Dablo II: 1946, Blue Beetle? (Fox). Roman Tyrant of 56 AD. A column of light transports Amicus, leader of the Freedmen to 1946 and back again with the cop Mike and reporter Joan Mason. On their heels follows the Blue Beetle who help overthrows the tyrant and get everyone back home.
Dagger Man: 1943, Cat-Man #20/v2 #7 (Holyoke). Dagger Man is a crook and gang-leader who is very talented at throwing knives. Wanting a secret formula for a silent explosive, he is rebuffed by the scientist's widow. He robs a big bond drive of a million dollars in which to pay for it. However, the Deacon and Mickey are in the audience and manage to track him and his gang to widow's house, just missing the sale. They chastise the widow and continue to chase after the villains who promptly turn around to go back to the widow's house, to steal the million dollars back reasons the Deacon. It turns out that the widow was playing a dangerous game, she had surmised the crooks' intentions and had given them a forumula for head-ache powder and had cops waiting for the crooks. Between them and the Deacon and Mickey, Dagger Man and his gang are captured. Dagger Man didn't wear any special costume or mask, just a suit, a mustache and his throwing knives distinguish him. Although this was his first appearance, the Deacon and Mickey do recognize him so he obviously had made a name for himself.
Dame Areia: Wings Comics (Fiction). Buxom enemy agent that helped out Mr. Atlantis in his efforts to bring America to its knees but frequently foiled by Captain Wings. In the one story I've read with her, her entire face is not shown.
Laura Dane: 1946, Claire Voyant #2. Dennis Durrant remembers: Laura Dane was an actress who shot her ex-lover Rodger Howell and framed the singer, Claire Voyant, for the crime through an elaborately conceived alibi in which her maid Hilda posed as her for half of a flight from Hollywood to New York dressed in mourning clothes on the day after her lover's murder. Claire's father and the sailor Tex Huston uncovered the truth with the aid of the memory expert Files and his manager/brother Hairy Harry. On learning she was wanted for the crime, Laura kidnapped Claire and headed for her victim's cottage in the country, where she intended to hide for six months before shooting herself and Claire; she was determined not to "burn for Rodger's murder," but the cabin caught fire and Claire burst her bonds and headed for the door, but collapsed before she could get there and was rescued by Tex Huston - who, ironically, was one of three sailors who had dragged her from the water after her ship had sunk two years earlier - while Laura apparently died in the fire when the cabin's roof collapsed.
Dapper Daisy Dan: 1941, Crackajack Funnies #41 (K. K. Publications, Inc/Dell). Dapper Daisy Dan is known as "the king of the jewel thieves" and always wears a yellow daisy in his lapel. After a couple of high profile heists, he knows that the police are on the lookout for him and will guard a big shindig at the Astoria Hotel. He hires Professor Witz of the Prof. Witz Wax Museum to make a replica of him which he has taken to the West Coast and driven around to be spotted. Thinking he's out of town, the police will relax their vigilance. This works to a degree. Special investigator Nick Terry thinks that Dan will at least have his gang strike at the party, that it's too big a lure to pass up. Terry stands guard as the Owl and has his partner Owl Girl watching the waterfront in their special speedboat, the Owlcraft. As the Owl he spots Dan and his man and overhears a reference to Professor Witz. However, he is also spotted and the two get away. Tracking the name to the wax museum, he and Owl Girl capture the crooks for the police. Note: Of special interest, when visiting the museum as Nick Terry and Belle Wayne, they see a statue of the Owl. Witz tells them that the public has a special interest of such "avengers" and that there is also a statue of Phantasmo, thus putting the company's two costumed heroes in the same universe.
Dark Eyes and Madame Death: 1944, Four Favorites #15? (Ace Periodicals). A gangster and his hatchet faced moll who are not above selling government secrets. Despite not having any apparent super powers, they are able to briefly hold their own against Lash Lightning and Lightning Girl. The one story with them I've read in Four Favorites #15 suggests prior appearances.
De Vasco: 1946/47?, Movie Comics (Fiction House). Anthony Durrant writes: De Vasco was the dictator of the small South American country La Soredo. He captured Chiquita Sanchez, the sister of the rightful leader Juan Sanchez, who was working with the American stuntman Buck Hoskins, who had come to La Soredo to unseat De Vasco under the cover of starring in a movie there at the request of Jim Flanders, his old war buddy. After Buck had helped Sanchez break Chiquita out of De Vasco's prison, De Vasco captured Buck and secretly sent him a note wrapped around a dagger telling him how to escape as part of his plan to allow Buck to lead him to the rebels led by Juan Sanchez. They almost succeeded in making their getaway on a sailboat, but De Vasco caught up to them and was beaten only through Buck's efforts. On his capture, De Vasco was discovered to have "a sworn ballot count" sewn in the lining of his coat that proclaimed Juan Sanchez as La Soredo's rightful ruler. Buck returned to America with Chiquita and was reunited with his fiancee Gloria, who had read of his disappearance in the paper and whom he immediately promised to marry.
The Deadly Dozen: 1941, Daredevil Comics #5 (Lev Gleason). When Daredevil comes in possession of a device that can tell if a person is capable of or has committed a murder (a yellow light means they never will, red means they might and blue means they have), gangdom holds a crime convention to decide what to do about it and they decide to send twelve of the deadliest gunmen after him. They are the Crusher, Egg Head, Snake Eyes, Skully, Benito, the Butcher, the Giant Killer, Satan, the Sniffer, the Turk and the Lady Killer. Daredevil manages to capture them all. Somehow, Sniffer who's played up big here as having a nose that is as good as a bloodhound's, goes on to longer fame, eventually getting his own strip in the book. Opposed first by Daredevil, other crooks and then by Crimebuster and the villain Iron Jaw. Over time they even headlined their own strip in the comic.
Death: 1942, Mystery Men Comics #30 (Fox) Death and his hooded minions walks the Earth and whom he chooses is not seen again. At least until the Blue Beetle investigates. He unmasks Death as Dr. Necrow (surely, another alias) who was first trying to terrorize people away from a radium mine that he discovered and then decided the Death angle would allow him to kidnap people to work it. He takes a vial of poison over being turned over to the police. As Death, Necrow wore a brown robe with a skull mask covering his head.
