Manic Monday--Yesterday's Villain Is Today's Respected Institution!

There's a new villain in town:

Oh's no!!

Well, yes, that happens to many of us...

Wait a minute! 25% makes you a loan shark? (snell checks the credit cards in his wallet) Hey, wait a minute!! Someone call the police!! I've been loaned sharked!!

Yup, that could only happen by taking loans from criminals, never from "reputable" mainstream lenders!

Trust your bank!! The banks would never, ever do you wrong! Ever!!

From Target: The Corruptors #1 (a.k.a. Dell Four Color #1306) (1962)

All Crime Is Your Fault, And The Economy Is Your Responsibility

The first issue of Dell's adaptation of Target: The Corruptors (a.k.a. Four Color #1306) featured some crime-stopping tips inside the front cover:

Why, flattery will get you everywhere, 15¢ comic book!!

Heavens, no!!

Thank you, various agencies. It's good to see my tax money at work. Why...

Wait...what?

So, the value of our money and the health of the national economy depend on children being sure they're getting a fair price for what they buy??

So basically, the economic collapse was our own damn fault, because we willingly paid $3.99 for comic books that consisted of 50% splash pages and shrinking page counts.

Sorry about that, everyone. I didn't realize our entire economic system was depending on me, the "smart" buyer. With great power comes great responsibility, I guess. I'll try to do better next time...

Perry White--The Early Years!!

Don't call this guy chief!!

This is the cover to the first of three Dell comics adapting the ABC TV show "Target: The Corruptors" that ran for one season back in 1961-62.

No, I had never heard of the show before today, either.

A couple of notes:

**Man, that is a pretty cool title and logo. Can someone throw whoever owns the right a few bucks and use it for a comic today? Well??

**Every title should have a colon in it...

**The show featured crusading reporter Paul Marino and his "undercover agent" Jack Flood as they infiltrated Mob operations (and wrote stories about it). I can only presume from that cover photo that Marino pounded his desk a lot during the show's 35 episodes.

**This particular comic is issue #1306 (1962). Don't get me started on Dell's numbering...