World's Best Comics #1

([Spring] 1941)

none (Table of Contents)

Superman; Batman and Robin; Zatara; Johnny Thunder; Crimson Avenger; Red, White and Blue; Lando / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Pencils:

various

Inks:

various

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

occult; humor; superhero

Characters:

Superman; Batman and Robin; Zatara; Johnny Thunder; Crimson Avenger; Red, White and Blue; Lando

Indexer Notes

Individual head views by each feature's artist.

[Superman vs. the Rainmaker] (Table of Contents)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Jerry Siegel (signed)

Pencils:

Wayne Boring [as Joe Shuster] (signed)

Inks:

Don Komisarow ? [as Joe Shuster] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Superman [Clark Kent]; Perry White; Lois Lane; B. Drexel Rutherford; Rainmaker (villain, introduction, death)

Synopsis:

A criminal scientist learns how to control the weather and uses his power for extortion, and he even nearly stops the Man of Tomorrow from interfering when he uses a paralysis gas on the Man of Steel.

Reprints:

• in Superman: The World's Finest Comics Archives (DC, 2004 series) #1 ([June] 2004)

Indexer Notes

Credits in World's Finest Archives are wrong.

The American Flag (Table of Contents)

Curios / filler / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Pencils:

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Inks:

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Henry Boltinoff

Content Information

Genre:

non-fiction

[The Super-Tank] (Table of Contents)

Red, White and Blue / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Jerry Siegel ?

Pencils:

Harry Lampert

Inks:

Harry Lampert

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

adventure

Characters:

Red Dugan; Whitey White; Blooey Blue; Doris West

none (Table of Contents)

Just Like Junior / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeir

Inks:

Stan Aschmeir

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

humor; children

Characters:

Junior

[The Ambassador] (Table of Contents)

The Crimson Avenger / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Jack Lehti (signed)

Pencils:

Jack Lehti (signed)

Inks:

Charles Paris

Colors:

?

Letters:

Charles Paris

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Crimson Avenger (Lee Travis); Wing

Synopsis:

The Crimson saves the Governor from a kidnapping attempt.

Indexer Notes

Crimson wears a cape. Inker & letterer credits by Craig Delich (November, 2005).

[Johnny Drives a Truck] (Table of Contents)

Johnny Thunder / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

John B. Wentworth

Pencils:

Stan Aschmeier

Inks:

Stan Aschmeier

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

humor; superhero

Characters:

Johnny Thunder; Thunderbolt; Mr. Darling; Mr. Katz

Synopsis:

Johnny drives a truck for Daisy's father and has to deal with a rival trucking company trying to sabotage the business.

Indexer Notes

This is the super-hero character from Flash Comics. The Thunderbolt is yellow, but he talks.

Danger Ahead (Table of Contents)

none / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Arch O'Hara (signed)

Pencils:

Fred Ray (signed)

Inks:

Fred Ray (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Tong War in ChinaTown (Table of Contents)

Young Doc Davis / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Henry Boltinoff

Pencils:

Henry Boltinoff

Inks:

Henry Boltinoff

Colors:

?

Letters:

Henry Boltinoff ?

Content Information

Genre:

detective-mystery

Characters:

Doc Davis

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich 2010-2-17.

The Menace (Table of Contents)

Zatara / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Joseph Sulman (signed)

Inks:

Joseph Sulman (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

occult

Characters:

Zatara; The Menace (villain)

none (Table of Contents)

Incredible But True / filler / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

non-fiction

[The Buffalo] (Table of Contents)

Drafty #158 / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Ed Moore ?

Pencils:

Ed Moore (signed)

Inks:

Ed Moore (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Ed Moore ?

Content Information

Genre:

humor

Characters:

Drafty

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich 2010-2-17.

[Adventure of the Nosy Waitress] (Table of Contents)

The King / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gardner F. Fox

Pencils:

Harry Lampert (signed)

Inks:

Harry Lampert (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Harry Lampert

Content Information

Genre:

detective-mystery

Characters:

The King; the Witch (villain)

Reprints:

• in World's Finest Comics (DC, 1941 series) #210 (March 1972)

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit verified by Lampert and added by Craig Delich (November, 2005).

none (Table of Contents)

Dinky / filler / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Pencils:

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Inks:

Henry Boltinoff (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Henry Boltinoff

Content Information

Genre:

humor; children

Characters:

Dinky

[The Radium Robbers] (Table of Contents)

Punch Parker / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Don Cameron? Ed Winiarski? Paul Norris? (see Notes)

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

detective-mystery

Characters:

Punch Parker

Indexer Notes

Possible credits provided by Craig Delich and Jerry Bails.
The inker for this issue's story is different from that found in World's Finest #2's story.

Carnival (Table of Contents)

none / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

George Shute (signed)

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

[Visit to Neva] (Table of Contents)

Lando, Man of Magic / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Howard Purcell ?

Pencils:

Howard Purcell (signed)

Inks:

Howard Purcell (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

occult

Characters:

Lando

The Witch and the Manuscript of Doom! (Table of Contents)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bill Finger

Pencils:

Bob Kane

Inks:

Bob Kane; George Roussos (backgrounds)

Colors:

?

Letters:

George Roussos

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

The Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Commissioner James Gordon; Erik Dorne (introduction, death); Joshua Grimm (introduction); Melissa Brunt (introduction); Jane Ware (introduction); The Witch [Mr. Wright] (villain, introduction)

Synopsis:

The Batman and Robin must track down The Witch, a mysterious figure responsible for the murder of Erik Dorne and the theft of a manuscript he wrote.

Reprints:

• in Batman (DC, 1940 series) #254 (January-February 1974)
• in Lynvingen (Williams Forlag, 1969 series) #11/1974 ([november] 1974)
• in Läderlappen (Williams Förlags AB, 1969 series) #12/1974 (1974-12-dd)
• in Batman: The World's Finest Comics Archives (DC, 2002 series) #1 ([September] 2002)

none (Table of Contents)

Superman; Batman; Robin; Zatara; Johnny Thunder; Crimson Avenger; Red, White and Blue; Lando / illustration / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Pencils:

various

Inks:

various

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

occult; humor; superhero

Characters:

Superman; Batman; Robin; Zatara; Johnny Thunder; The Crimson Avenger; Red Dugan; Whitey White; Blooey Blue; Lando

Synopsis:

Proudly presenting a star-studded collection of the world's best comics.

Indexer Notes

Found on the back cover.