Golden Age Superhero The Puppeteer MAKES NO SENSE!

[@dalehoustman4737]

Chris: between this show and “Pros and Cons” you are - by far - the best comic video maker. I’m a 74 year old hippie who has enjoyed reading comics since I was a child, and so your material is pure entertainment: informative, and - like in this episode - hilarious. I’ve read about The Puppeteer before, so I was excited to see it covered by you. I enjoy these little forays into Golden Age lunacy. Thanks for the fun!

[@FordFourD-aka-Ford4D]

I agree. It's a darn shame his channel hasn't grown as fast as some of his imitators 😢

[@ChilleBruh]

👑

[@timothylewis2527]

@@dalehoustman4737 he and Casually Comics are all I turne in for, these days. S-Tier channels!

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@bobmclennan1727]

@4:40 "He also has a puppet of himself just lying around?" says the guy with a puppet of himself sitting in the background

[@DeinonychusA]

That line was delivered so perfectly…it slayed me.

[@Crunkboy415]

And a Funko Pop! figure 😂

[@spasegeek9214]

Yes. The joke...

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@PoffinFresh]

Can’t believe this didn’t start with “Oh, Hi! You caught me playing with my organ. Speaking of organs, let’s talk about the Puppeteer.”

[@KasumiKenshirou]

It wouldn't make any sense at the beginning of the video, before that part of the comic has been shown in the video.

[@PoffinFresh]

@@KasumiKenshirou It’s just a joke based on earlier episodes.

[@DæmonV86]

what could have been...

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@RickReasonnz]

So he took his name from his profession? Hm. "I am vengeance, I am the night, I am BILLIONAIRE!" "Your friendly neighborhood Photographer!" Yeah... they just don't roll off the tongue, do they.

[@pqcowboychanel]

“It’s the fastest man alive! Crime scene forensics.”

[@EdmundKempersDartboard]

Suoerheroes were basically early 90's pro wrestlers at the time. They all worked day jobs and used it as a gimmick.

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@timothylewis2527]

"Playing with his organ". Beavis and Butthead would be proud.

[@lo1bo2]

uhhh hu-huh, hu-huh ... he said "organ".

[@cephalopad]

I nearly cried with laughter at that panel with raven the eagle brandishing a baseball bat..

[@johnkirby8939]

Just one olive branch away from the Ramones logo.

[@zootopiawilson]

Eat your heart out, Peacemaker! (He has a pet eagle named "Eagly"...that never carried a bat)

[@MariaVosa]

Hilarious - clearly an artist who had never seen a raven and couldn't even be bothered to look it up. If the superhero was a cheap copy of another IP, why bother

[@thomaswilson1016]

@@zootopiawilsonor spoke

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@Dreadjaws]

Commissioner Gordon: turns on the signal atop the Police Headquarters The criminals of Gotham: _"Holy crap! It's Billionaire Man!"_

[@KasumiKenshirou]

"Uh oh, Butler, it's the Dollar Sign. The police need my help."

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@modernrelic7092]

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's The Reporter!

[@wynathinorum4875]

[@benderbendingrodriguez420]

*"The talking eagle named raven reading the newspaper"* is a sentence that could only exist in the Golden Age of comics😂

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@andrewanastasovski1609]

Who can't relate to a puppeteer with a magic organ that turns you invulnerable when you play Beethoven's fifth?

[@clippedwings0]

Alan: "I have a date with a couple of kids to show them how to manipulate puppets." Ed:

[@clippedwings0]

I like that the colorist was so patriotic they couldn't help but turn that raven into a bald eagle.

[@puckchang8691]

I really think that that’s what happened because it would explain why it’s so small for a Bald Eagle, and let’s be honest, without color it would just be generic bird #3 to even the most knowledgeable of ornithologist

[@jonothanthrace1530]

I don't know, it definitely looks less corvidlike than raptorish to me.

[@claytonjacobs4098]

Maybe he is a raven wearing an eagle mask....

