Sunday, February 1, 2009

Prison Break 03 (1952 Realistic) / Bad Girl Bad Girl Whatcha Gonna Do?

Well, well, well, a real treat from the golden age this weekend, Prison Break! 03 from Avon/Realistic in 1952, a great bad girl comic:

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Like a lot of the avon comics, this one snatches it's cover from a paperback - in this case, the oddly compelling cover from Avon Paperback 179:

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The issue kicks off with a stunning inside cover from Tex Bleisdell. I think this montage is absolutely fantastic - these Avon inside front covers are often the high point of the issue:

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Tex also executes the first story, "Francine O' Connor - The Empress of Crime," about a woman with amazon features and freakish strength. What can good parents do but send a child like this to live with the carnival...

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She falls for a bad carney, and a life of crime ensues. The redhead's fiery temper shows its ugly head:

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Her rollercoaster life continues with a stint in the pen (catfight!!!) and rise to head of the prison girl mob. Back on the street, she takes no mess from male mobsters. These are liberated women, after all:

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The second story is "Sonny Terhune - Machine-Gun Madman!" featuring Goldfarb and Baer art in which Sonny displays his mastery of the tommy gun by shooting a cigar from a fellow mobster's mouth. Third up, "Lina Foyle: Gun Moll!" with art by Harry Lazarus about a red-headed moll's rise and fall. She's a man smacker too, most definitely a symptom of being a bad girl:

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The last story is "Death Comes Laughing" featuring Sid Check art. A series of strange deaths at the asylum leads an investigator to discover something funny in the air. A fun issue, enjoy!

Get the full hi-res scan here.

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