Doll Man Vs. Groot?!?!?

The big crossover story you've been waiting for:

Groot vs Dollman!!

OK, no.

See, this crazy scientist, spurned by his colleagues, is experimenting with the mythical "mandragora" plant...

Well, it sure looks like baby Groot!!

Maybe that was a mistake, doc?

Yup, you just got hypnotized by a bloody plant!!

So what does the little fella do now?

Wow. That was much faster than baby Groot "aged!"

The mandragora isn't done yet...

And it goes on a revenge mission against Skeel's oppressors...

Fortunately, Doll Man finally shows up...

Now wait a dang minute. Just a few pages ago, a "torrent" of rain made him grow bigger. Do you expect us to believe that a little dip in the river could "finish" the mandrogora?!?!

Anyway, the whole incident is hushed up, because the knowledge is too dangerous, or some such...

SCIENCE!!!

From Feature Comics #139 (1949)

Best Cover You've Never Seen--Feature Comics #68 (1943)!!

No matter what you do...

Don't. Frak. With. Doll. Man.

He's packin' heat!!

Cover by Al Bryant

Friday Night Fights--Termite's Boarding House Style!!

Be prepared for some nightmare fuel in this week's Friday Night Fights!!

Some tiny wooden puppets have been going around town killing people!!

How is this possible? Our evil Geppetto explains...
 

Wait...

OK, actually, that's a pretty cool idea, especially for a pre-computer age comic!!

Anyway, one of the murder-puppets is on the loose, on a mission to murder Martha, Doll Man's girlfriend!

Fortunately, having a super-hero boyfriend can be a handy thing...

CRACK!

Me too, Martha...me too!

Spacebooger thinks that Doll Man is much cooler than the Atom.

Puppet punching from Doll Man #10 (1946), author unknown, pencils and inks (probably) by Max Elkan

Now is the time for you to go and vote for my fight. Why? Believe it or not, this was the second comic I've read today featuring murderous wooden puppets! It's a trend!! We have to band together!! So vote for me to spread awareness of the evil puppets!! Now go vote!!

Bold Fashion Choices--Not-Quite-Nazis!

Doll Man faced some diabolical yet dapper dandies on this cover:

A closer look:

It's the Three Stooges of not-quite-Nazis!!

Feature Comics #50 was cover dated November 1941, so it probably hit the stands a good three months or so before Pearl Harbor. The comic book companies were loathe to court too much controversy by coming out and blatantly fighting Nazis before we were actually at war with them (except for Timely, of course, which had been vigorously beating the war drums for more than a year.) So we get these ersatz enemies, wearing Flash Gordon helmets with glowing skulls and equipped with bayonets. Snazzy.

Nobody looking anything like this appears inside the issue. Doll Man does fight some "foreign agents" in Java, and they just happen to have German names--but they're never identified as Germans or Nazis. And they wear pith helmets!!

It's just too bad these ensembles never caught on...

Worst Villainous Plot--EVER!

Who is this bad guy?

Good to meet you, sir!

Stick-up-his-butt best friend Luther is in a bit of a jealous snit because gal pal Martha would rather be jitterbugging with shallow playboy Darrel Dane (who's really Doll Man...shhh!).

But someone overhears his griping:

You know, guys, it is 1946. Maybe after a long war and longer depression, people are entitled to a teensy bit of frivolity? Just sayin'.

The new friendship goes badly, of course, as Grim is kind of a psycho hose beast, who kidnaps Luther and Martha for his fiendish plan!!

And what plan is that?!?

Seriously?

So in 2046 you'll awake, and because people like to have fun, mankind will be so weak and silly that 100 people from 1946 will just be able to walk in and take over?

Suffice it to say, Doll Man was sufficient to stop this brilliant scheme.

Look, Grim, if you've invented suspended animation, how about patenting it, making a fortune, and conquering the world financially?

So, anyway, watch out in 2046, I guess, that your driverless cars don't run over any "strong" douchebags from the past.

From Doll Man Quarterly #10 (1946)

Friday Night Fights--LIving Doll Style!!

It's go small or go home in this week's Friday Night Fights!!

Doll Man has to infiltrate a crime lord's mansion...

You know, you'd thin that being so small, he could just, you know, sneak by him.

But then you'd be deprived of gratuitous comic book violence!!

And that's why you don't mess with Doll Man, dudes...

Spacebooger thinks that since Crisis merged the Earths, that owl is likely the same who who assists Doctor Mid-Nite...

Bird-assisted doll-sized carnage from Doll Man # 10 (1946). Scripter unknown, pencils and inks probably by John Celardo (?)

Now is the time for you to go and vote for my fight. Why? I have no earthly idea. Just go vote!!