Smash Comics #56

(December 1944)

The Laughing Killer (Table of Contents: 1)

Midnight / comic story / 11 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Gustavson (signed) (sourced)

Pencils

Paul Gustavson (signed) (sourced)

Inks

Paul Gustavson (signed) (sourced)

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson (signed) (sourced)

Genre

adventure; superhero

Characters

Midnight [Dave Clark]; Gabby (a monkey); Doc Mortimer Wackey; Sniffer Snoop; Hotdog; Laughing Killer (villain, introduction)

Synopsis

Midnight tracks a killer who can't stop laughing.

Black X Marks the Spot (Table of Contents: 2)

Espionage Starring Black X / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Quackenbush (signed)

Inks

Bill Quackenbush (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

spy; adventure; war

Characters

Black X; Batu

Synopsis

The liberation of Taoten, in China. While Black X helps to organize the Chinese underground, Batu is captured by the Japanese.

The Boogie Woogie Dirge (Table of Contents: 3)

Rookie Rankin / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Mort Leav

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Rookie Rankin; Mel Marvel; Gus Getti; Tony Getti

Synopsis

A drug addict musician is mysteriously killed backstage.

Indexer Notes

Originally credited "Witmer Williams ?", but he has quite different faces with very bushy eyebrows and small mouth, narrow undistinct eyes and larger, rounded jaw. Looks more like Mort Leav's signed story in Power Comics #4, with movements, faces and large hands, but his many white panels without backgrounds are missing.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 4)

Lady Luck / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Klaus Nordling (signed)

Pencils

Klaus Nordling (signed)

Inks

Klaus Nordling (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Murder in the ring

Genre

superhero

Characters

Lady Luck [Brenda Banks]; Count DiChange

Synopsis

The Count gets mixed up with a fight promoter who's hoping to make a quick buck on a fixed match.

Reprints

• from The Spirit (Register and Tribune Syndicate, 1940 series) #7/4/1943 (July 4, 1943)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

Archie O'Toole / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bernard Dibble

Inks

Bernard Dibble

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The trouble with you, sire, is --

Genre

humor; children

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6)

The Marksman / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Irving Tirman

Inks

Irving Tirman

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Out of the snow-capped forest it came, this roaring monster from earth's dead past!

Genre

adventure; superhero; war

Characters

The Marksman [Baron Povalski, aka Major Hurtz); Anna; Juan; Captain Hinushi (villain); Captain Kioto (villain)

Synopsis

The Marksman has to battle a dinosaur in South America in order to uncover a Japanese poison gas plant.

Indexer Notes

This is the same artist as in #54.

Mountains of the Moon (Table of Contents: 7)

Jimmy Christian / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

adventure

Up with the U.S.A.! (Table of Contents: 8)

Wun Cloo / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Jack Cole ?

Inks

Jack Cole ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

humor; detective-mystery

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9)

Daffy / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Milt Stein (signed)

Inks

Milt Stein (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The Vanderast phantom

Genre

humor; sports

Characters

Daffy Dill; Deke Parsons; Cobina Vanderast; Percy Harlow

Keywords

wrestling

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 10)

The Jester / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Mort Leav

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Patrolman Lane and Detective McGinty have just come off duty...

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Jester [Chuck Lane]; Detective Hustace McGinty; Celeste (French maid); Bridget; Mister Palmer; Dennis Harpe; Myrna; Max Lubold

Synopsis

McGinty tries to arrange a double-date for Chuck, but someone poisoned the pie and the Jester has to sort through the clues.

Indexer Notes

Large hands and a great variety of faces and also some panels with empty white backgrounds point to Leav.