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 Jughead as Captain Hero, No. 4 |
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Sunday, February 03 2008 @ 11:00 PM PST
Contributed by: Scott Shaw!
Views: 3,927
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| E-Mail | Introduction | Archives | Message Board | February, 3, 2008 Issue #1196 of 1282 | Title: Jughead as Captain Hero
Issue: No. 4
Date: April, 1967
Publisher: Archie Comic Purlications, Inc.
Cover Artist(s): Penciled by Bill Vigoda; inked by Jon D’Agostino
Meet drug-snorting Dr. Nose and his hairy, hulking henchman, the
Ghastly Ghoul Of Greymoor, who try to make a hero sandwich out of
Pureheart The Powerful and Evilheart! Then meet the Operator, a
super-villain who can transmit through telephone wires! So who can
possibly stop these ODDBALL ultra-fiends? Wouldja believe Archie Andrews’ burger-lovin’ buddy Jughead P. Jones, AKA CAPTAIN HERO? Just don’t forget to bring along a snack!
Ever since Archie Andrews, "America's Most Typical Teenager" (“officially” created by John L. Goldwater, Vic Bloom and cartoonist Bob Montana) burst on the comic book scene in PEP COMICS No. 22 (December, 1941), the red-headed teenager and his pals 'n' gals have had many ongoing Oddball incarnations: as prehistoric cave-dwellers; as super-spies ("The Man From R.I.V.E.R.D.A.L.E."); as rock 'n' rollers ("The Archies"); and even a starship crew modeled after that of STAR TREK! So where did "Captain Hero" come from? When ABC's live-action BATMAN TV series (1/12/1966 - 3/14/1968) first appeared on in prime time, it immediately caught the rabid interest of America's youth. At the same time, Marvel Comics' wild success with superheroes -- mostly co-created by Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and Stan Lee - began to cut into Archie Comic's newsstand sales. Never allowing a passing fad to go unexploited, the publisher's response was to create stories that re-invented Archie and his friends as costumed superheroes! The first of these, “Pureheart The Powerful” (actually, Archie Andrews), made his initial appearance in the pages of LIFE WITH ARCHIE No. 42 (October, 1965). Archie's sudden superpowers of great strength, invulnerability and flying (thanks to his "four-barrel, super-zoom belt jets") were the effect of an unsuspected "PH (for 'Pure Heart') Factor", somehow derived from Archie's "unique and innate inner goodness." This PH Factor also induced amnesia in anyone who witnessed Archie's transformation - including Archie himself. ("The sheer power of the PH Factor blankets the minds of ordinary beings, smothering all memory of the heroic events taking place".) Pureheart's only weakness was the kiss of a beautiful woman, which neutralized all of his superpowers. “Superteen” (Betty Cooper, first appearing in BETTY AND VERONICA No. 118 (October, 1965) soon followed, as well as supervillain “Evilheart” (Reggie Mantle, introduced in LIFE WITH ARCHIE No. 48). In LIFE WITH ARCHIE No 50, these two superheroes were joined by “Captain Hero” (Jughead Jones, whose strength was supposedly "proportionate to the amount of food he smells during a crisis"), banding together to form the "United Three". The origin stories of these ill-fitting superheroic incarnations of "America's most typical teenagers" were soon collected and reprinted in ARCHIE GIANT SERIES MAGAZINE No. 142, "Archie's Superhero Special"; the following issue No. 143, "The World Of Jughead", featured yet another appearance of Captain Hero. Not even Archie's kiddie spin-off (created by the great Bob Bolling) was immune to this ultra-phenomenon; LITTLE ARCHIE No. 40 (Fall, 1966) introduced - you guessed it -- “Little Pureheart”! This Oddball experiment in superheroic makeovers was apparently successful, because ARCHIE AS PUREHEART THE POWERFUL was launched in September, 1966, lasting for five more issues until November, 1967. (With its fourth through sixth issues, the series inexplicably changed its title to CAPTAIN PUREHEART!) November, 1967 was also the month that the seventh and final issue of JUGHEAD AS CAPTAIN HERO was published -- outdoing the title from which it was spun off by a single issue. Decades later, these characters were resurrected in four issues of ARCHIE'S SUPER TEENS (1994 - 1996) - with stories by Joe Staton, Fred Hembeck, Brett Blevins and Terry Austin -- which introduced another costumed identity - Veronica Lodge as ultra-wealthy Miss Vanity, protector of the fashion-challenged. Most of these super-stories were written by Frank Doyle, scripted in an alliterative, hyperbolic imitation of the intentionally campy dialog heard in the BATMAN live-action TV series. The artwork, while grounded in cartoonist Dan DeCarlo's iconic "house style", also sought to emulate that of then-current Marvel Comics, with dynamic (if rather inconsistent) foreshortened posing and a heavier, more dramatic style of inking. These stories also employed many more "ZAP! POW! WHAM!"-style sound effects - again, lifted from the BATMAN show - than were really necessary. Oddly enough, Archie's cast of humorous heroes found themselves in competition with the publisher's line of "Mighty Comics". These were usually written by Jerry (SUPERMAN) Siegel and primarily drawn by Paul Reinman, and featured revived "high camp" versions of such Archie-owned "ultra-heroes" as the Fly, the Shield, the Jaguar and others brought back from the Golden and earlier Silver Ages of comic books. Even more ironic is that, by comparison, Pureheart The Powerful, Captain Hero and company were actually less ridiculous than their supposedly "straight" counterparts!
