Number 695

Vengeance of Anubis

I first noticed artist Bill Ely's work on Rip Hunter, Time Master in the 1960s. At the time he was one of the few DC artists to sign his name on his artwork.

Ely goes back to the 1930s as a comic book artist. He worked a lot for DC on several features, but his work showed up at several other companies, also.

The first two short stories I have here of Ely's are from DC's House of Mystery, #'s 13 and 17 respectively, from 1953. The third is from 1948, the back-up feature from Dell Comics' Dick Tracy Monthly. I don't know how long Ely did the Iron Man strip, but it's obviously not Marvel Comics' Iron Man. This Iron Man is an undercover cop who dresses like a bum and then busts the criminals he runs into...usually with his fists.

Of the three the Anubis story is my favorite. A diner owner (!) is a secret Egyptian-god cultist. He goes after some musical hep kats who are intruding on his ability to practice his religion.

Ely is another of the comic book journeymen I like to talk about. A true professional with an attractive style. Why isn't he better known amongst comics fans?