Tuesday, May 11, 2021

Two Who Drew Lance O'Casey and One Who Didn't

The Poisoned Sea Mystery, Whiz 128

After a 49-issue absence from Whiz Comics Lance O'Casey returns with #103 and art by Louis Cazeneuve, recognizable from his work on Boy Commandos, Seven Soldiers of Victory, and so on at DC. There's another artist, whom I can't ID, and the next along is Clem Weisbecker, whose Fawcett movie comics I listed in my previous post. The run from #132 to the end, #155, is said to include Charles Tomsey art, but I haven't got a handle on his style.
 
The Grand Comics Database has attributed the Lance O'Casey stories in #119, 123, 125, and 128 to Dick Dillin. I can see why a reader could be reminded of Blackhawk art, but Weisbecker's trademark long square faces do show through under different inkers on the different stories. Shown is a page from "The Poisoned Sea Mystery." Suffice it to say that the inking on the four O'Casey stories mentioned above is no more Dillin's than the pencilling is.

Issues not listed here between #103-131 do not have Lance O'Casey stories.

Lance O'Casey in WHIZ COMICS


Nov/48 #103  LOC and the Lamp of Three Wishes a: Louis Cazeneuve
Dec/     #104  The Perils of the Pearls a: Cazeneuve
Jan/49 #105  LOC Meets Longo of the Congo a: Cazeneuve
Mar/     #107  LOC and the Lady Pirate  a: Cazeneuve
Apr/     #108  The Bandit Birds a: ?
May/     #109  LOC and the Pirate's Festival a: ?
July/      #111  The Stolen Starfish a: ?
Aug/     #112  Magnet of Death a: Cazeneuve
Sep/     #113  Doomed! a: Cazeneuve
Nov/     #115  LOC and the Photo of Death a: Cazeneuve
Jan/50  #117  The Plight of Homer Whittington, Jr. p: Clem Weisbecker
Mar/     #119  The Pan American Bull Session p: Weisbecker
Apr/     #120  The Strange Fight a: Cazeneuve
May/     #121  Frame Up p: Weisbecker
July/     #123  Treachery Under Cover p: Weisbecker
Aug/     #124  The Death Warrants p: Weisbecker
Sep/     #125  Dangerous Cargo p: Weisbecker
Nov/     #127  The Reign of Terror p: Weisbecker
Dec/     #128  The Poisoned Sea Mystery p: Weisbecker
Jan/51  #129  Pirate Warfare p: Weisbecker
Mar/     #131  LOC Raids the Antarctic Hide-Out p: Weisbecker

The Grand Comics Database has credited Cazeneuve with some of the Whiz issues listed but mistakenly on Golden Arrow instead of Lance O'Casey (not that I can give a name to the GA artist at this particular point).

Golden Arrow in WHIZ COMICS

Nov/48 #103  GA and the Passenger Bandit a: NOT Cazeneuve
Dec/     #104  The Vanishing Payrolls a: NOT Cazeneuve
Jan/49 #105  GA and the Duo of Crime a: NOT Cazeneuve
Mar/     #107  GA and the Treacherous Masquerade a: NOT Cazeneuve