Funny Picture Stories #4 (1937)

Funny Picture Stories v1#4 [Grand Comics Database links: 4; Comic Book Database: 4]
(February 1937)
Comics Magazine Co., Inc.
(Version read: Will Eisner: Edge of Genius trade paperback edition (2007) [LibraryThing])

"Brothers 3" story
Credits:
Writer: Will Eisner
Penciller: Will Eisner
Inker: Will Eisner

"The Brothers 3" story (writer/penciler/inker: Will Eisner)

FUNNY PICTURE STORIES v1#4 (Feb 1937) (as reprinted in: WILL EISNER: EDGE OF GENIUS (Pure Imagination, 2007))

First of four Eisner stories, all from February and March 1937--and all reprinted in the WILL EISNER: EDGE OF GENIUS trade paperback--that I read the other night.

The "Brothers Three" (written as "The Brothers 3" in the title) is composed of Captain Smith (I don't think they give a first name), pilot Baron Carl Von Kirchoven, and "Fatts" Dugan. When "a prominent [American] merchant pleads" to the commandant of the French Foreign Legion in French Morocco that he fears that his shipment of "herbs" that scientists say might be developed into a cure for cancer(!) will be intercepted by the bandit, "Ben Ali", and held for ransom, he is told that "the Legion can do nothing" for fear of an international incident. He is told, instead, to seek out the aid of The Brother Three. The three adventuring do-gooders agree to assist, staging a misdirectional ambush for Ben Ali.

A simple yet fun, mostly plot driven little story. Each of the Brothers Three has a specific role (leader, pilot, gunner/back-up). What I found most interesting about this very early story of Eisner's was how he was already varying the layouts of his pages with various shaped panels to increase the level of excitement. I don't think I realized that this was being done in comic books as early as 1937.

I can't find any other references to "Brother 3" (or "Three") at Grand Comics Database, so this might have been the only story done featuring these particular characters.

The Comics Magazine #1 (1936)

The Comics Magazine #1 [Grand Comics Database links: 1; Comic Book Database: 1]
(May 1936)
Comics Magazine Co., Inc.
(Version read: Supermen!: The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-1941 trade paperback edition (2009) [LibraryThing] [Amazon])

"Dr. Mystic" story
Credits:
Writer: Jerry ("Jerome") Siegel
Penciller: Joe Shuster
Inker: Joe Shuster

Interesting that the first story in this collection of "first wave" comic book... super hero stories would be by Siegel and Shuster (whose 1935 Popular Comics tryout material I was just reading last week in the Siegel and Shuster: Dateline 1930s mini-series published in the 80s by Eclipse Comics).

Here we have a simple two page story, but one that's actually pretty interesting. Not so much for the plot--a mysterious giant appears over a city, threatening to destroy it; the hero, Dr. Mystic, grows to giant size to confront him; the stranger turns out to be Mystic's old ally, Zator, pretending to be a menace in order to draw Mystic out; the two fly off to India to meet with "The Seven"; creatures of the nether world try to stop them, first by trying to scare them, then to deceive them with the illusion of a beautiful woman in dire distress; a man named Koth appears before them, offering them to join him against The Seven or to die; they refuse to join Koth and Koth turns his creatures loose on Mystic and Zator; to be continued--but as another look at the type of work Siegel and Shuster were doing just prior to creating Superman.

Dr. Mystic resembles Superman, while Zator is perhaps the earliest example of a caped flying superhero in comic books. The art is in black and white. I found Shuster's work here, while similar to his later work on Superman in some ways, to be quite different in others. Specifically, the creatures of the "nether world" (which indeed are quite freaky looking) and the beautiful woman in distress (drawn nude with only wisps of cloud or smoke to cover her). Both very different from what we'd see in Shuster's Superman work.

The notes in the back of Supermen! indicate that when two of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's managers at National Allied Publications (the company that would become DC Comics) left to form Comics Magazine Company, Inc., that they took a large amount of Nicholson's inventory with them. This Dr. Mystic story is one of them. According to the notes, Dr. Mystic had appeared earlier as "Dr. Occult" in the final issue of National Allied's New Fun series (October 1935). Dr. Mystic's storyline would continue on again as Dr. Occult ("the mystic detective") starting in More Fun Comics #14 (October 1936), again, by National Allied Publications.