Death Head: Catman Comics (Holyoke). Apparently Middle-Eastern, this man was beheaded, but a mystic managed to grant the head life. The Death Head has vast mental powers, able to enslave many at a time with his voice. He planned on using that power to rule the world but the Hood was able to shrug off the hypnosis and stop him.
Death Mask: 1942, Blue Beetle #13 (Holyoke). This crook wore a green skull mask and could kill people by pointing his finger at them. He used this ability to take over Porky Ferro's mob and commit daring crimes. The Blue Beetle puts his mob out of business and reveals that his finger of death were just poisoned darts fired from the sleeve of his overcoat.
Death Mask Pilot: 1944, Captain Aero #15/v3#13 (Holyoke). A Japanese ace who wears a white death mask along with his pilot gear and whose plane also bears a skull insignia. He had shot down several American aces and even survived a bout with Captain Aero before being sent on a mission to America. However, his movements are suspected and Captain Aero is sent from the Pacific to bring him down which he successfully does with the help of his teen proteges, the Sky Scouts.
Death Master: 1941, Mystery Men Comics #29 (Fox). The Death Master is head of a counterfeiting ring and vows to kill anyone in his way. First up is Prosecutor John Lewis who had vowed to wipe out the counterfeiter gang. He kills Lewis with just a gesture but that puts the Lynx and Blackie on his trail. Turns out the Death Master had a concealed instrument that sprayed poison into his victims' eyes, going straight to their brains and killing them. Although, it's revealed that the true head of the counterfeiting gang is Mr. Hunter who lured Lewis to his death by promising a lead on the villains.
Deathless Brain: Airfighters (Hillman). One of those brain in a jar types, complete with robotic base. This one was Hidero Okado, who felt humiliation when Commander Perry had opened Japan to Americans and trade in the 1850's. To the point that when his body died, his brain was removed and lived on. Almost a century later, his plans are foiled by the Flying Dutchman.
Deathless Guardian of Montezuma's Treasure: 1946, Super-Mystery Comics v6 #2 (Ace)?. Deep in a secret pyramid lies Montezuma's treasure as well as this large native who kills interlopers. He's momentarily directed by Ruk to kill Commissioner Lopez of Mexico City who had come with Magno and Davy in pursuit of the criminal. Magno and Davy manage to save Lopez' life, capture Ruk and re-seal the tomb with the Guardian inside.
Decor: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #6 (Centaur). This criminal mastermind was being paid by a foreign power to destroy the US Navy. He commanded absolute loyalty from his masked henchmen who called him “Master” and “Master of All.” Among the weapons they used were gas bombs and a death ray and an underwater headquarters (submarine?) replete with death-traps and secret passeges. While Décor wore just a suit his high forehead with a prominent forelock of hair hanging down, mustache and van dyke beard and monocle over one eye with the other seeming a bit bug-eyed, he still looked a bit unique. Décor is apparently killed in the destruction of his headquarters while trying to destroy the mystery man, the Iron Skull.
Deimos Council: 1939, Amazing-Man Comics #7 (Centaur). This was the group of Martians that kept Martian society in virtual slavery until their power was challenged by the Magician of Mars.
Demi-Things: 1940, Fantastic Comics #12 (Fox). Denizens of the 4th Dimension where they were cast for crimes against humanity. They are bald pointed eared men with the legs and hooves of goats. Chongo, more evil than the rest charges up a ray that he uses to wreak havoc on Earth, destroying buildings and turning men into skeletons. Scientist-Adventurer Flip Falcon travels to the 4th Dimension to stop him.
Demons of Death: 1943, Cat-man Comics #22 (Holyoke). The Deacon and Mickey find a dying man in a remote area talking of demons of death. Investigating they uncover a group of devils. When they spot them robbing a bank they suspect them of being humans in devil disguises and when confronted in their lair done up like a version of hell with a fire all around and a throne for the head devil, they do confess to being the Board of Directors of the Center City Bank and this was their way of embezzling the funds. The leader is Pierre Lamarte, the vice-president. The dead man was the bank president they had killed when he wouldn't go along with the scheme.
The Devil: 1942, Green Mask Comics 9 (Fox). In Chinatown, the Green Mask and Domino discover Chinese Hatchet men terrorizing the local merchants under command of a mysterious being called the Devil. The heroic duo track the Devil to his lair, filled with hidden passages and ornate throne room. When the hideout catches fire, the hatchet men turn on their Devil, severely wounding him and forcing him to reveal how to escape. Once out, he stands revealed as an investigator called Larchmont that the heroes had run into earlier. Larchmont had hoped to use the Devil disguise to control the hatchet men and force tribute from the local merchants.
Devil of the Deep: 1941, The Flame #8 (Fox). This madman lives on a black barge in the seas and is able to cause tidle waves and uses them on behalf of the Nazis to flood and destroy coastal American towns. The Flame saves New York and it becomes a battle between the elements of fire and water. He confronts the Devil and destroys his machines but races to save Boston. When he returns for the Devil of the Deep, he only finds seaweed and assumes the man must have died with the destruction of his machines.
Devilfish: 1940, Speed Comics #6 (Harvey). The Devilfish is a submarine commander operating in the Atlantic and reporting to a hostile foreign government. He comes up with various nefarious plots but is opposed by Lt. Jim Cannon, the commander of a Q-Boat in the British Navy. In addition to a being a submariner, he's a capable pilot though Cannon is better. But, he has the talent of great villains to survive certain death.
Devil-God Idol: 1939, Keen Detective Funnies v2#12 (Centaur). Investigating the strange deaths of two men, Detective Degen realizes they were part of an expedition responsible for bringing the sacred idol of the Tibetan Devil-God to this country. The idol itself shows signs of being linked to the deaths, blood in its hands, bullet sized indentions on its body. Paying a visit to visiting Chinese scholar Li Wan, he's told that a high priest could possess the idol through a ritual and woe to all that would stand in its path. Later, thinking Li Wan seemed to be awfully well informed, he pays another visit and finds Li Wan in a trance and a room full of believers. While fighting them, he dodges a thrown hatchet which kills Li Wan, ending the threat. Degen is forced to report the murders were caused through supernatural means.
