The Quality Companion

(November 2011)

[Slash Scraponi's Escape] (Table of Contents: 1)

The Ray / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Lou Fine (signed as E. Lectron)

Inks

Lou Fine (signed as E. Lectron)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Ray [Lanford "Happy" Terrill]; Warden of Bedlam Island prison; Slash Scraponi; Corny Hogan; unnamed fake Warden of Bedlam Island prison

Synopsis

Corny Hogan turns state's evidence on Slash Scarponi, and the criminal is sentenced to Bedlam Island prison for twenty years. However, Slash is still able to control his mob on the outside because he has a phony warden in charge of the prison. When Happy Terrill begins putting the heat on Scarponi, the mobster decides it's time to break out of prison and get Terrill.

Reprints

• from Smash Comics (Quality Comics, 1939 series) #19 (February 1941)

Phantom Lady vs. the Spider Widow (Table of Contents: 2)

Phantom Lady / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Frank Borth

Inks

Frank Borth

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Phantom Lady [Sandra Knight]; The Raven [Tony Grey]; Spider Widow [Dianne Grayton]; The Boss (villain); Chuck (villain, death)

Synopsis

Phantom Lady gets a letter from Spider Widow, informing her that she is challenging her to a duel to see who is the most capable crime fighter, and that she intends the Raven to remain with her. Spider Woman gets a similar letter from Phantom Lady. What neither of these women understand is that both have been set up by a criminal gang which hopes one or the other of the lady heroes will perish at the hands of the other.

Reprints

• from Police Comics (Quality Comics, 1941 series) #21 (August 1943)

[Jackie Boy] (Table of Contents: 3)

The Black Condor / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

? [as Kenneth Lewis] (signed)

Pencils

Lou Fine

Inks

Lou Fine

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Black Condor [Richard Grey, Jr.]; Dr. Patche; Monks Gallagher

Synopsis

The Condor comes upon a man named Jackie who has been stabbed in the chest and attempts to get medical help for him, and he then notifies the man's wife and lame child of what has happened and that he'll be all right. But the Condor wants to track down the attempted murderer, a man named Gallagher, who has stolen this victim's rights to citizenship and who has threatened to expose him.

Reprints

• from Crack Comics (Quality Comics, 1940 series) #9 (January 1941)

Indexer Notes

The reprint titles this story "Jackie Boy".

Art credits revised from Charles Sultan art to Lou Fine in reference to Jim Amash in The Quality Companion (TwoMorrows, 2011 series) #1 (November, 2011), page 93.

[Introducing the Bombadiers] (Table of Contents: 4)

The Human Bomb / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Gustavson

Pencils

Paul Gustavson

Inks

Paul Gustavson

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I want to be put in 1A!

Genre

superhero

Characters

Human Bomb [Roy Lincoln]; The Bombardiers [Montague T. McGurk [Curley]; Swordo; Miss Red Rogers]; James (Roger's chauffeur); Tommy Rogers (Red's brother, death)

Synopsis

Roy Lincoln and two other fellows are turned down by the United States Army, so they all attempt to get to Tokyo to fight the Japanese. Red Rogers flies them to Tokyo, but first Roy reveals his secret identity and offers the group capsules that contain his secret formula to become explosive. The men remain unaware that Red's brother is being held captive by the Japanese until their arrival there.

Reprints

• from Police Comics (Quality Comics, 1941 series) #21 (August 1943)

Keywords

27-QRX

Indexer Notes

The story title from the Quality companion reprint.

Mike Kooiman and Jim Amash state in the Quality Companion that Gustavson created the strip and wrote it. Gustavson's son, Terry Gustafson, concurs.

Letters credit from Terry Gustafson, Paul Gustavson's son.

[Adventure in Panama] (Table of Contents: 5)

Uncle Sam / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

? [as Will Eisner]

Pencils

Reed Crandall

Inks

Reed Crandall

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Uncle Sam; Buddy Smith; Senator Corey; Buddy; Fritz (villain); Pedro (villain)

Synopsis

Uncle Sam, Buddy and Senator Corey are kidnapped aboard a plane heading for the Panama Canal, and the criminal gang responsible is interested in the papers found in the Senator's briefcase. When they tell the detainees that they plan to use a freighter loaded with explosives to destroy the Gatum Lake Spillway, Uncle Sam disguises himself and frees the other captives and turns the tables on the gang.

Reprints

• from National Comics (Quality Comics, 1940 series) #25 (October 1942)

Indexer Notes

Reprint has the title "Adventure in Panama". Crandall art credit from Jim Amash 2012-1-5.

War over Iceland! (Table of Contents: 6)

Midnight / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Cole (signed as Jack Cole)

Pencils

Jack Cole (signed as Jack Cole)

Inks

Jack Cole (signed as Jack Cole)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; superhero

Characters

Midnight [Dave Clark]; Doctor Mortimer Wackey; Gabby (a monkey); Hienrich (villain); von Kamp (villain); Hans (villain); other un-named Nazis (villains, all die)

Synopsis

Doc has been granted a patent on his atom reviser machine and vows to turn it over to the government for national defense. However, the Nazis try to use the machine to take over Iceland, so Midnight steps in to turn the tables on the Nazis.

Reprints

• from Smash Comics (Quality Comics, 1939 series) #32 (March 1942)

Keywords

Atom Reviser; Iceland

[The White Gardenias] (Table of Contents: 7)

Firebrand / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

S. M. Iger

Pencils

Lee Ames (signed as Lee J. Ames)

Inks

Lee Ames (signed as Lee J. Ames)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Firebrand [Rod Reilly]; Slugger Dunn; Joan Rogers; Senator Barrow; The White Gardenias [Senator Beep; others]

Synopsis

Firebrand must battle a local hate group that is attempting to halt the activities of a U.S. Senator that promises to expose the group.

Reprints

• from Police Comics (Quality Comics, 1941 series) #11 (September 1942)

Indexer Notes

The Order of the White Gardenias were a true-life branch of the KKK.

[The Murderous Frog of the Mardi Gras] (Table of Contents: 8)

Wildfire / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Robert Turner (signed)

Pencils

Jim Mooney (signed as Jim Mooney)

Inks

Jim Mooney (signed as Jim Mooney)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Wildfire [Carol Vance]; Meredith (Army post commander, death); The Frog (villain, death)

Synopsis

Froggy Miller was booted out of the U.S. Army for cowardice and for theft, and now seeks revenge as The Frog on those who made fun of him.

Reprints

• from Smash Comics (Quality Comics, 1939 series) #32 (March 1942)

[Origin of Madam Fatal] (Table of Contents: 9)

Madam Fatal / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Art Pinajian

Pencils

Art Pinajian

Inks

Art Pinajian

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Oh... it's Madam Fatal, our neighbor--

Genre

superhero

Characters

Madam Fatal [Richard Stanton] (introduction, origin, first cross-dressing super-hero); Hamlet (Madam Fatal's parrot); Sarah; Mr. Porter (postman); Johnny; Reeves (Carver's driver); Mrs. Stanton (Richard's wife, death); un-named daughter of the Stanton's; John Carver (villain, introduction, death); Lou (villain); Mike (villain)

Synopsis

Former actor John Stanton, posing as an old woman, does everything he can to track down a man he has been searching for for years, John Carver. Stanton had married the woman Carver loved, but Carver became jealous and, two years later, kidnapped Stanton's only daughter. Now the two come face to face, and all Stanton cares about now is whether his daughter is still alive.

Reprints

• from Crack Comics (Quality Comics, 1940 series) #1 (May 1940)

Keywords

cross-dressing