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Wonder Woman in "The Borrower" (Hostess Ads #103)

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The Borrower returns in Wonder Woman in "Old Gold".

On a site dedicated to making a wiki history of all things comics, comics ads should not be forgotten. Especially the ads for Hostess Fruit Pies, Twinkies, and other snacks. Starting in 1975, Marvel and DC heroes (and the Harvey,Archie, and Gold Key/Whitman characters as well!) spent seven years throwing Hostess snacks at a bizarre line of villains to stop their crimes. Although many of the villains were completely silly, they were created specifically for these ads, and in many cases, not even the names have been used again, since the ads stopped in mid-1982.

So I thought I'd show an ad here, and make a list of the comics I find it in, as I run across them. This list features: Wonder Woman in "The Borrower." As noted on the Hostess Superhero Advertisements page:

A suave thief who commits crimes and leaves IOU notes behind, the Borrower appeared on Wonder Woman's radar after stealing the bag she was carrying in her civilian guise. After stealing money, bracelets and minks, Wonder Woman laid out a trap of Hostess Twinkies and successfully captured the crook.

Is it me, or does The Borrower look like the original Steve Trevor? Something funny's going on here. Somebody thought it was funny, because The Borrower appeared again in Wonder Woman in "Old Gold." What's not funny is that nobody explored this guy outside of the ads. Sure, he's a throwaway character, but think about it. He steals and leaves an I.O.U., although he presumably never brings the items back. "He just disappears into the crowds," which says that he's probably an expert in disguise- something that is apparently supported by the fact that in the follow-up ad, he has brown hair, and looks different from the blonde in this ad. Could he be like Erik Larsen's demonic Fiend? "Borrowing" the bodies of victim-hosts, in order to commit crimes? There's story there, I tell you!

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Concise Listing:

Alphabetical:

  • (5/80) All-Out War #5.
  • (5/80) Batman #323.
  • (4/80) Brave and Bold #161.
  • (4/80) Detective Comics #489.
  • (5/80) The Flash #285.
  • (5/80) Ghosts #88.
  • (4/80) Green Lantern #127.
  • (4/80) House of Mystery #279.
  • (5/80) Legion of Super-Heroes #263.
  • (5/80) Secrets of Haunted House #24.
  • (5/80) Superman #347.
  • (5/80) The Superman Family #201.
  • (4/80) Time Warp #4.
  • (4/80) The Unexpected #197.
  • (4/80) Warlord #32.
  • (5/80) Weird War Tales #87.
  • (4/80) World's Finest Comics #262.
You Get A Big Delight In Every Bite <102 (Hostess Treats) 104> Enjoy.

The list below is in chronological order.

List items