Of all the Golden Age heroes I've been researching over the last few months, none tops this one for the most bizarre crime fighter of all. Check out this excerpt from "The Encyclopedia of Superheroes" by Jeff Rovin:
When his daughter is kidnapped, actor Richard Stanton dresses up as a "simple old lady" in order to track her down without attracting attention. The disguise is so effective that after the case is solved, he continues to fight crime as a cross-dresser. Stanton lives alone with his parrot Hamlet.
Me again: Just when you think you've seen it all, we've got MADEA as a superhero. We're talking a transvestite crime-fighter created in 1940 -- and folks, this strip ran for nearly two years. Not only that, the character was created by Robert Kanigher -- the same guy that created Enemy Ace. Remember that long scarf he used to wear around his neck? He was accessorizing.
But please, save your psycho-sexual analysis of this character, its not that deep or complicated. He just figured it would be easier to get the drop on the bad guys if he looked non-threatening like Aunt May. But when it came to beating the crap out of criminals, he was actually more like Aunt Esther. He carried a walking stick that he didn't hesitate to use to crack some skulls. Hah, glory!
This outstanding piece was drawn by the great Scott McDaniel, the third in a trifecta. Literally turned this one around in less than 48 hours. How many times do I have to say it? You cannot go wrong commissioning Scott! Go to scottmcdaniel.net and get you a great, affordable commission, and with the money you save you can buy yourself something nice -- and even if its a pearl necklace, well hey, its your thang. Do what you wanna do.
