Tenacious as a bulldog, and tougher than a two-dollar steak. This is the story of Wildcat! Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Sensation Comics #1 awaits!

SENSATION COMICS #1

Writer:  Bill Finger
Penciler: Irwin Hasen
Inker: Irwin Hasen
Colorist: Uncredited
Letterer: Uncredited
Editor: M. C. Gaines
Publisher: DC Comics (“A Superman-DC Publication”)
Cover Price: 10 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $70,000.00
Release Date: November 5, 1941

Previously in Sensation Comics: Full disclosure, before Editor-In-Chief Stephen mentions it, about ten years ago, we looked at the Wonder Woman portion of this issue here in the Retro Review corner but didn’t address Wildcat’s first appearance at that time. Due to the nature of Golden Age anthologies (and just how many characters debuted in such a short period), this sixty-eight-page issue also features the first appearance of Little Boy Blue and his Blue Boys, the Golden Age Mr. Terrific, and The Gay Ghost. That last hero is best remembered as a victim of semantic drift, but Ted Grant’s legacy is still felt in DC Comics today.

It all starts with a fight.

After stepping in to stop a mugging, young Ted Grant discovers that the would-be target is actually the world heavyweight boxing champion, “Socker” Smith. At loose ends after having to drop out of college due to the death of his parents, Ted eagerly accepts Socker’s offer to get him in the ring but finds himself dissatisfied with their shared managers’ tendency to have opponents throw the fights. When the papers start clamoring for Socker versus Grant, managers Flint and Skinner see the dollar signs, knowing that no matter the outcome, they take home a windfall. They even place false rumors that Ted has been courting Socker’s girl, filling the seats with fans expecting a grudge match.

Everyone gets more than they bargained for.

After the knockout punch, Grant is crowned the new champion, but Socker isn’t just unconscious. He’s DEAD. Thanks to the reports of their “grudge,” the police take Ted into custody on murder charges. Flint and Skinner, having accidentally misjudged the dose of poison necessary to just knock Socker out in preparation for a big rematch (and a big payout), try to bury the truth by ramming the police cruiser off the road! The young champion is the only survivor, and he’s once more on the mean streets when a young boy gives him the idea that will change his life forever.

After hearing about Green Lantern (whose comic, as well as that of The Flash, is available on newsstands NOW, says 1941’s version of corporate synergy), Grant realizes what he has to do. Assembling a costume that evokes a panther, or maybe a melanistic tiger, he shakes down Socker’s ringside second for a confession before setting out for Skinner and Flint’s place. One of the things I really enjoy about this issue’s visuals is the details that Hasen adds to Wildcat’s costume. The indications of fur and the big-cat-shaped mask look really good and differentiate Ted from Batman-types.

With Skinner out of the picture, thanks to a left hook like a wrecking ball, Wildcat gently persuades Flint to confess.

Hey, by the standards of the Golden Age, hanging him by his ankles out a fifth-story window is gentle. Superman would have dropped him off a TEN-STORY building. Even so, Wildcat’s first adventure really holds up, meaning that the sixth story of Sensation Comics #1 is a winner in story and visuals, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. Traditionally, the final story was considered the main event in the Golden Age, much as the Feature Presentation was the last thing you’d see in theatres of the times. In my opinion, Wildcat’s debut is the best story in this issue, making this placement quite proper.

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