Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid

Edit links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"Mr. Scarlet" redirects here. Not to be confused with men named Scarlett or other characters surnamed Scarlet.

Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid are two duo fictional

cover-dated Winter 1940-41), and was created by France Herron and Jack Kirby while Pinky Butler (Brian's son) became his sidekick, Pinky the Whiz Kid. After Brian's death, Pinky takes over the role as Mr. Scarlet in DC's continuity. Pinky Butler premiered in the fourth issue of Wow Comics.[1]

Publication history

Mr. Scarlet, created by writer

Justice League of America
#135-137 (Oct.-Dec. 1976).

Fictional character biography

Brian Butler

Brian Butler
Jack Binder.
Publication information
PublisherFawcett Comics
DC Comics
First appearanceWow Comics #1 (Winter 1940-41)
Created byFrance Herron (writer)
Jack Kirby (artist)
In-story information
Alter egoBrian Butler
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsSquadron of Justice
All-Star Squadron
Notable aliasesMr. Scarlet
AbilitiesOlympic level athlete
Keen investigative skills
Use of utility belt

Mr. Scarlet is district attorney Brian Butler, who along with his adopted son Pinky the Whiz Kid, fought evil in his city for several years. His success was such that his employment was frequently in jeopardy due to a lack of crime.[3] As a result throughout his series, he took up several odd jobs to supplement his family's income. He used inventive devices to help him apprehend criminals, and had great acrobatic and hand-to-hand combatant skills.[4]

In his first appearance in Wow Comics #1, Brian was based in

Fawcett City.[5]

The heroes tangle with a wide variety of villains, including the sinister Death Battalion, who plan the assassinations of top government officials. The Battalion's members include Dr. Death, the Ghost, the Horned Hood, the Black Thorn, the Black Clown, the Laughing Skull, and their leader known as "the Brain" is actually the warden of El Catraz prison.[6]

Although initially appearing in the 1940s, Mr. Scarlet and Pinky were revealed to still be active and at relatively the same age level in the 1970s during a team-up with the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America in Justice League of America 135-137. It was during this team-up that the two crime-fighters joined with several other heroes from Earth-S to form Shazam's Squadron of Justice.[7]

Pinky Butler

Pinky Butler
Publication information
PublisherFawcett Comics
DC Comics
First appearanceWow Comics #4 (Winter 1941-42)
In-story information
Alter egoPinkerton "Pinky" Butler
SpeciesHuman
Team affiliationsSquadron of Justice
All-Star Squadron
Notable aliasesPinky the Whiz Kid
Mr. Scarlet II
AbilitiesOlympic level athlete
Keen investigative skills
Use of utility belt

Pinky was the adopted son of district attorney Brian Butler, also known as

Mr. Scarlet
, who fought evil in his city for several years. His father's success was such that his employment was frequently in jeopardy due to a lack of crime. As a result, he throughout his series took up several odd jobs to supplement his family's income.

Although initially appearing in the 1940s, Mr. Scarlet and Pinky were revealed to still be active and at relatively the same age level in the 1970s during a team-up with the

Earth-S and turned people into diamonds, although no further adventures of this team were chronicled thereafter.[7]

After the

Fawcett City for several years. It is also revealed how they retained their youth since the 1940s, as the wizard Shazam
provided a protective field around the city for decades allowing its inhabitants to age slower than their contemporaries in other cities.

Pinky first appeared as Mr. Scarlet in The Power of Shazam #44.

Mr. Scarlet later rescues Freddy Freeman from Prometheus' captivity, alongside the Bulleteer.[8]

In "

Boom. By the time Emiko reunites with Stargirl, Pinky the Whiz Kid is among those that are subdued by the Hourman android.[10] Thanks to a diversion from Corky Baxter, Boom proceeded to use this diversion to free everyone. Following Time Master and Childminder's defeat and Wing being sent back to his own time, Pinky the Whiz Kid is among the Lost Children that are brought to Stargirl's time by the Hourman android due to paradoxical reasons.[11]

Other versions

  • A new version of Mr. Scarlet appeared in
    daughter
    , and the new Thunder. He has a large crest running down his hood, based on the fin on the original's cowl.
  • A script for a Mister Scarlet movie serial was created by Republic Pictures in 1942-43. Scarlet, who was a D. A. that fought crime in a costume at night with the help of his secretary. When DC comics company sued Fawcett, asserting that Captain Marvel was a copy of Superman, and dragged Republic into the lawsuit, Republic quickly decided not to use any more Fawcett characters in serials, especially any that could fly or wore anything like Superman did. So they hastily replaced the lead character, or at least his costume, in the planned Mister Scarlet serial with Captain America, whose name and costume they were allowed to use in exchange for buying some ads in Timely comics. This was all arranged for so hastily that Republic decided not to rewrite the script for the serial at all so Captain America's other identity in the serial was not that of a soldier named Steve Rogers; they just let him remain the D. A. character the script was written for, renaming him Grant Gardner instead of Brian Butler, and replaced the lead character's costume with Captain America's. Some references to Mister Scarlet remain in the finished serial, including a chapter titled "The Scarlet Clue" in which nothing appears that is that color.

References

  1. ISBN 978-1605490892
    .
  2. ISBN 0-87833-808-X
    . Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  3. ISBN 978-1-61318-023-5
    .
  4. ^ Mr. Scarlet and Pinky at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on March 10, 2016.
  5. ^ Wow Comics #1 (December 1940). Fawcett Comics.
  6. ISBN 978-1594749322
    .
  7. ^
    Justice League of America
     #135-137 (October–December 1976)
  8. ^ Justice League: Cry for Justice #7 (April 2010). DC Comics.
  9. ^ Stargirl: The Lost Children #4. DC Comics.
  10. ^ Stargirl: The Lost Children #5. DC Comics.
  11. ^ Stargirl: The Lost Children #6. DC Comics.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mr._Scarlet_and_Pinky_the_Whiz_Kid&oldid=1176585889"