[@KasumiKenshirou]

I think the eagle's NAME is Raven. You don't refer to your pet dog as "dog", do you?

[@clippedwings0]

@@KasumiKenshirou In the golden age, I wouldn't put it past them. Also, why would you name your pet eagle, 'Raven'? (Full disclosure: I once had a cat named 'Ghost Dog'.)

[@adamcraig7842]

A superhero who is also a puppeteer has potential. His power could be to transfer his mind into a series of puppet bodies with different powers, and his day-job doing puppetry for stage, TV, and movies could get him mixed up in mysteries in the seedy underbelly of show biz.

[@oldylad]

Ngl, that somehow would break the Superman thing for me. Like I can believe his disguise because I know it’s a real phenomenon, but a puppet based hero working as a famous puppeteer someone can’t work to me lmao

[@The_Practical_Daydreamer]

My backstory, he was a wealthy toy inventor who owned his own theater, but ran afoul of the mob who wanted his property. He is most homebound, but uses his organ to control puppets he made to investigate crime. He is a well-loved, uncle like figure in the community, maybe even elderly.

[@TheBeowulf]

Abe Sapien: Is that an eagle? Hellboy: HE'S GOT A BAT!!

[@rubensalvador9422]

Lol. This episode nearly killed me. It was hilarious. I love that Bald Eagle. Nearly gagged on my sandwich when the eagle started reading. Someone needs to bring back the Puppeteer, especially with his eagle friend. :)

[@Shadowonwater]

I do think a puppeteer themed superhero could be cool if they really leaned into it. It's true that it's normally seen as more of a villain thing but that's part of what could make a hero with manipulation powers interesting. An examination of the morality of their power, where does controlling bad people to stop them cross over the line? Another idea is that he can control his puppets, like make them come to life as a little army of minions. Could have Raven the bald eagle actually be a puppet made of wood that's like his right-hand.

[@SomeOne-p9y2t]

“What does the V stand for?” “On my world, it means Beethoven” “Well, it means puppets here, so..”

[@PoffinFresh]

@7:38 Book of All-Comics has a hero named Pussy Katnip. I looked her up and apparently she gains powers when she liquors up on “katnip fizz.” Might deserve an episode. 😂

[@JagoHazzard]

I love your deep-dives into comics and creators, but these looks at the goofier superheroes make me laugh out loud. I nearly spat out my tea at the eagle with a bat.

[@spider-harbinger5985]

I think the Puppeteer would have worked better if instead of a pipe organ, he played a stringed instrument like the violin or the cello that released his costume, since he works with puppets on strings.

[@jonothanthrace1530]

A hurdy-gurdy.

[@alexzipperer]

But dude, a freaking organ, how cool is that? If he played a wimpy ass violin, wouldn't be the same

[@SuperladCK94]

Piano/Organ counts as string, they're under/behind the keys...like how kryptonians hide under glasses

[@alexzipperer]

@@SuperladCK94 you're right, the strings are hidden into the piano, in its tail

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@Powerhouse1]

For how many golden age superheroes who came and went, it feels like golden age superheroes are still being made today. There's just such an abundance of them.

[@jamilfrost6217]

Extremely late night upload. Man I just love the sheer amount of lunacy and creative output time that was the golden and silver age. An era where every thing was still bright eyed and bushy tailed, rushing out a bunch of stuff.

[@jayhays8267]

@ 6:55 - Having edited many videos, I really like how you display the comic book panels and move them along with the story! Editing takes a lot of time, and theses extra touches take even longer, nice job!

[@jayhays8267]

Ha! It goes to show that I am not the only one with this opinion. I saw you were nominated for an editing award for your KZbin Channel!

[@Garch-the-Great]

Yes, puppet shows were a staple of children's entertainment in the 40s. Charlie McCarthy & Mortimer Snerd were superstars, Sid Krofft & Bob Barker were making names for themselves, Disney played up on it with Pinocchio. And it was a good match for the new medium of TV in the late 40s & 50s (Howdy Doody, Beany & Cecil, Bullwinkle, Kukla, Fran & Ollie -- plus Sam & Friends, the first outing of the aforementioned Muppets).

