Dusty Doyle, Circus Cyclone!

Cue terrifying circus music …

Dusty Doyle, Circus Cyclone
Created by Emile C. Schumacher and Unknown Artist
Appears in Miracle Comics #1-2 (1940)

In any conversation about Dusty Doyle, Circus Cyclone, it’s important to remember that this is not a story about a person. This is a story about a person's unrelentingly suspicious series of convenient opportunities.

Dusty Doyle comes from nowhere, has little backstory, and could be more than just a Circus Cyclone -- he might be a killer!

“Just like dad.”

We first meet Dusty Doyle, suspicious drifter, wandering out of the woods, decked out in a full suit. Where he got it is anyone's guess, but I'd check for naked corpses in the forest.

Dusty deposits himself at a nameless circus in the middle of nowhere, looking for a job as an acrobat. Fate seems set against Dusty's professional inclinations -- at first -- as the circus already has a pair of acrobats, but he earns himself a free ticket by watering the elephants.

Yes, the circus already has a trapeze act -- but not for long! 

No sooner does Dusty voice his disappointment at missing out on his dream gig than a terrible scream rings out across the midway-- the male half of the trapeze act has plummeted to his death! And all his costumes fit Dusty! Well, lucky Dusty!

While the dead acrobat's corpse lies still-cooling in the net, the circus' owner promptly offers Dusty the job, regardless of the suspicious timing. Maybe this is just how circuses get acrobats -- murk the guy on the trapeze and we'll see, kid, we'll see. 

It doesn't bother Dusty to don the tights of a man who fell to a gory death right in front of his affectless eyes, but that doesn't mean that everything is copacetic. He may have the gig, but he's shy a partner. 

The surviving half of the trapeze act quits -- “No more chances for me!” she declares, packs her things, and fight-or-flights right the fuck out of there before the bodies start piling up for real. 

“Sorry son,” consoles the owner, unaware that Dusty’s mildest whims become gory plot points.

Well, she's certainly got enthusiasm.

Pondering the question of where to find a new partner, Dusty deliberates upon a stone bridge. 

To his surprise, from the river below, he hears the cries of the suicidal Elaine. He rescues her only to discover that she is jobless, despondent, and soaking wet -- perfect partner material! Another terrible wish granted! Over a warm fire, Elaine is talked into supporting Dusty on the highwire as his suicidal, untrained partner who has nothing to live for. This ought to be good.

Elaine actually turns out to be an exceptional acrobat -- in fact, this story makes it seem that pretty much anybody could just walk in off the street and pick up a circus job. It’s so easy, in fact, that Dusty also has time to become a crimefighting detective all of a sudden! There's always Circus Crime to be solved! 

In his second adventure, Dusty confronts abusive animal trainer Hank Wilkins about his cruel treatment of the elephants. Infuriated on behalf of the big pachyderms, Dusty strikes Hank -- who takes his frustration out by beating an elephant, which then stumbles into and breaks the gorilla’s cage, which frees the hairy beast, who then abducts Elaine, and removes her to the trapeze ledge! How did no one see that coming?

"...and all for the want of a nail."

Up to this point, every misfortune -- whether engineered by Dusty or not -- has given Dusty an opportunity to show off and play hero. What benefit is it to him to have his partner kidnapped by a big ape? Well, it allows him to demonstrate his skill at the gaucho bolos (cha cha cha), which he learned on the Argentinean pampas (cha cha cha)! 

This is the first time that we learn of any backstory for Dusty, and I’m not surprised that it involves him chucking stuff at animals.

Rigging a weapon out of his jacket and some loose iron bolts, Dusty climbs to the opposite ledge, swings towards the ape and launches his Argentinean pampas gaucho bolos (cha cha cha!) with unerring accuracy. 

With the gorilla tied to the tentpole, Elaine is easily rescued, and the roustabouts are given the almost impossible task of retrieving a furious gorilla from the top of a tall pole where it’s tied at the neck with its arms free. If you think it's so easy, why don't you try it?

On the other hand, Dusty posits “The roustabouts can capture the gorilla without trouble.” Who knows, it does seem like everything Dusty says comes true, only with a grim twist. So maybe this will be an easy get for the rousties, or maybe they're all doomed. 

Either way, if anyone dies, Dusty's right there to take their job! After all, anything is possible in the consequence-intensive world of Dusty Doyle, Human Monkey's Paw/Circus Cyclone!

Finally! I’ve been waiting for someone to do a trick they learned on the South American pampas!