Smash Comics #23

(June 1941)

[The Beetle and the Tongs] (Table of Contents: 1)

The Ray / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Lou Fine (signed as E. Lectron)

Inks

Lou Fine (signed as E. Lectron)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Ray [Happy Terrill]; Bud; Tom Lum (introduction); The Beetle (villain, introduction); Long Woo (villain, introduction, death)

Synopsis

To help out during a case involving feuds between rival clans in Chinatown, The Ray gives Bud a "ray ring" that emits a beam to blind people.

Reprints

• in Special Edition Series (DynaPubs Enterprises, 1974 series) #2 (1974) [black and white]

Keywords

Ray Ring

[The Hijacked War Planes] (Table of Contents: 2)

Wings Wendall / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Vern Henkel (signed)

Pencils

Vern Henkel (signed)

Inks

Vern Henkel (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

aviation

Characters

Wings Wendall; Spinner; General Harrison

Indexer Notes

Henkel s credited as writer and artist on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.

[Boomerang Bullets] (Table of Contents: 3)

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

Script

?

Pencils

Jack Cole

Inks

Jack Cole

Colors

?

Letters

Jack Cole

Genre

humor; detective-mystery

Characters

Wun Cloo (detective)

[The Hundred Grand Hobo] (Table of Contents: 4)

The Jester / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Gustavson

Pencils

Paul Gustavson

Inks

Paul Gustavson

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Jester [Chuck Lane]; Mulligan; Limpy (introduction)

Reprints

• in O Faísca (Sociedade Editora A.L.M.A., Ltd.ª, 1943 series) #9 (8 de Maio de 1943), #11 (22 de Maio de 1943), #12 (29 de Maio de 1943), #13 (5 de Junho de 1943)

Indexer Notes

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

[The Ghost Town Bandits] (Table of Contents: 5)

The Purple Trio / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Alex Blum (signed as S. M. Regi)

Inks

Alex Blum (signed as S. M. Regi)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure

Characters

The Purple Trio [Tiny Todd; Warren; Rocky Hill]; Wolf Fang (villain, introduction)

Indexer Notes

Alex Blum is credited on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who, and his gloomy faces are not to be mistaken. Compare sample in Jerry Bails' Who's Who. Jerry Iger is credited as writer for Quality, and his pen name was S.M. Regi (Iger backwards).

Writer revision from Jerry Iger to ? by Craig Delich 2013-12-26. The Who's Who indicates that S. M. Regi was a pen-name sometimes used by Jerry Iger, but also by others as a house by-line. It further indicates that Jerry Iger did not write this feature, but that Alex Blum, under this pen-name or by-line, did draw the strip.

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

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

Script

John Devlin

Pencils

John Devlin

Inks

John Devlin

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

King O'Toole! King Itchovich of Slopolio...

Genre

humor; children

Characters

Princess Itchovitch (intro); Archie; Ivan

[Enter: Doc Wackey] (Table of Contents: 7)

Midnight / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Jack Cole (signed)

Pencils

Jack Cole (signed)

Inks

Jack Cole (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Jack Cole

Genre

adventure; superhero

Characters

Midnight [Dave Clark]; Gabby (a monkey); Doc Mortimer Wackey (villain, introduction, reforms)

Synopsis

Midnight faces a foe who administers pills to people that regresses them to infancy, and he is even tricked to ingesting the drug as well. Gabby takes a chance with the antidote, which might kill the subject, but Dave is restored. Then, instead of turning the doctor in, Midnight gives Wackey a chance to reform, working with him and Gabby to better promote his genius.

Keywords

Vacuum Gun

Indexer Notes

Dr. Wackey's first name was not revealed until Smash #32. He becomes Midnight's partner by the end of this story.

A diagram of Midnight's Vacuum Gun is shown in this story.

