Mystery Men Comics #1

(August 1939)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Script

Victor Fox ?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Letters

?; typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

An open letter to you

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

A Modern Robin Hood (Table of Contents: 2)

The Green Mask / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Walter Frehm

Inks

Walter Frehm

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Wuxtra! Read all about it... wave of deaths sweep country - wuxtra!

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Green Mask [Michael Shelby] (introduction); "News" Blake; Rocky Vilon (villain, introduction, death); Cyrus Boomer (villain, introduction)

Synopsis

The Green Mask, along with News Blake, exposes a gang engaging in insurance fraud.

Reprints

• in The Green Mask (Fox, 1940 series) #1 (Summer 1940) [pgs. 1-3 only]

Indexer Notes

takes place after 1st story in Green Mask, The (Fox, 1940 series) #1

[Origin of Rex Dexter of Mars] (Table of Contents: 3)

Rex Dexter / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Dick Briefer ?

Pencils

Dick Briefer (signed)

Inks

Dick Briefer

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

One of the features of the Fair in 1939, was the rocketing of a space-ship to the planet Mars.

Genre

science fiction

Characters

Rex Dexter (introduction, origin); Montague Dexter (introduction); Pres. Grover (introduction); Cynde (introduction); Boris Thorax (villain, introduction); Vesoff

Reprints

• in Rex Dexter of Mars (Fox, 1940 series) #1 (Fall 1940)

Keywords

Mars; New York City; Tarsis

How To Become a Detective (Table of Contents: 4)

Billy Bounce / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Norman Lee (signed)

Pencils

Norman Lee (signed)

Inks

Norman Lee (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

My last lesson finished, I, Billy Bounce, will go out to detect crime...

Genre

humor

Characters

Billy Bounce (introduction); Midget Moe

[The Coming of Chen Chang] (Table of Contents: 5)

Chen Chang / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Munson Paddock (signed as Cecilia Munson)

Inks

Munson Paddock

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Wong! My spies inform me that Richard Kendall will seek a position with the Atlas Construction Company!

Genre

crime

Characters

Chen Chang (villain, introduction); Wong (villain, introduction); Richard Kendall (introduction); Decker; Mr. Denby

[Skulduggery on Smoky Mountain] (Table of Contents: 6)

Wing Turner / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

George Tuska

Inks

George Tuska

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I want you to fly a shipment of gold to Chicago.

Genre

adventure; aviation

Characters

Wing Turner (introduction); The Chief (villain, introduction); Clutch (villain, introduction)

Synopsis

Thieves bring down a plane supposedly carrying $50,000 in gold.

Keywords

death beam

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

Real Life Personal Interviews with Famous Detectives / character profile / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Lee Harris (signed as Harris)

Inks

Lee Harris (signed as Harris)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I - never hadda chance!

Genre

non-fiction

Characters

Detective Barney Ruditsky

[Trapped by the Top] (Table of Contents: 8)

Zanzibar / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

George Tuska (signed)

Inks

George Tuska

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Zanzibar has decided to spend the evening at home reading when he is suddenly...

Genre

detective-mystery; fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Zanzibar (introduction, a magician); The Top (villain, introduction)

Reprints

• in Rex Dexter of Mars (Fox, 1940 series) #1 (Fall 1940)

Keywords

First National Bank

The Case of Tintype's Will (Table of Contents: 9)

Hemlock Shomes / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Fred Schwab ?

Pencils

Fred Schwab

Inks

Fred Schwab

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Stick around folks!

Feature Logo

Hemlock Shomes and Dr. Potsam

Genre

humor; detective-mystery

Characters

Hemlock Shomes (introduction); Dr. Potsam (introduction); Elmer T. Tintype (introduction); Sloppy Joe (introduction)

Synopsis

Hemlock Shomes and Dr. Potsam travel to Old Man Tintype's mansion and try to figure out which one of the many men who claim to be his son actually killed him.

