a cow disapproving of cheese. And I wonder what Helen Worth would say about "Marian Miller?"

Wait, a Childs' hostess listens to Henry Morgan? It must be Childs, because they sure wouldn't hire somebody like that at Schrafft's.

Odds that Selbert will die a horrifying death by drowning just took a sharp jump. Electrocution by immersion is running a close second.

You know, you guys really could have run a more solemn ad here.

If you want to know where the action is in any working-class neighborhood, just head for the Hod Carrier's Hall.

Something tells me Mr. Mosley decided he didn't want to do a married-life strip after all, and this is his way of getting out of it. So long, Joy, it's been swell knowing you.

Really? You two already know he uses hidden microphones, so you just go ahead and make with your plans? Tsk. What would Pat say about that?

Hmmmmmm. It's long and well established that Harold's dad's name is "Thomas." It has always *been* Thomas. Lillums' dad, however, is named "Lem," and has always been named "Lem." Which suggests two possibilities -- either we are catching a glimpse of Alternate Mirror Universe Covina here, or Ma Teen has been carrying on behind Pa's back, and just let it slip out. Either way, we appear to be taking a dark turn...

Doctors today, of course, are more interested in getting their pound of flesh than a curl of hair.

Bim has his own private detective force? Impressive, but still probably no match for Punjab and the Asp.

 

[Fading Fast]

..
(And you can tell that to your repulsive friends!)...

For what it is worth, eighty years later, I'm glad she got her divorce, but boy does the speed of the divorce being granted on the second petition seem suspicious. Even in 1940, legal proceeding usually take longer than this. Somebody got to somebody who owed somebody a favor or, possibly, an envelope with money exchanged hands.

... (Hermann's wearing a cap so you'll know which one he is. And between hanging out in Elaine Carrington's attic and building snowmen in the yard, it's a wonder Miss Hayes gets any work done at all.)...

All these years reading about the Founding Fathers and never knew about Jefferson and the waffle. That said, I really doubt it's true.

...[ ("By mistake?" Sure, Bill, sure. And "I'M HUNGRY???" Pretty hard-core henchmen the Skull hires.)...

I know Dan's a big deal and all, but he does seem to have unlimited funds at his disposal.

Wasn't another (maybe the same) henchman of the Skull's complaining about being cold the other day. He needs to pay up for heartier henchmen. My Dad wasn't an evil criminal genius, yet he wouldn't put up with that kind of whining from me as a kid.

... Hmph. Churchill disapproves of actors? That's like a cow disapproving of cheese. And I wonder what Helen Worth would say about "Marian Miller?"....

Day three or four and still no mention of Mungo.

... You know, you guys really could have run a more solemn ad here.....

She's stuck on a desert island and she's worried about having Kleenex to remove face cream. Even ignoring the question of where she's getting this face cream, really!, that's what she's worried about.

... Hmmmmmm. It's long and well established that Harold's dad's name is "Thomas." It has always *been* Thomas. Lillums' dad, however, is named "Lem," and has always been named "Lem." Which suggests two possibilities -- either we are catching a glimpse of Alternate Mirror Universe Covina here, or Ma Teen has been carrying on behind Pa's back, and just let it slip out. Either way, we appear to be taking a dark turn.......

That's really odd.

...
Something tells me Mr. Mosley decided he didn't want to do a married-life strip after all, and this is his way of getting out of it. So long, Joy, it's been swell knowing you.....

I know this is a daily strip and "Invisible Scarlett" is a Sunday-only one, but either way, I find when I only read the strip once a week, I'm just not engaged with it. Once we stopped getting the daily "Smilin' Jack" strips, I kinda lost interest.

Hope all is well with @MissNathalieVintage

 

[Harp]

Burma has offered a single to first base so Terry can slide into home. Quite the entendre.
And a lot on the plate this seventh inning stretch.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Fire broke out today aboard the German 51,731-ton super-liner Bremen, according to official reports from Berlin, but Nazi authorities have declined to reveal exactly where the ship is now located. The Bremen escaped capture by the British last year during a run from New York to the Russian Arctic port of Murmansk, and made its way back to Germany safely, and since then there have been numerous reports that the ship has been destroyed at various times and places.

The British Government has warned that any Axis bombing attacks on Athens will draw speedy reprisals in the form of raids on Rome. It was learned today thru representatives of a neutral nation in the Italian capital that the British warning has been transmitted to the Vatican with the suggestion that it be formally conveyed to the Italian Government. So far Britain has avoided attacks on the ancient city, but has "reserved the right" to pursue such attacks in view of the participation of Italian airmen in raids on London.