A total of seven issues of JUGHEAD AS CAPTAIN HERO were published by Archie Comics between October, 1966 and November, 1967.
This issue’s 11-page “Captain Hero” cover-story is “Ghastly Ghoul Of Greymoor”, penciled by Bill Vigoda and inked by Jon D’Agostino. Note that a cover-credit-box mentions “Dick” (Goldwater), “Vic” (Gorelick), “Bob” (White -- possibly the writer of these stories?) and “Bill” (Vigoda). It begins with this introduction:
INTRODUCTORY NARRATIVE CAPTION:
Rising from the murky mists of the Scottish moors, a monster of gargantuan proportions and eye-shattering ugliness, imperils our 3H club, CAPTAIN PUREHEART, EVILHEART and last but never least…CAPTAIN HERO in this paralyzing saga of THE GHASTLY GHOUL OF GREYMOOR! It all began with a pleasure jaunt to visit the ancestral home of the Lodge family, deep in the desolate depths of the Scottish moors…
(Please note that this story’s splash-page is nearly identical -- but with subtle differences -- to this issue’s cover illustration.) While Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge and Reggie Mantle admire the interior of Lodge Castle, Jughead Jones examines the Lodge family crest -- an heirloom includes a real sword -- which Juggie promptly breaks.
JUGHEAD JONES:
Boy! They sure made things crummy in those days!
Irate, Mr. Lodge tosses Jughead out on his butt. Once outside the Lodge castle, he hears a terrified scream coming from the mist-covered moors. He’s joined by Archie and Reggie join Jughead and inform him that Betty and Veronica just went out for a walk! Suddenly, Archie and Reggie each undergo super-spectacular transformations, leaving Jughead in the wake of their force:
ARCHIE ANDREWS:
Betty! REGGIE MANTLE:
And Veronica! They went for a walk! CAPTAIN PUREHEART:
This calls for the mighty powers of CAPTAIN PUREHEART! SFX:
ZOONG EVILHEART:
What it calls for is the magnificence of the great EVILHEART! SFX:
ZAP! JUGHEAD JONES:
Doggone you two! When are you two going to learn to make a smooth change!
Plowing through the fog, Captain Pureheart and Evilheart close in their target, a monstrous, hairy creature that’s carrying the unconscious forms of Betty and Veronica, but it effortlessly deflects their attack:
NARRATIVE CAPTION:
And terror strikes, even into their mighty hearts at the sight they behold… -- But fear is one word these mighty guys don’t know - --But a word like “DEFEAT”! They know that word all right! --- And the shapeless horror shuffles off into the mists -- dragging the two panic-stricken girls with him --- THE GHASTLY GHOUL OF GREYMOOR:
Snrf! Grunt! Slllf!
Naively, Jughead follows his friends, but doesn’t even seem to be all that surprised at his fellow superheroes’ defeat:
JUGHEAD JONES (thinking):
Hmm! It looks like those mighty boys have been mighty flops at this job!
Next, Jughead display even more astonishing behavior; he dashes toward the monster and politely asks it for a favor!
JUGHEAD JONES:
Hey there! Pretty boy! Let me have my friends back, please? THE GHASTLY GHOUL OF GREYMOOR:
Sllp! Grrowf!
