The Armadillo

The Armadillo

Creator: Gerald W. Page

Characters

The Armadillo

Lefty

Jane

Lisa

Scarlet Marmoset

Florabella

Darryl

            He was wearing his black suit, his black cloak flying behind him as he swung by the window on the rope; the familiar steel mask with the ears poking up above the brim of the slouch hat, the determined snout sticking out.

            Lefty is Armadillo’s sidekick.

            Jane in the police detective.

            Lisa is the reporter.

            The villains in the one story I read are The Scarlet Marmoset, Florabella, and Darryl.

            The character of The Armadillo was created back in 1956 or ’57, and has appeared in Grue, Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine, Spicy Armadillo Stories, and anthologies like “When The Black Lotus Blooms”. I don’t have any other data on the series. It was written as humorous homage to the pulp heroes.

“A Clear And Present Armadillo” CLASSIC PULP FICTION STORIES #42

The Red Death

The Red Death

Creator: Steve Mitchell

Characters (Villain)

Ralph Talbott

Dr. Wu Sin

Naoma Freeman

Melanie Guilford

Professor Jason Guilford

Douglas Urguhart

Michael Logan

Baxter – Manservant

Frank Loftin

George Kannally

Lt. Karl Delcambre

Sergeant Kerry

Paul Compton

Penelope Ballard

Julian Ballard

Royce Thornbee

Ira Hieatt

Timothy Rees

            The Red Death is a tall, slender man, dressed in a black suit. A long cloak that was crimson as blood, and a crimson hood was pilled up over his head, his features obscured by the folds of the hood. He might be anywhere; at times, he seemed to be everywhere. He scented opportunities for crime with the instinct of a bloodhound. He arrived at scenes where plunder awaited with the speed of a hurricane. He struck with the power of a giant. A lone wolf who battled the law, his hand had never failed. The Red Death uses the aliases of Professor Richard Williamson, David Bell, Valentine Carter, Alain Marcel and others.

            Ralph Talbott is a sleek, prosperous looking man in his early thirties. He has a pencil-line mustache and roving eyes. Engaged to a rich young woman, he has another mistress or two waiting.

            Naoma Freeman is a blonde; her robe tied indifferently revealed enticing glimpses of a sheer black nightgown underneath. Full red lips invited men to taste their delight.

            Melanie Guilford is 23, with long dark hair and dark, flashing eyes. Her mother, now deceased, was an Egyptian.

            Professor Jason Guilford.

            Douglas Urguhart is a handsome actor of early thirties, with brown hair.

            Michael Logan is in his early fifties, a movie and stage producer, stocky build with a florid appearance.

            Baxter is Michael Logan’s manservant.

George Kannally is the police commissioner. He is stocky build, middle height, about 60. His face denoted both shrewdness and determination.

            Sergeant Kerry is the detective assigned the case.

            Paul Compton is tall and lean. His face is angular. She has jet-black hair and pale colorless eyes. In his late thirties, he returned from WWI with severe injuries, and has only one leg. After the war he started his own chemical company, and made a fortune, but now has retired and become a hermit in his apartment, supposedly working on a special chemical.

            Penelope Ballard, Paul Compton’s sister, married to a lawyer, she’s in her thirties, love, slender, and middle height. She has amber-tinted hair, and a very fair complexion.

            Julian Ballard is Penelope’s husband.

Joan Windsor is stunningly beautiful.  Mid twenties, she has auburn hair. Her parents are Nathan and Flora Windsor.

            Lt. Karl Delcambre is a Detective on the case. He has a stout build, middle height, and graying.

            Frank Loftin is the administrative assistant to the police commissioner. He is young, slender, with brown hair and keen dark eyes.

            Royce Thornbee is Joan Windsor’s uncle by marriage.

            Timothy Rees, the publisher.

Ira Hieatt, a financier.

Mikhail Sebetoff gave four jade discs to four men for saving his life during the Boxer war.

There has just been the one novel, serialized in three parts. However, The Red Death was not caught, and promised to return in the future.

“The Red Death” CLASSIC PULP FICTION STORIES #45, 46 & 47

Agent 13

AGENT 13

Creators: Flint Dille & Dave Marconi

Characters

The Agent

Benny the Eye

China White

Maggie Darr

Ray Furnow

The Brotherhood is a highly secretive organization formed by remnants of the legendary lost civilization of Lemuria. It had once been an advanced civilization in the prehistoric age of mankind, but was destroyed by ravaging horde of primitive barbarians. The survivors who escaped established a hidden base whereby they dedicated themselves to preserving their advanced knowledge, keeping their existence a secret from the world, but maintaining a network of agents working surreptitiously amongst the rulers.

The Brotherhood kept an eye on the development of the world, intervening through indirect and subtle means to guide the course of history, and when they judged the time was ready, gradually release bits of knowledge, such as specific scientific breakthroughs, to the world.