Irishmen by the hundreds of thousands assembled today to take part in the St. Patrick's Day parade up 5th Avenue in Manhattan, and the proverbial "Luck O' The Irish" was evidenced again as a bright morning sun broke thru the clouds and a flurry of snow ended almost before it began. On this day, as on every March 17th, every New Yorker becomes Irish by temporary adoption -- even Mayor O'LaGuardia, who presides over today's march with a large shamrock on display in his lapel. Brooklyn's own Irish delegation, including hundreds actually born on the Emerald Isle, and led by an honor guard from the Ancient Order of Hibernians, marched past Borough Hall this morning to start their trip to Manhattan, passing by Borough President John Cashmore, who reviewed the march from the Borough Hall steps.

Any attempt by bus companies idled by the present Transport Workers Union strike to bring in strikebreakers to run the buses may lead to trouble, warned union president Michael Quill today. "We call upon the Mayor of New York City not to give police protection to scabs," demanded Mr. Quill, "because the operation of buses by scabs can only lead to trouble. This is a sufficient warning and an honest warning."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has assigned agents to the investigation of a fatal railroad accident in Pennsylvania last night, after local investigations concluded that the accident was the result of sabotage. Four persons were killed and more than a hundred injured when the Buckeye Limited jumped the tracks and plunged into the Ohio River near the town of Baden, Pennsylvania. Officials of the Pennsylvania Railroad determined that someone familiar with the line's block-signal system had loosened the rails without breaking the electrical signal circuit, and it is believed that the intended target of the attack was the 12-car Manhattan Limited, which passed the spot without incident about eighteen minutes before the Buckeye Limited was derailed.

Brooklyn's one-time Bail Bond King was injured in a hit-and-run accident in Midwood yesterday. 26-year-old Abraham Frosch was struck by an oncoming car while crossing the intersection of East 27th Street and Kings Highway near his home. Frosch suffered a fractured leg in the collision, and told police that the car stopped and he spoke with a young girl and a middle-aged man who got out of the car and promised to summon an ambulance for him, but admitted that he did not get the license number of the car. Frosch was a key figure in Assistant Attorney General John H. Amen's investigation of the Brooklyn bail bond racket, and of official corruption with the Police Department.

("Kooba" does not, in fact, actually exist. The whole thing is a shady investment scheme promoted by an even shadier comic-book publisher named Victor S. Fox, who figures that by running a big promotional push for a non-existent product, he can attract investors who will buy the rights to the product and then take on all the hard work of actually formulating, manufacturing, bottling, and distributing it. And this is not, in fact, the shadiest thing that Mr. Victor S. Fox ever did in a life full of shady dealings -- he was, as they say, "known to the police," with a rap sheet including a number of crooked stock promotions and get-rich-quick swindles. It should come as a relief to all honest persons that Mr. Victor S. Fox will die in 1957 -- long before the arrival of social media, a platform which would have given him a global field of sheep to fleece, and, no doubt, success beyond his wildest possible dreams.)

(I fear that I am becoming obsessed with these "It's About Time" suggestions. It's a good thing I don't actually own a dinner dress.)

("Hey," says Joe. "Y'know who gott'is draf' papehs las' week? Drippy Pincus -- you know, Solly's brutta, woiks inna skimmin' d'pahtm'nt downa plant." Sally rolls her eyes. "Drippy Pincus -- inna Army? We really t'at desp'rite?" "I dunno nutt'n bouttat," replies Joe, "but I put in f'his job. Skimmas make $5 more'n packas. An' you knowwhatelse I done? Las' night onnaway home, I stopped ova t' New Utrick. Signed up fa' night school. Kid's gonna need a ol' man wit' more edjacation'n 8-B, ya know?" Sally smiles. "New Utrick, huh? Y'got sump'n 'gainst Erasmus?" "Nah," says Joe. "Butchagotta a'mit, a fam'ly needsabitta balance, ya know?")

(TROLL. Whatta you think this is, anyway, the Daily News?)

(Kids Today.)

The Dodgers will play ten games over the next ten days on their old Western Florida stomping grounds, reestablishing their Spring Training base at Clearwater following their Havana adventure and before kicking off their northward-bound barnstorming trip on March 27th. The Flock will face the Yankees for the first time this spring in St. Petersburg, and also have games scheduled against the Cardinals, Reds, Giants, Tigers, and Red Sox before breaking camp.

