Most long-running comic book companies, if they’re in business for long enough and have a wide enough diversity of creators working on their releases, reach a point at which those creators begin to pull inspiration for their stories and characters from other media. Comics in general have a long history of reflecting the trends of the larger pop culture. But this is a little bit more than that–this is essentially swiping a character or a persona virtually whole cloth from some other source and integrating it into the fictional world that is being created. Marvel is certainly guilty of this happening repeatedly over the years. So here are five instances where Marvel misappropriated characters from elsewhere.
GIANT-SIZE MASTER OF KUNG FU #4 – Rufus T. Hackstabber. The world of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu, was rife with characters and personas pulled from other media, especially in the hands of series long-time writer Doug Moench. Heck, Shang-Chi’s father was Fu Manchu, and a number of licensed characters from Sax Rohmer’s work littered the series. As did Clive Reston, a British secret agent who claimed indirectly to have been the son of James Bond and the nephew of Sherlock Holmes–a pretty good pedigree there. But more directly, Moench and artist Keith Pollard introduce an element of farce into the series in this story, which casts Groucho Marx as taxicab driver Rufus T. Hackstabber. Through the bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, Rufus ends up drawn into Shang-Chi’s battle with Fu Manchu and his Si-Fan minions, and keeps up Moench’s best interpretation of Groucho patter and jokes throughout the issue.
UNCANNY X-MEN #132 – The Hellfire Club. Throughout his many years of writing comics, for Marvel and elsewhere, write Chris Claremont always left his influences on his sleeve. You could always tell at any given moment what films or television or novels he had just consumed, as it seemed like remastered versions of the characters, concepts and ideas would wind up often in his work. But probably the most notable case of misappropriation was made by Claremont and his then-partner John Byrne in bringing the Hellfire Club into the X-Men mythos. The Hellfire Club was a real place–but that’s not so much what Claremont and Byrne were drawing their influence from. Rather, their take was inspired directly by the Hellfire Club episode of the British television series THE AVENGERS (an episode that was considered too risque to be broadcast on American television in the 1960s.) Byrne went so far as to model the various Hellfire Club members after actors from that episode, in a bit of cheek. Few people remember this long after the fact that Emma Frost is based on Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel, or that Mastermind’s Jason Wyngarde persona was that of Peter Wyngarde, an actor who gained notoriety after playing a character called Jason King.
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #79 – Professor Justin Alphonse Gamble. Writer Jo Duffy had been a fan of the work of Chris Claremont before she got into the business, and she succeeded Claremont on POWER MAN AND IRON FIST. And one of the things she drew from Claremont’s example is that it was all right to lift whole swaths of material “in homage” to something the writer liked. Jo was a fan of the British science fiction series DOCTOR WHO, and so in issue #79, Luke and Danny’s friend winds up starring in an off-Broadway play concerning Professor Justin Alphone Gamble’s battles through time and space with the Dredlox, a thinly disguised version of the Daleks. The Dredlox, though, are real, and use the play as cover to establish a beachhead on Earth. Fortunately for the boys, Professor Gamble is real as well, and he arrives in pursuit in his larger-on-the-inside book shop. Kerry Gammill handled the artwork with aplomb.
MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #40 – Arsene Jordain III. This one is a briefer bit of purloinment, but no less sharp. And it’s Jo Duffy again, this time working in concert with artist Jorge Zaffino. While most of this outing concerns the Punisher’s battle against a mysterious Assassin’s Guild, Duffy uses the opening pages to pay a bit of homage to one of her favorite Anime series from Japan–LUPIN III. So the book opens with Arsene Jordain III and his unnamed gang–a gunman, a samurai and an exotic lady–in the midst of another heist when they run afoul of the Punisher, who promptly murders them all. It feels just a hair out of character for the Punisher, who typically concerns himself with crimes much more severe than simple theft, but it makes for a fun opening. Given that Lupin III himself was misappropriated from French novelist Maurice LeBlanc’s gentleman their Arsene Lupin, there’s perhaps a hint of poetic justice in this use.
