BEACH BUM COMICS : THE SECRET OF THE GREAT, GREAT MAGICMASTER !!!

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

THE SECRET OF THE GREAT, GREAT MAGICMASTER !!!

Harvey Thrillers packed a lot of action in Double-Dare Adventures #1, along with another fantastic Jim Steranko creation for Joe Simon, named Sorcerer. Loved the Giant Sized! Joe Simon thought that the name was too hard to trademark—so they called the character Magicmaster instead.

When Jimmy's father, a.k.a. The Incredible Apollo, the world's greatest stage magician, is killed in a car accident, Jimmy suspects foul play after the police discover a turban at the scene of the crime. The turban links to death to Prince Infernus, a rival of his father's, "one of the Black Darwishes who practices the rites of evil magic". The Incredible Apollo had told his son about how the government had sent him to Egypt "to rout the diabolical native magi by outperforming him", and told him that Infernus' magic is merely trickery. His reputation destroyed, Infernus had gone into hiding, returning once to attempt to kill Apollo with a thrown dagger (which instead struck Apollo's image in a mirror).

In his father's study, full of occult memorabilia, Jimmy finds an ancient book, “small, dark, crumbling volume of Egyptian magic”, and mouthing one of the incantations therein, conjures up a gigantic, blue-skinned djinn, Shamarah. The sorcerer proclaims that he has been sent by the Egyptian gods to avenge the death of the Incredible Apollo. Together, the two set out to capture Infernus, flying to the crematorium where Jimmy's father had thought Infernus was hiding. Jimmy uses his knowledge of stage magic to open the locks, and enter the hideout. Battling Infernus' men, Shamarah is knocked out and relieved of his dagger. Both of them are then locked up in the crematorium's furnace. Shamarah is now powerless, but luckily Jimmy has also learned some escapology from his father. Freeing them both from the ropes they have been tied up with, the two escape before they are burned to death. Shamarah recovers his dagger, and when Infernus threatens Jimmy's life, Shamarah frightens him with an illusion, scaring him into running into the furnace.

Deciding there is much evil in the world, Shamarah decides to stay and fight crime, while also teaching Jimmy true magic.

Double-Dare Adventures #1
"You Can Be A Magician"
Character profile of Magicmaster (Shamarah.)

"The Secret of Magicmaster"

Jimmy, the son of the Incredible Apollo, who uncovered fake magicians. Apollo died on a mission for the government (long story), and Jimmy used his father’s resources to call forth said Magicmaster, the genie Shamarah. - See more at: http://www.cbgxtra.com/columnists/craig-shutt-ask-mr-silver-age/harveys-heroes-ask-mr-silver-age-cbg-1680-august-2011#sthash.q6w0VDjl.dpuf\
Written by Jim Steranko with Jack Sparling art.

Double-Dare Adventures #2
"Intro Page"
"Sorcery at the Circus"
Magicmaster (Kazam) faces The Blue Wizard.
Written by Otto Binder with Jack Sparling art.

Original Steranko concept for Margicman, Sorcerer!

Magicmaster was one of the first published works of Jim Steranko. It was a shame Harvey Thrillers didn't last longer than it did. I enjoyed them and would recommend them to any comic book fan. There was a lot of comic line-ups like these to add to the fun of the Silver Age of comics.