The Haunted House (Table of Contents: 10)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Will Eisner (signed)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I guess if Mickey wasn't new in the neighborhood...

Characters

Mickey; Jerry; Pete; Joe Donner; Sgt. Matterson

Keywords

Baxter Heights

[Trouble at Gun Hollow] (Table of Contents: 11)

Waco Kid / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Art Peddy (signed)

Inks

Art Peddy

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The Kid, riding to investigate reports of trouble at Gun Hollow, stops when he sees...

Genre

western-frontier

Characters

The Waco Kid (introduction); Brazos Teale (villain, introduction); Craig Bridger (introduction); Flash (horse, introduction)

Reprints

• in The Green Mask (Fox, 1940 series) #3 (Winter 1940)

Another Bombing Outrage (Table of Contents: 12)

Inspector Bancroft / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Art Pinajian

Inks

Art Pinajian

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Bancroft, we must solve the mystery of these repeated bombings!

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Inspector Bancroft (introduction); Inspector Grainger (introduction); Stuart Bledsoe (villain, introduction)

[The Coming of the Blue Beetle] (Table of Contents: 13)

Blue Beetle / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Will Eisner ?

Pencils

Charles Nicholas (signed)

Inks

Charles Nicholas (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

While Dan Garret was patrolling his beat, a car, with the muzzle of a machine gun protruding from a window...

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Blue Beetle [Dan Garret] (introduction); Mike Mannigan (introduction); The White Face Gang [John Brandes, others] (villains, introduction); Mr. Vander; Donnell; Abe

Reprints

• in Blue Beetle (Fox, 1940 series) #1 ([Winter 1940])
• in The Hero Comics (Robin Snyder and Steve Ditko, 2017 series) #26 (Spring 2018)

Keywords

National Bank

Indexer Notes

Blue Beetle wears business suit, mask, and hat in this story; no apparent super-powers; story chronologically follows 1st story in Blue Beetle (Fox, 1939 series) #1

This Blue Beetle was published by Fox, then Holyoke, then Fox again, and then Charlton before Charlton revamped Dan Garrett Blue Beetle with a new origin and powers in 1964, and later replaced him with a new Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) in 1967.

Throughout his early appearances, the Blue Beetle's last name varied between "Garret" and "Garrett", while Mike Mannigan sometimes had his last name spelled "Manigan".

[The Panama Canal Affair] (Table of Contents: 14)

D-13 / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Will Eisner ?

Pencils

Bob Powell (signed as S. R. Powell)

Inks

Bob Powell ?

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

In the office of the governor of Panama, Richard Anthony, secret agent D-13, listens to a mysterious plot...

Genre

spy

Characters

D-13 [Richard Anthony] (introduction, a secret agent); Manata (villain, introduction); Sancho

Synopsis

Richard foils a plot to sabotage the Panama Canal.

Reprints

• in The Green Mask (Fox, 1940 series) #3 (Winter 1940)

[The Valley of the Dead] (Table of Contents: 15)

Denny Scott / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

John Lindermayer

Inks

John Lindermayer

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hello, Captain Scott!

Genre

adventure

Characters

Capt. Danny Scott of the Bengal Lancers (introduction)

Synopsis

Capt. Scott and the Bengal Lancers are given the task of capturing a group of cutthroats harassing caravans.

Keywords

Valley of the Dead

Indexer Notes

For this story only, the Feature Logo is "Capt. Denny Scott".

[Saboteurs on the S. S. Regina] (Table of Contents: 16)

Lt. Drake / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Klaus Nordling (signed as F. Klaus)

Inks

Klaus Nordling

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

A sabotage ring, operating between the U.S. and Europe, has wrought considerable damage to American vessels.

Genre

spy; military

Characters

Lt. Drake of Naval Intelligence (introduction); Lobardi (villain, introduction); Kutch (villain, introduction); a girl (villain, introduction)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 17) (Expand) /

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

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 18) (Expand) /

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