History:
RED SKELETON
Real Name: Unrevealed (last name is possibly
Skeleton)
Identity/Class: Human (World
War 2 Era)
Occupation: Comic book writer
Group Membership: None
Affiliations: Boots Connors, Stanley Dee, Deena Drayson, Brenda Grant
Enemies: Tony Conville, Big Sutton
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: None
Base of Operations: Manhattan, New York, USA
First Appearance: Mystic Comics I#10/8 (August, 1942)
Powers/Abilities: Red fancied himself an amateur sleuth but he demonstrated poor skills of deduction. He considered himself an imaginative writer but needed considerable help from reality. Red demonstrated some knowledge of jui-jitshu but he was usually exceptionally clumsy. He also knew how to pick locks, which was handy considering he was apt to forget his keys.
Height: Unrevealed
(approximately 6'1")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 170s lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red
History:
(Mystic Comics I#10/8 (fb) - BTS) - Red Skeleton was a comic book writer at Crimely Publications. Deena Drayson asked to be his assistant but refused to let her work with him.
(Mystic Comics I#10/8) - One day, Red Skeleton met with Stanley Dee, his editor at Crimely Publications. Stanley was disappointed in the quality of Red's stories and told him they'd better improve. "Who do you think you are... Captain America?" Stanley asked. Red promised he'd write an adventure "that'll even make the Human Torch envious!" However he was so eager to get started that he walked into a closed door and knocked himself out.
After reviving, Red went home to his apartment but as he'd forgotten his key he had to pick his own lock. Opening the door, he was startled to see Deena Drayson, who took a photograph of him with her camera. Deena explained that since he wouldn't hire her as his assistant she'd taken a photography job with the Daily Press. Red told Deena to leave him alone so that he could write, when Deena mentioned she was going to a fashion show and wanted Red to accompany her. Hearing of the fashion show gave Red an idea for a comic book plot and he started fabricating a story while Deena told him to find her at the Ritz Theatre if he changed his mind. Red worked furiously at his typewriter to fabricate his story but after a while he hit writer's block. After pacing his room, unable to continue his plot, he resolved he should go to the Ritz Theatre and find inspiration for his tale.
Arriving at the Ritz Theatre, Red was distracted by the sight of a pretty girl and tripped over a movie camera. Deena met Red and introduced him to Tony Conville, who was exhibiting his jewel collection at the theatre. Red went inside the Ritz with Deena and started to tell her about his story when suddenly the lights went out. When the lights came on, the chorus girl Boots Connors lay dead on the stage, her throat cut. Conville had given her some of his jewels to wear and the necklace was missing. Further, he noted that Brenda Grant was supposed to be the model wearing the necklace, not Boots. Red was excited to be part of what seemed to be a case of kidnapping, murder and theft and eagerly went backstage with Deena to investigate. Inside a dressing room, they found Brenda Grant tied up in a closet. Just as Deena took a picture of Brenda, the lights went out and Red was punched in the jaw by Conville. Deena tried to defend Red by striking his attacker with her camera but she hit Red by mistake. When the lights went on, Conville denied that he was the one who attacked Red. Brenda noted that Conville wasn't the one who tied her up.
Red decided they should search Boots Connors' home for more clues and went there with Conville. Inside the apartment they found another chorus girl sitting in a chair with a knife in her back. When Red saw the knife he fainted. When Red was revived by Deena, Conville and the dead body were gone. Red tried to explain what he'd seen but he seemed to be in a stupor so Deena told him to go outside and get some air. Stepping outside, Red was approached by a beautiful woman who led him into a car by gunpoint.
The woman brought Red to a mansion where Tony Conville was waiting alongside Big Sutton, a racketeer. Conville and Sutton had conspired together to steal the necklace so that Conville could collect the insurance. They wrongly believed Red was on the verge of exposing their crimes. The two conspirators got into an argument as Sutton hadn't wanted to kill anyone. Suddenly, Deena burst into the room carrying a gun. Conville held a knife on Red, threatening to kill him unless Deena let him go but Red suddenly threw Conville using jui-jitsu, hurling him into Sutton. The police soon arrived, having been summoned by Deena.