POWER PACK # 51 – Numinus. Up through the 1980s, the comic book industry was very much a Wild West situation where what was permitted was a very laisse faire situation. Most all of these issues of character appropriation wouldn’t be permitted in this modern era where likeness and IP rights are more avidly protected. But so it was that as writer (and sometimes artist) Jon Bogdanove went about wrapping up Power Pack’s latest adventure in space, he had their fat pulled out of the fire by a character called Numinus, who was nothing less than a cosmic version of Whoopi Goldberg. Gray Morrow was the artist on this particular issue, and his often photo-realistic approach captured a pretty good likeness of Goldberg throughout. Numinus rescued the Power kids and explains to them that she’s the embodiment of capricious positive fate. She’s also more powerful than Galactus himself. Which doesn’t give her any longevity, as she never pops up again after this–I’m betting that somebody at Marvel was a bit worried that this depiction was too close. It’s also possible that Whoopi (a fan of comics herself) may have registered a complaint about her likeness being used without permission.
The Tom Brevoort Experience 
“Up through the 1980s, the comic book industry was very much a Wild West situation where what was permitted was a very laisse faire situation. Most all of these issues of character appropriation wouldn’t be permitted in this modern era where likeness and IP rights are more avidly protected.” Did Marvel ask to use Samuel L. Jackson’s likeness for Nick Fury? (I’m not trying to be snarky, I don’t know the answer.)
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They did not.
Jackson reportedly almost sued Marvel over it, but settled for an “If we ever make a movie, you get the role” promise. That’s worked out pretty well for him over time.
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Numinus returned about five years ago, in the pages of Jeff Loveness and Brian Kesinger’s Groot miniseries! However, she had been extensively redesigned so as to look a lot less like a cosmic Whoopi Goldberg.
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For the Hellfire Club, in addition to Emma Frost being based on Diana Rig and Mastermind / Jason Wyngarde being based on Peter Wyngarde, the rest of the Inner Circle were also modeled on actors: Sebastian Shaw was based on Robert Shaw, Harry Leland was based on Orson Welles, and Donald Pierce was based on Donald Sutherland.
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Well, I do this most times the influences on the Dark Phoenix Saga are raised and it never seems to catch on…However, there’s a 1924 gothic romance novel by Margaret Irwin called ‘Still She Wished for Company’. It’s subtle, so it’s up to the reader to decide if the young women in the 1920s and 1770s are time slipping or if it’s a ghost story and the Hell Fire Club is in it. And Diana Rigg wears a corset. The last bit is a lie, but I read it in my teens before DPS and it rang bells for me when Claremont and Byrne turned up with similar elements.
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Add POPEYE ( the Sailor ) [ ( Historical ) Thimble Theatre ( January 17th 1929 ), ( Marvel multiverse ) Not Brand Echh # 12 ( February 1969 ) , ( Reality-616 ) X-Men Vol.1#125 ( September 1979 ) — see profile at marvunapp.com ].
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Is or was ARTHUR J. RAFFLES [ “The Ides of March” Cassell’s Magazine ( June 1898 ) , ( Marvel/TIMELY ) All-Winners Comics#8 ( Spring 1943 ) Whizzer story — see profile at marvunapp.com ] a public domain character back when Timely Comics used him?
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Kronak the Barbarian [ Incredible Hulk#201 ( April 1976 ) ] of the Microverse world Terragonia is Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian ( but evil ). Plus Marvel’s evil John Carter of Mars, Aloysius Thorndrake [ Secret Avengers#3 ( July 2010 ) ] — RINDIGO JONES 1 could have been recruited to be Marvel’s evil John Carter [ Sub-Mariner Comics#7 ( Fall 1942 ) Sub-Mariner 3rd story “Death ‘Round the Bend’ ” – vs. Rindigo Jones III ( who looks identical to Rindigo Jones I and is pretending to be his ghost ) and men ] but Aloysius Thorndrake and his men can be identified as the Confederates in this story’s flashback.
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Tom, in the case of Professor Justin Alphonse Gamble & the Dreadlox is it really misappropriated and not more like pastiche ( as wikipedia says Hyperion is of Superman ) or homage of The Doctor ( Doctor Who series )? I wonder why he was just called The Professor? Either way I just remembered Marvel’s Shadow, The Silhouette [ Hulk! Magazine#25 ( February 1981 ) Dominic Fortune story ( see his profile at marvunapp.com ) ]. Plus the Shroud has an amalgamation of Batman & the Shadow’s origin.
