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Tweak says, "Define: Truth"

jlroberson (jlroberson) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-07-19 04:22:00

Current location:	Seattle
Current mood:	disappointed
Current music:	Godspeed You! Black Emperor, "Moya"
Entry tags:	char: captain america/bucky barnes, char: captain america/steve rogers, char: red skull/johann schmidt, creator: al avison, creator: stan lee, era: golden age, group: nazis

Classic Cap and a Very Goofy Red Skull

BUY BONDS!

It's Golden Age Cap, a small sample(5 pages of 22) from a classic story reprinted in Captain America #600! It's written by Stan Lee and drawn by Al Avison.
First, we see some archery on a nice summer day, with a man cleverly dressed so as not to draw attention or look at all suspicious near an Army base. Or he's a very odd sort of male prostitute.

That's right, it's the Red Skull, practicing right under Captain America's nose in an insultingly stupid disguise, because he's a dick. And why exactly does his plan require arrows? Is Captain America more vulnerable to them than bullets? Uhh...

But it is interesting to see the Skull getting ahead by practice and effort, by contrast with the American who got a dose of a super-steroid. Especially in a war that was between mostly ordinary people versus people who called themselves supermen by birth. Ah, teenage, silly Lee.
Meanwhile, Steve works on his Bruce Wayne impression.

The Red Skull does some recruiting, and works especially heavily on bonding and loyalty. Managers everywhere take heed.

It would appear Igor's "thousand nameless terrors" are in fact his own. Also, the Skull's...Japanese? Well, not for long.

Note how his chest emblem keeps changing. Japanese, German, ah who cares. And good Lord does he look happy. At last we see what the Red Skull would look like as a Muppet. Think of it, all that practice, just so he could get an arrow through a window. You suck, Red Skull.

Also, the Red Skull has learnt the first rule of henchman hiring: when doing heists involving climbing, always get the guy missing a leg.

Ah, the wonderful Golden Age nothing since can match. Don't you miss it?

(Post a new comment)

	shanejayell 2009-07-19 11:43 am UTC (link)
	Wow that's.... pretty bad. (Reply to this)

	ian_karkull 2009-07-19 12:14 pm UTC (link)
	Not even Hawkeye has as much fun shooting people with bow and arrow as the Red Skull has. And he makes for much cooler icons. Also, Godspeed You! Black Emperor rules. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	godspeedmoya 2009-07-20 01:20 am UTC (link)
	thats what my name's for lol (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lonewolf23k 2009-07-19 01:22 pm UTC (link)
	Skull's fast. He drew his bow and arrow before that thug could even pull out his pistol. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	icon_uk 2009-07-19 03:30 pm UTC (link)
	Green Arrow's been pulling that same improbable schtick for decades now... (Reply to this) (Parent)

	silverzeo 2009-07-19 02:58 pm UTC (link)
	I see where the inspiration for Skeletor came from... (Reply to this)

	fungo_squiggly 2009-07-19 03:05 pm UTC (link)
	Sweet merciful crap. The beret, the short shorts, the Errol Flynn swashbuckler shirt, the flaring gloves... Red Skull's disguise is one of the worst things I've ever seen! (Reply to this)

	perletwo 2009-07-19 04:56 pm UTC (link)
	AUGHH AUGHH OLD MAN THIGHS AUGGHHH!!!!11!1! reaches for brain bleach (Reply to this)

	eritreus 2009-07-19 05:22 pm UTC (link)
	It's not just his chest emblem, apparently his ethnicity changes halfway through the story as well. Check out his hands on third and fourth pages: they're long, spindly, and have the claw-like fingernails that wartime comics usually associated with Japanese folks. On the last scan though, his hands appear normal. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	dr_hermes 2009-07-20 01:53 am UTC (link)
	Most likely, this story was produced and ready to be used. Either Germany surrendered or was obviously on the edge of being taken while Japan was still in the game. The Red Skull's chest emblem was redrawn and his hands bonied up, but the staff missed a page. There don't seem to be any obvious references to the Skull being more than just another masked killer. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	dr_hermes 2009-07-20 02:02 am UTC (link)
	Scratch that. Looking up this story, it appeared in 1942. So the Red Skull working for the Japanese still doesn't make much sense. Of course, having him run through town in daylight, wearing a Rising Sun symbol on his clothing during wartime (without being lynched), is about as hard to explain as anything else in the story. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

jlroberson
2009-07-20 02:54 am UTC (link)

And again, that archery outfit.

