Smash Comics #60

(August 1945)

[The Swooner and the Thrush] (Table of Contents: 1)

Midnight / comic story / 11 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Gustavson

Pencils

Paul Gustavson

Inks

Paul Gustavson

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson

Genre

adventure; superhero

Characters

Midnight [Dave Clark]; Doc Mortimer Wackey; Gabby (a monkey); Swooner; Thrush; Sniffer Snoop; Hot-Foot (a polar bear); Marvin Maxwell

Synopsis

Radio singers The Swooner and the Thrush are in love, but will their marriage be good for ratings? How about their murders at the hands of jealous fans.........will that help?

Indexer Notes

Identical art to Gustavson's signed story in #57. Notice the very low rounded jaws in sideview, and the inking of the inside of ears.

All Gustavson credits verified and courtesy of Terry Gustafson, son of Paul Gustavson.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2)

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

Script

?

Pencils

Bernard Dibble ?

Inks

Bernard Dibble ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

We must cut the palace budget to the bone!

Genre

humor; children

Characters

Archie O'Toole (king)

Synopsis

The palace must economize to the smallest detail.

[Daffy the Matador] (Table of Contents: 3)

Daffy / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Janice Valleau (signed as Ginger)

Inks

Janice Valleau (signed as Ginger)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

humor; sports

Characters

Daffy Dill; Deke Parsons; El Toro

Synopsis

Deke accidentally signs Daffy up for a bull fight, thinking it's a wrestling match.

Keywords

wrestling

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

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

Script

?

Pencils

Pete Riss

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

A scream in the night...and Rookie Rankin finds himself playing a horrible game of death, in which desperate men and a lonely girl are strangley mixed up with the murder of an elderly chemist...

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Rookie Rankin; Gardenia Gus; Lil

Synopsis

Gramley's niece says Gus killed him for his secret formula, but Gus doesn't know anything about it.

Indexer Notes

This is similar art to the many Riss Manhunter stories in Police Comics (Quality, 1941 series). Bob Hughes agrees with Riss pencils.

[Earnest Eagers, Editorial Cartoonist] (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script

Klaus Nordling (signed)

Pencils

Klaus Nordling (signed)

Inks

Klaus Nordling (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Lady Luck [Brenda Banks]; Ernest Eagers (artist); "Busy" Armonk (villain)

Synopsis

Brenda helps an editorial cartoonist, Ernest Eagers, who is being blackmailed by "Busy" Arnold.

Reprints

• from The Spirit (Register and Tribune Syndicate, 1940 series) #11/28/1943 (November 28th, 1943)
• in Lady Luck (Ken Pierce, Inc., 1980 series) #2 (October 1980)

Indexer Notes

This story appears to be poking fun at Busy Arnold.

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

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

Script

?

Pencils

Jack Cole ?

Inks

Jack Cole ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Now it's my turn!

Genre

humor; detective-mystery

Characters

Wun Cloo (detective); Filthy Joe

Synopsis

Filthy Joe hides in a cannon barrel.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 7)

Spunky / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Sid Lazarus

Inks

Sid Lazarus

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Take another look, Spunky! Now do you see it?

Genre

humor; teen

Characters

Curly; Spunky; Marge; Pug; Professor Flunker

Synopsis

Spunky is looking at the stars when Curly puts a green pea on the telescope lens. Spunky thinks he's discovered a new planet. The townspeople become convinced it's going to destroy the town.

Thanks to Mars (Table of Contents: 8)

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

Script

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

adventure

Characters

Jimmy Christian (reporter); Professor Robert Wellington

Synopsis

War accelerated scientific research, but did not produce any great discoveries.

Indexer Notes

text story

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

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

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Quackenbush (signed as Quakenbush)

Inks

Bill Quackenbush (signed as Quakenbush)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

What dangers lurk on the home front?

Genre

spy; adventure; war

Characters

Black X; Batu; Baron De Zair (the Foremost); Mrs. Radleigh

Synopsis

Black X finds intrigue at a society party.

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

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

Script

?

Pencils

Pete Riss

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The Blunder of Bart Beauchamp

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Jester [Chuck Lane]; Detective Hustace McGinty; Quinopolis; Bart Beauchamp; Miss Gopher; Lofty (villain)

Synopsis

Society playwrite's contempt for the police gets him in trouble with real gangsters.

Indexer Notes

Originally credited "Sam Citron ?" Similar art to the credited pencil work on Manhunter stories in Police Comics #37-#59 by Peter Riss.

Captain Tootsie and the Farmyard Fire! (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

Captain Tootsie; Tootsie Roll / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)