Gwandanaland Comics #238

This is a trade paperback reprint of the Green Turtle stories from the 1944 title Blazing Comics #1-5. As Blazing was an anthology title, each issue's stories were only about nine pages long, so they get right into it. Unfortunately, writer and artist are not listed anywhere in the stories. I think both the writing and art are typical for the Forties. That is, it does the job, but not super flashy.

According to the stories, The Green Turtle is a legendary protector of China, and the people often refer to him as Ching Quai, which I assume means "Green Turtle," but Google Translate does not agree. Whatever the case, what I really wanted to know was why he was called the Green Turtle. The stories tease the origin a few times, but we never actually get to see it. I've been told this is common of Golden Age comics such as this, and I've seen it with The Sphinx, but I think it's a missed opportunity. While I'll obviously read the stories anyway, I'd prefer to know why the hero got into costume in the first place.

And not just the costume. Why does The Green Turtle have this fabulous rocket plane? I mean, a tank I would get, but a plane? And the mountain lair? What's up with that? And why does he have a manservant with the name of a Chinese boxing coach- the old Wun-Too? Why is his costume a mask, cape, gloves, boots, and pair of trunks with no shirt or pants? What's with the turtle ring shown flashing on his finger on the cover of the first issue, but never mentioned in the stories? In the very beginning, he rescues a woman and a teen boy, and they stay with him in his mountain lair throughout the series (the boy is seen more than the woman). The boy is called Burma Boy, and is the helpful sidekick. Why did he keep the boy and woman? Why does his shadow have a weird face on it throughout the series, but never actually do anything? It's kind of a cool effect, but it gives the shadow the appearance of character, and that never actually bears out.

The Green Turtle fights against the Japanese on behalf of a particular village which is flush with Chinese rebels that follow him dutifully. The Japanese are of course focused on ridding themselves of the hero, even going to the lengths of duplicating his plane and costume in order to have one of their own ruin The Green Turtle's reputation! I kept thinking if they could duplicate the rocket plane, then they surely would have built a fleet of them for the Japanese cause, but it gets shot down eventually, so nevermind that technological feat by the badguys.

The final couple of stories have The Green Turtle saving a neighboring village from the Japanese, which becomes his final victory. I figure they must have known the feature was being cancelled, and decided to go out on a high note. Basically though, he's kind of like Zorro with a plane- fighting a small army, but not really making any great change. At any rate, it was a fun read overall.

For the score, I give it three stars for uniqueness, one star for the rocket plane, and one star for the weird shadow-face. Take away one star because those things are never explained. Take away one star because the Japanese were able to duplicate the rocket plane. Take away two stars for teasing but never telling the origin. Plus one star for sidekick Burma Boy, and plus one star for the great name for the old Wun-Too (I'll keep saying it until you laugh). Minus one star for the lackluster costume, but plus two stars for going out on a high note. Going out on a high note myself, that makes the final score four stars.

Note: Originally posted November 12, 2018 under my cbishop account. I moved it here, and the original has been deleted.