SGAG Logo

WHIRLWIND CARTER

daring_comics_cb_05 daring_comics_cb_04
 
Full Name: Henry 'Whirlwind' Carter
Nationality: Unknown
Organization: ISS
Occupation Agent

Creator: Fletcher Hanks
Time Span: 1940 - 1940

ABOUT THE SERIES

Henry 'Whirlwind' Carter is an agent with the ISS.

That is the Interplanetary Secret Service which going by its name would having it being likely the main intelligence gathering and special covert operations organization in the near future. How big that department is remains a secret to use because of the limited amount of information.

We are told in the introduction to his first recorded adventure that "'Whirlwind' lives on the highly civilized planet of Venus ... Through his powerful scopes and super television sets, he keeps in touch with the other planets ... He has acquired a vast knowledge ..." Knowledge of what we are not told so I would assume it is of a range of topics. We also soon learn that he is in charge of the Venus office though whether that means he is the Venus office, we do not know.

Carter is a physically impressive man in his mid-30s with fairly short blond hair split in the middle. He is seen in both of the adventures we have of him wearing a blue form-fitting full body suit with a yellow collar and a yellow belt.

In that first adventure, he encounters a blonde-haired woman named Brenda Hale who, according to her calling card is an agent with the "Space Army, Women's Div." Her response of "So you are the great 'Whirlwind' Carter?" shows that his fame has definitely spread enough so someone not from Venus has heard of his exploits.

Carter has a fair amount of interesting futuristic equipment at his headquarters. This includes a strange telescope with dozens of looking glass tubes sticking out of it pointing in all directions, even down to the ground (?) and this device has a 'negative spot-ray' which allows him to spot an invisible planet coming into the solar system. He also has a multi-knobbed and handled 'thought-detector' which he uses to monitor that invisible planet to catch the one person in all its peoples that is thinking what the overall plan of action is going to be. [Note, those nasties have an 'anti-solr system ray machine' which sounds really bad.]

COMIC BOOKS, GRAPHIC NOVELS, AND MANGA

Number of Stories:2
First Appearance:1940
Last Appearance:1940

1 Mars Attacks! Mars Attacks!
Published by Timely Comics
Contributors: Fletcher Hanks (writer and artist)
Copyright: 1940

Printed in Daring Mystery Comics #4, May 1940, with 8 color pages. Reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Daring Mystery - Volume 1 (Jan 2008).
Mars has decided that its people need more room so they sent a huge fleet of ships to Earth and toss its people off the planet. Whirlwind Carter decides to step in to save Earth.

2 Planet Of Black-Light Planet Of Black-Light
Published by Timely Comics
Contributors: Fletcher Hanks (writer and artist)
Copyright: 1940

Printed in Daring Mystery Comics #5, June 1940, with 7 color pages. Reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Daring Mystery - Volume 2 (Feb. 2010).
'Whirlwind' Carter detects through his monitors that an invisible planet is heading into the region; it is the Planet of Black Light, the coldest planet in space. Its people are planning to pull Earth out of orbit to freeze everyone and then put it back so the Martians can populate it.

MY COMMENTS

The expression of 'E for Effort' might apply to this very bad series. Certainly I would so grade it, if my personal grading system went that low. 'D' is what I give it because it is really, really bad.

The science is totally non-existent although the author did come up with a couple of cool sounding names for devices along with several major league dorky names.

I am often curious when a comicbook series comes and goes so quickly, wondering why it did not last longer than 2 or 3 adventures. This one I had to wonder why it made it to 2. And I was thrilled that it went no further.

However!!! It is about an agent with a Secret Service organization so, bad though it is, it belongs in this compendium.

GRADE

My Grade: D

YOUR OPINIONS

Be the first to leave your own comments about this series.

Tell us what you think of the series. Give your grade and comments.

Your Grade:
Your Comments:

To give your opinion, you must be logged in.

Sign In

Register
Disclaimer
SpyGuysAndGals is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, and links with the Buy from Amazon button are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.