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Then there is Timely Comics’ FLASH GORDON — ZEPHYR JONES [ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) Zephyr Jones and his Rocket-Ship – “Voyage to Sunev” ( as comics.org titled it ) – Dr. Morrison Jones ( Father of Zephyr, scientist & inventor – dead – his father is a Dr. Hans Zarkov too ), Corky Grogan , King Bolo, Princess Tonka, Birdmen of Sunev ( Clearly counterparts to the Hawkmen of Mongo in Flash Gordon stories ) vs. General Roudo & The Parrot-Men ( also of Sunev ) ] & he gains his Doctor Hans Zarkov & Dale Arden in [ Mystic Comics#1 ( March 1940 ) “Journey to Cygni” ( as comics.org titled it ) – Zephyr Jones, Corky Grogan, Professor Reagan Lexico ( the mad astronomer ) & Tasi Lexico ( his daughter ) vs. The Cygnian Dwarfs ]. Fact that Flash Gordon’s Hawkmen lived in a flying city makes Red Raven’s Bird People who live on a floating island [ Red Raven Comics#1 ( August 1940 ) ] their inspiration and the Lion People of Ligra [ Marvel Mystery Comics#9 ( July 1940 ) Queen Nara Gale ( human from Earth ), Gor ( a lion man ) vs. Jago and his Dragon Men ( last in issue 8 ) ] that Professor Zog & Electro the Marvel of the Age encountered were inspired by Prince Thun of Mongo’s Lion Men.
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ALPHACLAN [ New Mutants Vol. 4 # 9 ( February 2008 ) ]: Homages to Hanna-Barbara’s superheroes, specifically Space Ghost, Young Samson, Birdman, Mightor, Vapor Man, Meteor Man and Gravity Girl ( see profile at marvunapp.com ).
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Speaking of Hanna-Barbara’s superheroes, I really enjoyed the Future Quest series [ Future Quest#1 ( July 2016 ) – 12 ( July 2017 ) ].
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PULP HEROES ( Timely Comics Counterparts To Pulp Heroes – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine & https://jessnevins.com/pulp/introdction.html ( The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes: The Online Edition )): G-8 ( aviator & spy during WW1 ) AND HIS BATTLE ACES ( Nippy Weston & Bull Martin )[ G-8 and his Battle Aces#1 ( October 1933 ) ] & K-4 ( Flying spy & soldier of fortune/WW! pilot ) AND HIS SKY-DEVILS ( Lt. Ronald Wolverstone-Clodd & Lt. Rene D’Auvergne )[ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) ], DOMINO LADY [ Saucy Romantic Adventures ( May 1936 ) ] & BLONDE PHANTOM [ All-Select Comics#11 ( Fall 1946 ) ], HUGO DANNER [ Gladiator ( 1930 novel by Philip Wylie ) ] & JOHN STEELE [ Daring Mystery Comics#1 ( January 1940 ) ] & TARZAN [ Tarzan of the Apes ( 1912 magazine & 1914 book publication ) & KA-ZAR [ Ka-Zar: King of Fang and Claw ( 1936 ) — also a Pulp hero himself ]. Since FLASH GORDON & MANDRAKE appeared in novels too doesn’t that classify them as Pulp Heroes too ( So ZEPHYR JONES & MONAKO THE MAGICIAN are their counterparts ).
