I have previously posted on the pulp-inspired comic books by Canadian author Dave Darrigo (1954-2024), both his Wordsmith and his short-lived comics.
After a too-brief stint with The Green Hornet at NOW Comics, he started his own comic book company, Special Studio, which existed from 1989-91 under Diamond Press in Canada. There he put out several pulp-inspired comics, most written by him. A total of 14 comics came from the company.
Last time I looked at The Green Hornet-inspired Black Scorpion, along with another comic by others. This time I look at two by Darrigo: The Snake and Piranha Is Loose!
First up is The Snake, which had only one issue. It’s another Green Hornet-inspired series, but one with several differences. I heard one reviewer describe it as “Green Hornet, but he’s really a criminal.” After reading it, I don’t quite agree.
The artwork is by Ron Hobbs, who painted the cover and did the black-and-white artwork. Peter Hsu did three pages of art. I’m not sure who did the black-and-white wash for the artwork. I don’t find any other comicbook work that Hobbs has done. There is also a three-page article by Darrigo explaining how this comic came about.
So we meet The Snake and his boss, Salazar, early on. The Snake is Salazar’s enforcer, who wears a trench coat and hat, along with a domino mask. He has a snake tattoo on his arm and hand, and a pencil-thin mustache. He carries a whip along with a gun. And he’s not afraid to kill, unlike The Green Hornet. We never see the two together. There is no equivalent to Kato or the Black Beauty, but the Snake is assisted by other thugs.
A man approaches Salazar for help. His elderly father, a fixture in the local community, was beaten by a street gang that has moved into the area. He is now in a coma. Salazar agrees to help in return for a favor, as Salazar wishes to protect the local community. He seems like a Godfather-like figure, but we really don’t see him engaging in any real criminal activity.
The Snake soon takes out the street gang, including killing some. Then Salazar calls in the favor. He needs the man’s help to take down another criminal who is encroaching on the community, a Madame Joy. He does so, and again, the Snake appears to deliver the message that she is not wanted but does not kill her.
Sadly, we only got one issue. I’m not sure why, as it’s clear that more could have been written. We don’t get an origin, nor is it clear if Salazar is really a criminal godfather or just pretending. The time period isn’t clear, but I think it is set in current time, what with the electronics and guns used.
Next is Piranha Is Loose!, which lasted two issues. The cover and interior artwork are by Peter Grau. Piranha is a large, bald, mute man who is fighting the drug cartels in Latin America. The location is never quite identified, though it seems to be Peru or northern Chile. He is partnered with Emilio Ricardo, a former Federal agent. We learn that Piranha used to be Larry Perrano, who worked for the DEA until the cartel caught him and ripped out his teeth and tongue. We soon learn why he is called “Piranha.” This series seems less pulp-inspired than inspired by the men’s adventure paperback series.
Each issue has a different story, though linked. The first has Piranha stopping a drug shipment and destroy a new airstrip. The second has Piranha going to rescue a female archaeologist who has been grabbed by drug smugglers. I assume more were planned, but I have no idea why we didn’t other than maybe sales were just not there. They published The Black Scorpion next, and then Special Studio soon shut down.
These are both interesting series. It’s too bad that we didn’t get more. With recent changes in publishing, these could have been revived with a crowdsource campaign and using print-on-demand to get out issues. Check them out yourselves.
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