WISH THEY HAD DONE THIS ONE by Dave Goode

Republic was known for there great serial adaptations of Golden Age comic book heroes. Both their SPY SMASHER and ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL are undisputed masterpieces of the genre. And their CAPTAIN AMERICA RETURNS is a great serial. Despite the fact that without the shield, sidekick Bucky, and secret identity of U.S. Army PFC. Steve Rogers you have to ask "was this really Captain America?". There is one comic book character that I wish the Republic studios had brought to life on the silver screen. And that would have been the Golden Age Black Cat.

The Golden Age Black Cat made her debut as a feature in the experimental
digest sized Pocket Comics No.1 (Aug. 1941) from Harvey Publications in a story illustrated by Al Gabrielle. Linda Turner, Hollywood movie star and America's sweetheart is bored with her ultra-sophisticated life of make believe. She becomes the Black Cat...her most adventurous role...and pledges to expose fifth columnists. After the cancellation of Pocket Comics after 4 issues, the Black Cat feature was moved to Speed Comics and ran in that title until it's cancellation in 1947. In 1944, her costume was changed to the one that she is best known for. The character was so popular that she would receive her own comic book in 1946 and would run until 1951 with art by Lee Elias.

I've been told that the Black Cat was modeled after screen goddess Rita Hayworth.

But I thought The Black Cat would have been the perfect vehicle for Republic's very own serial queen Linda Sterling who had played costumed heroines in the serials THE TIGER WOMAN and ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP both in 1944. 

She would look magnificent as the motorcycle riding judo expert. And imagine if you will a Black Cat serial with Republic movie stars playing themselves in the background scenes about film making in Hollywood.

 

Aside from being an absolute stunner Linda Sterling was a bit of real-life Wonder Woman. After leaving the motion picture business and with her children grown she enrolled at UCLA and received a BFA, MA, and a PhD in English Literature at 50. From 1967 to 1990 she would teach English and Drama at Glendale College.

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I DON'T NEED NO STINKING SUPER-POWER! by Dave Goode

 

If you're of a certain age, the first martial art you were introduced to was Judo. Judo, and it's parent discipline jujitsu, were used by the good guys in pulp fiction and the movies to fight for truth, justice, and mom's apple pie. And if you were a comic book hero, not possessing "powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal man", then, at one time or another, you bashed the bad guys using judo.

 

 Before he was a master of 127 martial arts (or whatever ridiculous number it's up to now), Batman's hand-to-hand combat skills consisted of boxing, wrestling, savate, jujitsu, and judo. Batman was using judo as far back as Detective Comics No.28 (the second appearance of Batman) during the Golden Age of Comics.

Judo's principle, of using an opponent's size and strength against them, was very appealing to early comic book writers. Kid sidekicks used judo to triumph over burly bruisers like David over Goliath.

  Costumed heroines,

like the Black Cat and the Black Canary, were using it to take names and kick b---years before the world heard of Cathy Gale and Emma Peel.

Here's a look at Dr.Judo,a forgotten hero from the Atomic Age of Comics, in action.

Retro style comic art by Vance Capley.

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