(August 1939)

DC, 1937 Series
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Volume
[3]
Price
0.10 USD
Pages
68
Indicia Frequency
monthly
On-sale Date
1939-06-30
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Detective Comics Inc.
Editing
Vin Sullivan

Issue Notes

On sale date from the publication date found in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, New Series, Volume 34, 1939, Number 3. Class B periodical. Copyright number B 422127. Volume number not listed in the original comic indicia.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Fred Guardineer (signed as Guardineer)
Inks
Fred Guardineer (signed as Guardineer)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

Genre
crime
Reprints
Keywords
gas welding; knives

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

All-American Comics; Movie Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[The Return of Doctor Death] (Table of Contents: 2)

Batman / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script
Gardner Fox
Pencils
Bob Kane (signed); Sheldon Moldoff (backgrounds) [as Bob Kane] (credited)
Inks
Bob Kane (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
Sheldon Moldoff

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Less than a week ago...
Genre
superhero
Characters
The Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Mrs. Jones; Mrs. Jones's maid; Doctor Death [as Ivan Herd] (villain); Mikhail (villain, Dr. Death's assistant, death)
Synopsis
Thought dead in a fire in his home, Dr. Death has survived, but is in need of funds to re-establish himself, so he sets his sights on diamonds owned by a Mrs. Jones.
Reprints
Keywords
gas capsules; utility belt

Indexer Notes

The storyline continued from the previous issue.

The original script for this story has survived, confirming Fox's authorship. The original title of the story was "The Batman and the Diamonds of Death". Batman logo is The Batman.

Kane signs again on the final page.

[Criminal Photography] (Table of Contents: 3)

Crime Never Pays / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Terry Gilkison (signed as TG)
Inks
Terry Gilkison (signed as TG)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
In 1880, the noted French sûreté expert Alphonse Bertillon first planned a...
Genre
non-fiction; crime
Characters
Alphonse Bertillon; Herman N. Myers
Keywords
Alcatraz

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

Oscar the Gumshoe / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Bob Kane (credited, signed)
Pencils
Bob Kane (credited, signed)
Inks
Bob Kane (credited, signed)
Colors
?
Letters
Bob Kane ?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Don't worry - He's as good as caught...
Genre
humor
Characters
Oscar; Filbert
Synopsis
Oscar chases after a thief who robs a toy store.

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich.

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

Detective Stamp Page / text article / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
One of the most prolific of the stamp issuing countries is...
Genre
non-fiction
Keywords
Liberia

Indexer Notes

Page includes several small ads from stamps dealers.

Finger of Doom (Table of Contents: 6)

Buck Marshall, Range Detective / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Homer Fleming (credited as H. Fleming)
Pencils
Homer Fleming (credited as H. Fleming)
Inks
Homer Fleming (credited as H. Fleming)
Colors
? (red tones)
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Alert and cautious, Buck Marshall, range detective, rides out of the blistering heat of...
Genre
adventure; western-frontier
Characters
Buck Marshall; The Sheriff; Morgan; Vail; Slade
Keywords
Double-B Ranch; Rocking-D Ranch; Sage City

Indexer Notes

Story printed in red and black only.

[The Dictator of the United States] (Table of Contents: 7)

Spy / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Jerry Siegel (credited)
Pencils
Mart Bailey (signed as M B)
Inks
Mart Bailey (signed as M B)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
In the Senate, Senator Kingsley...
Genre
adventure; spy
Characters
Bart Regan; Senator Kingsley; Jack Steele; Ray Gordon

Indexer Notes

Bailey signs his initials on the final page.