[@spasegeek9214]

Yes. Comics borrowed very heavily from film theory, and attempted to use things that could manage transitions to different mediums.

[@stephenthedude4383]

Where can I learn more about this history?

[@jamesoblivion]

Unless I'm mistaken, the puppet version of Bullwinkle was only a short-lived add-on to the NBC rebrand in 1961.

[@mandelabutterfly9162]

Me "Wake up, babe, new comics tropes video just dropped" Her "Go away, aI need to sleep" Me "It's a golden age hero." Her "Am up"

[@williampalmer8052]

The character design would have lended itself perfectly to a hero named Victory, with his bald eagle sidekick, who's a nerdy organist at a ballpark and transforms when he plays the opening to the Star-Spangled Banner. They should have dropped the whole puppet angle altogether. Makes you really wonder what the thinking was behind this guy.

[@julieblair7472]

What's worse than naming yourself after your profession... is when it's a rare profession. How many puppeteers are in one city? It would be easy to find him. There's lots of accountants.

[@stillbuyvhs]

Perhaps it's a double bluff; who'd suspect the hero was named after his job?

[@PeculiarNotions]

"Vanishes into the ether like knockout gas in a strange girl's hair" is my favorite line in this whole video. As always, your look at these Golden Age superhero comics is illuminating. Thank you for sharing.

[@afrancis1582]

Even the great Stan Lee wasn’t always consistent with his alliterative names. Bruce Banner was once ‘Bob’. Scott Summers was called ‘Slim’.

[@TitularHeroine]

Scott is still called by the nickname Slim sometimes.

[@justinc.5591]

There is an early Spider-Man comic where he is referred to as “Peter Palmer.”

[@Walter-Anderson]

Slim was Scott's nickname

[@joedent3323]

They are still alliterative.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

@@justinc.5591 And another where he's referred to as "Superman".

[@WorldCupWillie]

Calling a Bald Eagle "Raven" is smart forward thinking. If Alan Dale ever has to kill Raven, he's got a defence if they arrest him for killing a protected species. "A Bald Eagle, you say? No, Raven was a Raven, officer"

[@rodrigocastillo4253]

😂😂😂😂 Hahaha!!! That Neil Breen cameo just made my day!! Well done, Chris!! ❤

[@RabbiJoeInJerusalem]

His real name should have been Marion Ettist. 🤷‍♀

[@oldylad]

No

[@ianfinrir8724]

​@@oldylad Yes!

[@conradojavier7547]

Since The Puppeteer is Public Domain, make him more of a Puppet guy.

[@justharry2190]

An eagle with a baseball bat i know what my next tattoo is gonna be

[@tberk470]

I went back and watched all your videos in order, I cant get enough of comictropes!

[@KahlessTheUnforgettable]

That’s funny! The ladies around town call me “Capt V” or “V man.”

[@JimMahfood]

Chris, thanks so much for the Kickstarter plug! I greatly appreciate it, buddy!

[@GraphicNovelCollector]

Every time i get a “Comic Tropes posted a new video “ notification i know it’s going to be awesome! Love your content!

[@michaelturner2806]

Oh, I just realized, V is also the roman numeral for 5, which also would've been thematic for Beethoven's 5th. I wonder how many Capt. V stories they already drew out and had ready to shove in a blank spot if some other more popular story was running behind, and only afterwards did they feel pressured into changing the name.

[@jmace2424]

The Puppeteer is public domain now, so anyone can make their own stories about this legendary character 😄

[@9000ethanator]

If they went with “The Ventriloquist,” it wouldn’t make any more sense, but it wouldn’t make less sense! And it would fit in with the V on his chest!

[@rga1605]

I wonder if in an early draft he really was The Ventriloquist, but some miscommunication happened and they forgot to/couldn't redesign him

[@raph-retro-comics]

Brilliant. These Golden Age comic book reviews are just...gold. You just can't make this stuff up, but they did.