Devil Kyoti: 1943, Shadow Comics v2n11 (Street & Smith). This devilish appearing villain was a Japanese super-mastermind that bedeviled the Shadow over 4 issues aided by the Black Dragon and Shinto wizards, until the Shadow had to travel to Tokyo itself to stop him.
Devil Ladies: 1948, Rulah #19 (Fox). Foreign Agent Peters sends his chief female agent Lona and other women to the jungles to test out his new fire rifles on the natives. As part of the grand experiment they dress in asbestos red devil bodysuits to capture the natives and take them to a diamond mine where he conducts his experiments, also dressed like a devil where his satanic face fits naturally. Rulah overpowers Lona and swaps identities with her, however Peters executes Lona, falling for the ruse. Rulah manages to rescue the captured natives and many of the Devil Ladies are killed in the natives fighting back, one armed with their own fire gun. Peters himself falls into the boiling vat that he had executed Lona-as-Rulah with, and the mine explodes that was rigged to self-destruct.
The Devil of the Deep: 1937. Funny Pages v2#1/12 (Comics Magazine Co/Centaur/Chesler). Dave Dean is diving for pearls in an area of the South Seas, waters rumored to be haunted. Indeed, he is almost killed near a wreck when a strange fish-man cuts his airline. The devil also kills a native diver belonging to rival Wing Po. Going back down, Dave Dean finds the devil off the wreck, fights and stabs him and sends him to the surface. Investigating the wreck, he discovers that it was deliberately sunk, a corpse tied up. Surfacing, the devil is revealed as debonair Philip, cousin to the man who was at the bottom of the sea and who had killed him for the fortune. Ok. Don't know why he just didn't remove the body, the chief evidence that murder was involved. NOTE: This story, complete with the hero Dave Dean ended up also being printed in a Timely Comics title!
Diablo, Prince Fernando: Fantastic Comics #8 (Fox). From a secret hideout in the Pyranees, Diablo plans to divide Europe into monarchies and cast people into a state of serfdom, aided by various unscrupulous members of Europe's royal families. Deciding the world is weak from war, he invades France with underground tanks and germ-warfare. He is stopped through the brawn of Samson, and thrown over a cliff.
Dichte: 1942, Exciting Comics #18 (Standard). Dr. Griffin is working on a formula that increases vitality, a small vial is worth a year's supply of food. He's killed by Dichte and his men, all German agents. However, it has side effects, it turns a house cat into a beast the size and ferocity of a lion, which the Liberator is able to subdue and tame. Dichte ultimately gets the idea and tastes the formula, growing to 12 feet tall. The Liberator sics his cat on him while he mops up the gang. Dichte is apparently slain by the cat, it's fate unknown. Maybe the effects were not permanent..
Dictator's
Shadow: 1941, Banner Comics #3 (Periodical House)
This robed villain masterminded sabotage efforts in America.
He seemed to possess the ability to shift to a shadowy
insubstantial and invisible form. A later issue suggests he has a ring that can create shadow duplicates of himself. The Lone Warrior and
Dicky opposed him.
Dr. Dietz: 1941, Liberty Scouts #2 Centaur). In an underground lair, Dietz holds Dr. Thorndike prisoner, forcing him to help him perfect his disintergration ray gun which he hopes to mount on a state of the art airplane and be unstoppable. However, his plans are foiled by Thorndike's intervention and the investigations of undercover man Steve Crawford. First he is tricked into killing his own men and when he flees in the airplane, his own ray-gun is turned against him and blows his plane out of the sky, presumably killing him. Dietz is a roundfaced man with glasses and slick dark hair and mustache. Despite his weight, he is able to move quickly and throw a hard punch when he has to.
Diller, Craig "Killer": 1939, Amazing Mystery Funnies V2#8 (Centaur). This gangster broke out of prison and off of death row early in 1939. After lying very low for six months he attempted to sneak out of New York City. Unfortunately for him he was trailed by Terry "Reel" McCoy. After attempting to kill McCoy Diller was captured by the combined efforts of McCoy and "Speed" Centaur and returned to prison.
The Disc Men: Planet Comics (Fiction): Anthony Durrant provides: Professor Kender and his queen are the leaders of the Disc Men, who are lving human heads on gleaming, golden robot bodies that are basically a couple of canteens joined together by a metal spine, each of which has a pair of limbs. Flint Baker and Reef Ryan are brought to this world along with the fiance of a missing explorer, whose head is grafted to one of the robot bodies while they watch. Because Reef Ryan looks like the man she loved before her head was grafted onto a Disc Man body, the queen leads Reef, Flint and the explorer's fiance back to their spaceship, after which they depart the Disc Men's world after firing a salvo at the Disc Men's hidden base in order to destroy it. This was the first adventure of the combined team of Reef Ryan and Flint Baker, who had appeared separately before.
Dizaster: 1943, Startling Comics 18 (Better). Enemy agent, hires a few local toughs to start some fires. Unknown to them, he uses them to distract firemen while he sabotages army warehouses and foundries by starting fires by remote control with a sonic transmitter device. What he doesn¹t realize, is that friend to the local toughs is the upstanding Dick Martin who tries to stop them. What he gets though is the electric chair. When he survives that, he puts on a costume and goes after the gang and the enemy leader Dizasta as Pyroman.
Doc: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #8, (Centaur). Western College was being investigated for unfair competition as they had a football team composed of eleven seven foot giants, being billed as Iron Men because of their toughness. Mighty Man (a 12 foot giant) investigates on behalf of his friends and discovers that the Doc (in cahoots with the Coach and the Dean of the college) had been rounding up large but below average intelligent men around the globe for his experiments, including his own son who was the quarterback. He had been performing delicate brain operations that robbed them of their memories and knowledge beyond what he taught them and would do whatever he directed them to do. The football team was just a tryout for what could be done with mindless armies, a sample of what he could sell for millions to dictators in Europe. However, Doc is killed by their very mindlessness as Mighty Man breaks free and throws a football, yelling out, "pass" and the ten giants trample Doc beneath them in their rush. The fates of the "giants" is unrevealed. NOTE: This story was suggested by professional football player Frank Filchock the younger brother of Martin Filchock, the creator of Mighty Man. This entry has been corrected to include actual GA information and not the revision information including dropping the name to just Doc from Doc Biggers.
