from DC Super Calendar 1976 (DC, December 1975), letters by Ben Oda
Vigilante! Created in the pages of Action Comics by Mort Weisinger and Mort Meskin, he rode out of the west to sing and rope criminals, and he's all out of songs! But wait, he does have some rope and he's gonna lasso himself up some crime! Yee-haw!
from "[The Origin of the Vigilante]" in Action Comics (1938 series) #42 (DC, November 1941), script by Mort Weisinger, pencils and inks by Mort Meskin
"Next month: A thrilling Vigilante adventure!" And DC were better than their word. Vigilante appeared in the next issue of Action Comics and for the following 155 issues. Give or take a racist sidekick (ugh) or two, that's a lotta cow-punchin' adventures. (Dear Mr. Saunders: please do not punch cows. Love, Bully.) And he was a founding member of the Seven...or Eight, if you count Stripesy...or nine, if your count Wing...okay, okay, the Nine Soldiers of Victory!
from "Beware! The Black Star Shines!, Chapter 1" in Leading Comics #2 (DC/World's Best Comics, Spring 1942), script by Mort Weisinger, pencils and inks by Mort Meskin
Vigilante even holds the record as EDIT: one of the first DC heroes ever on film in a 1947 Columbia serial, played by Ralph Byrd (Dick Tracy). Start wondering now: "Gosh, how is he ever gonna get outta that cliffhanger?!?" Thanks to eagle-eyed commenter jmurphy for reminding my little stuffed brain that I'd forgotten the first DC serial was the 1943 Batman!
But you (and I!) probably know Vigilante better from his exceptional song-story "Grey and Blue: The Ballad of Batman" from the much-loved and -missed ('specially by me!) animated series Batman: The Brave and the Bold!:
So happy birthday, Vigilante, and keep on dispensing both justice and trhose easy-listening cowboy hit songs of the Golden Age!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQenrY-T9_-EUVG2XBTW-ZiSnvw_V3JFU-8tiFlhrdgKCUBaE56ekbiILucymY9gA-xa4zdGy_z1Njojw78Z-YnlUiN4PIRRurK7GzqoEg3B-PmXl2RJaS1ZaVKVCEHP-m-WVr2xjqailLu1jlzylysiBGc3sVXLXNMFDzAURyrHhKBfcqyO4/s1600/button-libertybellmarch.jpg" "It's...")
6 comments:
Salute!
Aw, I still wish the old DC Universe Classics had done a figure of this Vigilante, rather than the 80's one. (Yeah, I know the 80's goggle one is popular now, but still.)
The Batman serial in 1943 was the first DC hero on film.
jmurphy: Gosh, you're right! Consider yourself the recipient of a half-masked No-Bull Prize for spotting my careless writing...I mean, clever trap! (I always forget about that one because of all the casual racism, but I do love the '49 serial Batman and Robin (and Gabe), so I oughta remember it better! Thank you for keepin' me honest; I've updated the entry!
Bully, Stripesy was actually included in the count for Seven Soldiers. Wing makes eight. Now Vig's sidekick Stuff would make nine, but like you said...
@Blam: i never can keep track! I keep counting Blurf, their little alien pal, who hung around at the back and just tapped his foot impatient.
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