Detective Comics #17

(July 1938)

Swelegant Is the Word for It! (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Action Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

The Snake Death (Table of Contents: 2)

Speed Saunders / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Fred Guardineer (credited, signed)

Inks

Fred Guardineer (credited, signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I have called you in, Saunders...

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Speed Saunders; a spy (introduction, death); Percy (introduction, death); Mr. Horn (introduction); Miss Horn (introduction)

Indexer Notes

We formerly credited the script of this story to Gardner Fox, but in an interview in Alter Ego #20 (June 2003), he stated that his first comic story, sold in March 1938, appeared in Detective Comics #18.

Guardineer signs in the final panel.

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

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

Script

Bob Kane (signed)

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Gosh! The Black Mask Gang...

Genre

humor

Characters

Oscar the Gumshoe

Synopsis

Oscar receives a note telling him of the whereabouts of the Black Hand Gang, notorious bank robbers. He and a squad of police advance on a shack, kick in the door, and find a gang of kids who are amused that the cops have fallen for their prank.

[The Maine Castle Mystery, Part 1] (Table of Contents: 4)

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

Script

Bill Ely [as Will Ely] (credited)

Pencils

Bill Ely [as Will Ely] (credited)

Inks

Bill Ely [as Will Ely] (credited)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Mr. Steele, there's a Mr. Graham from Hollywood to see you--

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Larry Steele; Bill Graham (introduction); Vera Sanders (introduction); The Boss (villain, introduction); his gang (villains, introduction)

[Von Ruyter's Explosive Gun] (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script

?

Pencils

Sven Elven (credited)

Inks

Sven Elven (credited)

Letters

Sven Elven

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Van Ruyter has, after two years...

Genre

adventure; detective-mystery

Characters

Cosmo; Von Ruyter (introduction); Countess Varnoff De Mornay (villain, introduction)

Synopsis

Von Ruyter has invented a new form of high explosive gun. Tests for the War Department are spectacular, and they ask permission to install a battery of guns in one of their Pacific possessions. The plans are stolen, however, and his friend Cosmo goes off to investigate, finally uncovering the Russian Countess De Mornay. She gets away with false plans Cosmo has planted. The diagram shows the monkey cage in the Bronx Zoo, and the formula is that for castor oil.

Indexer Notes

story in black and white

[The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, Part 1] (Table of Contents: 6)

Dr. Fu Manchu / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Leo O'Mealia; Sax Rohmer (original author) (credited)

Pencils

Leo O'Mealia

Inks

Leo O'Mealia

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Imagine a man, tall, lean and cat-like...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Sir Denis Nayland Smith (introduction); Dr. Petrie (introduction); Dr. Fu Manchu (villain, introduction)

Reprints

• from Dr. Fu Manchu daily (Bell Syndicate)

Indexer Notes

Adapted from The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer; also reprinted in Wow -- What a Magazine! (Henle Publications, 1936 series) #1-4.

The daily strip ran in newspapers in 1930 and 1931.

The Hooded Hordes (Table of Contents: 7)

Spy / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Jerry Siegel (credited as Jerome Siegel)

Pencils

Joe Shuster (credited as Shuster)

Inks

Joe Shuster (credited as Shuster)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure

Characters

The Hooded Hordes (introduction, villains); Bart Regan; Betsy Norris

Indexer Notes

story title from next issue blurb in previous issue

Disaster on the Diamond (Table of Contents: 8)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Vin Sullivan [as Paul Dean] (credited)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Genre

sports

Characters

Percy Hamilton; Slugger Brant; Mr. Stone

Indexer Notes

We formerly credited the script of this story to Gardner Fox, but in an interview in Alter Ego #20 (June 2003), he stated that his first comic story, sold in March 1938, appeared in Detective Comics #18.

The Coolie Smugglers [Part 1] (Table of Contents: 9)

Bruce Nelson / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson ?

Pencils

Tom Hickey (credited) (signed as TH)

Inks

Tom Hickey (credited) (signed as TH)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; aviation; detective-mystery

Characters

Bruce Nelson; Captain Carstairs (villain, introduction)

The Right Trail (Table of Contents: 10)

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)

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; western-frontier

Characters

Buck Marshall; Speck (villain, introduction)

Indexer Notes

story in black and white

Slam Bradley Gets the Air (Table of Contents: 11)

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

Script

Jerry Siegel (credited as Siegel)

Pencils

Joe Shuster (credited as Shuster)

Inks

Joe Shuster (credited as Shuster)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure; detective-mystery

Characters

Slam Bradley; Shorty Morgan; Ramon Gonzales (villain, introduction); Sporty Morgan (Shorty's brother, introduction)

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

Detective Puzzles / activity / 1 page (report information)

Script

A. W. Nugent

Pencils

A. W. Nugent

Inks

A. W. Nugent

Letters

?

Indexer Notes

inside back cover

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

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