Yesterday, two Dodger squads took the field, with Lieutenant General Chuck Dressen leading one against the Giants in Miami, a 6-3 loss that left everyone with the sense that they were glad Durocher wasn't on the scene. Kirby Higbe pitched well for four innings before shooting a bolt in the fifth and allowing four runs, including another home run by unexpected slugger Joe Orengo. And back in Havana, the Durocher-led contingent met the Cuban All Stars for their final confrontation, a game that ended in a 7-7 tie so that the boys could catch their plane back to the mainland.

("I'll Never Smile Again?" Hey Sparks, with this ASCAP-BMI thing still going on, seems you might have a chance as a songwriter.)

(Yeah, Slick, you had your chance. Fifteen years ago.)

("Ted! That lipstick on your shirt collar! I recognize the shade -- Homewrecker Scarlet!")

(Fight to the death? When they're so cold and hungry and hate that scratchy toilet paper the Skull buys?)

 

[LizzieMaine]

And in the Daily News...

Boring Wednesday Page Four Editor tries to goose his reputation by adding CAT PHOTOS. Let's see if he can keep it up.

Is it just me or are the H&H ads losing their edge? Bring back COME IN AND WIN!

I've never heard anyone actually say "The Avenue of the Americas" out loud.

Hey Anvil, here's a chance for you -- why not take over Sam's shop and start a pressing business of your own? You wouldn't even need an iron.

Boy, is Pat gonna have one whopper of a I TOLD YOU SO, and I for one can't wait till he gets to use it.

Kids have to grow up so fast these days.

All right now, let's get this plot back on track. And Gus, jeez, Min really did need a new hairstyle, but why did you think "Olive Oyl" was the right way to go with it?

The return of Godiva?

Poor Mush -- a stereotype with a soul.

I don't think we've ever seen if Lana lives with her parents, but if she doesn't, this is a pretty swanky place she's living in. Pipdyke's must pay pretty well.

 

[Fading Fast]

...("Hey," says Joe. "Y'know who gott'is draf' papehs las' week? Drippy Pincus -- you know, Solly's brutta, woiks inna skimmin' d'pahtm'nt downa plant." Sally rolls her eyes. "Drippy Pincus -- inna Army? We really t'at desp'rite?" "I dunno nutt'n bouttat," replies Joe, "but I put in f'his job. Skimmas make $5 more'n packas. An' you knowwhatelse I done? Las' night onnaway home, I stopped ova t' New Utrick. Signed up fa' night school. Kid's gonna need a ol' man wit' more edjacation'n 8-B, ya know?" Sally smiles. "New Utrick, huh? Y'got sump'n 'gainst Erasmus?" "Nah," says Joe. "Butchagotta a'mit, a fam'ly needsabitta balance, ya know?")...

Good for Joe, he's trying.

... (Fight to the death? When they're so cold and hungry and hate that scratchy toilet paper the Skull buys?)

Just noting, it's 1941, many men have patterned overcoats. Heck, Dan might as well arrest Ted from "Mary Worth" and Wilmer from "Gasoline Alley" just to be safe.

... Boring Wednesday Page Four Editor tries to goose his reputation by adding CAT PHOTOS. Let's see if he can keep it up.....

Growing up in the '70s, the few houses, over that time, where "we" all went to hang out, have snacks, etc. were ones where the parents pro-actively encouraged us - made you feel welcome, clearly had stocked up to feed us, etc. I'm grateful those homes existed. I'm still friendly with one of those kids (now in her 50s with teenagers) and she and I, a few months ago, were talking about how great her mom was about making everyone feel welcome in their home.

...
Is it just me or are the H&H ads losing their edge? Bring back COME IN AND WIN!....

Might I remind you of the Childs ads? And, heck, he's a friendly looking fish.

...
I've never heard anyone actually say "The Avenue of the Americas" out loud.....

Back in the '80s and '90s, that name would come up occasionally/rarely either on local news or some older person would use it, but it's been more than twenty years since I've heard it used in that manner to simply refer to the Avenue. A lot of "Avenue of the Americas" signage is still there though.

...
Kids have to grow up so fast these days....

"...I guess you have that much conscience left." Good on Terry for seeing that nuance and calling Kiel out on it.

Um, uh, now would be a good time for Pat or the DL to show up, and by now, I mean right now.