Doc II: 1940, Blue Beetle #3 (Fox). Looking a bit like a crazed French painter, the Doc is kidnapping various women in order to put together the perfect woman. In his employ are large black thugs who are able to briefly go toe-to-toe against the Blue Beetle. The Doc's dead body is found after he leaps from a rooftop into a river to avoid capture.
Dr. Amato: America's Best Comics #14 (Standard). One of many escaped Japanese prisoners, Dr. Amato is a scientist that develops a remote-controlled Bomb. His plot is stopped and he's recaptured by American Eagle and Eaglet.
Dr. Arso: 1944, Topps Comics (Consolidated Book Publishers). After medical secrets of a colleague to replace his missing hand and fore-arm (he has a hook instead), Dr. Arso is able to raise dead killers who are under his hypnotic control. While battling the Black Orchid (who is secretly DA Diana Dawn), he loses control of his undead minions and they turn on him and kill him. With his death, they die once more. NOTE: This is a strange comic series, smallish in size that prints several stories, with inconsistant coloring, some pages seem to be full color where others use red as a spot color. The Jack of Spades battle with the Hawkmen is one of these books. They aren't really numbered and may have been bound together at one point. It's hard to make sense of the GCD entry. Personally, I only have the Jack of Spades book and no real clue there.
Doctor Barba: November 1948, All-Top Comics 14 (Standard) If for no other reason than the title of her story: The Doctor of Doom. Darci writes me: After experimenting with transplanting the brains of apes into some villagers, she attempts to transplant the brain of a tiger into Jo-Jo's lovely female companion, Tanee. As the doctor says, "You're going to see your Jo-Jo sooner than you think! And you will be his murderess!"
Dr. Bio and his Spider-men: 1945, Startling Comics #35 (Standard). Dr. Bio is your bald headed scientist type with delusions of grandeur. He thinks of himself as the greatest scientist of the 20th Century and plans on taking over the U.S. To this end, he has created a breed of huge deadly poisonous spiders with human faces that he'll use to terrorize the populace and kill officials and those that oppose him. Their faces are about the same size as the normal human, giving you an idea of their scale. The superhero Captain Future stops the spiders, revealing their faces to be just masks, though they are no less a threat considering their giant size. He then captures Dr. Bio and his human gang.
Dr. Blood: 1940, Big Three #1 (Fox). Vicious gangleader of the "Inner Crime Ring", he possessed a cannon that fired a paralyzing ray which he used to steal other inventions and knock over banks. His gang could wear long gray hooded robes that protected them from the rays. He and his gang are presumably killed when Samson picks up the building they are in and throws it against another one. Hopefully, both were otherwise abandoned.
Dr. Cadaver: 1944, Red Band Comics #3 (Enwil). Dr. Cadaver is a charlatan, under suspicion for killing several wealthy patients. Through the use of rigged dummies, he’s again at work on beautiful Vivian Vance. However, a blown tire in a rainstorm sends Dr. Mercy and quippy ambulance driver Stompy Lion to the home. Almost immediately Dr. Mercy suspects Dr. Cadaver and the old woman family servant Ouida. As it turns out, Ouida was the next in line for inheriting Miss Vivian Vance’s fortune and in cahoots with Dr. Cadaver. Dr. Mercy manages to turn the tables on the pair, restoring Miss Vance’s troubled psyche and may have even gained himself a girl.
Dr.
Centaur: 1938, Crackajack Funnies (Dell). Foe of Don Winslow. Dr. Centaur is a modern day pirate using inventions like his sound wave machine to steal ships and rob them of gold. He hopes to lead his crew to found a hidden empire with his stolen wealth. However, his own daughter betrays him to the Americans.
Doctor Cobra: 1941, Exciting Comics #14 (Better) This fiendish Asian criminal aided the Japanese in their plots against China. He became a recurring and persistant foe of the world trotting adventurer Ted Crane and girlfriend Betty Hawkins.
Dr. Chuda: 1938, Lightning and the Lone Rider strip by Jack Kirby. 50,000 year old immortal and telepath goes up against the Lone Rider in the Old West.
Doctor Deemon: Speed Comics 20 (Harvey). A misnomer. Other than on the opening page, the villain is never called Doctor Deemon. The kids of the Young Defenders witness several people falling over dead and see a mysterious figure in black with a large wide brimmed hat. After tangling with him and getting the license plate to his car, they take the info to newspaperman Don Wright (who's secretly Captain Freedom natch). They track the car to biochemist Simon Green who apparently has developed a strong bacterial weapon in the Yellow Death. Tangling with him and his strangely garbed assistants, Freedom unmasks the scientist and gang as several Japanese medical students who had hijacked Greens experiments with deadly bacteria and kept him captured downstairs.
Dr. Depression: 1939, Amazing-Man Comics #7, (Centaur). Traveling through an interdimensional rift(?) in the Pacific Ocean Dr. Depression found himself in the world of the polyp-men. There, he mentally subjugated one of the polyp-men and began to telepathically lure other travelers through the rift. Finally, he drew the Shark through the rift and attempted to transfer his mind into the Shark's body. The operation failed and his mind was consumed by his enthralled polyp-man.
Doctor Devil: 1941, Prize Comics #14 (Prize). Dr. Devil is kidnapping men from the waterfront and burying them alive. Girl p.i. Terry Dane decides to investigate and Doug "Black Owl" Danville shadows her to make sure she is safe. Through their encounters with Dr. Devil and his gang and subsequent capture they discover that the grave they are buried ends in a chute that takes them to a ship where the victims are kept unconscious through some kind of opium gas. The Devil is in the employ of a foreign government and the men he kidnaps are to be used as cannon fodder in its battles. The Black Owl escapes and fights Dr. Devil atop a light house where he apparently falls to his death. The Doctor uses a gun but is a bad shot. He also appears to display some kind of super-strength when he lifts a tombstone out of the ground, over his head and then beans the Black Owl with it. However, since the Black Owl did survive this, only knocked senseless for a bit, and the gang was using a fake grave, it's probably safe to assume that the gravestone was also a fake and not real marble.
