Feature Comics #40

(January 1941)

[Candy and Sabotage] (Table of Contents)

Doll Man / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

John Celardo

Inks:

John Celardo

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Doll Man [Darrel Dane]; Martha Roberts; Gruber (first appearance; villain); Adolf (first appearance; villain); other spies (first appearance; villains; one spy dies)

[The Treasure Hunt] (Table of Contents)

Rance Keane / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

William A. Smith

Pencils:

William A. Smith

Inks:

William A. Smith

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

western-frontier

Characters:

Rance Keane; Harvey Topping; The Eye (villain); Bat Crawley (first appearance; villain)

"Of course, the show can stand some building up!" (Table of Contents)

Big Top / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

John Devlin

Inks:

John Devlin

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

humor

Indexer Notes

Writer revision from John Devlin to ? by Craig Delich 2013-4-6. According to the Who's Who, Devlin did not write this strip.

[The Dark House of Arno Cain] (Table of Contents)

Samar / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

? [as John Charles]

Pencils:

Nick Cardy

Inks:

Nick Cardy

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

jungle

Characters:

Samar; Jean (first appearance); Arno Cain (first appearance; villain; death)

Vote For Sardini Or Else (Table of Contents)

Poison Ivy / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gill Fox

Pencils:

Gill Fox

Inks:

Gill Fox

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

humor

Characters:

Poison Ivy; Sardini (first appearance; villain)

[Speed, Inc.] (Table of Contents)

Ace of Space / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

H. Weston Taylor (signed)

Pencils:

Harry Campbell

Inks:

Harry Campbell

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

adventure

Characters:

The Ace of Space [Ace Egan]; Dr. Devlin (villain, introduction); Karl and Speed, Inc. (villains, introduction)

Synopsis:

Ace must go up against the evil Dr. Devlin, who has invented a serum that gives men super-speed.

Indexer Notes

Writer credit confirmed by Jim Amash in the Quality Companion (November, 2011).

The Spell of the Albatross (Table of Contents)

Zero / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

? [as Noel Fowler]

Pencils:

Charles Sultan

Inks:

Charles Sultan

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Characters:

Zero; a girl (first appearance); Her two brothers and other ghosts (first appearance; villains)

Indexer Notes

Story inspired by Coleridge's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner."

"Vincent! Don't tell me you're a soldier!" (Table of Contents)

Lala Palooza / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

John Devlin

Inks:

John Devlin

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

humor

Characters:

Lala Palooza

Indexer Notes

Writer revision from John Devlin to ? by Craig Delich 2013-4-6. According to the Who's Who, Devlin never wrote this strip.

Seven Seas Cafe (Table of Contents)

Dusty Dane / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Vernon Henkel

Pencils:

Vernon Henkel

Inks:

Vernon Henkel

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

adventure

Characters:

Dusty Dane; Patricia Morley; Tondas (first appearance; villain); Bulok (first appearance; villain)

United States Fleet Leaves For Two-Day Makeover (Table of Contents)

Spin Shaw / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Clark Williams

Pencils:

Clark Williams

Inks:

Clark Williams

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

aviation

Characters:

Spin Shaw [Capt. S. R. "Spin" Shaw]; Ann Grace (first appearance); Mr. Wonga (first appearance; villain; death)

Kids of Calamity (Table of Contents)

Capt. Bruce Blackburn, Counterspy / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Harry Campbell

Pencils:

Harry Campbell

Inks:

Harry Campbell

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

adventure; spy

Characters:

The Destroying Demon [Captain Bruce Blackburn]; Colonel Jordan; The Band (villains); Gurk (villain, introduction)

Synopsis:

After dealing with the Un-American Band, The Destroying Demon reveals his identity to Colonel Jordan.

Indexer Notes

Blackburn appears as "The Destroying Demon" for the last time, and also uses his rubber cable trick for the last time.

The Who's Who lists Harry Francis Campbell as writer of this strip from 1940-42 and Henry Weston Taylor as the artist for the same period. However, evidence exists that Campbell did the art on some issues.

Mediterranean Madness (Table of Contents)

Perry Scott / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Robert M. Hyatt

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

adventure

Characters:

Perry Scott

Statement of Ownership, Management, Circulation, Etc. (Table of Contents)

statement of ownership / 0.25 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

Everett M. Arnold

Letters:

typeset

Indexer Notes

[Cover story notes are the same as the issue notes (see Issue Notes above). This may mean that one or both set of notes need editing as a result of our recent migration to having separate issue and cover notes.]

["So your Uncle Phil bet Houlihan he'd be first in the gates at the World Series, eh Mickey?"] (Table of Contents)

Mickey Finn / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Lank Leonard

Pencils:

Lank Leonard

Inks:

Lank Leonard

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

humor

Indexer Notes

strip reprints

[The Fifty Thousand Dollar Package] (Table of Contents)

Rusty Ryan / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Paul Gustavson

Pencils:

Paul Gustavson

Inks:

Paul Gustavson

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

adventure; children; spy

Characters:

Rusty Ryan; Butch (first appearance; villain); Butch's partner (first appearance; villain)

["Hey Pop - Why don't you come down and play some ball wth me and my pals?"] (Table of Contents)

Homer Doodle and Son / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Arthur Beeman (signed)

Pencils:

Arthur Beeman (signed)

Inks:

Arthur Beeman

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

humor

[Aru the Mountain Boy] (Table of Contents)

Reynolds of the Mounted / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Art Pinajian

Pencils:

Art Pinajian

Inks:

Art Pinajian

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

western-frontier

Characters:

Sgt. Jim Reynolds, RCMP; Aru (first appearance); White Eagle (first appearance); an Indian chief (first appearance; death); Grayson (first appearance; villain; death); Buck (first appearance; villain)