... The return of Godiva?...

All but forgot about her. From behind, it could be Kitty Foyle in a 1941 comicstrip-movie tie in.

 

[Harp]

Terry is a strip dragging like Hector. Terry should finish Achilles-the-Hun off before Burma, mistress raison
for whatever Patroclus offense, incites further animus, and scram the scene whichever, wherefore, and thereto.
I miss Hu Shee and her enticing jeweled sensuous self.

 

[Fading Fast]

Terry is a strip dragging like Hector. Terry should finish Achilles-the-Hun off before Burma, mistress raison
for whatever Patroclus offense, incites further animus, and scram the scene whichever, wherefore, and thereto.
I miss Hu Shee and her enticing jeweled sensuous self.

We all miss perfect Hu Shee. Remember she had been a stunt-car driver in the US. Seriously, how did Caniff think up that and how cool is she.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I have no idea what the ultimate fate of Miss Hu will turn out to be, but I doubt we've seen the last of her.

Meanwhile, here's something I came across recently that's rather interesting -- the results of two nationwide surveys of comic-strip popularity conducted in 1934 and 1936. There are a couple of things worth noting in this -- one, many of the strips we follow in 1941 are already quite popular this far back, and two, the trend in comics in the mid-thirties was clearly moving in a more adult, less slapstick direction. "Terry" made its debut in late 1934, and just two years later it was already among the top fifteen strips in the country. Few comics made that much of a splash in so short a time.

"Apple Mary," which is moving upward toward the top ten in 1936, was the original title of "Mary Worth's Family," and you'll also note that "Dan Dunn," of all strips, is in the twentieth spot. The Bungles don't make the top thirty-five in either year, but theirs was always a strip that fell a bit out of the mainstream in its appeal, and reading such a list would no doubt cause George to exclaim "what crust!"

These are the only legitimate surveys of this type that I've been able to find during our approximate period, but it's clear from the strips we follow the trend toward melodrama/adventure/adult realism is very much continuing into the early forties.

 

[Harp]

We all miss perfect Hu Shee. Remember she had been a stunt-car driver in the US. Seriously, how did Caniff think up that and how cool is she.

I caught this particular game around the fourth or fifth inning, playing some ketchup...
What bugs me about Terry is his lack of aggressive teenage hormonal drive; always moody and moping around
earlier but Burma seems to have elicited some passionate initiative. But that Junker aristocat dogginit, enough, finish
the ba***rd off and lets get back to home plate with Hu Shee.

 

[Fading Fast]

I caught this particular game around the fourth or fifth inning, playing some ketchup...
What bugs me about Terry is his lack of aggressive teenage hormonal drive; always moody and moping around
earlier but Burma seems to have elicited some passionate initiative. But that Junker aristocat dogginit, enough, finish
the ba***rd off and lets get back to home plate with Hu Shee.

Terry does remind me of some kids from high school - shy, introverted, etc. I don't think it means he doesn't have a drive, I just think his confidence - or maybe just his default nature - has him act very reserved around others.

 

[Harp]

Terry does remind me of some kids from high school - shy, introverted, etc. I don't think it means he doesn't have a drive, I just think his confidence - or maybe just his default nature - has him act very reserved around others.

WhiskeyTangoFoxtrot is he doing in 1930's China?

 

[LizzieMaine]

He went there as a 12-year-old boy to try and locate a mine that had supposedly belonged to his late grandfather. When he got to Shanghai he ran into a freelance writer named Pat Ryan (he says he's a writer, but it's pretty obvious that's a front, and he's really some kind of undercover US intelligence operative. In any case we have never once seen him write.) They, in turn, hired a Chinese teenager who calls himself "George Webster Confucius" to be their guide/interpreter, and off on the search they went. They ran into La Choi San, aka "The Dragon Lady," leader of a pirate band, not long after that, and further on they encountered Burma -- who had a thing for Pat before she had a thing for Terry. And Big Stoop, a seven-foot tall Mongol who was once a slave of the Dragon Lady who had his tongue cut out by her for disobedience. And then they met Normandie Drake, who is probably Pat's one true love, and April Kane, who is probably Terry's, even though she is also pursued by a creepy English kid named Crispin. And then there's Captain Blaze, a gun-running, opium-growing English pimp, who is a friend of Pat's, and the Captain's daughter Cheery, who is emphatically not a friend of Pat, and who was last seen being hauled into an involuntary marriage by a lunatic Tartar pro-wrestler turned warlord named Singh-Singh. And then there's Captain Judas, a bloodthirsty enemy of the Dragon Lady, and there's Klang, another warlord, and Raven Sherman, an American heiress who came to China to help war orphans and fell in love with Dude Hennick, an old college friend of Pat's. And of course Hu Shee, who is the Dragon Lady's chief aide, and Bucky Wing the swashbuckling Chinese-American pilot, and Dr. Ping, a soft-spoken anti-Invader terrorist known as the Blue Tiger.

