(December 1940)

Centaur, 1940 Series
Price
0.10 USD; 0.15 CAD
Pages
68
Indicia Frequency
monthly
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Centaur Publications Inc.
Editing
?

Issue Notes

December, 1940. Number 2. WHAM COMICS is published monthly by Centaur Publications, Inc., 221 East 20th St., Chicago, Illinois. Editorial and Executive Offices: 215 Fourth Ave., New York, N. Y. Application for entry as second class matter at the Post Office at Chicago, Ill., pending. Single copies 10c; 15c in Canada. Yearly subscription $1.00 in the U.S.A. (other countries $1.50). Copyright 1940 by Centaur Publications, Inc. Contents must not be reproduced without permission. No actual person is named or delineated in this fiction magazine. Printed in the U.S.A.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Blue Fire / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Lew Glanzman
Inks
Lew Glanzman
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Wham! The Frost
Genre
superhero
Characters
Blue Fire [Jack Knapp]; The Frost

This Beautiful Desk for only $1.00 (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Remington Noiseless Deluxe Portable Typewriter / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

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

Blue Fire / comic story / 9.67 pages (report information)

Script
Lew Glanzman (signed)
Pencils
Lew Glanzman (signed)
Inks
Lew Glanzman (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Blue Fire is a real figure of mystery to the world...
Genre
superhero
Characters
Blue Fire [Jack Knapp] (introduction, origin); The Frost (introduction)
Synopsis
Jack Knapp, who spends his time experimenting with chemicals, causes an explosion that surrounds him with blue flame. While the fire engulfs him, he can pass through any object. Memorizing the formula, he goes to investigate an ocean liner sabotaged by a strange man encased in ice. Blue Fire discovers the Frost, a foreign agent who can freeze himself and his surroundings by consuming a small pill. Their powers produce a stalemate, but Jack only captures him temporarily.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

The story was intended to continue in the next issue, but Centaur Publications, Inc. cancelled all of its titles and folded.

Script credit from Who's Who.

Boys--Girls! Solve this Puzzle! (Table of Contents: 3)

activity / 0.33 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

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

Solarman / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script
Frank Thomas (signed)
Pencils
Frank Thomas (signed)
Inks
Frank Thomas (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Close to the heart of the great solar system lies the orbit of the moon-ringed planet of Saturn, where people live in peace and crime is unknown!!
Genre
science fiction; superhero
Characters
Solarman (introduction, origin); Quino (Saturian scientist, introduction); Al Ravoni (villain, gangster); Joe (villain); Tony (villain)
Synopsis
On Saturn, the dwarf scientist Quino sends Solarman to help the people of Earth. His first assignment is to capture a fugitive gangster attempting to leave the country on a forged passport and bring him to justice.
Reprints
Keywords
Dyno-Ray Gun; Vacuum-Ray Projector; X-Ray Scope

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Who's Who.

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

Sparkler / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script
John Kolb (signed as John F. Kolb)
Pencils
John Kolb (signed as John F. Kolb)
Inks
John Kolb (signed as John F. Kolb)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Telegram for Mr. Morgan, sir.
Genre
superhero
Characters
The Sparkler [Red Morgan]
Synopsis
The Sparkler must track down Queen Marie and her mob who are smuggling diamonds.

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Who's Who.

How the Buzzard Came to Be! (Table of Contents: 6)

Buzzard / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
Martin Filchock [as Filchock] (signed)
Pencils
Martin Filchock [as Filchock] (signed)
Inks
Martin Filchock [as Filchock] (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
superhero
Characters
The Buzzard [Flash] (introduction, origin); The Mayor (introduction); The Police Chief (introduction); Flash's girlfriend (introduction)
Synopsis
The Mayor gives an unidentified man a device that produces a gas that makes all see him as the "nemesis of the underworld", The Buzzard (an odd man in tails with glasses, a large beak-like nose and a receding hairline)! When the Chief of Police hears that his forces have a gang cornered in a building, he rushes to the scene, expressing his annoyance over his son Flash's presence in the police department. To his dismay, the Buzzard routs the gang before the police can do anything. Flash and his girlfriend are amused by the Chief's frustration, as they know that Flash is in fact the Buzzard.

