Title: "Dizzy Doctors"
Story (out of 24 pages): 24 p.
Writers: J. M. Sweet and Jack Staten Monahew (credited as "J. Staten Monahew")
Penciller:J. M. Sweet
Letterer: J. M. Sweet
Summary:
Jon is going in for knee surgery in the morning...and Hiss Hole uses the occasion to seek his revenge. He and his cadre of goons disguise themselves as a troupe of visiting surgeons. Once he gains access to Jon's room, Hiss Hole puts the young hero to sleep with a special injection and begins to wheel him down the corridor to the o.r, where he plans to perform an operation that Jon will not survive.
In the waiting room, however, the other Warriors immediately recognize several of the fake doctors milling about in the halls as Cobra Clan operatives. Recognizing that in his injured state he's unable to fight back, the troops mobilize. Josh and Angela argue about how to handle the situation--she wants to talk about a strategy, but Josh simply wants to run in without thinking and hope for the best. The dispute temporarily splits up the Warriors and leaves them with no leader and no plan.
Josh's solo attack fails miserably, and without Jon's sound thinking and guidance, Angela severely doubts her abilities. But thanks to Flunger's pep talk and some encouragement from her friends--including a severely chastened Josh, now ready to listen to reason--she realizes that she can be a capable team leader. She devises a plan to save Jon which relies on teamwork and precision timing to make it happen. But Hiss Hole is in the o.r. and already prepared to make the first fatal incision. Will Angela be able to implement her scheme before Jon ends up sliced and diced like a Thanksgiving turkey?
Notes
page 2. "Dizzy Doctors" was the title of a 1937 Three Stooges short which was also set in a hospital. The black-and-white motif may also be a nod to the Stooges, whose theatrical shorts were all B&W (hence, no colorist's credit).
page 3. This marks the triumphant return of the Cobra Clan after over a year's absence! Except for a couple of small background cameos and his last (heard but unseen) brief appearance in the Oct 2007 issue (which Prof. Fruitcake also appeared in), Hiss Hole has been absent from the series since way back in
"Once Upon a Time Warp"...and the rest of the Clan hasn't been seen together since "Demi-Jon".
See "Goofs" section for more information.
Roster of Supervillains
Dr. Chicago. Refers to the film Dr. Zhivago.
Prof. Blud. Last mentioned in "The Foul Stench of Doom!"
Ms. Scarlet. Refers to a character in the popular board game Clue.
The Dark Kipper. A villain that never got past the conception stage. He was to be an evil version of the titular character from the short-lived Bailey Kipper's P.O.V, created by a power surge bringing a videotape image to life as a "living negative".
Frat Boy. Originally intended as "Fart Boy", but this concept later became "The FartKnocker" (see Prof. Blud's entry).
Duke E.
Tiger Lily. Possible reference to the Batman villain Poison Ivy, who had extensive knowledge of and power over plants. Also the title of a 1960s Woody Allen film, What's Up, Tiger Lily?
The Virago. Refers to a story written by J. M. Sweet, "Virago". It deals with a spate of killings in and around a small college town in the year 2000. The story--loosely based on real events--is available here at the SCP webstore.
Her inclusion on the list of villains indicates that she's either relocated, or a copycat may be working in Jigaboo Junction.
[name cut off]
page 4. "Crapshow" parodies the title of the Creepshow movie. It was an homage to the now-defunct EC (Entertaining Comics) publications of the 1950's, noted for its grotesque characters and horrific, bizarre plots. Though some believe "Creepshow" was an actual published title that inspired the movie, it wasn't, although a tie-in comic based on the script, drawn by Bernie Wrightson, was published shortly after the film's release.
page 5. The fake names Hiss Hole gives are suited to each member of the Clan: he refers to himself as "Hissenger", possibly a pun on former Secretary of State Henry Kissenger. "Lippelman" puns on Slobber Face's large lips; "Nariz", Noodle Nozzle's handle, is Spanish for "nose", and Fruitcake is called "Karloff", after Boris Karloff, after the famed horror-movie actor famous for playing deformed scientists and monsters.
page 10. Gort mentions that Cleopatra was only fifteen when she married Richard Burton--obviously confusing the historical queen with actress and onetime beauty Elizabeth Taylor, who played Cleopatra in the lavish bioepic...and indeed later married her costar in that picture, the handsome yet unstable Mr. Burton.
Fingers' nasty epithets for Gorilla Man on page 21, "Kong" and "Mighty Joe Dong", play on King Kong and Mighty Joe Young, both films about larger-than-normal apes. Also, on the previous page, Angela refers to Gorilla Man as "Jungle Jim". Johnny Weissmueller, who perhaps was best known as Tarzan in a number of films, played a similar character--an intrepid mystery-solving khaki-clad bwana character--late in his career. One rumor goes he had simply gotten too heavy to fit in the famous Tarzan loincloth!
Goofs and Nitpicks
The newspaper article Hiss Hole reads from (page 3) says that six doctors are expected to visit the hospital; however, counting him, five disguised Cobra Clan members appear at the hospital on page 5. Writer J.M. Sweet says that a scene with the sixth Clan member--a stuttering bat-faced mutant labeled "Jello Brain" on the model sheets but identified only as "Ears" in his only other appearance (July 2005 )--was cut, and he was eventually totally erased from any group shots of the villains. This created one of several continuity gaps in this issue.
On page 16, Flunger tells Ben, "I'm handing off to you...You'll take Jon to Gort!". However, on page 19, Ben hands Jon off to Billy. The reason for this is that a page was excised after Angela's scene, cutting straight to Flunger's. It shows Gorilla Man ripping open the elevator doors to go after her. While the big ape is trying to reach the cable to pull up her car, Gort--who happens by at that moment--pulls out a scalpel and stabs him in the ass. Gorilla Man reacts in pain, loses his balance and falls down the shaft. Angela arrives safe and exits a moment before Gorilla Man crashes through the elevator roof, landing headfirst on the floor and knocking himself silly. Gort appears in a neighboring stairwell and says, "Next time, take the stairs!" This delay necessitated a quick change in the pass chain, and Angela reassigns Billy to Gort's station. The deleted scene is included in Belch Dimension#44. -->
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The doctor is in...sane. Gross anatomy is about to get a whole lot grosser when Jon winds up in the hospital, and Hiss Hole impersonates a doctor in order to get to him. Can the Warriors keep their fearless leader from going under the knife? Or will Jon get a taste of Hissy-boy's cutting wit? This is one issue that is guaranteed to keep you in stitches.