Dr. Diablo: 1942, Four Favorites #8 (Ace). Doctor Diale had discovered radium under a asmall town. He decided to get the riches with the least possible expense and without the government knowing about it. He fakes the deaths of his patients by inducing catatonic states through drugs and making slaves of them once buried. His henchmen wear long robes and ghoulish masks. He was stopped by Lightning and Lightning Girl.
Dr. Diablo (II): 1942, Startling Comics #16 (Standard): Dr. Diablo has plans to become a world conqueror. He kidnaps Dr. Grove to force him to develop weapons for him. He also kidnaps others, to convert to his faceless blue Plasmatons. The Plasmatons can grow extra limbs if needed and are incredibly strong. He falls for Grace Adams' beauty and seeks to maker her his queen. Problem is, she's the would-be girlfriend of Andrew Bryant aka Captain Future. Diablo is presumed dead from a plane crash when trying to flee the hero.
Dr. Diabole: 1946, Green Hornet Comics #30 (Harvey). Self-billed as “the world’s greatest scientist”(imagine Dr. Sivana might take exception to that), he contracted a rare tropical disease while searching for radium in the Amazon jungles. It ate at his skin and flesh until half of his face was basically just a skull and he started going mad. He enlisted the aid of lawyer John Doyle to save him from himself. Meanwhile Doyle as the heroic Zebra investigated some strange mass poisonings, the trail lead to Dr. Diabole himself. Turns out he was trying to inoculate the populace out of fear that his disease was contagious. After a close fight where Diabole even loses more flesh, he’s taken to trial where as Defense Attorney Doyle actually argues for the death penalty on his client’s behalf to spare him the years of agony imprisonment in an institution would bring.
Dr.
Dracula: 1941, Silver Streak Comics #17 (Lev
Gleason). An American scientist creates a death ray, one that will kill any living thing plus instantly skeletonize any animal. He is confronted by Dr. Dracula and his men who appear to be modern day vampires. Dr. Dracula has a costume while his men wear bat-winged robes with horned hoods. They test the machine on the hapless inventor. Dr. Dracula gloats that he will turn it over to his European master who will make him governor of America. However, their actions were witnessed by Captain Battle and Hale through the hero's curvascope that allows him to spy anywhere on Earth. After a lengthy battle and setbacks, the heroes ultimately prevail but not before Dr. Dracula has killed dozens if not hundreds with the death ray in acts of sabotage. The machine blows up, taking out Dr. Dracula. His men defeated are revealed to be regular Nazi spies skilled in gliding with artificial wings. Dr. Dracula is presumed dead and not a real vampire either, but it's not definitely stated one way or the other. Here is another image of him, he and his men. Created
by Otto Binder & Jack Binder
Dr. Drool: 1941, Big Three #3 (Fox). Dr. Drool was a madman who had been executed for murder. He was resurrected - twice! - by his hunchback assistant and tried to kill the men who had sentenced him to death. The Flame thwarted his scheme every time, but each time he kept rising from the dead. He used fear to kill the victims by causing them to go into a state of panic with letters warning them of his coming and then "shooting" them with blanks to cause a fatal heart attack.
Dr. Eptil and the Spider: Exciting Comics #20 (Better). Dr. Eptil is a mad scientist in the employ of the Japanese. When he witnesses the plane crash of mobster Joe Mattock and the subsequent battle with the mighty Black Terror, he comes up with fiendish plans for Mattock's broken body. He sets the broken arms and legs in a twisted fashion making Mattock a monster in a dark bodysuit, creeping on his four misbent limbs. Still Eptil, his gang, and his spiderman are easily bested by the Black Terror and Tim.
Dr. Fantom: 1942, Startling #18 (Better). A Nazi agent with a bit of supernatural knowledge, he is coming to America when he encounters Lycans, werewolves who can turn others into beings like them by their howl. They convert the ship's crew, but he manages to gain control over them. He and the Lycans are stopped by the Fighting Yank.
Doctor Fosfor: 1943, America's Best Comics v2n2 (Standard). Dr. Fosfor is a Nazi scientist who comes to America to test out Calorite, some kind of agent that reacts with heat or flame to create an organism of flame. The calorite monsters take on the properties of the heat source they interact with, one from an acetylene torch is able to burn through steel, and ones from Pyroman's aura have electrical powers. Pyroman manages to capture Dr. Fosfor, though he uses the last calorite bullet to stop the Nazi sub that came to pick him up.
Doctor Gaunt: 1942, Cat-man Comics #15 (Holyoke). Doctor Grant is an elderly doctor in a small town. He gets no patients as he's old and never made much money out of his years of service and sacrifice and people just call him Dr. Gaunt. It turns his mind, he puts on a cloak and top hat and sets out to rob and murder a banker as well as leaving a strange note for the police. He's spotted by some other crooks who decide to lean on him, but kindly old Dr. Grant has a hypnotic presence and maniacal strength when he's Gaunt and he soon has control of the gang. They are all captured by Cat-Man and Kitten. Dr. Gaunt is also intelligent enough to have invented a gas that not only kills but dissolves the body.
Dr. Ghoul: 1945, Black Terror #12 (Better). Out in Wyoming, Dr. Ghoul has found a way to convert honest men and making them into strong and bulletproof servants, obedient to him. He makes a mistake in the kidnapping of the rancher Richie Benton who happens to be the uncle of a visiting Bob Benton who is secretly the Black Terror. Dr. Ghoul himself is bulletproof and presumably had subjected himself to his own experiments, and might be what drove him insane.
Dr. Horror: Captain Battle #2 (Lev Gleason). "King of evil. Master of deviltry." Three witchlike crones called the "sisters of fear" have a mastery of magic and demons. Over a cauldron brew, they create Dr. Horror to be the end-all of evil beings. His appearance is of a giant naked man and he has a sundry of magical abilities that he uses to cause terror, death and destruction like casting lightning bolts from afar. His evil is to such a degree that nature itself fights back, a huge lightning bolt scattering and engulfing demons and the sisters in flame to their doom. Nature pursues him until he perishes in a flow of a mountain turned into lava.