Indexer Notes

Technically, the title applies to the three-panel strip that briefly gives the Buzzard's origin before the main story starts.
Writing credit from Who's Who.

Light Signals (Table of Contents: 7)

Blue Fire / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script
? [as Eric Reid]
Pencils
Frank Thomas ? [as F. T.] (signed)
Inks
Frank Thomas ? [as F. T.] (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

Genre
superhero
Characters
Blue Fire [Dick Knapp] (name was Jack Knapp in the lead story); The Frost; Tanya Gerhst (introduction)
Synopsis
Blue Fire corners the Frost and his spy Tanya, preventing them from attacking an ocean liner. But they escape his grasp once more.

Indexer Notes

Who's Who identifies Eric Reid as a byline.

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

Larry Hunter / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Patrick Weld (signed)
Inks
Patrick Weld (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Larry Hunter, young psychology professor...
Characters
Larry Hunter (introduction, origin)
Synopsis
Professor Larry Hunter is detoured on his way to a lecture and is imprisoned by Dr. Z, who has been studying the same topics of thought reception. Dr. Z forces Larry to work to complete his thought receiver, but with the help of fellow captive Mary Brown and the now-working receiver, Larry and Mary both escape. Larry vows to use the receiver to fight crime.

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

Spark O'Leary / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Charles Pearson [as Chas Pearson] (signed)
Inks
Charles Pearson [as Chas Pearson] (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Spark O'Leary is finishing his evening news broadcast...
Genre
detective-mystery
Characters
Spark O'Leary
Synopsis
Spark uses radio to help the police catch a gang that's been blowing up buildings.

"Satan" Takes a Holiday (Table of Contents: 10)

Jeb Tinker / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
Arthur Hoffman (signed)
Inks
Arthur Hoffman (signed)
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
detective-mystery
Reprints

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

Craig Carter / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script
Eddie Robbins (signed as Robin)
Pencils
Eddie Robbins (signed as Robin)
Inks
Eddie Robbins (signed as Robin)
Colors
?
Letters
?

First Line of Dialogue or Text
I'm telling you, Heinie, if we had that ring we'd be set for life!
Genre
superhero
Characters
Craig Carter; Nikky Darnier; Professor Darnier; Zeus; Pluto; Thor
Synopsis
After reading about the events from last issue in the paper, some thugs kidnap Nikky to force Craig to give them his magic ring. With the help of the gods at his command through the ring, Craig defeats them, but Pluto decides to have some "fun" rather than return to the ring once his work is done.

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Who's Who.

Berg "Stout Fellow" (Table of Contents: 12)

Album of Famous Animals / illustration / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
?

Genre
non-fiction; animal

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

Wilson Chem. Co., Inc. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

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

Johnson Smith & Company / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. ["Wham! The Frost"]
    Blue Fire
  2. 1. This Beautiful Desk for only $1.00
    Remington Noiseless Deluxe Portable Typewriter
  3. 2. ["Blue Fire is a real figure of mystery to the world..."]
    Blue Fire
  4. 3. Boys--Girls! Solve this Puzzle!
  5. 4. ["Close to the heart of the great solar system lies the orbit of the moon-ringed planet of Saturn, where people live in peace and crime is unknown!!"]
    Solarman
  6. 5. ["Telegram for Mr. Morgan, sir."]
    Sparkler
  7. 6. How the Buzzard Came to Be!
    Buzzard
  8. 7. Light Signals
    Blue Fire
  9. 8. ["Larry Hunter, young psychology professor..."]
    Larry Hunter
  10. 9. ["Spark O'Leary is finishing his evening news broadcast..."]
    Spark O'Leary
  11. 10. "Satan" Takes a Holiday
    Jeb Tinker
  12. 11. ["I'm telling you, Heinie, if we had that ring we'd be set for life!"]
    Craig Carter
  13. 12. Berg "Stout Fellow"
    Album of Famous Animals
  14. 13. ["Mail coupon! Given Nothing to buy!"]
    Wilson Chem. Co., Inc.
  15. 14. ["Boys! Girls! Have you seen our new 1941 catalog?"]
    Johnson Smith & Company
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Henry Andrews
  • Craig Delich
  • Katy Hayhurst
  • Michael Hoskin
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jim Van Dore