Monsieur Choc (Mister Shock)

Real Name: Unknown

Identity/Class: Normal human

Occupation: Master criminal

Affiliations: Leader of La Main Blanche (The White Hand)

Enemies: Tif and Tondu (two private detectives - Tif is a brave, bald adventurer, while Tondu is a bearded, former navy captain)

Known Relatives: None known

Aliases: None known

Base of Operations: Worldwide

First Appearance: Tif et Tondu contre la Main Blanche (Tif and Tondu vs. The White Hand) (Spirou Magazine #873-894, 1955)

Powers/Abilities: As well as being a master planner, Choc has also shown his capabilities in the areas of disguise (note the mask incident in the History section), and has employed android duplicates of people in the past (Le Grance Combat). He also uses guns and smoke grenades. In one story he demonstrates the ability to enter someone's dreams and transform them into nightmares.

History: Monsieur Choc is a master criminal who leads La Main Blanche, a criminal empire which stretches across the globe. He hides his true appearance behind a medieval mask and an immaculate tuxedo. His main antagonists are a pair of French detectives, Tif and Tondu. In fact they even captured and unmasked him once (Le Retour de Choc (1957)), only to discover a little later that he had been wearing a second, human mask (think Mission Impossible) underneath.

Comments: Created by Maurice Rosy, who was writing for an existing series of adventures starring Tif and Tondu. They were created by Fernand Dineur for Spirou magazine back in 1938. Art for Choc was usually handled by Will (a.k.a. Willy Maltaite)

Thanks to Gérard Courtial for telling me of Choc's ability to enter dreams.

Monsieur Choc is the mysterious leader of a world-spanning criminal organization called La Main Blanche [The White Hand]. His true face remains unknown. He usually hides his features behind a medieval helmet, and dresses in a tuxedo dinner jacket. His nemeses are two private detectives: Tif, a bald (and bold) adventurer, and his companion, Tondu, a former navy captain who wears a beard. Many of their adventures involve science fiction or fantasy elements: anti-gravity (ep. 6), android duplicates (ep. 9), giant robots (ep. 12), dream exploration (ep. 13), super-speed (ep. 32).

Thanks to Mike Murphy for informing me of this character and providing me with information on him, and sent me a couple of images (below). He also mentioned "The lead hero of Gary Gianni's Monstermen series (published by Dark Horse as both a back-up in Hellboy and as an one-shot of its own) seems to have been influenced by the appearance of Monsieur Choc, the main villain of Maurice Rosy's Tif et Tondu series in France. Both characters wear tuxedos and hide their faces behind medieval helmets."

CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with

• St.George, a hero who does dress very like him

Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.

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