[The Old Man and the Kid] (Table of Contents: 8)

Larry Steele, Private Detective / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)
Pencils
Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)
Inks
Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Yes sir - What can I do for you?
Genre
detective-mystery
Characters
Larry Steele

Shadowed (Table of Contents: 9)

text story / 1.56 pages (report information)

Script
Frank Thomas (credited)
Pencils
Fred Guardineer
Inks
Fred Guardineer
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Chief of Police Benson sat at his desk in headquarters and...
Genre
adventure; detective-mystery
Characters
Chief of Police Benson; Detective Carr; Blinky Moroni
Keywords
Bradley Department Store

Indexer Notes

Text story with illustrations.

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

The Model Builder / advertisement / 0.44 page (report information)

The Crossbow Mystery (Table of Contents: 11)

Speed Saunders, Ace Investigator / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Fred Guardineer (credited)
Inks
Fred Guardineer (credited)
Colors
?
Letters
Fred Guardineer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
A midnight call finds Speed reporting to the Chief of Police...
Genre
detective-mystery
Characters
Speed Saunders; Dustin Rhodes; Nancy
Synopsis
Speed investigates the murder of Dustin Rhodes.

The Tea Racketeers (Table of Contents: 12)

Bruce Nelson / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Tom Hickey (credited)
Inks
Tom Hickey (credited)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Sorry Billie.
Genre
detective-mystery
Characters
Bruce Nelson; Billie; Sam Wong; Yan Lee
Synopsis
Bruce breaks up a racketeering operation involving the smuggling of tea.
Keywords
Chinatown

Indexer Notes

Script previously credited to Hickey, but there is no evidence to suggest he did anything other than the art.

[The Imperial Insurance Swindle] (Table of Contents: 13)

Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Sven Elven (credited)
Inks
Sven Elven (credited)
Colors
? (red tones)
Letters
Sven Elven

First Line of Dialogue or Text
As Cosmo and Inspector Gray...
Genre
adventure; crime
Characters
Cosmo; Inspector Gray; Gene Clausen; Captain Alvarez; Captain Midland

Indexer Notes

Story printed in red and black only.

Script previously suggested as by Elven, but there is no evidence that he did more than art and letters.

[The Granville Insane Asylum] (Table of Contents: 14)

Slam Bradley / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script
Jerry Siegel (credited)
Pencils
Wayne Boring (credited as Joe Shuster)
Inks
Wayne Boring (credited as Joe Shuster)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Let 'em have it, Slam!
Genre
adventure; detective-mystery
Characters
Slam Bradley; Shorty Morgan; Dr. Granville; Gloria Travers; Officer Kelly; Nick
Keywords
Granville Insane Asylum

The Comic Book of Tomorrow Is Here Today!! (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

New York World's Fair Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [no title indexed]
  2. 1. [no title indexed]
    All-American Comics; Movie Comics
  3. 2. [The Return of Doctor Death]
    Batman
  4. 3. [Criminal Photography]
    Crime Never Pays
  5. 4. ["Don't worry - He's as good as caught..."]
    Oscar the Gumshoe
  6. 5. ["One of the most prolific of the stamp issuing countries is..."]
    Detective Stamp Page
  7. 6. Finger of Doom
    Buck Marshall, Range Detective
  8. 7. [The Dictator of the United States]
    Spy
  9. 8. [The Old Man and the Kid]
    Larry Steele, Private Detective
  10. 9. Shadowed
  11. 10. [no title indexed]
    The Model Builder
  12. 11. The Crossbow Mystery
    Speed Saunders, Ace Investigator
  13. 12. The Tea Racketeers
    Bruce Nelson
  14. 13. [The Imperial Insurance Swindle]
    Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise
  15. 14. [The Granville Insane Asylum]
    Slam Bradley
  16. 15. The Comic Book of Tomorrow Is Here Today!!
    New York World's Fair Comics
  17. 16. [no title indexed]
    Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Ray Bottorff Jr
  • Keith Chandler
  • Peter Croome
  • Craig Delich
  • Gregory Fischer
  • Del Gruber
  • Merlin Haas
  • Matthew Head
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Edgar Loftin
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Matthew Peets
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Per Sandell
  • Jim Van Dore