Crack Comics #3

(July 1940)

[The Black Condor in America] (Table of Contents: 1)

The Black Condor / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Will Eisner [as Kenneth Lewis] (signed)

Pencils

Lou Fine

Inks

Lou Fine

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Black Condor [Richard Grey, Jr.]; the Princess of Singat (introduction); Ras Gyn (villain, introduction)

Synopsis

On his first trip to America, the Condor serves as protector of a friend's daughter.

Indexer Notes

Jim Amash identifies the penciller in The Quality Companion (TwoMorrows, 2011 series) #1 (November, 2011), page 93.

Richard Grey Jr. eventually assumes the identity of Senator Thomas Wright.

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

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

Script

Bob Zuppke

Pencils

Walt DePew [as B. W. DePew] (signed)

Inks

Walt DePew [as B. W. DePew] (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Come on! A bunch of Standish players over at the chocolate shop are looking for trouble!

Genre

sports

Reprints

• From newspaper strips.

Thomas Andrews Kidnapped By the Spider (Table of Contents: 3)

Alias the Spider / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Pencils

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Inks

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Spider [Tom Hallaway]; Harry (the Spider's chauffeur) (introduction); Thomas Andrews (villain, introduction); Mrs. Andrews (villain, introduction)

Indexer Notes

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

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

Molly the Model / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

John Devlin

Pencils

John Devlin

Inks

John Devlin

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

What's your boyfriend like, Molly?

Genre

humor

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

Off the Record / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script

Ed Reed

Pencils

Ed Reed

Inks

Ed Reed

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Your piano has a nice tone, neighbor- May I try something on it?

Genre

humor

[The Pirate Subs] (Table of Contents: 6)

The Red Torpedo / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Henry Kiefer ?

Pencils

Henry Kiefer [as Roy Larkin] (signed)

Inks

Henry Kiefer [as Roy Larkin] (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

The Red Topedo [Captain Jim Lockhart]; X-1 [William Wotan] (villain, introduction); Wotan's submarine pirates (villains, introduction for all)

Indexer Notes

The Who's Who suggests, as do Mike Kooiman and Jim Amash in the Quality Companion, that Kiefer not only created this feature, but did the art for it through the strip's entire run. Kiefer is also usually considered to have written it.

In Double Trouble (Table of Contents: 7)

Slap Happy Pappy / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Gill Fox (signed)

Pencils

Gill Fox (signed)

Inks

Gill Fox

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

humor

Indexer Notes

Cameo: Gill Fox (or at least his hand)

[Captured by Kiroto] (Table of Contents: 8)

Lee Preston of the Red Cross / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Bob Powell [as Terrence Macauley]

Pencils

Bob Powell

Inks

Bob Powell

Colors

?

Letters

?

Characters

Lee Preston; Major Kiroto (villain, introduction); Kip (introduction)

Gang Czar's Right Hand Man Arrested (Table of Contents: 9)

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

Script

George Brenner [as George E. Brenner] (signed)

Pencils

George Brenner [as George E. Brenner] (signed)

Inks

George Brenner [as George E. Brenner] (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

detective-mystery; superhero

Characters

The Clock [Brian O'Brien]; Pat "Pug" Brady; Lieutenant Foxx; Scar Sizza (villain, introduction); Sparks (villain, introduction, death); Mack (villain, introduction, death)

Synopsis

When O'Brien is framed and arrested on the testimony of gangster Scar Sizza, Pug disguises himself as the Clock and shoots to death Sparks and Mack.

Indexer Notes

The fact that Pug and Brian were the spitting image of one another served well in future stories to protect the identity of the Clock, since the Clock and Brian could appear together.

Glenna Collett's Greatest Uphill Fight to Win (Table of Contents: 10)

They're Still Talking / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bob Zupke ?

Pencils

B. W. Depew

Inks

B. W. Depew

Colors

?

Letters

?

A Way to Mark Husbands (Table of Contents: 11)

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

Script

Rube Goldberg

Pencils

Rube Goldberg

Inks

Rube Goldberg

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

humor

Reprints

• From newspaper strips.

The Death-Ray Decoy (Table of Contents: 12)

Wizard Wells / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Harry Francis Campbell (signed)

Pencils

Harry Francis Campbell (signed)

Inks

Harry Francis Campbell (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

adventure

Characters

Wizard Wells; Tug; Mary Perry; Smythe (introduction); Hitlin (villain, introduction); foreign spies (villain, introduction)

Scourge of the Skies (Table of Contents: 13)

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

Script

Larry Spain

Letters

typeset

Characters

Eric Vale

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. (Table of Contents: 14)

Screen Snapshots / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script

Gill Fox

Pencils

Gill Fox

Inks

Gill Fox

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

biography

[Mystery at Windward Castle] (Table of Contents: 15)

Madam Fatal / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Art Pinajian (signed)

Pencils

Art Pinajian (signed)

Inks

Art Pinajian (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Madam Fatal [Richard Stanton]; John Gordon (introduction); Betty Gordon (introduction); Jack Dale (introduction); Ross (villain, introduction, death); Slade (villain, introduction); Max (villain, introduction)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 16)

Jane Arden / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Monte Barrett

Pencils

Russell Ross [as Russell E. Ross]

Inks

Russell Ross [as Russell E. Ross]

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

After Alice Furze gets rid of the man who helped tie up Jane...

Genre

drama

Reprints

• from Jane Arden Sundays (Tribune) xxxx-xx-xx - xxxx-xx-xx

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

Lena Pry / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Monte Barrett

Pencils

Russell Ross [as Russell E. Ross]

Inks

Russell Ross [as Russell E. Ross]

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Oh, Dan'l! You're wounded!

Genre

humor

Reprints

• from Lena Pry Sundays (Tribune) xxxx-xx-xx - xxxx-xx-xx

Indexer Notes

appears on bottom half of Jane Arden pages.

[The Escape of Lucky Largo] (Table of Contents: 18)

Space Legion / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Vernon Henkel [as Vern]

Pencils

Vernon Henkel [as Vern]

Inks

Vernon Henkel

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

science fiction

Characters

Space Legion; Rock Braddon; Lucky Largo (villain, introduction)