KEVIN

Real Name: Kevin (last name unrevealed)

Identity/Class: Unrevealed (see comments) (1950s era)

Occupation: Entertainer

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: Laura (last name unrevealed)

Enemies: None

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: "That ugly screaming dummy," "ugly little monster" (as referred to by Laura)

Base of Operations: Mobile

First Appearance: Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3 (May, 1952)

Powers/Abilities: Apparently a dwarf with unusual facial features, Kevin displayed no paranormal abilities (see comments).

A skilled ventriloquist, Kevin could "throw" his voice to make it seem as if it were his man-sized dummy Ventro actually speaking.

Kevin seemed to have a split-personality, and would occasionally get into disagreements with "himself" when he spoke through Ventro.

Height: 3' (by approximation)
Weight: 70 lbs. (by approximation)
Eyes: Unrevealed
Hair: Bald

History:
(Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3 (fb) - BTS) - The past of Kevin is unrevealed, but he somehow acquired the man-sized dummy Ventro and began a ventriloquist act--with himself secretly portraying the dummy, Kevin simulated the voice of Ventro to pass it off as the human ventriloquist. Billed as the comical performing duo Ventro the Great and his dummy Kevin, they began to tour in various theaters.

(Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3) - Ventro and Kevin were appearing at the Waverly Theater in Rochester when Laura noticed their poster outside; for reasons she couldn't explain, Laura fell in love with the handsome Ventro at first sight, so she went inside to watch the performance from the front row. Kevin noticed Laura from the stage, so through Ventro, he publicly expressed his interest in her, and Laura (thinking it was actually Ventro speaking) was flattered.

   After the show, Laura went into Ventro's dressing room to introduce herself--she found Ventro sitting with Kevin still on his lap. As she approached, Kevin jokingly remarked to Ventro that Laura was probably in love with him, and Ventro scolded his "dummy". But Laura admitted to Ventro that she was attracted to him, and Kevin told her that Ventro was in love with her, too. Laura stepped closer, but Ventro requested that she not touch him, telling her she needed to keep her distance from him for the time being.

   Thus began the strange romance, and Laura followed Ventro and Kevin everywhere on their tours of the theater circuit. But every time Laura and Ventro went out to dinner following a performance, she found it unusual that he always brought Kevin along. One night, while they were dining in a restaurant, Laura bluntly proposed that they get married; taken aback by the boldness of Laura's suggestion, Ventro told her that it could never happen, and that she had to leave him because their whole relationship had been a horrible mistake (this, despite Kevin's angry protests). Laura insisted that she loved Ventro very much, but Ventro only warned her to get away before it was too late. Then Ventro stood up with Kevin and dashed from the restaurant, while his "dummy" screamed, "She loves you and you love her! Don't give her up!".

   Laura was convinced that Ventro had been speaking his true feelings for her through his "dummy," so she decided to take matters into her own hands and went to Ventro's dressing room; she asked him why he wouldn't marry her, but he only cryptically replied that he couldn't tell her. Laura flirtatiously told Ventro that a kiss would change his mind, and she flung her arms around him to passionately embrace him for the first time...but then she felt something break, and Ventro crumpled and fell apart.

   As the "dummy" Kevin stood before her, Laura could only stare in disbelief at the broken wooden manikin that had been Ventro, now laying in pieces on the floor.

   Kevin explained to Laura that he was really the ventriloquist, while Ventro was his dummy; then the strange little man professed his love to her, but Laura only ran out, screaming in horror...

Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and Al Fass (artist).

This story was told from the narrative perspective of Laura, so the reader didn't learn of the true nature of Kevin and Ventro until the surprise ending.

Kevin didn't seem to be evil, and he claimed he was human--assuming he wasn't demonically-possessed or just wearing a mask, maybe his odd appearance was because he was a mutant.

It was never explained how the wooden Ventro was able to move about, so I have some ideas:

  1. Assuming Kevin was a mutant, maybe he had the power of telekinesis, which he used to animate Ventro.
    2. ...or...
  2. Maybe Ventro was a simple non-sentient robot with internal mechanisms that allowed it to move--if Kevin didn't build it himself, maybe Ventro was an early work of the Tinkerer (Phineas Mason) (...who looks old enough to have been around back when this story was first published, and he did build the robotic Toy).

In regards to Laura: Okay, I've heard of groupies for professional athletes and musicians... but ventriloquists?!

This 3-page story -- The Wooden Man -- would be reprinted in Tomb of Darkness#10 (September, 1974).

Profile by Ron Fredricks.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Kevin has no known connections to:

Ventro has no known connections to:

Laura has no known connections to:

Ventro the Great

An incredibly life-like manikin, Ventro carried Kevin around and was somehow able to move about, despite being made of wood (see comments).

Kevin performed a ventriloquist act, wherein he portrayed the dummy, while he "threw" his voice to make it seem that Ventro was a living human ventriloquist.

Laura had fallen in love with Ventro, and when she finally embraced him, Ventro broke and fell to pieces on the floor.

--Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3

Laura

A beautiful woman, she passed by the Waverly Theater and saw a poster for the ventriloquist act Ventro the Great and his dummy Kevin.

For no reason she could explain, Laura fell in love with Ventro, so she went inside to watch the performance; she found Ventro handsome and charming, even though she thought the dummy he used was the ugliest thing she had ever seen.

When she later hugged Ventro and broke him to pieces, Laura was horrified to learn that he was only a wooden dummy and Kevin was actually the ventriloquist.

--Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3

images: (without ads)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p1, pan1 (Main Image - in dressing room, Kevin seated on Ventro's lap, Laura (left))
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p2, pan2 (Headshot - Kevin)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p1, pan3 (on stage of Waverly Theater, Kevin and Ventro notice Laura seated in front row)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p3, pan6 (Kevin reveals the truth about himself and Ventro to the screaming Laura)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p2, pan7 (Ventro breaks off relationship with Laura, as Kevin objects)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p3, pan5 (Ventro breaks as Laura hugs him)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p3, pan7 (Kevin stands over the broken Ventro)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p1, pan2 (Laura looks at poster of Ventro and Kevin outside Waverly Theater)
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3, p2, pan2 (Laura admits to Ventro that she's in love with him)

Appearances:
Adventures into Weird Worlds#6/3 (May, 1952) - unidentified writer, Al Fass (pencils), Stan Lee (editor)

First Posted:02/11/18

Last updated:02/11/18

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

Non-Marvel Copyright info
All other characters mentioned or pictured are ™ and © 1941-2099 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. If you like this stuff, you should check out the real thing!
Please visit The Marvel Official Site at: http://www.marvel.com

Special Thanks to http://www.g-mart.com/ for hosting the Appendix, Master List, etc.!

Back to Characters