Number 983


Del Bourgo's Airboy


There's a shortage of information on the internet about comic book artist Maurice Del Bourgo. I'd like some confirmation for what I heard once that Del Bourgo was a South American, which may account for him drawing this South American entry in the Airboy saga. It was published in Airboy Volume 3 Number 2, in 1946.

Searching around for information I found an entry in the Picturing History blog that says from 1934-1943 Del Bourgo drew the "Little Lefty" strip in The Daily Worker, the newspaper of the Communist Party USA. Now that's interesting! I wonder if his leftist activities had anything to do with him not doing any comic books after the early '50s McCarthy-era, or were there other reasons? The information just isn't out there for me to be able to report it.


Little Lefty strips are from The Stripper's Guide blog.

There was also this editorial cartoon by Del Bourgo, signing his name "del.". It's undated but obviously World War II vintage, and sold for $95 at Heritage Auctions.

If you have any more information on this Golden Age comic book artist, "Little Lefty" artist and editorial cartoonist, please let me know.

(The cover of this issue, at the top of this page, is drawn by Fred Kida, not Maurice Del Bourgo.)

Number 920


Witches of Salem


The Salem witch trials are one of the more bizarre chapters in American history. My earliest American ancestor came to Massachusetts in the 1620s, and for all I know could have been caught up in the superstitious madness. I have a lifelong fascination with the Salem witches. "The Salem Terror" is a concise "true"* story published in Wanted Comics #13, 1948. It's drawn in a garish and sensational style by Maurice del Bourgo, who signed his name "del" at the bottom of the splash panel.

*As I've said before in this blog, "true" is a floating concept for stories in comic books, right alongside ads for "guaranteed" weight loss nostrums and useless cures for pimples or bed wetting.

Number 915


Doom in the Airtomb!


Airboy stories could go from adventure in exotic lands, a la Terry and the Pirates, to science fiction or supernatural. Misery is a supernatural character who showed up in his Airtomb to plague Airboy from time to time. Misery is still with us. I think I took a flight in the Airtomb once between Pittsburgh and Chicago.

This story, also featuring the sexy ex-Nazi flier, Valkyrie, is from the second issue of Airboy Comics, Volume 2 Number 3, after the title was changed from the World War II-era Air Fighters Comics. It's drawn well by Fred Kida, and the macabre panels of Misery and the Airtomb are out of a nightmare.