Unfortunately for Jughead, the shaggy beast reacts-all too-typically:
NARRATIVE CAPTION:
One sweep of the club-like arm disposes of Jughead -- Down, down into a ditch goes Jughead the meek -- -- And up from the ditch comes CAPTAIN HERO -- and hurls himself into the fray! CAPTAIN HERO:
Smooth change! That’s what the other two have got to learn! NARRATIVE CAPTION:
Tearing, gouging, smashing, pounding, like the fury of a thousand hurricanes, he swarms all over the beast! But even the mighty power of Captain Hero fails to subdue the Ghastly Ghoul! Like a child’s toy, Captain Hero is tossed into the air -- -- And viciously slammed far into the weird, wild countryside --- And not a sound is heard but the shuffle of the beast as he vanishes into the vapor with his victims ---He pauses as a secret door opens in a hillside… -- And inside, reveals his true identity as that old enemy, the treacherous, brilliantly evil, DR. NOSE! Gradually, their mighty powers slowly reviving, the two hearts and a hero, Captain Pure, Evil, and Captain Hero find each other for a little session of wound-licking! EVILHEART:
So he clobbered you, too, mighty punk? CAPTAIN PUREHEART:
THE GIRLS! He ran off with the GIRLS!! CAPTAIN HERO:
It’s all right! We can find him easily enough! CAPTAIN PUREHEART:
How? CAPTAIN HERO:
By the use of my MIGHTY NOSE! How else? NARRATIVE CAPTION:
And his mighty nose twitching excitedly, Captain Hero gallops off, hot on the trail -- CAPTAIN PUREHEART:
Man! - He ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog! CAPTAIN HERO:
Sniff! Sniff!
Meanwhile, inside his secret headquarters, Dr. Nose -- who looks like a nasal predecessor to McDonald’s “Mac Tonight” spokescharacter from the ‘80s) reveals his master plan to his captives, Betty and Veronica:
VERONICA LODGE:
Dr. Nose, you fiend, what are you going to do with us? DR. NOSE:
I am going to revenge myself on certain mighty hero friends of yours, who seem to be very concerned for your safety! The charge of transmuterized electrons, with which I’m going to bombard you, will turn you into hideous beasts! That ought to show those interfering mighty nosey girls that they can’t fool around with Dr. Nose!
Unknown to Dr. Nose, Captain Pureheart and Evilheart furtively sneak into his HQ and free the girls from their metal bonds. Unfortunately for them, they wind up at ground zero for Dr. Nose’s “transmuterizing” device. It envelops them with a “ZWOK!” but doesn’t transform them “hideous beasts”, but does leave Captain Pureheart and Evilheart dazed and weakened, their costumes ripped and smoldering. But Dr. Nose is so excited at the notion that his fiendish device has actually worked -- inferiority complex, anyone? -- he sees things in an entirely different way:
DR. NOSE:
Yipe! It WORKED! -- By Ginger, it WORKED! I didn’t REALLY expect it to WORK! Ha! Ha! Wait’ll those mighty fools see what I’ve done to their precious girl friends! Boy! Boy! Boy! If those aren’t the neatest beasts! How beautifully ugly! That lovely stupid expression! All right, girls! On your feet! We must be ready when our guests arrive! EVILHEART:
Oh! I’ve just got to kill this nut!
Their egos injured because Dr. Nose thinks they’re monsters, Captain Pureheart and Evilheart get into a brawl with each other over which of them deserves to clobber the human proboscis. Their super-possessive super-antics take their toll on each other -- and on Dr. Nose’s secret headquarters:
NARRATIVE CAPTION:
In no time at all the lab is in shambles. And still the evenly matched powerhouses go on… SFX:
CRASH! NARRATIVE CAPTION:
The malicious, the vicious, the intolerable Dr. Nose, is reduced to a blubbering old woman as his hopes of vengeance go down the drain --- DR. NOSE:
Sob! My gorgeous million dollar lab -- ruined! Ruined by those dirty heroes! Ooh, how I HATE them!
Just then, Captain Hero arrives (hey, it is his funnybook, right?) but before he can raise a finger to stop him, Dr. Nose flings himself onto the floor and uses his triple-extra-large schnozz to vacuum up some special powder into both of his nostrils:
DR. NOSE:
Captain Hero, you crumby cad! You’re not taking Dr. Nose! Not while I can still inhale some of this spilled transmutant-buffered alka bromide powder! SFX:
SNIFF! NARRATIVE CAPTION:
…And breathing deeply of the powder, the bad doctor undergoes a rapid and hideous transformation -- CAPTAIN HERO:
Golly gee! He’s undergoing a rapid and hideous transformation! SFX:
POOF!
Suddenly, Dr. Nose undergoes a rapid and hideous transformation (hey, three time’s the charm, right?) and turns into a bat -- one with a ridiculously large nose! But instead of chasing it, Captain Hero allows it to flap away through an open window:
CAPTAIN PUREHEART:
You just stood there and let him get away? CAPTAIN HERO:
He’s no longer any danger! You two put him out of business! Our problem right now is EVILHEART, who just inhaled some of that transmutant powder!
