Crime Patrol #9

(Winter 1948)

Murder By Appointment!! (Table of Contents: 1)

The Slaughter Syndicate / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])

Pencils

Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])

Inks

Johnny Craig (signed as Johnny Craig [circle])

Colors

? (see notes)

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

They were the predecessors of the infamous Murder, Incorporated...

Genre

crime

Characters

unnamed Policemen; Big George Gurnsey (villain, death); Scar Ralston (villain, death); The Slaughter Syndicate [Lew; Mike] (villains); Slim Daggett (villain); Mac (villain); Lefty (villain)

Synopsis

The Syndicate members spot a wealthy guy and decide to roll him for his dough. Once done, they discover they just killed an infamous gangster. Turning, they are confronted by another thug, enemy of Big George, named Ralston, who hires the syndicate members to work for him as executioners. He sends them out to kill Slim Daggett, who, in turn, offers Lew and Mike $5000 to rub out Ralston, which they do. The gang of Lew, Mike and Slim now plan to rub out crooks named Mac and Lefty, but are captured by the Police on a routine card game raid!

Reprints

• in Crime Patrol (Russ Cochran, 1993 series) #1 [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Crime Patrol (Gemstone, 2000 series) #3 (June 2000)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #25 - The Woman Who Loved Life and Other Stories (October 2019) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Tales of Terror: The EC Companion.

The Murder Syndicate is said in the story to be one of the predecessors to Murder, Incorporated.

Colors were previously attributed to Marie Severin, but it is unlikely that Severin had begun coloring at EC when this issue was colored (Cassell 2012, 33-34 and 171).
_________
Reference:

Cassell, Dewey, with Aaron Sultan. 2012. Marie Severin: The Mirthful Mistress of Comics. Raleigh: TwoMorrows Publishing.

The Grotto of the Green Stone Man (Table of Contents: 2)

Madelon / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Gardner Fox

Pencils

Ann Brewster (signed as Ann Brewster)

Inks

Ann Brewster (signed as Ann Brewster)

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The green man of Olon has sat for ages...

Genre

crime

Reprints

• in Crime Patrol (Russ Cochran, 1993 series) #1 [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Crime Patrol (Gemstone, 2000 series) #3 (June 2000)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #32 - Code of Honor and Other Stories (July 2022) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

last appearance

Crooked as a Corkscrew! (Table of Contents: 3)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Homicide inspector Dan McElroy drew deeply...

Genre

crime

Reprints

• in Crime Patrol (Russ Cochran, 1993 series) #1
• in Crime Patrol (Gemstone, 2000 series) #3 (June 2000)

Double-crossed (Table of Contents: 4)

comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

Al Feldstein

Pencils

Al Feldstein

Inks

Al Feldstein

Colors

?

Letters

Jim Wroten

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Johnny Kromer's career in crime followed a familiar pattern!

Genre

crime

Reprints

• in Crime Patrol (Russ Cochran, 1993 series) #1 [Reprinted in black and white.]
• in Crime Patrol (Gemstone, 2000 series) #3 (June 2000)
• in The Fantagraphics EC Artists' Library (Fantagraphics, 2012 series) #28 - Terror Train and Other Stories (October 2020) [Reprinted in black and white.]

Indexer Notes

In his biography, "Al Feldstein: Mad Life ..." (2013), Feldstein says this is the first EC story that he wrote.