Dr. Hsin: 1940, Weird Comics (Fox). Mad scientist. Taking a drug that saved him from the electric chair, he drains blood from great people and inject their life forces into chosen subjects in order to create a superior race. One such is the strong but mental midget Mako, whom he claims to have rescued from the dead. Thor stops him.
Doctor Igor: 1941, Cat-Man Comics #2 (Holyoke). On an island off of Africa, mad scientist Dr. Igor has made his lab in a castle built by South Sea pirates generations ago. He has mastered speeding up the human pituitary gland and able to make giants about 15 feet tall. He has one and is about to make more, the goal being to make an unstoppable army. He's stopped by Lance Rand and the castle goes up in flames. But, even Rand acknowledges that the good doctor may have escaped.
Dr. Inch: 1946, Black Terror #15 (Standard). Inch is a scientist but also a midget whose mind has become warped, bitter over his lot in life. He hates all strong normal sized men so he creates a machine that when a person is bathed in its rays, they become the slaves of Dr. Inch's will. The good doctor then uses them to commit daring crimes. When the Black Terror investigates and is temporarily rendered senseless due to a blow to the head (you'd think he'd wear a helmet, it happens so often), Dr. Inch is able to use his macine to bend the Black Terror to his will as well. He commands his slaves to steal a large valuable diamond, but a bullet grazing the Black Terror's head, brings him to his senses. Pretending to still be enslaved, he leads the cops and Tim back to Dr. Inch's hideout. When the macine is destroyed during a fight, the men's minds are restored and Dr. Inch is captured. In addition to his machine and planning, Dr. Inch isn't above using his height to disguise himself as a child nor shooting and killing guards at close range.
Dr. Katan: (Lev Gleason). Foe of Silver Streak. Created by Jack Cole
The Doctor Killer: 1940, Amazing Mystery Funnies #18 (Centaur). After his wife and child died under a doctor's care during a flu epidemic, Charles Linton went mad. Blaming all doctors for his family's death he began to seek revenge by kidnapping, torturing, and murdering doctors. Though captured once he managed to escape the asylum in which he was kept. On his second rampage he was tracked down and eventually captured by Detective John Degen. He was psychotically clever and employed a pack of specially trained wolves to help him.
Dr. Krako: 1941, Big-3 Comics #3, (Fox). Dr. Krako discovered a way to energize skeletons as well as making them so they fired bullets from their skulls. He wreaked terror on the city with his skeleton army and tough henchman Monk until they were stopped by the Blue Beetle.
Dr. Mephisto: 1944, Power Comics #3 (Narrative). Underneath a tombstone in a deserted cemetery is the lair and headquarters of Dr. Mephisto. Even though he has a gang, Dr. Mephisto takes a hands on approach and kills even if not necessary. Just to show the powerlessness of the police, he kills Police Captain Drake. When finally cornered, he and his gang get in a gun fight with the police and he's last seen jumping off a bridge, supposedly to his death.
Dr. Narsty: 1945, Captain Tootsie ad. Looking like Dr. Sivana's better looking and taller brother and even using one of his catch phrases (Curses!), Narsty doesn't show quite the same ambition and genius. He has a quick adhesive that he can use to seal a person's lips, but he seems satisfied with simple burglary of jewels. Perhaps, he simply needed a quick influx of funds for his bigger scheme? Either way, he's captured by Captain Tootsie.
Dr. Syko: 1946, Startling Comics #38 (Standard): Syko is a mad scientist who creates a proton bulb which creates powerfully destructive monsters as well as a powerful beam that he can use to destroy any building he chooses. He and his gang are stopped by Pyroman
Dr. Taboo: 1941, Speed Comics #15 (Harvey). In a castle overlooking the Hudson River is the mad Dr. Taboo. Through the use of beta rays and electricity, he has made science mimic voodoo. Specifically, using the beta rays, he can link a subject to a doll with electric cells and then whatever he does to the doll, will happen to the subject it is attuned to. When he kidnaps the father of Joan Davis who Robert "Shock" Gibson is interested in, Shock investigates. He ultimately destroys the castle and seemingly kills Dr. Taboo. He then discovers the Doctor had dozens of dolls prepared which Shock then destroys.
Dr. Ting Loy: 1940, Fantoman #4 (Centaur). Loy was a brilliant inventor making a living selling hi-tech equipment for criminals. In his remote mountain laboratory, he creates artificial men through chemical means. They stand about 8 feet tall and mostly invulnerable and Loy controls them through a radio head-set.. He then uses them to sack neighboring towns until the Fantom of the Fair intervenes and discovers that the monster men dissolve in simple water. Tracking their maker through their chemical components, he quickly captures Loy. NOTE: Original notation for this character listed source as Amazing Mystery Funnies, no # but I read the story in Fantoman #4. Unless I find evidence that it first appeared in Amazing Mystery and was a reprint in Fantoman, I have changed the listing. The same source also called the artificial men Loy Men but they aren't given such a name in the published story.
Dr. Macabre: Catman 28-32 (Holyoke) The last of Catman's recurring foes and possibly the greatest. In his first appearance, he's a criminal mastermind (apparently from Lisbon) respected by the underworld to the point a gang boss willingly gives his own gang instructions to aide Macabre in any scheme he cooks up. Dr. Macabre also has hypnotic powers and holds a girl called Lenore under his sway. He calls her his ward, and she refers to him as "father" but that may be more a result of hypnosis than any real paternal relationship/obligations. He has been thought to have died a few times but foresight brought him back. During one scheme he contracted a "death touch."
Doctor Magno: 1939, Amazing Man Comics #8 (Centuar). As a soldier in the World War of 1950, he had his hands shot off and they were replaced with steel hands that had magnetic properties, properties he seems able to control. After the war, he used his talents to organize criminals, but was captured and put away by the Iron Skull. He escaped and again started organizing all of Chicago's crooks. Only this time, after he has captured the Iron Skull and committed brazen robberies, he kills them with gas as payment for earlier betrayals by them. He's ultimately captured by the Iron Skull and for his murders, to receive full punishment by the law.