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PULP HEROES ( Timely Comics counterparts ): HUGO DANNER [ Gladiator ( 1930 ) by Philip Wylie ] & Timely Comics JOHN STEELE [ Daring Mystery Comics#1 ( January 1940 ) ], G-8 ( aviator & spy during WW1 ) & BATTLE ACES ( Nippy Weston & Bull Martin – his wing-men ) [ G-8 and his Battle Aces#1 ( October 1933 ) ] and Timely Comics K-4 ( WW1 pilot & spy ) AND HIS SKY DEVILS ( Lt. Rene D’Auvergne & Lt. Ronald Wolverstone-Clodd ) [ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) K-4 and his Sky Devils ], DOMINO LADY [ Saucy Romantic Adventures ( May 1936 ) ] and Timely Comics BLONDE PHANTOM [ All-Select Comics#11 ( Fall 1946 ) ], TARZAN [ The All-Story ( October 1912 ) Tarzan of the Apes ] and Timely Comics KA-ZAR [ Ka-Zar: King of Fang and Claw ( 1936 ) — he is a Pulp hero himself ] & TROJAK THE TIGER MAN [ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) Edith Alton ]. FLASH GORDON [ King features Syndicate ( January 7, 1934 ) – Flash Gordon Strange Adventure Magazine ( 1936 ) & Novels ( 1934-1948 ) ] & MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN [ King Features Syndicate ( June 11, 1934 ) — Lothar ( African with super-strength, invulnerable to any weapon forged by man, impervious to heat and cold, can not be harmed by magic directly ( such as by fire bolts, force bolts, or spell incantations ) & stamina of 1,000 men ) –Mandrake also appears in books ] and Timely Comics ZEPHYR JONES [ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) ] and MONAKO, PRINCE OF MAGIC [ Daring Mystery Comics#1 ( January 1940 ) Josette & Al ( siblings ) — DMC#6 ( September 1940 ) Pere ( super-strength ) ]. Not a Pulp Hero but Mowgli [ The Jungle Book ( 1894 –by Rudyard Kipling ] has 2 Timely Comics counterparts: MABU ( a Indian teen ) [ Marvel Mystery Comics#36 ( October 1942 ) Sub-Mariner story “Tanks With Tusks” — takes place in India ] & TIGERMAN [ Daring Mystery Comics#6 ( September 1940 ) Professor Carson ( death ), Louise Carson ( Professor’s daughter ), Rangoo ( an ape & Tigerman’s friend ) vs. King Kuu & Monolink Men ( subterraneans ) ] { https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine & The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes: The Online Edition by Jess Nevis https://jessnevins.com/pulp/introduction.html }
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BREEZE BARTON & ANN BARCLAY ( Breeze uses Heat-wave Guns & Jet Pack in DMC#5 ( June 1940 ) ) [ Daring Mystery Comics#3 ( April 1940 ) Miracle City ] could be Timely Comics counterparts to Pulp hero DASH DIXON & DOT ( — use jet packs and disintegrator pistols )see Jess Nevins Pulp Heroes site ) [ 1935-1939 comic strip –overtly modeled on Flash Gordon ] if when Breeze & Ann passed through the Dimensional Barrier it DUPLICATED THEM ( 1 set stays in the 1940s and the second set end up in 1990s ) — [ Star Trek: The Next Genration – Second Chances – Season 6 Episode 24 ( May 24, 1983 ) Commander Will Riker meets a transporter duplication of himself from several years earlier on the planet he was rescued from ( an distortion field around the planet and a second unnecessary transporter beam caused it ) ].
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PULP HEROES ( Timely Comics counterparts ( Third Time Is The Charm/trying this ): HUGO DANNER [ Gladiator ( 1930 novel ) & Timely Comics JOHN STEELE [ Daring Mystery Comics#1 ( January 1940 ) ] ], G-8 ( WW1 aviator & spy ) AND HIS BATTLE ACES ( Nippy Weston & Bull Martin ) [ G-8 and his Battle Aces#1 ( October 1933 ) ] & Timely Comics K-4 ( WW1 pilot & spy ) AND HIS SKY DEVILS ( Lt. Rene D’Auvergne & Lt. Ronald Wolverstone-Clodd ) [ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) ] ]. TARZAN [ The All-Story ( October 1912 ) Tarzan of the Apes & Timely Comics KA-ZAR [ Ka-Zar: King of Fang and Claw ( 1936 — a Pulp hero too ] & TROJAK THE TIGER MAN [ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) Edith Alton ] ], DOMINO LADY [ Saucy romantic Adventures ( May 1936 ) & Timely Comics BLONDE PHANTOM [ All Select Comics#11 ( Fall 1946 ) ] ]. MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN ( Lothar super-strong, etc. African friend — see Mandrake’s Wikipedia for full powers ) & FLASH GORDON — and Timey Comics