Revisiting an early discussion on Earth-Two's under-appreciated arch-foe Black Jack, perhaps this post will convince you dear reader that he wasn't merely a pirate. Sure he didn't have the fancy duds of Earth-One's Black Manta, nor the intensity and pathos that made Manta a legend, but Jack was ingenious if nothing else. Consider Adventure Comics #114: After initially facing a robotic octopus within a "skyscraper aquarium" fhat had real live sea life that Aquaman was promoting, the King of the Sea faced a robotic jellyfish that nearly electrocuted him, a henchmen dressed as a shark, and Jack's flying fish getaway vehicle (which Mr. Curry promptly captured using a suspended crane...and note the additional touch wherein he wrote harmless killer shark! Awesome!). How cool is that?
So Manta's shocking eye-blasts...check. Cool fish gear in spandex...check. Sweet ride...check. I think mano-y-mano Jack may have held his own against Manta. Okay, maybe not...
Still, Jack was an under-appreciated golden age villain who, despite not wearing a flash suit (those were reserved for henchmen, such as another case when one wore a copy of Aquaman's duds) nor being featured in the limelight of Saturday Morning cartoons as was Manta on the Super Friends. Nevertheless, each black baddie shared similar tenacity and determination, coupled with cool tech-gadgets.
Still, Jack was an under-appreciated golden age villain who, despite not wearing a flash suit (those were reserved for henchmen, such as another case when one wore a copy of Aquaman's duds) nor being featured in the limelight of Saturday Morning cartoons as was Manta on the Super Friends. Nevertheless, each black baddie shared similar tenacity and determination, coupled with cool tech-gadgets.
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