Big John Osnato (police officer)

"BIG JOHN" OSNATO

Real Name: John Osnato

Identity/Class: Human (Early 1900s to World War II era) (real life character)

Occupation: Retired police detective and police officer;
former businessman

Group Membership: NYPD

Affiliations: Helen Burns, Louis Gordo, Jerry, Joe, Riley, Weasel Face

Enemies: Benny the Dope, Bower, Buchalter, Joey Fato, Duke Maffetore, Murder Inc., Toomey

Known Relatives: Mr. Osnato (father), Mrs. Osnato (mother), Helen Burns (wife)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York, USA

First Appearance: All-True Crime Cases Comics I#27 (April, 1948)

Powers/Abilities: John Osnato was an experienced law enforcement officer who carried a pistol while on duty. He was an excellent police detective.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 6'0")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 170 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Dark brown

History:
(All-True Crime Cases Comics I#27/4) - In 1909 as a rookie police officer, John Osnato was assigned to the lower east side waterfront, one of the toughest beats in Manhattan. Osnato continued on this beat until 1912 when he was involved in a shootout. Osnato's parents expressed their concern about the danger he was being placed in and asked him to give up being a police officer. John refused because he wanted to become a detective. However, not long after, there was a gang war on the lower east side. When John's mother heard about this, she suffered a collapse. Concerned about his mother's ill health, John agreed to give up being a police officer.

For 6 years, Osnato worked as a businessman to appease his parents but he grew listless and depressed. Recognizing how important police work was to him, his parents encouraged him to rejoin the force. John returned to the police in 1918 and was assigned to the Brooklyn waterfront. By 1919, John was promoted to become a plainclothes detective. John was assigned to work alongside policewoman Helen Burns to break up a bootlegging ring in Brooklyn. When John told Helen the work could be dangerous, she retorted "I adore shooting! Want to see the notches on my gun?" John and Helen worked together in Brooklyn and caught Toomey, the head of the bootlegging ring. After completing this case, John and Helen were married and John was promoted to detective, second grade.

John enlisted the small-time criminal Weasel Face as a stoolpigeon, noting that 50% of the big cases were broken with stoolpigeons. Sure enough, after one murder, Weasel Face informed Osnato that the killers were the hired triggermen Benny the Dope and Joey Fato. Osnato arrested them and soon obtained their confessions.

In September 1930, Osnato was assigned to investigate the kidnapping of Louis Gordo's son. Although Gordo had paid $10,000 to the kidnappers, they were still threatening him for more money. Osnato spoke to Gordo, who told him that all of his family's lives had been threatened. Osnato put a tap on Gordo's telephone and overheard a call in which the kidnappers demanded another $5,000. Osnato had the call traced and the kidnappers proved to be Gordo's own brother-in-law and his two cousins. The three men were arrested. On another occasion, Osnato investigated a Brooklyn cobbler-killer who refused to name his accomplice. Osnato played "good cop" with the killer, making him think Osnato's fellow officers would harm him and that only he could protect him; the killer gave up the name of his accomplice to Osnato as Bower.

As the years passed, Osnato received four departmental citations for his work on big cases such as the $427,000 Rubel Ice Corp. robbery. In 1940, Osnato was assigned to crack Murder, Inc., the organization of hired killers. Osnato decided to use Duke Maffetore as a resource to bring down Murder, Inc., as Maffetore was already in their custody and known to be connected to them. Osnato plied Duke by suggesting his allies had left him to rot in prison while they enjoyed the "gravy" of the proceeds. Finally, he started to get tough with Duke, suggesting he would deprive him of the luxuries he'd permitted in his cell. Duke finally revealed he'd been the driver for a number of killings and gave up the names of the leaders of Murder, Inc. Duke's confession enabled the arrest of Buchalter and a half-dozen other killers, bringing an end to Murder, Inc.

In 1944, John retired from the police force to a quiet suburban life with Helen. When she asked him to chop some wood for her, she found him chatting to their neighbor Joe about "the Adonis Club murder case" he'd once solved.

Comments: Adapted from the real-life John Osnato by an unidentified writer and Gene Colan.

Wikipedia has an article on the real-life Murder, Inc., who were indeed opposed by the real John Osnato. Osnato died in 1945, aged 55. Here's his New York Times obituary. It's a little strange that the comic story doesn't mention his death, given that it was published 3 years after his passing.

This story is believed to be only the 2nd published story drawn by Gene Colan.

This profile was completed on 10/21/2025 but its publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th anniversary celebratory event.

Profile by Prime Eternal.

CLARIFICATIONS:
"Big John" Osnato should not be confused with:

BIG JULIE of Earth-982 - the gangster gorilla--J2 I#9
"BIG JOHN" BUSCEMA - one of Marvel's all-time greatest artists
other "Big," "John" or "Osnato" characters, groups, items, races or events, or anyone else

Benny the Dope & Joey Fato

Benny the Dope and Joey Fato were two hired triggermen. After a man was found murdered, John Osnato asked his stoolpigeon Weasel Face to finger the killers. Weasel Face informed him that Benny and Joey were the killers. The two men were soon arrested and confessed to their crimes.