Under the Hood (III-IV) by Hollis Mason
III
- Hollis Mason continues his origin story. Here, he recalls the nuts and bolts of creating a persona (cape or no cape?).
- After Nite Owl bursts upon the scene, so does the first female hero: the Silhouette, who shuts down a child pornography ring.
- Then reports come in of a gliding man dressed as a moth (Mothman), a young vigilante by the name of the Comedian, the Silk Spectre (an aspiring actress and model), and Dollar Bill (a former college athlete sponsored by a chain of banks).
- They dress up, fight crime, and become celebrities… until WWII and their own unsavory sides get in the way.
- Hooded Justice turns out to be a semi-supporter of Hitler. Captain Metropolis is a not-so-closeted racist. The Silhouette has some sexual secrets, and the rest are flawed in other ways.
- These Minutemen are no saints, and cause almost as many problems as they solve.
IV
- Moving on, Mason recounts the birth of the Minutemen supergroup, set up by Laurence Schexnayder, Sally Jupiter’s then-agent and future husband.
- In a publicity stunt, Hooded Justice and Sally Jupiter begin to date, although H.J. never seems that into her.
- Next on the list of superhero scandals is the Comedian’s 1940 attempted rape of Silk Spectre. Then we have the Silhouette being kicked out of the Minutemen in 1946 for being a lesbian, and her subsequent murder in bed along with her lover.
- Once Sally retires after giving birth to Laurie in 1949, the jig is up and the Minutemen call it quits. One question remains: what is a jig, anyway?