Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: golden age, Hangman, MLJ, Pep Comics

The Hangman's Haunting Debut and Origin in Pep Comics #17, at Auction

Vowing to take revenge for the murder of his brother The Comet, The Hangman's chilling debut is chronicled in Pep Comics #17.

Published Mon, 01 May 2023 13:02:10 -0500

by Mark Seifert

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Debuting in Pep Comics #17, The Hangman's story begins with a tragedy that fuels his mission for vengeance. Robert Dickering, the brother of John Dickering — a superhero known as The Comet — witnesses his sibling's death and pledges to avenge the loss. In doing so, he adopts his eerie moniker and spectral garb, adopting a more tenacious and unyielding dedication to justice than most other characters of the time. This issue is the first appearance of The Hangman, as well as chronicling the demise of The Comet, making it a significant piece of Golden Age history and one of the best origin stories of that era. A stand-out cover by Irv Novick completes the picture of this noteworthy Golden Age MLJ key, and there's a Pep Comics #17 (MLJ, 1941) CBCS VG+ 4.5 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2023 May 4 The MLJ Heroes Showcase Auction #40222 at Heritage Auctions.

Pep Comics #17 (MLJ, 1941) featuring the Hangman.

The roots of The Hangman trace back to the saga of The Comet, a character introduced in Pep Comics #1. The Comet's distinctive visor, designed to control his disintegrating eye beams, served as a what would seem to be an obvious inspiration for the X-Men's Cyclops. The Comet's fateful end in Pep Comics #17 leads to the subsequent birth of The Hangman, showcasing the transformative origin moment of Robert Dickering.

The creative force behind this origin moment is credited to Cliff Campbell and artist George Storm. Campbell was a house pseudonym for a number of MLJ writers in both their pulp and comic book lines. It appears to have been used most often by Abner Sundell during this period, who was also the editor of this issue, though it's possible this story was written by Harry Shorten as well. Meanwhile, George Storm was also the creator of the Bobby Thatcher newspaper strip which ran 1927-1937 from McClure Syndicate, and the character The Whip which appeared in DC Comics' Flash Comics #1-4.

Pep Comics #17 offers a valuable glimpse into the origins of one of MLJ's most enigmatic characters. There's a Pep Comics #17 (MLJ, 1941) CBCS VG+ 4.5 Off-white to white pages up for auction in the 2023 May 4 The MLJ Heroes Showcase Auction #40222 at Heritage Auctions. For those new to bidding at Heritage Auctions, it's advisable to consult the auction house's FAQ section to familiarize yourself with the bidding process and auction event details.