[The Temple of Mars] (Table of Contents: 8)

Espionage Starring Black X / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Dick French (signed as Will Erwin)

Pencils

Witmer Williams

Inks

Witmer Williams

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

spy; adventure; war

Characters

Espionage [Black X]; Sandra Sanders (introduction), Luigi Piscato (death); Madam Doom (villain)

Indexer Notes

Williams is credited on drawing this feature.

Writer revision from Eisner to French by Craig Delich.

Will Eisner created the Espionage feature, and Will Erwin was a pen name used by Will Eisner (Erwin was Eisner's middle name), but it also became a house by-line after Eisner's tenure after 1940. Lane French wrote the feature in 1941, followed by Toni Blum (1942) and Otto Binder (1942-43).

[The Blue Death] (Table of Contents: 9)

Invisible Justice / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Art Pinajian (signed as Art Gordon)

Inks

Art Pinajian (signed as Art Gordon)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Invisible Hood [Kent Thurston]; The Crystal Queen (villain, death); Caglio (villain, a magician, introduction, death)

Synopsis

Caglio and the Crystal Queen squabble over a mystical and lethal blue gem, which ends when the magician kiils the Queen and later succumbs to an explosion.

Indexer Notes

Art Gordon is a pen name for Art Pinajian, and he is credited as writer and artist on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.

[The Human Bronzes] (Table of Contents: 10)

The Scarlet Seal / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Harry Campbell (signed as Duane Byrd Monroe)

Pencils

Harry Campbell (signed as Duane Byrd Monroe)

Inks

Harry Campbell (signed as Duane Byrd Monroe)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

The Scarlet Seal [Barry Moore]; Captain Tim Moore; Bernice Fonda (introduction, death); Morta (villain, embalmer, introduction)

Synopsis

The Seal takes the law into his own hands to stop a murderous embalmer who is killing young women and posing them as life-like sculptures.

Indexer Notes

This feature was created by Manning de Villeneuve Lee, an accomplished fine artist and book illustrator who specialized in historical subjects. His by-line only appears on the first story in #16....after that, the strip was signed "Duane Byrd Monroe", a pen name for which no reference can be found.

The Who's Who lists Campbell as writer and artist in 1940-41.......Lee (called Lee Manning in the Who's Who) wrote and drew the strip in 1940, and Henry Taylor drew the strip in 1941. I'll leave it to other writer/art experts that have access to all the stories (from Smash #2-24) to determine who did what stories story and artwise.

Beeskrieg (Table of Contents: 11)

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

Script

Robert Hyatt ?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

adventure

Characters

Jimmy Christian

Indexer Notes

next story "The Hunted Castle"

[The Capture of Princess Bardia] (Table of Contents: 12)

Abdul the Arab / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Bob Powell (signed as Powell Roberts)

Pencils

Bob Powell (signed as Powell Roberts)

Inks

Bob Powell (signed as Powell Roberts)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure

Characters

Abdul; Hassan; Pooch (intro,a girl), Princess Bardia; Kibur (Intro, Dies)

Indexer Notes

Powell is credited as writer and artist on this feature, and his pen name was Powell Roberts, all by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.

[The Black Death] (Table of Contents: 13)

Chic Carter / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Vern Henkel

Pencils

Vern Henkel

Inks

Vern Henkel

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

detective-mystery; superhero

Characters

Chic Carter; Monahan; The Black Death (Intro; Holt); Foster (intro, dies), Worthington (intro, dies); Dr. Parker

Indexer Notes

Originally credited to Klaus Nordling, but this is Henkel, who is credited on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who. Compare the grinning face with bright eyes with his signed Wings Wendell story.

[Karl Zoff's Double] (Table of Contents: 14)

Bozo the Robot / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

George Brenner ?

Pencils

George Brenner (signed as Wayne Reid)

Inks

George Brenner (signed as Wayne Reid)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

science fiction; superhero

Characters

Hugh Hazzard; Bozo; Karl Zoff; Kurtz (Intro for both); Fox (intro)

Indexer Notes

Wayne Reid is a pen name for Brenner, and he is only credited as artist on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.