Dr. Mesmeric: 1942, Prize Comics 19 (Feature Publications). Mad scientist type with a machine that casts hypnotic rays. Unlike most mad scientists, his appearance is a disguise, he is normal looking guy under the fake whiskers and thick glasses, though unnamed. He was stopped by Power Nelson
Dr. Mortal: Dr. Mortal is an elderly, brilliant scientist who lives "outside the city" with his beautiful young niece, Marlene. Much to everyone's regret Marlene discovers that Dr. Mortal is a classic Mad Scientist who's been breeding Monsters for bad ends. SEE?
Doctor Nodd: 1940, Crackajack Funnies #30 (Dell). Foe of the Owl.
Doctor Oxyo: 1944, Four Favorites #15 (Ace).Great scientist of the Reich, this corpulant menace created both a base in the stratosphere and undersea from which the Nazis can launch their attacks. His bases are destroyed and Oxyo possibly drowned in an attack by the Unknown Soldier.
Dr. Q: foe of Don Winslow who tried to destroy the Panama Canal.
Dr. Plasma: March 1944, Clue Comics #7 (Hillman). Ronald Byrd provided: A disfigured tattoo artist from the Boy King's homeland of Swisslakia, Doctor Plasma is recruited by the Nazis to tattoo secret messages on the backs of their agents. His activities are discovered, and the Boy King's Giant "hurls him miles out to sea."
Mad Anthony Durrant gives a few more details: Dr. Plasma was a sinister tattoo artist who encrypted financial information for a group of enemy agents and then tattooed it on the backs of a group of human "ledgers" to hide the information completely from sight. The Boy King and his twin brother Muggsy interfered with Dr. Plasma's plans and were taken captive, but escaped. They then stopped him from escaping from a submarine, and during the struggle, Dr. Plasma was killed when the Giant flung him out to sea. Muggsy tattooed a final message onto the doctor's back: "The cost of crime has been paid - my death is the answer."
Dr. Royce: 1946, Clue Comics #11 (Hillman). Looking like a classic silent film villain who'd be at home tying women to train tracks, Royce bets railroad magnate Sidney Mansfield a million dollars he could steal a train. And he does, managing to make a train vanish in mid journey. Nightmare and Sleepy are on the case.
Dr. Scowl: 1941, Amazing Man Comics #25 (Centaur). Dr. Scowl is an old associate of Barmell's and is thus happy when he captures Minimidget and Ritty so he can find out how Barmell shrunk them. When they escape, he calls on his experiment Klang to find them. Klang is a bestial half-man half-beast who is able to track the two just by smelling. However, he is also near bestial in his intellect and the miniscule duo out maneuver him, letting his charge take out the Dr and his assistants. When Minimidget tries to gas him with chloroform, the beast-man falls against other chemicals and starts a blaze. Minimidget and Ritty discover some other human prisoners in the lab and are able to rescue them before the whole thing goes up in smoke, presumably killing Dr. Scowl and his assistants.
Dr. Silvio: Exciting Comics 15 (Better). In a helium balloon he and his crew fly high in the sky and fire small rockets at planes, hoping to terrorize airlines into grounding their planes and pay him money for the privilege to fly. He and his crew are presumably destroyed by the American Eagle who lobs one of their own rockets at them.
Doctor Sinister: 1942, Cat-man Comics #13 (Holyoke). A small runt of a man, but knowledgeable of pressure points and fiendish torture that he can lay a full man out with the right touch. He's a chief of Nazi spies and when he tires of hearing how his men keep getting stymied by Cat-man and Kitten he puts his deductive mind to work to divine their identities and put them out of the action. He'd have succeeded if not for chance and kidnapped a friend of Merryweather's who also had an eleven year old daughter, mistaking them for his targets. He and his men are easily captured.
Dr. Skull: 1941, Pocket Comics #2 (Harvey). A pointy-eared dimunitive man with a large bulbous head to hold his tremendous brain, he was a leader of a white hooded and robed gang that was a huge counterfeiting organization. They kidnapped around a hundred engravers and pressmen for their purposes and under Dr. Skull's leadership were even prepared with extinguisher guns for the intervention of the Red Blazer. Still he managed to escape and defeat Dr. Skull's forces who was last seen about to jump from his rocketship to avoid capture.
Dr. Thor: foe of Don Winslow.
Doctor Voodoo: (Better). A Simon & Kirbyesqe villain: bald, big pointed elflike ears, a long goat style beard, and two long wisps of hair on his bald head much like horns. He's the chief plotter and scientist seeking to conquer Earth and the cosmos for Lilith. Stopped by Wonderman II.
Dr. Wrath: 1942, Blue Beetle #1 (Fox). No info other than he was the second and final known foe of the Gladiator.
Dr. Z: 1940, Wham Comics 2. (Centaur). Dr. Z is an elderly thin bald man and an international spy with a huge price on his head. He keeps a mansion and lab full of death traps in a remote area. He's also a master scientist, working on a device that will pick up the thoughts of others. In his lab, he has a brutish assistant in Hagor and a kidnapped blonde named Mary Brown whom he subjects some of his experiments. To finish his thought receiver, he kidnaps Professor Larry Hunter, a psychology professor, expert on the human brain and who also was working along similar lines. He is a bit mentally unhinged, referring to himself as "great Dr. Z" and sometimes in the third person and forgets Hunter's name and refers to him as Turner. He is apparently killed by one of his own deathtraps as Hunter has finished the device and Z's thoughts reveal the workings of a trap-door to some underground lake or river that Hunter then activates.
Doktor Von Future: Air Fighters Comics (Hillman). The bald doctor (dressed in druid like robes with a skull and swastika on his chest) invents a large mobile machine that parts waters and puts up plastic walls to keep the water separated. Hitler makes use of the machine to part the English Channel and send an invasion force to England. Only the Black Angel gets wind of the affair and bombs machine and walls, letting the waters crash in on the troops like the Red Sea on Pharoah's army. Herr Doktor is assumed drowned with the rest of the forces.
