62 african appropriations
rescued by Lemmy; Sonia and Captain Vic kidnapped, rescued by Spear;
and so on), and a male and female readership across at least two age groups
with a strong sense of identification. Young Lemmy was the env y of many
readers. One-time reader Tunde Giwa (2008) recalls: “W hen Spearman
took on a young sidekick called Lemmy, many of us almost died of jeal-
ousy—we so wanted to be in his shoes.”
Spear’s enemies make up a wide range of evil characters, from ordinary
thieves to power-hungry wannabe rulers of the world. There are profes-
sional masked gangsters like the Cats—a group of cat burglars all dressed
in black, with eyeshades and claw gloves—who mysteriously cling to the
highest wall of any building (nos. 130–133; 144–145; 164–165; see figure 2.3).
Bald-headed Rabon Zollo, dressed in black with an eye-patch, is Spear’s
nemesis in the earlier episodes. He is succeeded by a panoply of evil char-
acters, whose make-up and sinister plans are ever more fantastic with each
new antagonist. There is Dr. Devil, dressed in a rubber Halloween mask
and cape, who wants to rule the world (nos. 134–136); the one-eyed Hook-
Hand Killer, who murders out of passion (nos. 172–173); and a syndicate
boss, who uses the Earth Monster, a furry giant, to execute his will (nos.
181–185). The later episodes introduce a certain amount of science fiction
in the form of mad professors such as Mad Doc, who has developed a
special serum to shrink people (nos. 171–175); Professor Thor, who pos-
figure 2.2The four crime busters in The Spear’s office, African Film magazine (no. 124: 18).
Author’s collection.