Don Russell

History: A nameless alien invader came to Earth, took on the identity of “Don Russell”, and introduced himself to talent agent Steve Miller. Russell demonstrated an excellent singing voice, then started a career as a singer. Russell was an overnight sensation, appealing to young and old alike. Becoming suspiscious on his new discovery, Miller followed Russell and learned his secret - he was an alien warrior planning to have hypnotic impulses mixed in with the sound of his voice on records; an alien invasion force would then take control of the hypnotized populace. Miller had his wife, a former actress, play the role of Russell's wife, giving TV interviews and telling how Russell deserted her and their three children. The public turned against Russell. With his singing career ruined, the disgusted alien left Earth.

Height: 5 ft. 9 in.
Demonstrated Powers: Don Russell demonstrated no special powers, although he did have a remarkable singing voice.

Equipment:

Spaceship
Communications view-screen - used to communicate with home planet
Human face mask

Comment: In Marvel Premiere # 36, in a story set in 1958, The Skrulls tried a similar scheme, using rock 'n' roll music which contained impulses that caused violent behavior in teenagers (see Vince Rivers). The plot was foiled by The 3-D Man.

The alien on the splash page looks a lot like The Demon character that Kirby would develop for DC in the mid-70s.

Interesting that this character was “borrowed” by Jack from Hal Foster's Prince Valiant comic strip. Back in the early days of the strip, Val encountered some supernatural characters - and this one was a demon conjured by a sorcerer. He only appeared in one panel, but it must have made quite an influence on Jack to remember him all those years later.

i wonder if the golden age villain the FIDDLERobtained his technology from ''russels''race,i also think that SUB-MARINER,THE HUMAN TORCH,THE ANGEL and BLONDE PHANTOM went up against a few sound-based villlains as well,can anyone give me a list?,roy thomas,heed my call!!!

............. TURRRRRRRRD THE THING THAT COULD NOT DIE!!!!!!! :: 22 November 2006

I don't know where you came up with The Fiddler(Captain America Comics#7(10/41)/Captain America The Classic Years Vol.2(soft cover))using technology,because as far as I know he could be a Mutant or Mutate or his fiddle could be Magical or Technological in nature.The Golden Age 2004 Handbook says there is a ultrasonic villian named The Singer(USA Comics#14(fall/44)who fought the Whizzer.Possible other sound-based villians are The Phantom Troubadour(Human Torch Comics#31(7/48)Sub-Mariner & Namora story,Mad Musician(Captain America Comics#62(5/47)Captain America story,Black Dirge(Kid Komics#3(fall/43)Young Allies story,Voice(Marvel Mystery Comics#6(4/40)Electro story,Voice Of Doom(Amazing Comics#1(fall/44)Sgt.Dix story,and The Veiled Violinist(Human Torch Comics#5(sum/41).

Republic Film's 1944 Captain America serial has a villian called The Scarab who threatened world peace with a “Dynamic “(a device that converts sound waves into an e) and was stopped by Captain America(Grant Gardner,District Attorney).I saw it in the late 1970s or early 1980s.Non golden age sound-based villians are Lorelei(X-Men vol.1#63(12/69) who can hypnotically paralyze men by singing;Sidney Sarnak(Werewolf By Night#9(9/73) who used sonic whistle to control Army Of Fear;The Piper(a Dire Wraith) who uses his pipes to mesmerize children(music is unheard by s) and to create Bands Of Force to bind Rom(Rom#40(3/83);and Rhapsody(Rachel Argosy) a blue skinned mutant music teacher who uses music to fly,control emotions and minds of others,can have fatal consequences(she played a fiddle and a flute to use power) [X-Factor vol.1#79(6/92)].Turner D. Century(Marvel Team-Up vol.1#120(8/82)) used Time Horn to project Ultrasonic Waves that induced temporary unconsciousness inpeople under the age of 65(it was created to kill them).