Doll Store Owner: Anthony Durrant writes: This man was using coded letters to send naval secrets to a foreign angent through the mail. Unfortunately, one of the letters contained the name and address of Roy Lance, aka the crimefighter known as the Sword. Along with his partner, the Lance, the Sword quickly investigated and was able to bring the doll shop owner to justice. It appeared that the man had been sending secrets to foreign agents for some time, but that one of them had left his post, at which point the letters that had been sent to him went back to the apparent senders - including Roy Lance. NOTE: This story was actually based on the saga of the doll house owner named Velvalee Dickinson, who used an identical method to send secrets to enemy agents and was caught the same way by agents of the FBI, then was arrested for treason. For more information regarding the real-life Doll Woman.
The Domino: 1941. Silver Streak Comics #9 (Lev Gleason). Dominic Leonetti, also known as "The Domino," was a gangster who loved to play dominoes. He would play a "game of death" with anyone who informed on his mob, and then kill that person if they lost. His racket was foiled by Presto Martin, the city's new Chief of Detectives, who had disguised himself as an informer. While on the run, the Domino wrote to Martin and asked him to allow him to keep running his mob, but Martin refused. Therefore, the Domino began murdering police officers, leaving a domino in the hand of each of them. Presto Martin put a stop to this crime wave by posing as Patrolman O'Keefe and then capturing the Domino and his men singlehandedly.
The Domino's Ghost: 1941. Silver Streak Comics #11 (Lev Gleason). After the Domino went to the chair, someone began killing off the witnesses at his trial and leaving dominoes in their hands; moreover, the Domino's fingerprints were found on the dominoes. The killer became known as the Domino's Ghost, and in the process of tracking him down, Presto Martin disguised himself first as the Domino himself in order to trap Scarface Klein, and then as Scarface Klein to track down the eventual killer, who turned out to be Peter Poulos, a member of the Domino's gang. Peter had been killing the gang members as well as the other trial witnesses so that he could get his hands on the Domino's loot. No go - he was captured by Presto Martin and imprisoned.
Doxol: 1939, Wonderwold Comics #4 (Fox). In his fortress with hidden traps, Doxol is the head of a hooded gang. He had discovered a "mystic" formula that when injected in his subjects turns them to his hypnotic power. He is defeated by the Flame in an aerial dogfight. Unmasked, he is a malevolent sight: green skinned with pointed ears, bushy eyebrows, and slits where his nose should be and has hands with gaunt fingers and sharp fingernails.
Professor Drade: 1948, Red Dragon Comics #3 (Street & Smith). This "zombie master" went up against the ghost breaker Dr. Neff.
The Dragon:1941, Fantastic Comics #22 (Fox). Japanese agent who ran afoul Samson several times. He was aided by Orchid, his beautiful sister.
Dragon Lady: Mystery Men Comics 12 (Fox). Actually using the name as a generic term since she is not named in the story. This sexy Asian woman seems to be head of a gang in charge of smuggling Asians into America. To this end, she employs a hypnotist to put the men to sleep while they are hidden inside giant fish. She is captured by Lt. Drake of Naval Intelligence.
Drax: A large brutish looking man, Drax also seems to be bit of a magician, able to hypnotize and escape from locked rooms and rigged his shabby hideout with trapdoors and such. He's also a killer, making Broadway star Patti Drew think she committed murder under the power of hypnosis. She's cleared by her reporter boyfriend Cort Lansing and the boy sidekick Mitch.
Droon: 1941,Target Comics v2 #1 (Novelty). In the kingdom of Noom on the planet Neptune is the evil little scientist known as Droon. In order to gain control of a certain valley, Droon uses Queen Haba's unrequited love for the hero Spacehawk to strike a bargain with her (she thinking he's a kindly scientist type). His plan involves torturing his assistant to the point of a murderous rage and amplifying those thoughts across space to bring Spacehawk to him and then bind the hero to his will via hypnosis. Spacehawk is ultimately spared of dispatching the villain as Droon's hulking assistant does the job quite well. Imagine SIMPSONS' Montgomery Burns as being green with bumps on his bald dome and hunchbacked, and you have a good idea of the appearance of Droon as drawn by Wolverton.
Hugo Drutz: 1944, Terrific Comics #1 (Holyoke). Also called the Butcher of Berlin and Hitler's Headman, Drutz does public executions for the Nazis. He dresses in a tux complete with tophat and a large pointed mustache. Incredibly strong and not above using the promise of freedom to satisfy his lusts for the more beautiful female prisoners. Drutz happened to be the first man that Army Intelligence officer Lloyd Raleigh was sent undercover to rid the Earth of. While captured, he gets a lucky break that they don't search him, for underneath his disguise is another, his outfit and weapons as the hero Boomerang (the US military completely unaware of his dual role). Even though this is Raleigh's first mission for the Army Intelligence, the story indicates he has already made a name as Boomerang
Duchess: foe of Don Winslow.
Duke: 1941, Speed Comics #12 (Harvey). This man with a blue hood headed the notorious Duke Mob, a gang making a killing off of insurance scams and murder. He and his gang are captured by the Crash, Cork and Baron. He's unmasked as the meek looking investigator for Internation Insurance.
Duke of Terror Castle: 1944, Terrific Comics #5 (Continental Magazines).When the Colonel seems reticent about ordering an attack at the front lines in Burma and more interested in having dinner with his staff with the "Duke" at a strange castle in the frontier. And Raleigh realizes that the Colonel hadn't been the same since his last visit with the Duke, so he and Diana investigate as the costumed duo Boomerang and well, Diana. Turns out that the Duke is actually in league with the Japanese, and has a surgeon by the name of Saito who operates on the brains of the army leaders making them subjective to hypnotism. Diana takes out Saito with a well-placed arrow while the Duke himself is knocked off the castle wall by a boomerang. The Duke seems to be Burmese, wearing far-Eastern garb, complete with a turban.
Dundril: (Street & Smith) A criminal dwarf who bedeviled the Hooded Wasp. Teamed up with a villain called the Mask at one point.
Dwarf: A criminal mastermind with an organization of agents and assassins opposed by Don Winslow.