Zip Comics #43

(January 1944)

Living Shadows (Table of Contents: 1)

Steel Sterling / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Clem Weisbecker

Inks

Clem Weisbecker

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Steel Sterling fights the battle of his life against the shadows that walked like men...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Steel Sterling [John Sterling]; Sergeant Clancy McGinty; Professor Royce

Synopsis

The professor has invented a projector that makes shadows come to life.

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

Señor Banana / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Ed Goggin (signed as Goggin)

Pencils

Harry Sahle (signed as Sahle)

Inks

Virginia Drury (signed as Ginger)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Pie een the sky!

Genre

humor

Characters

Señor Banana; Stencho Odora

Synopsis

Banana falls asleep after reading about a book about grass as superfood and dreams he has become super strong.

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

Archie / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

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

Black Hood / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

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

The Applejacks / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Ed Goggin

Pencils

Harry Sahle

Inks

Harry Sahle

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Happy and Slappy have been given fifty dollars...

Genre

humor

Characters

Slappy Applejack; Happy Applejack; Wild Mountain Bill; Old Confederate General

Synopsis

The Applejack boys and Wild Mountain Bill travel to New York, but only have Confederate money to spend.

Indexer Notes

The woman in the splash panel carrying a purse with the monogram "JGV" appears to be a caricature of MLJ staffer Janice "Ginger" Valleau. Another woman carrying a purse with the monogram "DM" may be another caricature.

Final panel includes text blurb for Archie radio show.

Revenge (Table of Contents: 6)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Tommy Tomkins

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Their fingers had met through that wire netting, and then she had slipped the file through, pushed it up his sleeve.

Genre

crime

Characters

Al; Jake; Verna

Synopsis

Al files his way out of jail to get revenge.

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

Ginger / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Ed Goggin

Pencils

Claire S. Moe (signed as Claire Moe)

Inks

Claire S. Moe (signed as Claire Moe)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Principal Grump!

Feature Logo

Ginger

Genre

teen

Characters

Ginger Snapp; Dotty; Principal Grump; Prof. Piddle; Miss Eclaire

Synopsis

Ginger and Dotty are driving out to a poultry farm to get eggs for Miss Eclaire.

[Don't Blab] (Table of Contents: 8)

Red Rube / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Vigoda

Inks

Bill Vigoda

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Young Rueben Rueben has dedicated himself to fight for what's right in this world!

Genre

superhero

Characters

Red Rube [Rueben Rueben]

Synopsis

Red Rube discovers a Nazi spy radio transmitter station.

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

Zipsy Doodles / activity / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ed Goggin (signed as Goggin)

Pencils

Ed Goggin (signed as Goggin)

Inks

Ed Goggin (signed as Goggin)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

After deciding you know the answers...

Indexer Notes

Includes quiz about driving laws, two riddles, and image search for things that start with "R."

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

Chimpy / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Joe Edwards (signed)

Pencils

Joe Edwards (signed)

Inks

Joe Edwards (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I'm not afraid... (choke) Super-Duper Man (gasp) is coming!!

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Chimpy; Genie; Super-Duper-Man; Joe Edwards

Synopsis

Chimpy and Genie go over to the comic book factory to get a new idea for their artist, Joe Edwards.

Indexer Notes

Final panel includes note from Chimpy asking readers to send him a letter with their thoughts on his story, care of MLJ Magazines, 60 Hudson Street, New York, NY.

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

Wilbur / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Bill Vigoda (signed)

Inks

Bill Vigoda (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hello! That you Linda?

Genre

teen

Characters

Wilbur Wilkin; Linda; Red

Synopsis

Linda is allergic to orchid scent and Wilbur has accidentally dropped an orchid into the punch bowl.

Indexer Notes

First Wilbur story with art by Bill Vigoda, who would become the primary artist on "Wilbur" through the end of the 1940s.

First appearances of Red, the Jughead-esque best friend of Wilbur, and Linda Moore, Wilbur's wealthy girlfriend similar to Veronica. Red has yet to develop his love of food, although he expresses disinterest in dating women in the final panel. Linda appears to be wealthy from the size of her party but is not explicitly described as rich.

The plot of this story would be recycled for the text story "Orchids to You" in Wilbur Comics (Archie, 1944 series) #9, which would itself be recycled as an Archie text story in Archie Comics (Archie, 1942 series) #33.