Granted, it certainly takes some balls(I speak metaphorically, as his shorts seem to evidence he has none of the real kind) to not only break out of jail, not only practice for his next caper right next to Captain America's army camp, but to do all of that, wearing that outfit, in the 1940s, without a bunch of passing Marines beating the Aryan right out of him.

I had an evil prankster idea to send this to Glenn Beck as though I were serious, telling him this is a great reason not to imprison terrorists in the US: look how easily the Red Skull got out!

(Reply to this) (Parent)

tacobob
2009-07-19 05:41 pm UTC (link)

The Red Skull was having an enjoyable day. He mastered the bow, got to do jaunty pose wearing that horrible get up, he got to kill generic flunky #3 and hang around his much cooler alive flunkies. Evil Man In a top hat and monocle (Who in the history of EVER, wore a monocle and wasn't EVIL) and generic bald one footed bad guy..And he got to wear his cool green jumpsuit that changes EVIL logos on the go..I have a feeling the Nazi logo morphs into a sad Red Skull smiley when Cap beats him!

(Reply to this)

	autumn_lily 2009-07-19 11:57 pm UTC (link)
	Steve has what appears to be lip gloss and blush on in that second scan. Did he forget to take it off after that adventure where he dressed in drag? (Reply to this) (Thread)

	jlroberson 2009-07-20 01:26 am UTC (link)
	With Bucky and he off to their date? Certainly not! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	autumn_lily 2009-07-20 02:10 pm UTC (link)
	Oh those crazy kids! (Reply to this) (Parent)

psychop_rex
2009-07-20 07:34 am UTC (link)

One thing I love about the early Red Skull is that he's got such GUSTO. I mean, he tends to be a fairly surly, brooding character these days, but back in his early years, the main impression I get from him is that here's a man who loves his job. In just about every one of his Golden Age appearances I've read, he's cackling and chuckling and rubbing his hands together, exulting in every tiny victory and going 'oh-boy-oh-boy, THIS evil scheme is SURE to work!' It's one of the reasons that he works so well against Cap and Bucky, who are equally cheerful about the fact that THEY are going to win, as they always do.
Also, Igor has an... unusual pegleg, doesn't he? I'm not sure I've seen that style of prosthesis before.

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	buttler 2009-07-21 03:53 am UTC (link)
	I love how in most of these scans he looks like he's doing a standup comedy routine. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	psychop_rex 2009-07-21 07:39 am UTC (link)
	Not a good one, either - he looks a tad desperate in his joviality. 'Hey, folks, Captain America is gonna DIE here, right? Hanh? Hanh? C'mon people, work with me here; y'know you love me. Hey, I got another ten minutes of this, so you BETTER love me, right? Right? Come on, people..." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	dr_hermes 2009-07-22 03:17 am UTC (link)
	In his second story, the Skull captures two imposters who are posing as Cap and Bucky. Despite their begging, he has them hanged and, as their dead bodies dangle in front of him, he roars with laughter. It's a bit creepy. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	psychop_rex 2009-07-22 06:54 am UTC (link)
	As is only appropriate for someone named 'the Red Skull'. It's not exactly a monicker that inspires wacky hijinks. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	jlroberson 2009-07-22 10:50 am UTC (link)
	Says you! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	psychop_rex 2009-07-22 08:59 pm UTC (link)
	Fair enough - it doesn't inspire wacky hijnks in ME. I can't speak for anyone else. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	captain_clown 2009-07-20 07:52 am UTC (link)
	Red Skull officially has the best villain hands in the business. They're practically other characters. (Reply to this)

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