Number 1945: “He called me a coward!”

I chose this story from Atlas’ Men’s Adventures #4 (1950) because of the giant gorilla on the cover. (Such is how I choose stories...does it have a big ape or gorilla? Okay, it’s on the schedule!) But when I got into it, besides being attacked by a big gorilla, the Lippincott family, out hunting for lions and any other endangered species they can assassinate, have issues bigger than that killer gorilla. The dad is verbally abusive to his son. He sees him as a coward because he’s not out shooting animals with high-powered weaponry. But when young Ronald Lippincott agrees to go along with his dad on the annual safari, the dad doesn’t bother to teach Ronald how to shoot! (Hey, Pop, you weren’t a Boy Scout? Remember their motto, “be prepared.”) Ronald should have pushed the issue before they left for Africa.

For a comic selling itself as red-blooded male adventuring, there is an awful lot of feeling exhibited here. Ronald wants to be a doctor, but his dad wants him to be a two-fisted tycoon like him. What is a boy to do? The thought crossed my mind, when on safari shoot the old man in the back, claim hunting accident and take over empire, but that would just be wrong...so wrong. That would make it a crime comic.*

The Grand Comics Database says it is drawn by Bob Brown, with no idea who wrote the overloaded captions and speech balloons.

*I have a crime story from this issue scheduled for later this month.

Posted in: Pappy Comics