Itsu, known as the Hand Sinister, one of the paramount leaders, seized full control of the Brotherhood, and began using it as a tool to dominate the world. Its agents acted to infiltrate the major governments of the world and set the world on a path towards globally destructive war, which would give them the opportunity to become its master.

In 1907, a gifted boy is kidnapped and brought to the secret headquarters of The Shrine. His past memories were erased and he was given the code name Agent 13. Trained as an assassin he becomes an agent in clandestine operations. He was becoming their best disciple and would have risen high in the ranks of the Brotherhood, until he discovered its true nature. Fleeing, he was hunted by agents sent by the Brotherhood and began a deadly cat-and-mouse contest against the organization. He survived their attacks long enough to fight back, having formed his own group of allies to provide him with support. He is dedicated to fighting against the plans of the Brotherhood.

         Benny the Eye is usually deployed for assignments to tail targets.

         China White is one of the Brotherhood's top members, trained to seduce, and is The Agent's lover.

         Maggie Darr is the beautiful operative closest to Agent 13.

         Ray Furnow is an Asian with an endless number of wives and children to deploy as human resources for Agent 13.

         There have been three novels in the series so far, as well as two Graphic Novels illustrating the books.

The Invisible Empire       Agent 13 #1 TSR

The Serpentine Assassin  Agent 13 #2 TSR

Acolyte of Darkness       Double Agent #1 TSR

The Spider Lady

The Spider Lady

Creators: K.G. McAbee & Tom Johnson

Characters (Villains)

The Spider Lady

Scarface Bellows

Condom

Moe (minor crook)

Ham (minor crook)

A shapely dark haired woman was seated several rows down from the two men. She was petite, and sat with an aristocratic posture. Her shapely figure drew furtive glances from all of the male passengers. When she looked towards Scarface, he stared into the woman’s sea-blue eyes. She was maybe 30, hardly older. She was the heir to the throne of a minor Balkan country, but was cheated from her destiny by an evil relative, who had her finger—the finger whose print would prove her the real queen—cut off. She wears a fake finger now, one fitted with an instrument of death. It’s a small, deadly little plunger that injects spider venom into her victims.

Scarface Tony Bellows was a vicious killer, who had long outwitted the police force, until the night he had been left on the Precinct’s steps with a pair of broken wrists, courtesy of a mysterious vigilante who had recently started operating in the city.

An extremely tall and thin man was seated behind an array of radio and telephone equipment. “Condon,” she introduced the man. “He is my nerve center, staying in contact with all of my agents, either by radio or telephone.” Condon also raises the tiny venomous black widow spiders for their deadly venom she uses.

The group entered the mouth of a cave, darkened in the interior, but one of the men produced a flashlight and they walked deeper into the cavern without danger. Coming to a thick door, the Spider Lady opened it silently, and as they entered, she closed the portal once more, then touched a switch that turned on electric lights. They were in a second cavern within the cave, and another door could be seen at the other side of the empty chamber. Once more, the Spider Lady opened the door and they stepped inside. This time, they were in a tiny chamber, barely large enough for the four people in the group. Manipulating a couple of dials, the chamber began to move—downward. This chamber was an elevator, operated by the same electrical system that provided lights to the chambers.

The movement was short, and the group stepped out into a large chamber, well lighted on one end, but with numerous dark spots about the room. One of the men removed the blindfold from the eyes of Scarface, and he looked in amazement at the Spider Lady’s hidden headquarters.

Turning on another switch, one of the darkened areas burst into brilliant light. At that end of the room, Scarface saw what appeared to be a giant spider’s web blocking further passage in that direction. The Spider Lady saw Bellows’ fear in his eyes, and laughed. Walking forward, she stepped between the wall and the giant spider’s web, disappearing beyond.

A gasp escaped his trembling lips as he looked at the beautiful woman standing in front of the web now. She was terribly beautiful, yet danger was the aura she presented to all who looked upon her. Wearing a black swimsuit, a red hourglass was emblazoned over her stomach, evidently sewn into the cloth of the suit itself. A crown of diamonds was fitted over her head, the jewels sparkling in the dancing light of the cavern’s light system. Her arms and legs were bare, displaying creamy soft skin that would have attracted any man.

“A black widow,” he managed to whisper.

Sparks flashed from the web as electricity raced through the thick wire mesh that made up the netting of the spider’s web. Scarface tried to stop his forward motion, but found that his muscles were no match for the magnetic current pulsing through those wires, somehow pulling him towards its deadly center.

“Stop it!” he screamed. “Stop it! I’ll follow your orders!”

There has only been one story written so far. She was defeated at the end of the adventure, but escaped and vowed to return.

First Flight DOUBLE DANGER TALES #46

First Flight TALES OF MASKS & MAYHEM #2 (anthology)

First Flight FADING SHADOWS (paperback)