The Tragedy of the SS Normandie in MLJ's Hangman Comics #2, at Auction

Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Harry Lucey, MLJ

The Tragedy of the SS Normandie in MLJ's Hangman Comics #2, at Auction

Hangman Comics #2 includes stories inspired by the 1942 SS Normandie disaster and "The Clock Maker" saga in Batman #6.

Published Sun, 01 Nov 2026 16:56:09 -0600
by Mark Seifert
|
Comments

Article Summary

• Hangman Comics #2 turns the 1942 SS Normandie disaster into a Nazi sabotage plot led by Captain Swastika.
• Harry Lucey’s standout Hangman cover fronts an early MLJ issue packed with wartime tension and pulp menace.
• The Clockmaker of Death echoes Batman #6, with revenge murders, lethal clock traps, and a giant clock climax.
• Scarce in CGC census, Hangman Comics #2 stands out as an early MLJ key with history, villains, and crossover appeal.

The Hangman nemesis and Nazi villain Captain Swastika takes credit for a burning ocean liner in Hangman Comics #2, cover-dated Spring 1942, and the image of a burning, heavily listing liner at a pier in New York harbor strongly suggests the Normandie, which burned and capsized while being converted into an American troop transport that February. Investigators ruled that there was no sabotage in the real-life incident, but the Hangman story turned this history into the work of Nazi agents. The standout cover by Harry Lucey represents another Hangman story here, "The Clockmaker of Death", which has some similarities to "The Clock Maker" from Batman #6, published about seven months prior.

Hangman and the Burning Liner

The story brings Elsa Danning to New York with information about a Nazi conspiracy. An American-born woman whose father, a German official, has been sent to a concentration camp, her effort to reveal what she knows to American authorities brings her to the attention of Captain Swastika. The Nazi villain subsequently describes his Legion's activities, including spreading propaganda, acts of sabotage, and obtaining information to guide German attacks. The wrecked liner supplies a vivid example of the destruction he claims his organization can cause.

The real Normandie had been renamed Lafayette for its conversion into a troop transport. It caught fire at New York's Pier 88 on February 9, 1942, and capsized the following day. According to the Navy's history of the Lafayette, torch sparks ignited life jackets, and failures of coordination helped turn the fire into a disaster. The Normandie's fire suppression system was disconnected during its conversion, and New York City firefighters' hoses were incompatible with the ship's internal system. Fire officials concluded it was not an act of sabotage.

This was the first issue published under the Hangman Comics title, continuing the numbering of Special Comics #1. Another Hangman story here, "The Clockmaker of Death," may have an inspiration of a different kind. The clockmaker, John Simms, has spent twenty years in prison after being framed for selling stolen jewels, and the experience drives him mad. He learns clockmaking in prison, and once he's out, he designs deadly clocks to take revenge through time-triggered murders. There appears to be a parallel here with "The Clock Maker" in the earlier Batman #6. Both stories have victims connected to the Clockmaker's business, use gas and poisoned-dart clock devices among others, and end with a fatal confrontation on a giant clock face.

CGC lists 25 Universal copies of Hangman Comics #2, with two at 5.5 and four higher. An early MLJ issue with a great cover and inspirations ranging from the WWII era Normandie disaster to Batman, there's a Hangman Comics #2 (MLJ, 1942) CGC FN- 5.5 off-white to white pages copy up for auction at the November 5, 2026 Golden Age Century Comics Showcase Auction VI #40378.

Affiliates of Bleeding Cool buy from and/or consign to Heritage Auctions.

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!