Friday Night Fights: Like a Full-Fledged Twister

Abigail Mathilda "Ma" Hunkle -- mother, shopkeeper, and the original Red Tornado -- takes the good fight straight to the Reichsfurher's mustachioed kisser:

(from All-American Comics #40, July 1942; by Sheldon Mayer)
Power rings, gravity rods, and magic lassos? Bah! I'd take a soup pot, a strong right hook, and a mismatched set of longjohns over such frivolities any day.


Bless ya, Ma Hunkle. If the high muckety-mucks at DC are as serious about respecting the legendary Sheldon Mayer's legacy as they claim, let's see them put their money where their mouths are and release collected editions of Mayer's "Scribbly" stories (where the tongue-in-cheek adventures of the Red Tornado began) and the equally outstanding Sugar and Spike.

On a side note, socking ol' Adolph in the face is an integral part of taking up the Red Tornado's heroic mantle, as shown by this panel from Justice League of America #108 (November-December 1973) featuring the android incarnation of the character carrying on the proud legacy pioneered by Ma Hunkle:

Some things -- like face-punching Hitler or vintage rock'n'roll classics -- never go out of style.

Bill Haley & His Comets - Shake, Rattle, and Roll (from Rock Around the Clock, 1955)

Dale Hawkins - Tornado (from Rock 'n' Roll Tornado, 1998)

(A night that's special everywhere.)