[@Drforrester31]

Huge missed opportunity by the creators for the Puppeteer to have like an army of specialized dolls he uses to fight crime. The eagle buying a drink was pretty amazing though

[@pencilpauli9442]

They missed a trick. The Puppeteer as a superhero with powers to animate his creations to stop the evil machinations of evildoers would have so much potential. In the Beano (UK comic) there was a young lad called General Jumbo who had a radio controlled army, and later he was Admiral Jumbo with a RC navy and it was totally fab. Which child aged 9 to 90 doesn't want their own animated model army to solve crimes with? lol We did have access to US comics in the UK back in the 60s and 70s of course, but we only saw the superhero publications, so I have no idea if the British style of comics, like the Beano, Dandy, Sparky etc were published in the US? There were also comics like the Victor aimed more for boys with war and sports stories, like the Valiant and Victor. The closest British comic to a US style comic was probably Dan Dare, which was essentially the Royal Air Force in space.

[@carlgibson285]

General Jumbo has (kind of) appeared in a Marvel story during Alan Moore's Captain Britain run. He's part of a super team along with Miracleman, although neither of them are named in the story because of copyright reasons. The team only appears for a couple of pages though before they're all killed by The Fury.

[@pencilpauli9442]

@@carlgibson285 General Jumbo killed?! NOOOOOO! lol

[@mizukarate]

I have an idea for a dumpy Golden Age Hero........Man-Rat. He is a music instructor that has mastered the flute. He uses the flute to make Rats do his bidding. He does this by playing patriotic music. He also dresses like a low rent Green Arrow with a splash of red.

[@johnedelman7487]

Absolutely brilliant! We need more baseball bat wielding, organ playing, misnamed avians in our comics. Golden Age comics really were bonkers, weren't they? Love 'em...More please, Chris!

[@strongman5243]

He will actually get a adaptation if crappy superheroes from the public domain campaign on indiegogogets enough money

[@solsticelacer]

My new favorite comic character, Raven the talking bald eagle

[@dongeonmaster8547]

Raven the eagle That juxtaposition makes me think of how I felt when I made the connection that in Harry Potter the symbol for RAVENCLAW was and eagle. Maybe they Captain V's eagle raven because it's so smart. It cold talk after all.

[@michaellombardi1620]

Wacky old comics are always my favourite episodes of yours!

[@DavidMcMahon-b3o]

I know of at least one other Golden Age character who got a change in their name, The Press Guardian, though I forget what his other name was. Timely character if memory serves. You should do a video on the 2-3 characters who went by the name, the Green Mask. I believe they were all Fox characters.

[@guttsu]

Love it! This is the perfect type of story to watch a lil video on instead of trying to read the issues themselves, I think it's better when it's distilled down to the best parts.

[@kemmdog4444]

To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”😊

[@goranisacson2502]

Whoever did this truly just threw a bunch of ideas at the wall and hoped something interesting came out the other end... and I mean, like, it did give us sassy eagle sidekick with a baseball bat. Just a shame it couldn't last. I would like to see it remade now and somehow include ALL these elements, but with a writer who has the time to try and make something coherent of it all- just to see if they CAN.

[@darlalathan6143]

His name's the Puppeteer, but he didn't change his "V" logo to a "P??" LOL! 😂🤣😅😅😆🤓

[@billmancuso6951]

Can't believe you Neil Breened us. It was both painful and hilarious.

[@wynathinorum4875]

All hail Neil Breened, the G.O.A.T. of cringe B films! LEGENDARY!!! lol

[@malmnn]

Also V is a Roman 5, Beethoven's 5th Symphony is the tune that gives him his powers! Ok, not nearly as clever as the morse code thing but still.