MONAKO, PRINCE OF MAGIC [ Daring Mystery Comics#1 ( January 1940 ) Josette & Al ( siblings ) – Pere ( super-strength ) [ DMC#6 ( September 1940 ) ] & ZEPHYR JONES [ Daring Mystery Comics#2 ( February 1940 ) ]. MOWGLI [ The Jungle Book ( 1894 ) by Rudyard Kipling ] isn’t a Pulp Hero but he does have 2 Timely Comics counterparts: MABU ( Indian teen ) [ Marvel Mystery Comics#36 ( October 1942 ) Sub-Mariner story “Tanks With Tusks” vs. Imperial Japanese army — takes place in India ] & TIGERMAN [ Daring Mystery Comics#6 ( September 1940 ) Professor Carson (death) & Louise Carson ( daughter ), Rangoo ( an ape, Tigerman’s friend ) vs. King Kuu & Monolinks ( subterraneans ) ]. PULP HEROES [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulp_magazine & The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes: The Online Edition by Jess Nevins https://jessnevins/pulp/introduction.html ]
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PULP HEROES: BLACK BAT 1 ( a private detective who occasionally helps the police on pressing cases – Black Bat Detective Mysteries ( October 1933 ) — Timely Comics FERRET [ Marvel Mystery Comics#4 ( February 1940 ) Private Investigator- has a pet ferret, good detective, good with his fist, wears a bulletproof vest, and has a gun — which he uses on criminals ] ), MASKED DETECTIVE ( Rex Parker a reporter for New York Comet, a trained boxer, expert at savate, a master of disguise & a very good ventriloquist. Winnie Bligh beautiful girlfriend & Comet reporter like him – The Masked Detective#1 ( Fall 1940 ) — PHANTOM REPORTER ( Dick Jones ) [ Daring Mystery Comics#3 ( April 1940 ) ex-All American fullback, ex-collegiate boxing, wrestling, fencing champ. Cub reporter. alias Van Engen a millionaire ( 1 identity short of Moon Knight’s ) ] ) & NANCY DREW ( The Secret of the Old Clock ( 1930 ) — SHIRLEY BOOTH ( smart enough to detect a criminal activity that Terry didn’t ) [ Marvel Mystery Comics#43 ( May 1943 ) Terry Vance , Deadline Dawson ( reporter ), Dr. Watson ( Terry’s monkey ), Gossip ( Shirley’s parrot ) vs. Snake-Eye Smith ] — I sent this story to Marvel in an email 2020s ). Under Jess Nevins definition Terry Vance is a Science-Detective.
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PULP HERO ( According To Jess Nevin’s The Encyclopedia of Pulp Heroes: The Online Edition — THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL ( 1905 novel by Baroness Orczy ) is a Pulp Hero – I found this out from the pulp hero Jack-a-Lantern modeled on him ); I already pointed out elsewhere that the 1941 “Pimpernel” Smith film was released in the U.S. as MISTER V — CITIZEN V ( John Watkins ) [ Daring Mystery Comics#8 ( January 1942 ) & V- BATTALION first appearance in Comedy Comics#9 ( April 1942 ) Citizen V story ]– the Scarlet Pimpernel ( Sir Percy Blakeney )’s League of the Pimpernel is Citizen V’s V-Battalion.
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LITTLE NEMO: ( wikipedia on Little Nemo ) In 1989, teen comic book Power Pack ran an issue (#47 ) which paid direct homage to one of ( Winsor ) McCay’s Nemo storylines, featuring a castle that was drawn sideways and Katie Power re-enacting a classic Nemo panel with a sideways-drawn hallway that served as a bottomless pit with the line “Don’t fall in, y’hear?” — I was hoping they might have mentioned Timely Comics JIMMY JUPITER [ Marvel Mystery Comics#28 ( February 1942 ) “Strange Adventures in the Land of Nowhere” ] too ( Cause Jess Nevin’s site on Pulp Heroes names Little Nemo too ). Why the Timely Comics Pulp Heroes homage, because of the Defenders of Earth ( 1986 — Flash Gordon, The Phantom & Mandrake the Magician ) & The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen — hoping for a team-up of those Pulp Homage Characters against Pulp/Sci-Fi Literature Homage Timely Comics villains ( Grinner ( Mr. Hyde ), Invisible Slayer or Invisible Terror ( Invisible Man ), Professor Donaire or Brain ( Tiger Duncan ) ( Donovan’s Brain ), Count Varnis ( Count Dracula ), Yellow Claw ( All Select Comics#46 ( April 1945 ) Captain America story identified as the Atlas Age Yellow Claw in disguise & CAC#14 ( May 1942 ) 2nd story Yellow Claw his henchman & Him disguised as his Yellow Claw in a scene with his men ) ( Fu Manchu ), etc.
