Popular Comics #52

(June 1940)

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

In This Corner / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Art Krenz (signed)

Pencils

Art Krenz (signed)

Inks

Art Krenz (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Roger Peckinpaugh was only 23 years old...

Genre

non-fiction; biography; sports

Characters

Roger Peckinpaugh; Ray Schalk: Grover Cleveland Alexander; Zeke Bonura

Keywords

baseball

Indexer Notes

On inside front cover.

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

The Masked Pilot / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Bob Jenney (credited as Bob Jenny)

Pencils

Bob Jenney (credited as Bob Jenny)

Inks

Bob Jenney (credited as Bob Jenny)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Oh! Oh! This looks like we're in for a bit of troubleshooting!

Genre

adventure; aviation; science fiction

Characters

The Masked Pilot; Dwight Ellis (aviation designer); Tom; Karl Ellman (villain, engineer, death)

Synopsis

The Masked Pilot and Tom head for the aviation factory owned by friend Dwight Ellis, who has had a problem with his plane prints being traced. The Pilot discovers that one of the factory employees is the guilty party, then has to fight for his very life to subdue him.

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #94 ([October] 2014) [in black and white]

Keywords

Alaska; Army

Indexer Notes

"Copr. 1940 by R. S. Callender."

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3)

Penguin Pete and His Pal Pudgie / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Win Smith

Pencils

Win Smith (credited)

Inks

Win Smith (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Doggoneit!

Genre

humor; anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Penguin Pete; Pudgie

Indexer Notes

"Copr., 1940, by R. S. Callender."

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

Hold Everything / cartoon / 0.6 page (report information)

Script

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Pencils

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Inks

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

So the crowd's with me, eh?

Genre

humor

Reprints

• from Hold Everything daily (NEA) 1939-xx-xx - 1939-xx-xx

Indexer Notes

Six single panel cartoons.
"Copr. 1939 by NEA Service, Inc."

The Winners of the February Popular Comics Contest (Table of Contents: 5)

Popular Comics Contest / activity / 0.4 page (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

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

The Voice the Invisible Detective / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Charles Verral ?

Pencils

Jim Chambers (signed)

Inks

Jim Chambers (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

We get dat infermashun, boss.

Genre

detective-mystery; superhero

Characters

The Voice [Tim Brant]; Professor Bert Wilson (inventor); Herman (villain); Mr. Bulinski (villain)

Synopsis

The Voice tracks down a murderer and kidnapper and gets him to confess to the murder of Mike Chummler.

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #95 (2014)

Keywords

invisible; Sigma Rays

Indexer Notes

"Copr. 1940 by R. S. Callender."

This is the first story in which the hero calls himself the Voice.

The Voice gets his power of invisibility this way: a phosphorescent gas clings to the cellophane fabric (worn by Tim Brant) giving out rays that render the body invisible.

Name These Cute Pets (Table of Contents: 7)

Popular Comics Contest / activity / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

? (photo)

Inks

? (photo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 8)

The Hurricane Kids / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Albert Hartje (credited)

Pencils

Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)

Inks

Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

You fellows have no idea what it means to me

Genre

adventure

Characters

The Hurricane Kids [Alan Burnham; Dave Burnham]; Maya; Omu; Captain Bill Brady; Captain Blackbeard

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #104 (2017)

Keywords

shipwreck

Indexer Notes

"Copr., 1940, by R. S. Callender."

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

Wally Williams, American Boy / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Victor Boni (credited)

Pencils

Tom Hickey (credited)

Inks

Tom Hickey (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Understand, team, it's a tough race over a six-mile course.

Genre

adventure; sports; teen

Characters

Wally Williams; Arlene Grahame; Betty Riley; Biff; Gramps Williams; Joe; Jughead; Ted Jackson

Keywords

cross-country; Elmhurst College

Indexer Notes

"Copr., 1940, by R. S. Callender."

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

Captain Tornado / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Kenneth Kennedy (byline)], house name)

Pencils

Newt Alfred ?

Inks

Newt Alfred ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Looks like I'm in for it now unless I can get my hands free.