Sure enough, crouching next to them is a chimpanzee -- wearing parts of Evilheart’s costume -- sniffing some spilled powder! (Notice how many times the word “mighty” is invoked in this and the back-up story? Perhaps Archie comics was considering to add JUGHEAD AS CAPTAIN HERO and company to their “Mighty Comics” imprint!)
Also included in this issue of JUGHEAD AS CAPTAIN HERO are the following stories, features and advertisements:
- “Treasure Chest Of Fun”, a black-and-white, inside-front-cover ad for a variety of gags, gadgets and gizmos available through mail-order from “Honor House”.
- “Captain Hero” in “Dial ‘M’ For Monster”, penciled by Bill Vigoda and inked by Jon D’Agostino. -- “Get an earful of this eerie extravaganza as the phone company becomes an innocent dupe in THE OPERATOR’S plot to conquer through communications! Captain Hero tangles with terror as he tunes in on the biggest wrong number in horror history!” This story opens with a downright bizarre splash-page; in the villain’s high-tech -- but vermin-infested -- lair, Captain Hero charges at the red-clad Operator, while Betty and Veronica -- tied to a beam -- and Archie Andrews/Captain Pureheart -- his head mounted on a plaque like a living hunting trophy -- can only watch. While Captain Hero delivers one heroic punch after another, Captain Pureheart instructs his caped comrade to belt the Operator in his direction. Although otherwise helpless, Captain Pureheart manages to grip the villain’s collar in his “powerful teeth”, holding him so Captain Hero can deliver the knockout blow. The two Captains heartily congratulate each other -- it turns out that Captain Pureheart’s head was just sticking through a hole in the wall -- when Betty reminds them, “Never mind all the chatter! How about turning us loose?” While Captain Pureheart unties the girls, Captain Hero calls the local police station on the Operator’s phone, causing the supervillain to break into peals of laughter. As the Operator explains, “Nice work, ding-a-ling! Each number you dial on my special phone activates certain carbonaceous life masses which fuse and eject at the other end of your call!” Sure enough, down at the 16th Precinct Station, the cops have their hands full dealing with a weird purple creature emanating right out of a telephone receiver! The Operator further explains, “The seven parts of the phone number combine these life masses and transmit them through the wires as a COMPLETE ELECTRONIC BEING!” Hopping aboard his motorcycle, Captain Hero takes off to alert the National Guard, but before he can reach them, the trussed-up Operator somehow manages to dial Captain Hero’s private phone number on his rotary phone -- using only his nose. Meanwhile, still riding his motorcycle, Captain Hero reacts to the call, thinking, “Two longs and a short! That’s my secret ring! That’s the first time I ever had a call on this phone! The number’s so secret even I don’t know it!” Once again, “a particularly hideous combination of life masses” emerges from the receiver of Captain Hero’s private phone! While the crimson creature runs berserk, the Operator -- having somehow freed himself from his bonds , sends a second monster -- conjured from a nearby police call box -- after Captain Hero. Chased up the girders of a skyscraper-in-progress, Captain Hero stops to answer a nearby ringing phone, only to release a third monster! He realizes that his only hope lies at the Riverdale Telephone Company. Flipping through their files at super-speed, Captain Hero locates what he’s been looking for, managing to stay one step ahead of the “hulking horrors”, despite the fact that they can intangibly pass through solid objects -- then dials the Operator’s phone number! “Sure enough the gaseous ghouls are sucked into the phone like water down a drain -- and pour out at the place of their birth, proving that mother love is more powerful than anything the ol’ Operator ever dreamed of!” Then, to take care of any menaces the Operator might unleash in the future, Captain Hero asks the head of the switchboard operators to permanently disconnect the Operator’s phone number. Admiring Captain Hero’s flashy costume, one of the switchboard girls remarks, “Man, they’re sure dressing up the district managers real fancy these days!”
- A page consisting of two unrelated advertisements: “Let Me Be Your Photo Scout! I’ll Send Direct From Hollywood To You! -- Free Star Photos!”, for a wide variety of celebrity photos -- including special material for the “Batman And Robin Fan Club” -- available through mail-order from “Jeri Of Hollywood”; and “6 Hairpieces-In-One! Go Go Tail For Only $1”, for “The ‘In’ Hairpiece For Endless Styles”, available via mail-order from “Go Go Tail”.
