Everybody knows Action Comics as the original home of Superman, but in the Golden Age days of anthology titles, he wasn’t alone. Witness the debut of the singing cowboy superhero: The Vigilante! Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Action Comics #42 awaits!

ACTION COMICS #42

Writer: Mort Weisinger
Penciler: Mort Meskin
Inker: Mort Meskin
Colorist: Uncredited
Letterer: Uncredited
Editor: Whitney Ellsworth/Murray Boltinoff/Mort Weisinger
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: 10 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing:
Release Date: September 19, 1941

Previously in Action Comics: These days, when people talk about the superhero known as The Vigilante, they’re probably referring to Adrian Chase, whose turn as a supporting character in Peacemaker with John Cena was pretty amazing. There’s also no denying that the black costume with its white and red accents makes for a killer visual. But long before Adrian, there was another hero to bear the name, one with Western roots and a pretty impressive look of his own, and today, we get to hear the story of his origin.
Though this is the character’s first appearance, we open with Vigilante already an established hero, even allowed to sit in on the execution of “Killer” Kelly, whose crime spree was apparently severe enough to leave him as the most wanted criminal in the country. It’s a state of events that greatly troubles The Vigilante, but not as much as the condemned man’s last words.
What neither the hero nor the law enforcement officers know is that Kelly has paid off the doctor, who only sedated him, then falsified his cremation, leaving Killer on the streets, seeking revenge. For his part, country and western singer Greg Sanders has other things to worry about, like the fact that his legions of fans think he’s a real cowboy, when he’s “really” a city slicker. That, of course, is a big ol’ lie, as his quick reflexes with a lariat prove, because Greg Sanders is secretly The Vigilante! And, in standard Golden Age fashion, he’s even got his own Lois Lane, a blues singer named Betty who has a crush on Vigilante but thinks Greg is the proverbial phony. It’s also impressive seeing the fluidity of Mort Meskin’s forms here, standing out from the rest of the stories in this issue. As seen on the cover, Shuster’s Superman of 1942 is buff, thick-limbed, and powerful, with Sanders contrasting as a lithe, agile hero.

Even though this story is called The Origin of The Vigilante, said origin is told in the space of about four panels, moving quickly back to the action, as Greg infiltrates a costume party in his full uniform, only to be captured by the late Killer Kelly!
Using his skills as an experienced range-rider, Vigilante gets free, then sets off to catch a killer… again. The story makes clever use of his country accessories, even using his ever-present lasso to launch himself through Kelly’s window, returning the “shocked to see your enemy back from the dead” favor to the gunsel and his gang.
The story ends with the entire gang hanging from the power lines outside the window, waiting for the police to get them down and take them to jail, while Greg Sanders returns to his life as a drugstore cowboy. At this point in history, the superhero game is, essentially, finding new ways to riff on Superman’s status quo, and The Vigilante puts interesting new wrinkles in the tropes. If you only know the name Mort Weisinger from his days as Superman’s editor, you might be surprised that Vigilante’s debut in Action Comics #42 is this creative and concise, which combines with Meskin’s art for a well-deserved 4 out of 5 stars overall. DC’s Golden Age has a lot of interesting personalities, but there’s just something compelling about the red-white-and-blue cowpoke that stands out.

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ACTION COMICS #42

77%

77%

Saddle Up, Pilgrim

Vigilante's "famous singer moonlights as masked owlhoot" facade makes a fun twist, and his creators make it clear why he lasted so long.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
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