Crimebuster was a major character in independent publisher Lev Gleason's arsenal. Featured in Boy Comics, the character appear in over 100 issues. And since most issues contained 2 Crimebuster features, this term hero had around 200 adventures.
A lad whose parents were killed during World War II, Chuck Chandler drops out of boarding school and devotes his life to battling crime in all its ugly forms. Wearing his hockey uniform and a blue cape, Crimebuster was one of the few Golden Age heroes to not have a secret identity. In fact, in one issue, he attends his high school reunion while in costume amongst his old school chums. How's that for being the alum who was the most likely to succeed?!
Battling murderous con men, deadly bank robbers and vengeful land owners, Crimebuster was assisted by his trusty monkey sidekick Squeeks and District Attorney Loover, who is constantly shown-up by the sleuthing hero who's instincts rival those of Sherlock Holmes and Hercules Poirot.
Being a Lev Gleason publication, there were 2 potential editors of these stories; both of whom had dubious reputations in the comic book industry. Boy Comics happened to be the work of Charles Biro, an undisputed creative genius, who might have been one of the faces on the Mount Rushmore had he not succumbed to his biggest vices: booze and gambling. Biro was an oddity in comics during the 1940s and 50s. He willingly and proudly put his name on the covers he illustrated as well as stories he scripted.
The stories were a combination of swashbuckling action, light-hearted fun and salacious crime. Biro's melodramatic introductions bordered on the rambling verbose. The series could almost be considered a crime anthology as it wasn't unexpected for readers to not encounter Crimebuster until the last act, way after the dirty deeds had been committed and the criminals turned into fugitives. But no matter what, each adventure ends with Crimebuster bringing the villains to justice, whether through active or passive means.
If the protagonist looks oddly familiar, then you must be a fan of Rage Against the Machine. Crimebuster just happens to be the cape wearing character on the cover of the band's 1996 album, Evil Empire. The hero's altered look was taken from an original painting by Mel Ramos who made the work as a birthday present for a friend who happened to be a huge fan of Crimebuster.
Speaking of covers, there's something rather odd about every single one of them. Instead of being posed in a dynamic heroic manner facing the reader, Biro would frame his hero from the behind. Whether it's riding atop a speeding sedan driven by mobsters, pursuing an off-stage murder during a Broadway production or comforting a girl when it's discovered that her father is a serial killer, Crimebuster just doesn't face forward! I'm sure there's something psychological and subliminal about this. Unfortunately, I don't have the medical background to diagnose these very un-comic book-like covers.
Despite not being a typical comic book, I liked what I read. And what could I expect? Lev Gleason's books were notorious for going against the grain. And that defiance made for good reading. Will I keep this book? No. But I will definitely be on the lookout for other volumes in this series. There was at least two volumes published prior and I'm pretty certain that Gwandanaland published at least a couple more volumes of later adventures of Crimebuster.
A must read for fans of pre-code crime comics! A whole lot cheaper too. I suspect that the reason I got such a good deal on this book was that it got returned because one of the issues is unreadable. The scan is so blurry. I couldn't even read it with my reading glasses without getting a headache. And yes, I am counting myself has having read the whole book even though I had to give up on that poorly copied issue containing TWO Crimebuster tales. It's presence was included in order to maintain a complete run of stories. Hopefully, other volumes don't suffer from such additions. I don't think my eyes could take it.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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