Pocket Comics #1

(August 1941)

[Contest] (Table of Contents)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Keywords:

contest

Indexer Notes

Promo for a contest to win $25 if you name the features of Pocket Comics that you like. Printed on inside front cover.

[The Saboteur From Hell] (Table of Contents)

Satan / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Otto Binder [as Eando Binder] (signed)

Pencils:

Pierce Rice

Inks:

Arturo Cazeneuve ?; Louis Cazeneuve ?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

occult

Characters:

Private Air Cadet Jim Brady; Lieutenant Patricia Randall (nurse); Satan (villain, introduction, mad dictator of the underworld); Adolf Hitler (villain); un-named members of Satan's gang (villains, introduction for all, many die)

Synopsis:

Satan makes the mistake of trying to sabotage Camp Porter in his mad campaign to undermine the U.S. program to defend democracy.

Reprints:

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87
• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87 (2012) (in black and white)

Keywords:

Camp Porter

Indexer Notes

Rice pencils verified by Craig Delich and Bill Black 2012-12-13. Ink credits added by Craig Delich for Bill Black, who states the two Cazeneuves did the inking on this story. The Who's Who doesn't list either one as working on this strip.

[Origin of the Red Blazer] (Table of Contents)

The Red Blazer / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Al Avison [as A. Avison] (signed)

Inks:

Al Avison [as A. Avison] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

The Red Blazer [Jack Dawson] (introduction, origin); Kagah (Martian, assistant to Dr. Morgan, death); Dr. Morgan (scientist, inventor of a space cruiser); Doc Breenan (villain)

Synopsis:

Jack comes upon the scene of an aged man burying someone, and discovers that he is Dr. Morgan, a scientist who invented the space cruiser and flew to Mars in 1901. Slipping Dawson a drink, the young man passes out and is taken to the heaviside layer by the scientist, where astro-pyro rays advanced the young man's evolutionary stage a few pegs. He returns to Earth to battle criminals who are looting cities and murdering residents.

Reprints:

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87
• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87 (2012) (in black and white)

Keywords:

Astro-Pyro Rays; Kamena Penitentiary; space cruiser; Vis-o-Phone

[Origin of the Spirit of '76] (Table of Contents)

Spirit of '76 / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Gary Blakey ?

Pencils:

Bob Powell [as Major Ralston] (signed)

Inks:

Bob Powell [as Major Ralston] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Characters:

Spirit of '76 [Gary Blakely] (introduction and origin); Major Ralston (Gary's grandfather); Captain Blakely (Gary's father); Tubby (Cadet friend of Gary's); Captain Hoch (villain); the Nazis (villains)

Synopsis:

Gary is attending West Point, but his family tradition of serving in the military spurs him on to action before he graduates, and what better way than taking on Luftwaffe Captain Hoch, whose "Khaki Shirts" are planning to dynamite West Point.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration

• in Green Hornet Comics (Harvey, 1942 series) #7 (June 1942) [probably with some redrawing / rearranging of panels]
• in Golden Age Greats Spotlight (AC, 2003 series) #6 (2011) (in black and white)

Indexer Notes

Writer has had a ? put behind his name. The Who's Who does NOT list a Gary Blakey (or any Blakey for that matter) writing and/or illustrating comics. The character's secret identity is Gary Blakely. The strip is titled "Cadet Blakey, Spirit of '76" (note spelling of the last name).

[Origin of the Black Cat] (Table of Contents)

Black Cat / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Alfred Harvey

Pencils:

Al Gabriele

Inks:

Al Gabriele

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Black Cat [Linda Turner] (introduction and origin); Rick Horne (introduction); Garboil (villain, introduction)

Reprints:

• in Speed Comics (Harvey, 1941 series) #17 (April 1942)
• in The Original Black Cat (Lorne-Harvey, 1988 series) #6 (August 1991)

[Origin of the Phantom Sphinx] (Table of Contents)

The Phantom Sphinx / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Pierce Rice

Inks:

Arturo Cazeneuve; Louis Cazeneuve

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

occult

Characters:

The Phantom Sphinx [General Amron] (introduction, origin); Dr. Salle (scientist, introduction); Nancy Taylor (American reporter); Red Norton (villain, bandit, death); Suliman the Terrible (villain, transformed into a camel)

Synopsis:

Dr. Salle and his companions discover a long lost tomb that contains the remains of General Amron, who was put into a hypnotic sleep by his father some 6000 years before. However, a notorious bandit named Norton kills all the explorers, reads Salle's notes, then revives the mummy using a Star Sirius, a pebble and the eyes of the mummy. Rising from his long sleep, the mummy, heeding the words of his father, becomes the Phantom Sphinx, and avenges the wrongs that have been done.

Reprints:

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87
• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87 (2012) (in black and white)

Keywords:

Sphinx; Star Sirius

Indexer Notes

Art credits revised from Louis Cazeneuve ? by Bill Black and added by Craig Delich 2012-12-9.

[Origin of British Agent 99] (Table of Contents)

British Agent 99 / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

? [as William Churchill, Jr.] (signed)

Pencils:

Arturo Cazeneuve ?; Pierce Rice ?

Inks:

Arturo Cazeneuve ?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

war; adventure

Characters:

British Agent 99 [Alan Douglas, aka Hal Payne as an American reporter] (introduction, origin, former Hollywood star); General Douglas (flashback, Alan's father, death); Sultana Zaida; Chuck; Herr Karl Vern (villain); Fritz (villain); Heinrich (villain, Vern's chauffeur); the Nazis (villains)

Synopsis:

Traveling to Belgrade, Yugoslavia, on his first assignment, in the disguise of an American reporter, Agent 99 saves a young girl from the Nazis, and tells her that he is there in Yugoslavia to protect her from Gestapo agents.

Reprints:

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #88 (2012)
• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #88 (2012) (in black and white)

Keywords:

Komitadjii (patriotic secret society)

Indexer Notes

Bill Black states the art was done by Arturo Cazeneuve, yet the Who's Who states that Pierce Rice was the penciler of the strip (in 1941). Maybe Cazeneuve inked the story. Added by Craig Delich 2013-2-13.

John Doyle Convicted of Murder (Table of Contents)

The Zebra / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

? [as "Ellery King"] (signed)

Pencils:

Pierce Rice

Inks:

Arthur Cazeneuve; Louis Cazeneuve ?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

The Zebra [John Doyle] (introduction, origin); Mary Sewell (Doyle's girlfriend); Happy Mike (villain, political boss); Slug (villain)

Synopsis:

Sentenced to death for murder because of the actions of politicians protecting the real culprit, John Doyle escapes from prison to track down the murderer, and discovers that his girl friend has been kidnapped by criminals who believe she knows more about the actual murderer than she should.

Reprints: show reprint note before migration (migrated reprint links need inspection)

• in Green Hornet Comics (Harvey, 1942 series) #7 (June 1942)
• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87
• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #87 (2012) (in black and white)

Keywords:

Daily World

Indexer Notes

Bill Black reports that Louis Cazeneuve also did inks on this story, although the Who's Who doesn't list Louis having worked on this strip.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Meet the Stars / filler / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

The Zebra's Murder Case (Table of Contents)

Zebra / text story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

? (Ellery King)

Pencils:

Pierce Rice?

Inks:

Pierce Rice?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Indexer Notes

Text story with illustrations.

[The Mysterious Island] (Table of Contents)

Spin Hawkins / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Characters:

Spin Hawkins (introduction)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Indexer Notes

House ad for: Patriotic Pocket Comics; Digest Comics; Army Pocket Comics; The Black Cat; Historic Comics; Cadet Blakley Spirit of '76 Battles Satan. Advertised as all new, all 100 pages and on sale
SOON.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Ditto / filler / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

Byghe

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Best Laughs of the Month / filler / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Indexer Notes

Printed on inside back cover.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Indexer Notes

House ad for Spitfire Comics. Printed on back cover.