Red patronizingly thanked Deena for her help, noting that if she were more "glamorous" he'd be interested in her. Deena again asked to be his assistant but Red told her she was better off as a photographer. He invited her to dinner, provided she lent him the money. Soon, Red telephoned Stanley Dee and told him his next plot, using the incident he'd just experienced as his story. However, Stanley didn't like Red's story because it sounded "too impossible."
Comments: Created by an unidentified writer and artist.
He was named after comedian Red Skelton for... some reason. Stanley Dee would have obviously been a stand-in for Stan Lee.
This profile was completed on 11/24/2025 but its
publication was delayed, as it was intended for the Appendix's 25th
anniversary celebratory event. Thanks to
Profile by Prime Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Red Skeleton should not be confused with:
Boots Connors was a chorus girl who was hired by Tony Conville to replace model Brenda Grant, who was supposed to model a valuable necklace at the Ritz Theatre. Boots had some incriminating letters about Conville so instead of simply stealing the necklace from her, Conville killed her while the lights were out in the Ritz.
--Mystic Comics I#10/8
Tony Conville was a wealthy jewel owner who conspired with racketeer Big Sutton to arrange the theft of one of his necklaces so that he could collect the insurance fee. The necklace was supposed to be worn by model Brenda Grant at a fashion show at the Ritz Theatre, but when Tony was blackmailed by chorus girl Boots Connors, who claimed to have incriminating letters about him, Tony hired Boots to take Brenda's place, while Sutton's men tied up Brenda in her dressing room. However, instead of simply stealing the necklace, Conville murdered Boots to silence her; he also killed Boots' roommate. Conville believed Red Skeleton was hot on his trail and suspected him of his crimes when Red was simply prone to stumbling across clues. Conville and Sutton had a falling out as Sutton was annoyed that Conville had murdered Boots. When Deena Drayson confronted Conville and Sutton with a gun, Conville threatened to kill Red with a knife but Red threw Conville with a jui-jitsu move and hurled him into Big Sutton. The police arrested Sutton and Conville.
--Mystic Comics I#10/8
Stanley Dee was Red Skeleton's editor at Crimely Publications. He accused Red of writing poor stories. When Red presented Stanley with a story based on his experiences in solving the case of Tony Conville and Big Sutton, Stanely considered that tale "too impossible."
--Mystic Comics I#10/8
Deena Drayson was an aspiring writer who wanted to be Red Skeleton's assistant, evidently unaware that she was in every way his superior. When Red refused to take her as his assistant she became a photographer with the Daily Press. She alerted Red to a fashion show at the Ritz Theatre where they wound up seeing the death of Boots Connors. When Red's clumsy investigation led to his being captured by Big Sutton and nearly killed, Deena came to his rescue, brandishing a gun. Deena also summmoned the police, who arrested Sutton and Tony Conville. Deena thought these events would finally convinced Red to let her be his assistant but he still refused to partner with her. Red invited her out to dinner, provided she paid for it.
--Mystic Comics I#10/8
Brenda Grant was a model who was supposed to wear one of Tony Conville's necklaces at a fashion show at the Ritz Theatre but Conville changed plans when he decided to silence Boots Connors. Big Sutton tied up Brenda in her dressing room while Boots took her place, ultimately being murdered by Conville. When Red Skeleton searched the dressing room he found Brenda and untied her but she didn't know who had bound her up.
--Mystic Comics I#10/8
Big Sutton was a racketeer and leader of a mob. Sutton conspired with Tony Conville to arrange the theft of one of his necklaces so that Conville could collect the insurance but Conville changed plans when he decided to murder Boots Connors. When Red Skeleton chanced upon the scheme, Sutton fell out with Conville, annoyed that he'd brought murder into what was supposed to be simply a theft. Before Sutton could kill Conville, Deena Drayson burst in the room holding a gun. Sutton dropped his gun and soon after was arrested by the police.
--Mystic Comics I#10/8
images: (without ads)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 1, panel 1 (main)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 2, panel 4 (face)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 4, panel 2 (Boots)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 4, panel 4 (Conville)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 8, panel 6 (Dee)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 3, panel 7 (Drayson)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 4, panel 4 (Brenda)
Mystic Comics I#10/8, page 7, panel 1 (Sutton)
Appearances:
Mystic Comics I#10/8 (August, 1942) - unidentified writer, unidentified
artist, Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 09/22/2026
Last updated:
05/27/2026
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
Non-Marvel
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