Let's Have Some More Fun

Let's have some more fun; specifically, More Fun #85.  

A lot of things happen in this comic: Dr. Fate takes a page off to go to medical school and become a doctor, Aquaman throws a polar bear at some seal poachers, the Spectre and Percival Popp teach us a lesson about something wholesome but overcomplex and murky, and Johnny Quick-- well, really, who cares what Jonny Quick did. 

But our focus is of course, the STAR of the issue: Green Arrow!

And by "Green Arrow" I actually mean Speedy. You know; the competent one.

Honestly points for the editor, who admits that Ollie and Roy will be getting high in this story.  And Mort Weisinger needs all the honesty points he can get.

I always find Golden Age stories more entertaining when I read the placards out loud. Try it! It's More Fun:

But I can't get through the title without breaking character.

The Man Who Reclaimed His Face is, I'll own, a rather intriguing title. If you are not accustomed to reading ancient comic book placards, I shall translate (for I have a degree in such things): "an evil person disguised as a good person will use plastic surgery to ruin three guys' faces so as to blackmail them into doing crimes for him."  It's all very Golden Age; in those days crooks were always enacting expensive byzantine blackmailing schemes to force solid citizens to knock over hotdog stands (the economics of the Golden Age remain unclear to modern scholars).  The Golden Age also LOVED plastic surgery.  Remember when Killer Moth had plastic surgery to look like Bruce Wayne? Remember Dr. Ekhart, who fixed Harvey Dent's face?  Remember Sonny Blandish?!  Heck, this very issue has a Spectre story called The Man Who Changed Faces, whose plot also hinges on plastic surgery.

As many Golden Age stories as I read, and I'm still amazed by what I call their "PowerPoint" style. They start by giving you an overview of what will happen; then throughout the story, the captions tell you what is happening; and at the end, the hero recaps the story and tells you what happened.  On the one hand, it seems like overkill; on the other hand, I can read many a modern comic and have no damned idea at the end what happened.  I guess nowadays they figure that the solicits and internet post-commentary will take care of it.

Mostly what I get out of this splash page, though, is that this will be yet another story where Ollie saves Roy by shooting his shaft through his legs while Roy is bound hand and foot (just as he did in the Gayland story).  Arrow's gotta Arrow, after all.

Fortunately, they practice this a lot. In the Arrowcave.

The real mystery is: who are Cliff and Steve, who carved their names on the tower from which Roy is being defenestrated?

And what about... Naomi?!

Okay, fine, it's no mystery; it's penciller Cliff Young and inker Steve Brodie.  Unlike Green Arrow writers, Green Arrow artists aren't embarrassed to sign their work.

Although sometimes they should be.

Tomorrow, we start the story proper, but first, a secret message for you:

Hint: it's going to be oomphy!