[@nicholascorrin4648]

Great ep!!! If you follow up with the TJ bibles, don't forget the mention in Watchmen. My uncle worked as an independent publisher for traveling salesperson s, he said he printed 500 owners manual s a year, but 1500 TJ bibles for guys on the road. any popular comic, film or radio star were printed

[@KasumiKenshirou]

I heard that Jack Chick based the size of his Chick Tracts on those "bibles".

[@hunteratops]

Love the late night episode. Always appreciate your videos, they're so cozy!

[@dennisanderson3895]

11:37 To the writer's credit, the quotation mark, to me, imply that "Pops" is a friendly nickname Alan has for the friend he knows well.

[@MariaVosa]

Love this shorter video, not everything needs to be a deep dive. This was hilarious! And perhaps your greatest intro yet - beautiful!

[@Joelthegeek]

I almost spit my water when you shared about the morris code and then again with the talking eagle named Raven getting itself a drink!?! 😂😂😂😂

[@davidsterling1659]

Brilliant and I especially love these golden age tropes and stories. Takes a lot of work and passion for these old stories to dig these up but absolutely hilarious on this one. Super impressed with your artwork as well...thank you!!!

[@johnnyslider9456]

Absolutely brilliant episode the cut away for organ was hilarious

[@macjack5978]

This is the best comic tropes trope. Golden age superhero series is an American treasure 🎉😊

[@jpotter2086]

It's a very small eagle ... maybe this weirdo bleached a raven's head.

[@MrDman21]

"You shouldn't go around sniffing women's hair." Don't tell that to our president 😄

[@dylanmahaffey8920]

Someone needs to come up with an origin story for this guy. How did he get the organ and the talking eagle?

[@chillinwithmartin]

My guess when they where creating the character someone said "Hey kids like puppets let's make a hero that deals with puppets in some way"

[@pencilpauli9442]

This episode won me immediately with a talking eagle that everyone calls a raven. It really doesn't get much better than that. 😆😆 Edit: I was wrong. Da dad da da! Transforms by playing with his organ. 😶😶 Excellent video thanks, Chris.

[@jamesoblivion]

YES! Another Golden Age goofball hero! The best kind of hero!

[@WonderSparkPuppets1]

Puppeteer here. Thanks for reviewing this obscure hero! Puppetry was popular in early 20th century America and during the 40s there was Charlie McCarthy (a puppet celebrity) who was so popular that they had a radio show! For decades! FDR’s WPA program gave government $$ to train puppeteers and perform plays funded by the government. The Puppeteers of America was founded during this time (still around) and many famous touring groups existed like The Rose Marionettes, The Yale Puppeteers, Bil Baird, and in 1947 Howdy Doody.

[@WarriorsforInfoTV]

We need another Tales from the Crypt comic video for Halloween!!

[@ScreamingScallop]

"I enjoy a nice cup of tea every morning. It's an omen! I shall become The Teabagger!! ...Oh, wait."

[@moosevelt9148]

I'm a little surprised you didn't incorporate the literal puppet of you sitting behind the whole episode somewhere, lol the eagle with the bat and his dysmorphic face was a riot!

[@monsieurdubitatif8567]

Kudos for the Neil Breen insert! Great vid, as usual.😉

[@kevinconnor3187]

Thanks!

[@ComicTropes]

Thank YOU.

[@GuyWhoLikesCultStuff]

Always love these videos, thank you for making them

[@wynathinorum4875]

Great video as always, interesting hero! I also appreciate that they went for something different, even if that ended up coming off campy, and strange to majority of readers. Kids most likely didn't even question the talking bird, or that an Eagle was named a Raven. LOL All in all, very interesting stuff, thanks for the video about Puppeteer. I look forwards to your new stuff coming soon.

[@cheeseboi588]

I need more super late night uploads like this

[@aaronmarko]

I'm just here to support the algorithm and voice my support for more episodes about Superman being a royal jerk. I feel like that era is really under represented on the Comic Tropes channel.

[@ComicTropes]

I love that stuff. I just don’t want to do too much of the silver age dc stuff that Sasha covers so well on Casually Comics.

