If you’re here at Major Spoilers, we know you know your comics. But… have you ever heard of the Golden Age Son of Satan? Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Venus #10 awaits!
VENUS #10
Writer: Uncredited
Penciler: Werner Roth
Inker: Christopher Rule
Colorist: Uncredited
Letterer: Uncredited
Editor: Stan Lee
Publisher: Leading Comic Corp. (Marvel Comics)
Cover Price: 10 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $1,300.00
Release Date: April 25, 1950
Previously in Venus: As a fan of the “monster hero” comics of the 1970s, I’ve always had a fascination with Daimon Hellstrom, the hero known as The Son of Satan. It’s a natural progression from the ghosts, mummies, and possessed bikers that preceded the idea, but it’s also… absolutely nuts? It’s the kind of idea that could only have come out of the wild, wacky early ’70s.
Or so I thought. If we travel back two decades, we find Venus, a literal goddess descended to Earth to work in the fashion industry.
Though she’s literally the goddess of love and romance, Venus is totally into a stuffed shirt named Whitney, who works with her in the offices of Beauty Magazine. Their canoodling is so high-profile that it’s even seen in the depths of aitch-ee-double-hockey-sticks, where Satan himself discusses it with his son, who always had a crush on Venus when she lived on Mount Olympus. In true Golden Age comics fashion, Hell and its ruler are treated as just another fanciful land full of goblins, gods, or elves.
But the Son of Satan wants a day pass to New York City!
Arriving in a puff of brimstone (which, by the way, warns Venus what’s happening), “Mister Satin” pops into the offices of Beauty, offering to take Venus out to lunch. Trying to hide the fact that the literal scion of the hoary netherworld is wearing a pencil mustache and greased-back hair in her lobby, Venus agrees to go with him, much to the dismay of her beau, Whitney.
Venus argues that he can’t force her to love him, and that she could never feel for anyone so evil, so The Son of Satan turns to his next trick: Swift and blinding violence! Or, at least, worldwide catastrophe, which he will unleash upon the unsuspecting humans unless Venus agrees to be his bride. It’s almost as if this issue is not only the debut of this pre-Son-of-Satan Son of Satan, but the debut of modern Internet stan culture as well. Venus tries to use her powers to offset the disasters, but to no avail.
The art here is interesting, done by Werner Roth, probably best remembered for succeeding Jack Kirby as the penciller of The X-Men some fifteen years down the line from this issue. His Venus carries more goddess than that of the book’s initial artist, Ken Bald, but leaves her perhaps less ethereally beautiful. It’s a bit of a mixed blessing, but to be honest, the sub-par color separations make it hard to tell if the original art was cute. I will say that the “typhoon” seen in that final panel is absolutely hilarious.
Of course, even the embodiment of love has her limits, and she finally calls upon the power of her brother-in-law, Apollo.
With The Son of Satan launched into an oh-so-trendy-circa-1950 orbit of the planet, Venus is free to mack on her inexplicably attractive human bowl of oatmeal boyfriend in peace. The rest of Venus #10 features more of the book’s shift into science fiction (note the bait-and-switch front cover), including a battle with dragons on the moon that has nothing to do with bald Avenger Moondragon, earning a slightly better-than-average 3 out of 5 stars overall.
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VENUS #10
Is it silly? Yes.
Is it an oddity of a time when Marvel/Atlas was just throwing whatever at the wall to see if it stuck? Also Yes.
Still a weirdly fun read.
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Writing6.5
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Art7
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Coloring3
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.