Marvo the Magician

Comics Golden Age Stuff Other Golden Age stuff

Power Level: Mid-level

Game system: DC Heroes Role-Playing Game

Role: Character (Heroic)

Context

Mostly forgotten publisher Ace Magazines did pulps during the 1930s, and comics during the 1940s and 1950s. Most now know of their work indirectly, when their Doctor Nemesis character became public domain and was reinvented as Marvel’s Doctor Nemesis.

Writeups.org contributor Sean took notes for a few Ace characters. These include Marvo the Magician, (F)Lash Lightning and Magno the Magnetic Man.

Background

Real Name: Unrevealed.
Marital Status: Presumed single.
Known Relatives: None.
Group Affiliation: None.
Base Of Operations: “The highway to adventure”.

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Powers and Abilities

He used his Illusion power to create the illusion that one of the planes from a carnival ride had broken loose. He used his Transmutation power to turn a bunch of saws into rubber. He used his Illusion power to make a wall seem to vanish and to make the handle of a poker seem to be red hot. He also used this power to create the illusion of a bunch of cannibals appear.

To use any of his powers, he has to say a word but change some of the letters into something vaguely resembling Italian. For example:

To make the poker seem red hot, he said “Humidio Roddack”.
To create the illusion of cannibals, he said “Carnivoro !”
To make an illusion vanish, he said “Vanisio !”
To make a wall disappear, he said “Vanisi !”
To turn the saws into rubber, he said “Presto Rubberio !”
To make the illusion of the plane, he said “Automati Gesto !”

Marvo is ably assisted by his monkey Tito.

History

Marvo the Magician appeared in all 13 issues of Sure-Fire Comics, which changed its name to Lightning Comics with the fourth issue.

In issue #3, he saves a country carnival from some crooks.

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Description

A standard Mandrake ripoff of the sort so popular in those days, he wears a dark suit at all times. His neatly combed hair is black, and he has a thin moustache.

Personality

A fairly standard action hero, he tends to be a bit impulsive, getting in over his head and having to rely on Tito to save him.

Quotes

“I’ll have to buy Tito a bag of peanuts for that.”

DC Universe History

Another character who could easily fit into DC’s Golden Age, along with all the other Mandrake-wannabe’s.

Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG

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