Genre

science fiction

Characters

Captain Tornado; Jane Bordani

Indexer Notes

Original indexer listed Kenneth Kennedy as the writer and artist for the story, but according to Jerry Bails' Who's Who of American Comic Books, Kenneth Kennedy was only a byline and the writer is unknown.

According to Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., Hames Ware identified Newt Alfred as the artist for the story in Popular Comics #49. The art in this story looks very similar to the art in that story (Greg Fischer, April 2014).

"Copr., 1940, by R. S. Callender."

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 11)

Herky / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Pencils

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Inks

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Maybe the reason your girl is becoming cool towards you is because you're too rowdy

Genre

humor; children

Characters

Herky; J. Granville Gurk; Lois

Reprints

• from Herky Sunday (NEA Service, Inc.) 1938-12-04

Indexer Notes

"Copr. 1938 by NEA Service, Inc."

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12)

Herky / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Pencils

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Inks

Clyde Lewis (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Th' kid sister got a spankin' today and do ya know why?

Genre

humor; children

Characters

Herky; Herky's father; Herky's mother; Honey

Reprints

• from Herky Sunday (NEA Service, Inc.) 1938-09-18

Indexer Notes

"Copr. 1938 by NEA Service, Inc."

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13)

Gang Busters / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Well, we've got Ernie Hall in the jug.

Genre

crime

Characters

Chief John Winston; Helen Barry; Jack; Mr. Wolf; Mrs. Wolf; Tony; Ernie Hall [also as Mr. Foster] (villain); Gorilla (villain); Lefty O'Brien (villain); Mrs. O'Brien (villain); Tony (villain)

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #104 (2017)

Keywords

F.B.I.

Indexer Notes

"Copr., 1940, by Phillips H. Lord, Inc."

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 14)

cartoon / 0.33 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Hal Bittner (signed as HB)

Inks

Hal Bittner (signed as HB)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Those dopes wreck more planes playing follow the leader

Genre

humor

Indexer Notes

Three single panel cartoons. Last panel is signed HB.

Fireworks (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

advertisement / 0.67 page (report information)

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

Martan the Marvel Man / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

G. Ellerbrock (credited) (signed)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Martan's ship!

Genre

adventure; science fiction

Characters

Martan the Marvel Man; Vana; General Pelton; The Spacemen (villains)

Synopsis

Martan, from the Planet Antaclea, pledges his knowledge of inter-planetary warfare to aid the Americans in their battle along the Jersey shore at the city of Hoboken to repel invaders from outer space.

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #112 (2019)

Keywords

Anteclea; Earth; Hoboken (New Jersey); New York

Indexer Notes

"Copr., 1940, by R. S. Callender."

The AC reprint credits Bill Ely as the artist, but he is credited only in 1939 and there were three artists working on the strip in 1940, so ? remains for the art.

The Who's Who credits Ellerbrock as the only scripter for the series from 1939-1942, and no extant evidence disputes this.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 17)

Bronc Peeler / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script

Fred Harman (credited)

Pencils

Fred Harman (signed)

Inks

Fred Harman (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Oh why are you locking me in this cellar?

Genre

western-frontier

Characters

Bronc Peeler; Babs Dalton; Crazy Kate (villain); Baldy (villain); Blackie (villain)

Indexer Notes

"Copr., 1940, by Stephen Slesinger"

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 18)

Shark Egan / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

John Donaldson (signed)

Inks

John Donaldson (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Those guys down there are downright unfriendly!

Genre

adventure

Characters

Shark Egan; Mary McDermot; Ace O'Doul; Kanaka Lew; Angkar; Captain Mai-ti [also as Captain Mai Ti]; Commander Kru-Sing (villain)

Keywords

Hwang-Ho

[Frank L. Anders] (Table of Contents: 19)

Heroes / text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

Roy Humphries (credited)

Pencils

Roy Humphries (signed)

Inks

Roy Humphries (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

non-fiction; biography

Characters

Benjamin Franklin; Chief Blackbird; Frank L. Anders; Lt. Frank Luke, Jr.; Meriwether Lewis; William Clark

Indexer Notes

On inside back cover.

Recipes for Fun... (Table of Contents: 20) (Expand) /

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