Hmmmmmmmmm……perhaps You are right,maybe His fiddle was a gift from some evil god,maybe they ALL were(Loki?),but why would you suggest He was a mutant?He did eventually die from ''His Own ,MAD music'',so My guess is He saved himself from His own music previously with ear-plugs(they worked for bucky…),however,I came up with the idea of Him using Alien technology in an aborted series I wanted to do with minor golden-age Heroes with supernatural or creepy powers fighting monsters from both the pre-FF days and 5Os Horror stories from ''SUSPENSE'' and ''SPELLBOUND''and such,my story would have tied in Russel as being an alien from a race adhering to the conspiracy theory that flying saucers were Nazi constructs or that WW2 was caused by aliens,or that flying saucers were Nazi/Alien joint constructs,Russel would return and use his music to place the worlds poulation under hypnosis at a peace conference,only to be foiled by AARKUS;the VISION,TERROR and DYNAMIC MAN;who would use His robotic powers to screw up the electronics before Russell sang,a throaway joke in the story made by one of Russells Alien henchmen would have been;''I TOLD YOU IT WOULDNT WORK,YOU FOOL,IT DIDNT WORK WHEN YOU GAVE THAT GERMAN FIDDLER A VIBRATION-SENSITIVE BOMB DISRUPTOR,BACK WHEN WE WORKED FOR THE SO CALLED''MASTER RACE'',IT DIDNT WORK WHEN YOU BECAME A CROONER,AND I TOLD YOU IT WOULDNT WORK NOW!!!'',so indeed I had intended him to be a technology user,and mentioned Russells race as being Skrull offshoots with no shape-changing abilities,but it was not to be….

............. TURRRRRRRRRRRRD THE THING THAT COULD NOT DIE!!!!!!!! :: 19 December 2006

Because I think he used his music to do the samething the Grim Reaper's Coma-Inducing Ray did to the Avengers(Avengers vol.1#52(5/68) or Ultron's Encephalo-Beam did to the Avengers(Avengers vol.1#161(7/77).Remember he was immune to his power in the earlier scenes,but for some reason lost that immunity(I think he was a lover not a fighter).

Adventures into Mystery#4/Crypt Of Shadows#14(11/74)[Those In A Trance] Serge Mazerik's music has the power to hypnotize;he was an aspiring young composer-pianist who tried to rob people at his concert but was caught by Detective Lieutenant Jack Courtland (a stone deaf cop)who had his hearing aid turned off (he always shuts it off when he goes to concerts).Tomb Of Darkness#22(9/76)/Venus#19(4/52)[The Madman's Music] clarinet player named Johnny got a tooth knocked out in a fight and found he could play high notes he couldn't before,but no one else could hear it but the (ghosts) who made him play for all eternity.Tales To Astonish#47(1963)Trago used a specially modified trumpet to hypnotize his listeners (he fought Ant-Man(Pym) and the Wasp).

And leave us not forget another Ant-Man foe with sound-based hypnotic powers;Jason Cragg!!;the ''Man with the voice of doom''from TALES TO ASTONISH#42,like Don Russel,he had a hypnotically enticing voice,which he recieved from(I swear to God im not making this up)being hit with radiation leakage in his mouth while He was selling dog food on the radio(CRAGG:And remember that your dog KNOWS the difference,so give It the best!,give it……Peppo dog food!!. VOICES OF COUPLE:HURRY!lets run to the grocer and get some!,we dont even have a dog but we can eat it ourselves!!'')He turned all of New York against the tiny wife smacking(actually,not yet.)adventurer,but was defeated by Ant-Man giving Him laringitis,ja'think the ''leakage''was actually somenthing Russels race engineered,or the work of Loki or the Grandmaster?

............. TURRRRRRRRRRD THE THING THAT COULD NOT DIE!!!!!!! :: 06 January 2007

Kirby actually derived his design for Etrigan from a mask Prince Valiant wore. I have read just about every issue of Kirby's DEMON series and own #'s 1,2,3, and I must say that if Kirby's MARVEL series were movies,He had several actors play roles in THE DEMON, Reed Richards as Jason Blood, Enchantress as Glenda, Ben Grimm as Harry Matthews,Yogi Dakar as Randu Singh, Rommbu as the Gorla, Gorgolla as Merlin's gargoyles,the Captain of the guards from FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL 2 as Inspector Stavic(actually derived from Lionel Atwill)and Sazzik as Iron Duke………….Jack may have re-used character designs,but DEMON is probably Kirby's best DC work.

............. TURRRRRRRRRRD THE THING THAT COULD NOT DIE!!!!!!!!! :: 12 February 2007

The JSA foe known as the Fiddler was really Isaac bowin who, for some reason, was briefly imprisoned with a swami, in India. They escaped; whereupon the Fiddler killed the swami and took his magic violin strings for himself!

Btw: the Golden Age Fiddler should not be confused with the one-shot foe battled by Spidey on his 1960's cartoon show. Although, it'd be a great premise for another DC/Marvel crossover. Like, say, Spidey and Zatanna vs. the Fiddler?*

DC has a second Fiddler[Action Comics#146(7/50)/DC 100-Page Super Spectacular#6(1971 & 2004)] who fought the Golden Age Vigilante and Stuff;He and his fiddle had no special powers. “Fiddler On The Loose” was the title of the episode that Spider-Man fought the Fiddler(Otto) in the 1960's cartoon.

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