EFFENDI MAHOMAD
Real Name: Eddie Lorey
Identity/Class: Human technology user
(1940s era)
Occupation: Spiritualist/medium, con-man
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: His henchmen
Enemies: Dennis Danting, Mrs. Danting, Silver Scorpion (Betty Barstow/Barlow) (see comments)
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: His studio/hideout in Los
Angeles, California (see comments)
First Appearance: Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5
(January, 1942)
Powers/Abilities: Having no actual supernatural
abilities, confidence man Eddie Lorey created the false-identity of
"Effendi Mahomad"; using a movie projector and theatrics, he staged hoax
seances in a scheme to swindle wealthy patrons with the "spirits" of
their deceased relatives. He was armed with a dagger.
Height: 5' 10" (by
approximation)
Weight: 170 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Black
History: (Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Eddie Lorey is largely unrevealed, but two years earlier he had been a confidence man on the West Coast. He came up with a scheme to adopt a "Hindu monicker" and became "Effendi Mahomad" (see comments); he then conducted phoney seances to swindle wealthy clients. He used his fake medium racket all over the country, and was continuously pursued by the police. He eventually set up his studio in California.
(Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5) - Hearing that Effendi Mahomad could communicate with the dead, Mrs. Danting went to his studio so that she might speak with her deceased husband and get his advice on how to invest her money. Employing his trickery, Effendi Mahomad brought forth the "spirit" of Miles Danting, who told his wife to entrust $10,000 cash to Mahomad, who would take care of investing it for her. Mahomad told Mrs. Danting he would stop by her home at midnight to pick up the money.
Back at her mansion, while she made arrangements to acquire the cash, Mrs. Danting told her son Dennis about her visit to Effendi Mahomad and how she had spoken to the spirit of her late husband. Thinking the medium was a only a fraud, Dennis went to the office of detective Dan Hurley to have him investigate the so-called mystic. Although the detective was out, Dennis spoke with Hurley's secretary Betty Barstow and told her the story; Betty assured him someone would be on the case that night---she didn't mention it would be herself, as the Silver Scorpion.
In his studio, Lorey plotted with his henchmen to stage an
armed robbery at Mrs. Danting's mansion while he was there collecting
the money as Effendi Mahomad, thus giving him an alibi.
At midnight, Effenidi Mahomad visited Mrs. Danting's mansion to get the $10,000; while Mrs. Danting was retrieving the money from a wall-safe, he signaled three of his henchmen from a window. The trio of crooks broke into the house and demanded the cash at gunpoint, and one of the robbers even pistol-whipped Effendi Mahomad, just to make it look authentic. The Silver Scorpion rushed in and used jiu-jitsu against her clumsy opponents, incapacitating the three henchmen. Then Dennis Danting entered and called out a warning to the Silver Scorpion just as Effendi Mahomad pulled out a dagger and was running toward her, but the Silver Scorpion flipped the phoney mystic over her shoulder.
The Silver Scorpion held the dazed crooks at gunpoint
while Dennis phoned the police. Shortly afterward, a squad car
arrived and the policemen recognized Lorey immediately--they explained
how his seances were only trickery and took the crooks into custody.
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Harry Sahle (artist).
Although he claimed to be
a Hindu mystic, the name "Effendi Mahomad" suggests an Arabic background
(with "effendi" being a title of respect, basically meaning "sir").
With his use of disguises and "special-effects," Effendi Mahomad kind of
reminds me of Mysterio (who fought another arachnid-themed hero @
Amazing Spider-Man I#13).
Although the Silver Scorpion's secret identity was given as "Betty
Barstow" in this Timely Comics story, she was later reintroduced into
Marvel continuity with a new costume and the surname "Barlow" in Invaders
II#2 (June, 1993).
Also in Invaders II#2, Captain America and Miss America met Silver
Scorpion while they were in Los Angeles, which was apparently Silver
Scopion's home turf, so I'm assuming Effendi Mahomad's studio was also
based in that area as well.
Profile by Ron Fredricks.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Effendi Mahomad/Eddie Lorey has no known connections to:
Dennis, Miles, and Mrs. Danting have no known connections to:
Numbering at least five (none identified), they assisted Effendi Mahomad with his phoney seance racket.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5
A wealthy woman, she was the widow of deceased stock-broker Miles Danting, and the mother of Dennis Danting.
She went to Effendi Mahomad's studio in the hopes of speaking with the spirit of Miles, to get his advice on how to invest her money. She was fooled by the "mystic's" phoney seance, and was later nearly robbed by him and his gang, if not for the timely intervention of the Silver Scorpion.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5
The adult son of the late Miles Danting and his wife, Dennis was skeptical about his mother's claim that she spoke with the spirit of his father during her visit to Effendi Mahomad. He tried to hire detective Jim Hurley to investigate the "mystic," and spoke with Hurley's secretary (who was secretly the Silver Scorpion).
Later that night, Dennis arrived at his mother's home just as Effendi Mahomad and his henchmen were about to rob her The Silver Scorpion fought the thugs while Dennis phoned the police.
A squad car arrived to arrest the crooks, and Dennis was impressed by the mysterious female crime-fighter who disappeared into the night ("What a girl!").
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5
When Mrs. Danting wanted to speak with her deceased husband to get his advice on how to invest her money, she went to visit Effendi Mahomad. The "mystic" conducted a seance and conjured the spirit of Miles Danting from beyond the grave, but it was actually a movie projection of Danting's face, with one of Effendi Mahomad's henchmen supplying the voice by speaking into a filtered microphone.
--Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5
images: (without ads)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p5, pan4 (main image, Effendi Mahomad summoning henchmen from window of Mrs. Danting's house)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p1, pan4 (headshot, Effendi Mahomad)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p7, pan7 (Effendi Mahomad gets thrown by Silver Scorpion)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p8, pan1 (three henchmen and Effendi Mahomad (far right) captured by Silver Scorpion)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p4, pan2 (henchmen meeting with Effendi Mahomad in his studio/hideout)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p3, pan2 (Mrs. Danting)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p3, pan3 (Dennis Danting)
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5, p2, pan4 ("spirit" of Miles Danting)
Appearances:
Daring Mystery Comics I#8/5 (January, 1942) - unidentified
writer, Harry Sahle (pencils and inks), Joe Simon (editor)
Last updated: 11/16/16
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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