Crack Comics #25

(September 1942)

[The Pumpkinhead Plot] (Table of Contents: 1)

The Black Condor / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

Otto Binder ?; Toni Blum ?

Pencils

John Cassone (signed as J. C.)

Inks

John Cassone (signed as J. C.)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Black Condor [Senator Thomas Wright]; Dr. Foster; Wendy Foster; Senator Pumpkinhead Hardy (introduction); Jaspar Crow (villain); Elsa Papendorf (villain, introduction, death)

Synopsis

Wendy is taking a first aid course in school, taught by an Austrian refugee with a "W" scar on his face. He uses the same girl each day to model injuries, bandaging her, but, strangely enough, giving that girl the bandages each day. Tom smells a rat and decides to investigate as the Condor and literally drops into the classroom, feigning injury to get bandaged. The bandages contain secret messages, and the Condor follows the clues to Jaspar Crow himself!

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #101 (2016)

Keywords

Corn River

Indexer Notes

Script credits suggested by the Who's Who.

[Joe Chang's Guerillas] (Table of Contents: 2)

Spitfire / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Al McWilliams (signed as A. McWilliams)

Pencils

Al McWilliams (signed as A. McWilliams)

Inks

Al McWilliams (signed as A. McWilliams)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

aviation; adventure

Characters

Spitfire [Tex Adams]; Joe Chang (first appearance); Japanese (villains)

[Sweet Nothings] (Table of Contents: 3)

Slap Happy Pappy / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Jack Cole (signed as Ralph Johns)

Pencils

Jack Cole (signed as Ralph Johns)

Inks

Jack Cole (signed as Ralph Johns)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

humor

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #101 (2016)

[Pen Miller's Nazi Double] (Table of Contents: 4)

Pen Miller / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Klaus Nordling (signed as Klaus)

Pencils

Klaus Nordling (signed as Klaus)

Inks

Klaus Nordling (signed as Klaus)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Pen Miller; Pen's secretary (first appearance); Scribbler (first appearance; villain); Hack (first appearance; villain); Mummer (first appearance; villain)

Who Is He? (Table of Contents: 5)

Don Q / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Vern Henkel (signed as Vernon Henkel)

Pencils

Vern Henkel (signed as Vernon Henkel)

Inks

Vern Henkel (signed as Vernon Henkel)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

spy; adventure

Characters

Don Q; A German field marshall (first appearance; villain; death); Gen. Gerichter (first appearance; villain; death); Captain Grunz (villains); Nazis (villains)

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

Jane Arden / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Monte Barrett

Pencils

Russell Ross

Inks

Russell Ross

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Formula K. Secret of a deadly explosive was stolen.

Genre

drama; adventure

Keywords

soap opera

Indexer Notes

strip reprints
Last appearance in Crack Comics. Jane Arden reprints appear next in a comic book in Pageant of Comics (St. John, 1947 Series) #2 (October 1947).

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

Molly the Model / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

John Devlin

Pencils

John Devlin

Inks

John Devlin

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

While you kids dawdle, I'll take a dip

Genre

humor

Characters

Molly The Model [Molly Maloney]; Pop Maloney; Danny Deever; P.T. Bumpf

Synopsis

At the beach, Pop destroys Molly's chance to impress P.T. Bumpf, who could help her modeling career.

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

Molly the Model / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

John Devlin ?

Inks

John Devlin ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Wonder what our new neighbors are like?

Genre

humor

Characters

Molly Maloney; Pop Maloney; Willie

Synopsis

Pop uses his new neighbor's telephone to call his bookie. The unsuspecting neighbor is arrested as a result.

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

Rube Goldberg's Side Show / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Rube Goldberg

Pencils

Rube Goldberg

Inks

Rube Goldberg

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Blame it on Wilbur

Genre

humor

Indexer Notes

strip reprint

[In Deep Water] (Table of Contents: 10)

Hack O'Hara / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bob Fujitani (signed as B. Fudge)

Inks

Bob Fujitani (signed as B. Fudge)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; detective-mystery

Characters

Hack O'Hara; Toughy (first appearance)

Indexer Notes

Artist's signature appears in the final panel of page 4.

[The Secret of Mouse Malone] (Table of Contents: 11)

Alias the Spider / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Pencils

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Inks

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Spider [Tom Hallaway]; Chuck; Mouse Malone [aka Shorty] (villain); Honest Abe Lavery (villain); Slippery (villain, death); Joe (villain, death); Butch Parker (villain)

Synopsis

The Spider must track down a killer who has horribly strangled two of Honest Abe Lavery's men following a poker game. Chuck finally is able to steer the Spider in the right direction to the killer.

Reprints

• in Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #441 (June-July 1974)
which is reprinted
• in Giant Batman Album (K. G. Murray, 1962 series) #30 (1975)
• in Läderlappen (Semic, 1976 series) #12/1976 ([december] 1976)
• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #101 (2016)

Indexer Notes

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

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

Ned Brant / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Bob Zuppke

Pencils

E. W. DePew

Inks

E. W. DePew

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Lay off Bud, I'm trying to read the help wanted ads

Genre

sports

Indexer Notes

Strip reprints
Last appearance in Crack Comics, and in comic books in general. The Ned Brant comic strip continued in newspapers until 1948.

The White Leopard (Table of Contents: 13)

Eric Vale / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Larry Spain?

Letters

typeset

Genre

adventure

Characters

Eric Vale

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

Snappy / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Arthur Beeman

Pencils

Arthur Beeman

Inks

Arthur Beeman

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

So we want you to take care of Laura's little boy while we're gone

Genre

humor

[Raid in Holland] (Table of Contents: 15)

Tor, the Magic Master / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Fred Guardineer (signed)

Pencils

Fred Guardineer (signed)

Inks

Fred Guardineer (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

fantasy-supernatural; adventure

Characters

Tor [Jim Slade] (press photographer); Jim's unnamed newspaper editor; Dutch Van Meer (introduction, death); the Nazis (villains, many die)

Synopsis

Jim is given the tough assignment of photographing a British commando unit in action during a raid in Holland. He teams up with commando Dutch van Meer. When Dutch is killed during the raid, Jim assumes his magical identity of Tor and fills in for him.

Reprints

• in Men of Mystery Comics (AC, 1999 series) #101 (2016)

Keywords

Holland

[The Gonky Mob Copycat Crimes] (Table of Contents: 16)

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

Script

George Brenner

Pencils

George Brenner

Inks

George Brenner

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

detective-mystery; superhero

Characters

Clock [Brian O'Brien]; Butch; Gonky (first appearance; villain); Rip (first appearance; villain); Slug (first appearance; villain)

Indexer Notes

Butch mentions that she should've teamed with The Spirit; Clock: "The Spirit--BAH!!"; Clock has Spirit / Dr. Strange style window