I think that's everybody as of now, but who knows who might turn up next....

Oh, and they never did find that mine.

 

[Harp]

He went there as a 12-year-old boy to try and locate a mine that had supposedly belonged to his late grandfather. When he got to Shanghai he ran into a freelance writer named Pat Ryan (he says he's a writer, but it's pretty obvious that's a front, and he's really some kind of undercover US intelligence operative. In any case we have never once seen him write.) They, in turn, hired a Chinese teenager who calls himself "George Webster Confucius" to be their guide/interpreter, and off on the search they went. They ran into La Choi San, aka "The Dragon Lady," leader of a pirate band, not long after that, and further on they encountered Burma -- who had a thing for Pat before she had a thing for Terry. And Big Stoop, a seven-foot tall Mongol who was once a slave of the Dragon Lady who had his tongue cut out by her for disobedience. And then they met Normandie Drake, who is probably Pat's one true love, and April Kane, who is probably Terry's, even though she is also pursued by a creepy English kid named Crispin. And then there's Captain Blaze, a gun-running, opium-growing English pimp, who is a friend of Pat's, and the Captain's daughter Cheery, who is emphatically not a friend of Pat, and who was last seen being hauled into an involuntary marriage by a lunatic Tartar pro-wrestler turned warlord named Singh-Singh. And then there's Captain Judas, a bloodthirsty enemy of the Dragon Lady, and there's Klang, another warlord, and Raven Sherman, an American heiress who came to China to help war orphans and fell in love with Dude Hennick, an old college friend of Pat's. And of course Hu Shee, who is the Dragon Lady's chief aide, and Bucky Wing the swashbuckling Chinese-American pilot, and Dr. Ping, a soft-spoken anti-Invader terrorist known as the Blue Tiger.

I think that's everybody as of now, but who knows who might turn up next....

Oh, and they never did find that mine.

Quite a Summa Theologica. The ensemble cast and crew seem to fit the bill fight card. Thanks for the clue in.

US Intelligence operatives cannot write. Rant, rage, scream, shout; yes. But illiterate clueless for the most part.

 

[Fading Fast]

He went there as a 12-year-old boy to try and locate a mine that had supposedly belonged to his late grandfather. When he got to Shanghai he ran into a freelance writer named Pat Ryan (he says he's a writer, but it's pretty obvious that's a front, and he's really some kind of undercover US intelligence operative. In any case we have never once seen him write.) They, in turn, hired a Chinese teenager who calls himself "George Webster Confucius" to be their guide/interpreter, and off on the search they went. They ran into La Choi San, aka "The Dragon Lady," leader of a pirate band, not long after that, and further on they encountered Burma -- who had a thing for Pat before she had a thing for Terry. And Big Stoop, a seven-foot tall Mongol who was once a slave of the Dragon Lady who had his tongue cut out by her for disobedience. And then they met Normandie Drake, who is probably Pat's one true love, and April Kane, who is probably Terry's, even though she is also pursued by a creepy English kid named Crispin. And then there's Captain Blaze, a gun-running, opium-growing English pimp, who is a friend of Pat's, and the Captain's daughter Cheery, who is emphatically not a friend of Pat, and who was last seen being hauled into an involuntary marriage by a lunatic Tartar pro-wrestler turned warlord named Singh-Singh. And then there's Captain Judas, a bloodthirsty enemy of the Dragon Lady, and there's Klang, another warlord, and Raven Sherman, an American heiress who came to China to help war orphans and fell in love with Dude Hennick, an old college friend of Pat's. And of course Hu Shee, who is the Dragon Lady's chief aide, and Bucky Wing the swashbuckling Chinese-American pilot, and Dr. Ping, a soft-spoken anti-Invader terrorist known as the Blue Tiger.

I think that's everybody as of now, but who knows who might turn up next....

Oh, and they never did find that mine.

Normandie Drake.

Caniff knows how to do names. Hopefully, she'll come back as I'd like to meet her.