- A page consisting of two unrelated advertisements: “Order By Mail Specials”, a variety of stickers, signs, pennants, stamps and patches -- and the classic book compiled by SUPERMAN editor Mort Weisinger, 1001 THINGS THAT YOU CAN GET FREE --available through mail-order from “Dollar Bargains”; and “Play Guitar In 7 Days Or Your Money Back”, for mail-order guitar-playing lessons from the “Ed Sale Studio”.
- “Two More Top Hits For Your Enjoyment! Both Laugh-Packed Action-Packed Block-Busters! On Sale Now!”, a one-page house-ad for LIFE WITH ARCHIE No. 60 and ARCHIE AS CAPTAIN PUREHEART No. 4.
- A great “pop art” pin-up page of “Captain Hero”, penciled by Bill Vigoda and inked by Jon D’Agostino.
- A one-page house-ad for subscriptions to a variety of “25¢ Giant Archie Comics”, including ARCHIE ANNUAL, ARCHIE’S PALS ‘N’ GALS, BETTY AND VERONICA SUMMER FUN, ARCHIE’S JOKES, BETTY AND VERONICA SPECTACULAR, THE ADVENTURES OF LITTLE ARCHIE, ARCHIE’S SUPER HERO SPECIAL, TALES CALCULATED TO DRIVE YOU BATS, SUPER HEROES VERSUS SUPER VILLAINS, THE WORLD OF JUGHEAD, AROUND THE WORLD WITH ARCHIE, ARCHIE’S CHRISTMAS STOCKING and ARCHIE’S MAD HOUSE ANNUAL.
- “Li’l Jinx -- The Mighty Kid” in “Power Steering”, a one-page gag-strip written and drawn by cartoonist Joe Edwards. Not even this longtime filler-feature could escape Archie Comics temporary infatuation with superheroes. Here, “The Mighty Kid” wonders which of her superpowers will save the day on her next super-mission: her “mighty strength” or her “mighty brain”? Instead, to help a little kid dislodge the gum he paid for out of a stubborn vending machine, it’s her “mighty toe” that saves the day.
- A page consisting of two unrelated advertisements: “Polaris Nuclear Sub”, one that’s “Over 7 Feet Long”, “Big Enough For 2 Kids” and “Fires Rockets And Torpedoes”, available via mail-order from “Honor House Prod., Co.”; and “48” Talking Monster From Outer Space” made of “colorful, one-piece quality latex” (in other words, a balloon) available through mail-order from “Regency Mail Order”.
- “Archie Club News”, a two-page text feature and letter column.
- A page consisting of two unrelated advertisements: “Haunted House Mystery Bank -- Shudder While You Save”, available via mail-order from “Honor House Prod., Co.”; and “2 Personalized Rings”, for the “newest fashion rings” available through mail-order from “Regency Mail Order”.
- “Cast Your Ballot For A Successful Future! 253 I.C.S. Courses”, an ad for a wide variety of vocational correspondence courses, available from “International Correspondence Schools”.
- “The Insult That Made A Man Out Of ‘Mac’”, a black-and-white, inside-back-cover strip-ad for mail-order bodybuilding courses from “Charles Atlas”.
- “Do You Need Extra Money? It Costs You Nothing To Try -- $100.00 Is Yours”, a back-cover ad soliciting for salespeople to peddle “Glamour Greetings All Occasion” greeting cards for the “Cheerful Card Company”.
ODDBALL FACTOID – Cartoonist Bill Vigoda was the brother of the actor Abe Vigoda who portrayed “Fish” on the classic ABC TV sitcoms BARNEY MILLER (1/23, 1975 - 9/9/1982) and FISH (2/5, 1977 - 3/13/1978)!
New Next Week: ODDBALL COMIC #1,211, February 11, 2008: Happy Valentine’s Day from ODDBALL COMICS! Everyone’s familiar with Marvel’s Captain America, but how many are aware that Marvel also once published MISS AMERICA MAGAZINE featuring such characters as “Patsy Walker” (three decades before she became, yeesh, “Hellcat”), “Lana”, “Frankie Fuddle”, “Hedy De Vine”, “Mitzi”, “Jeanie” -- and ODDEST of all, “Patty Pinhead” -- in “hilarious teen comics”? (And hey, when was the last time you saw an advertisement for feminine hygiene products in a comic book -- and on its first page, no less?)
For more from Scott Shaw!, visit his Web site at http://www.shawcartoons.com/.Just how odd is today's Oddball Comic?
Cast your vote right now -- from one to five oddballs --
in the poll on the left. Then come talk about it
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