My Rating
“Way Out West!”
Yee Haw! Venus was supposed to be showing off her curves at a Atlantic City beauty pageant but someone altered Mr. Hammond’s Telegram. Welcome to Cactus City little cowgirl!
Who could have changed the goddess of love’s vacation destination? Della…! No matter, it’s time for Venus to check out the local yokels and let her hair down. How are those blue jeans treating you Venus? Here comes the cowpokes.
“Venus Stops The Presses!”
Road trip! Venus has to run the office today because Mr. Hammond has a very important business at the Hammond Printing Plant. Sorry Venus, no dames are allowed! Well, okay if you put it like that, you can come.
How many magazines are going to get printed when all the Union Boys are following the skirt around like a lost puppy? Can Forman Jim restore order before they cause printing delays? Will Venus ever get invited back?
“Birthday Blues!”
Today’s Hedy’s birthday, and oh what a time it has been already. Her fans have flooded her dressing room with flowers. The bosses have arranged dinner at the finest restaurant. She even got serenaded by famous opera singers. Wait, does Gabby have a plain old boutique of posies?
Time to step up your game if you want to compete with the wolves. How is Gabby going to compete with all those deep pockets? It’s time to come up with a plan!
“Murder In Miniature”
Robert Crane had always been careful when he inked his forgeries. It had been so long since his first check was cashed under his various employer’s names. None had been the wiser when their bank accounts had come up a few hundred short. They were all high rollers with various mugs’ hands in their nest eggs. But James Manton was different.
How did the old man figure out Bob’s racket? Robert was almost certain he did things right. No matter, it’s time to retrieve his rod and snub out this latest boss. Rule number one of being a forger, when caught, remove any evidence leading to the crime.
“Between Two Worlds!”
Where do you disappear to? That same question was on the minds of both Della and Mr. Hammond. While the owner of Beauty Magazine tries smooth interrogation at an upscale cocktail joint, his secretary has a more seedy plan. Della hops a cab for the lower East Side Manhattan. Say hello to the boys at the Peerless Private Detective Agency!
What does $100 get you when a pair of down on their luck gumshoes need the dough? Is Venus able to use her hokus pokus to discover the rat within the business offices of Beauty Magazine? How much does a good eye doctor cost anyway? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
If you take a pinch of romance, add a pound of Abbott and Costello comedy, and mix in some light superhero magic you get issue number two of Atlas Comics’ Venus. There is a whole lot of content to unpack in this episode. We get three new Venus stories, a Murder mystery short story, and Hedy De Vine.
For the ten-cent price tag teen girls sure got a lot of content back in 1948. It’s really sad how times have changed. Stan Lee worked his fingers to the bone putting out the amount of content that he did. I won’t go into a lot of details on each individual story, but I can say there is definitely a variety.
The superhero aspect is missing for the most part. We do get a glimpse into Venus’ power set in the “Between Two Worlds!” story. As things stand as of issue two, Venus is unable to use most of her powers while residing on Earth. She can magically teleport back and forth to her home world of Venus. Venus retains a heightened sixth sense similar to San Lee’s future creation known as Spider-Man.
While on the planet Venus the goddess of love has supernatural powers drawn from the forces of nature and ancient magic. We get to see her watching Della and two detectives with the power of remote viewing. Venus also seems to have the ability to attract a very large crowd of men by just walking into a room. I’m not sure if this is a super power or just a benefit of being the most beautiful girl in the world. Heck she diverted a airplane takeoff just by waving at the pilot and copilot. You be the judge.
Venus has definitely gained a new level of confidence in this issue, so I hope the hero storylines start soon. The slapstick comedy is prevalent in this issue which is my favorite part. I’m giving issue two of Venus four out of five stars. Definitely check this series out if you can find a copy.
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