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KING KONG – 1933 film ( MIGHTY JOE YOUNG 1949 film — I should have led with them ): Bokk the Beast ( Sun Giel#3 ( December 1948 ) 1st story – King Kong 1933 ), Agu ( Lorna the Jungle Queen#1 ( July 1953 ) 2nd story & Ago’s twin Lorna the Jungle Girl#9 ( September 1954 ) 2nd story– Agu is more Mighty Joe Young and his twin 1933 King Kong ), Gorgilla ( Tales to Astonish#12 ( October 1960 ) King Kong 1933 & Son of Kong 1933 amalgamation since he was more like Son of Kong/Mighty Joe Young in temperament ) & Gog ( The Amazing Spider-Man#103 ( December 1971 ) King Kong 1933 & 20 Million Miles to Earth 1957 films amalgamation ). Plus the giant gorilla Doctor Dork created [ Daring Mystery Comics#5 ( June 1940 ) Fiery Mask story “The Jelly of Doom” a flesh-eating protoplasm ( possible inspired from April 1931 Amazing Stories story “The Menace From Andromeda” by Arthur Leo Zagat and Nat Schachner has spores from space rain down on the sea, which forms a protoplasm which then rolls onto the land and starts absorbing not just living things but stone and metal too as it grows and spreads inland ( see THE BLOB – 1958 film, click on Talk near the top of page ) & JELLY MEN – flesh-eating blob-like creatures created by Japan & Joshua Borglum’s Protoform – Adventures into Terror#7 ( December 1951 ) 1st story ] & Gorr the Golden Gorilla [ Fantastic Four#171 ( June 1976 ) ] at giant-size only ( Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool would have killed Tyger Tiger instead and put her head on a wall ) — see profiles for most of these at marvunapp.com . SAVAGE LAND ( The Land that Time Forgot -Edgar Rice Burroughs 1918 fantasy novel/Blue Book Magazine August ( vol.27#4), October(vol.27#6) & December(vol.28#2)) [ Marvel Mystery Comics#22 ( August 1941 ) Vision story & X-Men#10 ( March 1965 ) ]
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KING KONG trivia: His FIRST appearance was in the novelization of the 1933 film King Kong from RKO Pictures, with the film premiering a little over 2 months later ( source Wikipedia — so he is both a 1933 literature & film character ).
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On the subject of misappropriated characters ( If wasn’t for me watching that last Charlie’s Angel’s movie online last night I would have forgotten about them ): ( Comics.org says ) “the infiltrators” ( Jill, Sabrina and the others are based on Charlie’s Angels half of whom are bad guys–bodyguards, pilots, technicians )[ Power Man#65 ( October 1980 ) “An Eagle in the Aerie” – Power Man, Iron Fist, Abe Brown, Lotus Shinchuko. Lin Sun, Bob Diamond, El Aguila ( mutant Zorro ), Jeryn Hogarth ( attornry/entrepreneur ), Jennie Royce ( client ) & Dr. Banner ( picking up an order of pants from Cage’s tailor ) ].
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PULP HEROES: For awhile I wondered if The 3Xs ( 1X, 2X & 3X ) [ Mystic Comics#1 ( March 1940 ) “The Green Terror” ] could be based on Pulp Heroes and today I accidentally rediscovered a Jess Nevins site ( The Pulp Heroes: Introduction – https://www.oocities.org/jjnevins/pulpsintro.html ) that says they are: JACK, DOC & REGGIE from the January 16, 1939 to 1952 I Love A Mystery radio show ( There is a link to the 3Xs that you click on ) which I discovered while looking for more information on a Lester Dent pulp creation GENIUS JONES ( not to be confused with the golden age DC character ) because he reminded me of Timely Comics’ HERCULES ( Varen David, son of Dr. David )[ Mystic Comics#3 ( June 1940 ) ] whom Jess Nevins says is the comic book version ( Difference being Hercules was raised by his father while Genius Jones was raised by a mad scientist John Harvard in the North Pole & Hercules on an Arctic Island ). I was originally looking at Jess Nevins other Pulp Heroes site on its Mad Scientists.
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