Monday, October 8, 2012

JIMMY WAKELY "Phantom Brander"

What if the Original Ghost Rider was evil instead of good?
Art by Gil Kane
Well, he'd probably be a lot like this hombre, who appeared in the final issue of DC's Jimmy Wakely!
The "Phantom Brander" was a near-exact clone of the Original Ghost Rider...
...down to the use of phosphorescent paint and misdirection to convey a "supernatural" effect against his opponents.
Jimmy Wakely was one of numerous "singing cowboys" (like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers) popular during the 1930-1950s in b-movies and radio.
Like many other Western stars, Jimmy had a comic book featuring himself in action against various menaces, but in a clearly present-day Western setting.
This particular story, illustrated by Gil Kane and Bob Lander, was from Wakely's final issue, #18, in 1952.
Gil Kane would later do numerous covers in the 1970s featuring Marvel's version of the Western Ghost Rider aka Night Rider aka Phantom Rider.
(Marvel kept changing the Western character's name to avoid confusion with the more-popular motorcycle-riding hero!)
Support Small Business!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...