The Centipede (Villain)

THE CENTIPEDE

(Villain)

Creator: Tom Johnson

Characters

The Centipede (Villain)

Muggsy Scarlatti (Mob Lieutenant)

Sammy Paulson

Jack “Butch” O’Leary

Billy

Benson Roberts

Claude Burks

Kirk Stanley

Curtis Van Leif

Richards

Wilson

Jackson

The Centipede: He was covered from head to toe in a yellowish-green robe, designed like the old Manchurian emperors of old. A matching hood covered the man’s head, hiding the features of his face in a dark green mask; only his eyes were visible, and they flashed like fire as they burned into Scarlatti 's very soul. A strange, many-legged shape was sewn into the design of his robe.

"I'm like the venomous centipede," the hooded man said. "You, my dear Scarlatti. Forget who is running this organization, and I'll feed you to my little pet."

When Billy’s mother is shot down on the street outside a bank, the young boy is also wounded, and lies near death in the hospital. His uncle, big, tough Jack O’Leary sits in his room fearing the worse. But daring bank robbery and vicious murder of innocent bystanders brings someone else on the trail of a mastermind behind the vicious mob lieutenant, Muggsy Scarlatti. That Big Shot is only known as The Centipede.

The Centipede only appeared in one story, the debut short novel featuring The Masked Avenger, CRIME’S LAST STAND. He was Sammy Paulson, a business associate of a rich industrialist. The story made three appearances.

DOUBLE DANGER TALES # 24, January 1999 (FADING SHADOWS)

GRYPHON DOUBLE NOVELS #23, January 2001 (GEYPHONE BOOKS)

TRIPLE DETECTIVE #2, (ALTUS PRESS) 2008,

Tom's New Pulp Creations

Tom’s New Pulp Creations

Guns of The Black Ghost: This is my tribute to Walter Gibson and The Shadow. Set in contemporary times, Jimmy Malone dons a black hood and cape sending fear into the hearts of evildoers, as he battles the underworld in the tradition of a modern day Shadow or Spider. Burning eyes, a mocking laugh, and blazing automatics announce his entrance into an affray. Gangsters cringe when they come up against the guns of the Black Ghost!

Crime’s Last Stand: In this debut adventure of the masked hero, will evil win out? Blood covers the streets as gangsters kill indiscriminately. As a little boy lies helpless in the hospital, a new paladin takes up arms to bring the killers to justice. Can even the great Masked Avenger survive the final battle with the city's underworld when crime makes its last stand?

The Mind Master: New York has a new hero. In a contemporary setting, thieves knock over an art gallery, stealing famous and valuable paintings, and at the same time hit a museum displaying a necklace once belonging to Queen Bathsheba given to her by King Solomon, its value beyond price. From the chaos rises a new hero, The Mind Master!

Crime’s Dark Streets: Dark streets that lead to ebony alleys in the city’s immigrant district culminate in a spider’s web of fear when emissaries of evil abduct homeless children. When The Masked Avenger promises protection to the city’s unwanted children, can he keep that promise? Follow our paladin as he embarks on his second dangerous mission!

The Black Shadow: Chu Chul, the evil Chinese mastermind, thought to be long dead is back to win the throne of China. But first he vows to kill his mortal enemy, Dorus Noel. After Chu Chul robs a Korean temple of valuable treasures to finance his army, a mysterious assassin appears in New York’s Chinatown to assist Noel in his battle with the evil Chinaman. Could The Black Shadow be Dorus Noel’s new houseboy? Go with Noel and Kim Young Ju, as they search for the mastermind’s opium den while the black cloak of The Black Shadow watches over the dark streets of Chinatown.

Crime’s Death Plague: The trail begins in a Chicago orphanage, but when a boy is kidnapped, it takes The Masked Avenger to New York City where he must uncover the identity of a German scientist and stop him from releasing a deadly virus and killing everyone in New York. Can one man, even such as The Masked Avenger, succeed when America looks to be doomed?

In The Silence of Death, Colonel Jeremiah Custer's Wild West Show comes across murder in a small Texas town. A mystifying murder mystery ensnares the famous criminologist and sharpshooter, Colonel Jeremiah Custer when his
team encounters a young boy accused of mayhem. The lad cannot deny the
charges for he can neither hear nor speak. The scientific brain of the
greatest man hunter is put to task as he attempts to unravel this new crime! The ex intelligence officer puts his scientific brain to work to
prove that the deaf mute boy is not the killer. Follow Colonel Custer and
his aides as they unravel this deep mystery, and bring to justice this evil
murderer.

The Masked Avenger

The Masked Avenger

Creator: Tom Johnson

Characters

Benson Roberts

Claude Burks

Kirk Stanley

Curtis Van Leif

Richards

Wilson

Jackson

Benson Roberts has dark hair and steel-gray eyes; he is tall and bronzed from a life of safaris. He was a wealthy young man-about-town, with no goal in life but traveling the world in search of pleasures. Then Claude Burks suggested he do something adventurous with his life. After his parents were killed in a plane crash, his father’s dear friend, Claude Burks had seen to young Benson’s education, raising him as his own son. Danger and excitement, and the thrill of the hunt took over as he reached maturity. With crime running amok, at Claude Burks’ suggestion, he decided to adopt the guise of a masked avenger to fight the evil festering in the streets.

The Masked Avenger wears a domino mask with a dark hat pulled low on his forehead. Fiery eyes flashed as he whispered an eerie challenge in the form of a mocking laugh. Over his shoulders was a black cape. Matching the black of the clothes he wore. The cape covered two .45 automatics in shoulder holsters.

The ring: Reaching into a pocket, he removed a shiny object from within. It was a small ring with an emerald setting of blue-green, and the letter “A” emblazoned within the gem. This he gave to the children he helped.

Police Commissioner Kirk Stanley is the police official. He is a large man with military bearing. He was a retired three-star general. With dark, flashing eyes, a handlebar mustache, and a pointed chin and wide jowls, his family ties reached back to the founding fathers of the great city. Although not particularly rich, he was an accepted member of the exclusive Explorer’s Club.

Curtis Van Leif is tall, lean, and powerfully built. Plus, he is the splitting image of Benson Roberts. He drives a Daimler

Richards is Van Leif’s elderly butler.

Wilson is Van Leif’s chauffeur.

Jackson is Van Leif’s personal doctor.

Explorer’s Club: A private club for the rich, and named for their world-trotting safaris and explorations.

There have been four stories so far. And each story reprinted numerous times.

The Case of The Missing Children WEIRD STORIES #1

Crime’s Last Stand DOUBLE DANGER TALES #24

The Death Plague DOUBLE DANGER TALES #39

Perils of The Prophet TALES OF MASKS & MAYHEM #4*

(*The only story not by Tom, this one written by Eric Turowski.)