DC Comics

DC Comics: Superman changed comic books forever. I remember discovering my first comic books when we moved to Wichita Falls in 1947. I was seven years old and had never seen such wonders before. Although Superman was fantastic, Batman and Wonder Woman became my early favorites – until Captain Marvel and The Marvel Family came along and I discovered Mary Marvel (Sigh). But those were wonderful days. I read comics for 33 years before finally giving them up. Either they had lost their appeal, or more likely I just didn’t care where they were going by 1980. Next year at this time, if I’m still around, I plan on watching the 1948 Superman serial with Kirk Alyn one more time, seventy years after first seeing the serial at the Tower Theater in Wichita Falls in 1948.

Superman Serial 1948

SUPERMAN, 1948 serial from Columbia, a 15-chapter cliffhanger starring Kirk Alyn as The Man of Steel and Noel Neill (who only recently passed away) as Louis Lane, with Carol Forman as the notorious Spider Lady. Not the best serial by any means, but the one that made an unforgettable impact on an 8-year-old boy in 1948. I had only discovered Superman and Batman comic books the year before when my family moved us to Wichita Falls, and for me, the day Superman began at the Tower Theater on Indiana Street was the beginning of my love for serials. It has remained one of my favorites since childhood. I was planning on waiting until 2018, the 70^th anniversary of its premiere, to watch it again, but this past week’s medical emergency taught me that we are not promised two more years, or indeed, even one more year, so I watched it again this past weekend. I still plan on watching it one more time in summer of 2018, if I’m still around.

Secret Agent X-9

Secret Agent X-9, a 13-chapter serial from Universal from 1945, starring Lloyd Bridges as an American agent and his Chinese (agent?) helper on Shadow Island, a gateway to Asia and a gathering of international spies. Japan is planning on hiring a crooked American to take over the identity of an American scientist, to learn the secret of a special fuel that will help Japan and Germany win the war. This was an above average serial, with good acting, and some nice cliffhangers. Lloyd Bridges is perfect as Secret Agent X-9, and Keye Luke as Ah Fong. Jan Wiley is okay as an Australian spy pretending to be working with Japan, though an accent would have improved her performance more. The only downside was the blatant need to repeat what everything was about in the beginning of each chapter. This would have been overlooked in the weekly installments at the theaters, but watching it in one or two setting, it became repetitive. Still, it’s a darn good serial. I haven’t watched the special features yet, but will do so this afternoon.