[@Frank-Einstein-Madman]

​@@ComicTropes You and Sasha make the best comic book content on KZbin, I would to see you guys do a collaboration some time!

[@karenstarr]

@@ComicTropesyou and Sasha are my two favorite comic book KZbinrs

[@Doctor-Shoebill]

Thanks for the episode, Chris! I love when you cover the obscure golden age heroes!

[@michaelgriffith7033]

These shorter videos are fun! Bring on more obscure heroes and comics! We love you, Chris.

[@randy_stone]

Do you think Savage Street Vigilante took his name from his day job as a savage street vigilante? (Thanks for the plug, Chris!)

[@4891MR]

I'd love to know more about Alan Davis. He's a terrific creator and your profile videos are always awesome.

[@Jezee213]

Great intro as always! Entire video was awesome. Hope all's good Chris. 👍🏻🫡

[@DavidMcMahon-b3o]

So instead of saying a magic word, like a half dozen heroes did back then, to turn into his superhero ID, he uses a magic organ instead? Okay, I will give that a point for originality.

[@MrLuciousp]

I believe "Capt. V" was still the character's name, and both he and Alan were known to the reader as "The Puppeteer"..to avoid confusion. I also believe that he's the first superhero to have TWO secret identities: one as "Alan DALE" and then a second as "Alan HALE". I believe the woman with the knockout gas in her hair was The Puppeteer's arch nemesis "Knockout". And the two men who used dolls to hide bombs, I believe they worked for the evil mastermind "The Doller"! I also believe the Puppeteer's bird sidekick was actually a half eagle, half raven puppet. Never mind. I just made all that up.

[@KasumiKenshirou]

"Knockout": that's good! I also had the same thought that the eagle was actually a sentient robot.

[@andersonic]

My favorite hair-deployed weapon in comics is Natasha Romanov pulling a shotgun from her completely inconspicuous two foot tall wig in Black Widow Strikes (2012), an official MCU tie-in.

[@Rick-mp8tm]

Thanks Chris! I really enjoy when you find an obscure Superhero from the Golden Age! Always so much fun !!!😅

[@hamishfox]

7:13 that's the exact opposite of what happens when you explode a bomb in water. The denser material makes the explosion way MORE deadly.

[@jsa141]

Great to see you excited about upcoming projects, Chris. Can’t wait to see what you eventually put together for Alan Davis.

[@RhapsodyInBlaah]

The golden age was like the Cambrian explosion of comic books.

[@Cpavart]

Hey Chris, I’ve found your channel recently and have been non stop bingeing your videos. Something I always found so hard and confusing getting into comics is the reading order. Would you ever be interested in making a video breaking down the complexity of tie ins, crossovers, etc? I wouldn’t be surprised if you have already made this video!

[@ComicTropes]

I’ll consider that. It’s something that bothers me as well. Just not sure if there’s enough to talk about for a whole video. But I’ll give it some thoughtz

[@Wonderpalm1979]

Fun vid. Excited to see what long form stuff you got cooking in the oven.

[@Seestaar]

I kept waiting for Puppet Chris to jump out from the background...

[@emanym]

I’ll be your patron again when I can afford it because I still believe in what you do 😊

[@CountryBwoy]

16:45 Yay! I love tte TBibles! I have a book of reprints about them. Looking forward to this

[@lmcdasc]

I love the insane scenarios as setups in these vintage comics. Good for a laugh but not really readable for any other reason. Another great episode.

[@Morgil27]

4:07 The shape of that word balloon and the hyphenated word 😂

[@solusquatro3448]

Why tho? Lol

[@41217beingbored]

Somehow couldn't connect the V on his chest and The Puppeteer name to calling him the Ventriloquist? I know they are different types of puppets and were just rushing these out but missed opportunity.

[@wynathinorum4875]

Great point you made here, I agree with you. Having the V on chest called The Puppeteer is extremely odd for sure, I bet even some kids at the time questioned that too. lol