Smash Comics #13

(August 1940)

Devil's Island (Table of Contents: 1)

Espionage Starring Black X / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

Will Eisner (signed as Will Erwin)

Pencils

Will Eisner (signed as Will Erwin)

Inks

Will Eisner (signed as Will Erwin)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Into the jaws of death...

Genre

spy; adventure; war

Characters

Espionage [Black X]; Dean (death); Batu; M'sieu Rolande (death); Camille; Commandant of Devil's Island; Rene (death); Moran (villain, thief)

Synopsis

A thief named Moran has sole possession of the secret to a new gun. When he is captured for murder and sent to Devil's Island, Black X has to go along to keep him from giving the secret to the French.

Reprints

• in Golden-Age Men of Mystery (AC, 1996 series) #12 (1999) [in black and white; originally in color]

Indexer Notes

Will Eisner created the Espionage feature, and Will Erwin was a pen name used by Will Eisner (Erwin was Eisner's middle name) until he left the feature after 1940. It also became a house by-line as well for future writers.

[Old Clutchcopper] (Table of Contents: 2)

Wun Cloo / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Gill Fox (signed)

Pencils

Gill Fox (signed)

Inks

Gill Fox (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Wun Cloo would like to deposit money...

Genre

humor; detective-mystery

Characters

Wun Cloo; Old Clutchcopper (Intro)

[The Northern Fur Robbery] (Table of Contents: 3)

Chic Carter / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Vern Henkel

Pencils

Vern Henkel

Inks

Vern Henkel

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Guess I'll leave, Captain...

Genre

detective-mystery; superhero

Characters

Chic Carter; Gat Griffin; Trixie; Blinky

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

Kidding the Kids / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script

Arthur Beeman (signed)

Pencils

Arthur Beeman (signed)

Inks

Arthur Beeman (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Sis named my doggie Conscience...

Genre

humor; children

Indexer Notes

Six unrelated gag panels.

[The Golden Dragon] (Table of Contents: 5)

Invisible Justice / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Art Pinajian (credited as Art Gordon) (signed as Art Gordon)

Pencils

Art Pinajian (credited as Art Gordon) (signed as Art Gordon)

Inks

Art Pinajian (credited as Art Gordon) (signed as Art Gordon)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Along a darkened street...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Invisible Hood [Kent Thurston]; Joyce Clark; Dan Clark; Thomas Clark; The Golden Dragon [Ah Sin](villain, introduction)

[The Golden Spike] (Table of Contents: 6)

Archie O'Toole / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Tuska ? (signed as Bud Thomas)

Pencils

George Tuska ? (signed as Bud Thomas)

Inks

George Tuska ? (signed as Bud Thomas)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I hereby dedicate this fine new railroad...

Genre

humor; children

Characters

King Archie O'Toole; Gil O'Teen

Cliff Melton (Table of Contents: 7)

Sportraits / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Gill Fox (signed)

Pencils

Gill Fox (signed)

Inks

Gill Fox (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Genre

non-fiction; sports; biography

[The Rifle Robbery] (Table of Contents: 8)

Wings Wendall / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

Vern Henkel (signed as Vernon Henkel)

Pencils

Vern Henkel (signed as Vernon Henkel)

Inks

Vern Henkel (signed as Vernon Henkel)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

A dreary rain...

Genre

adventure; aviation

Characters

Wings Wendall; Conrad Gunther (introduction); Judy Mallon (introduction)

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

The Purple Trio / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Alex Blum (signed as S. M. Regi)

Inks

Alex Blum (signed as S. M. Regi)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Vaudeville is dead! Now get out...and stay out!

Genre

adventure

Characters

The Purple Trio [Tiny Todd (a midget); Rocky Hill (an acrobat); Warren (a magician)] (introduction, origin); Sandra Starr

Synopsis

Tiny, Rocky and Warren are ousted from their jobs in the faltering performance industry and decide to band together to pool their talents in fighting crime.

Reprints

• in Gwandanaland Comics (Gwandanaland Comics, 2016 series) #2005 - The Golden Age Firsts of Quality Comics: Volume 1 ([May] 2018)

Indexer Notes

The Purple Trio were three vaudevillains. Rockey wore a red suit, Warren wore a blue suit and Tiny wore a yellow suit.

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

Clip Chance at Cliffside / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

George Brenner

Pencils

George Brenner

Inks

George Brenner

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Spud, it was swell of you to invite me to spend the summer vacation with you!

Genre

sports; adventure

Characters

Clip Chance; Spud; Chuck

An Almost Perfect Swindle (Table of Contents: 11)

Philpot Veep / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

John Devlin

Pencils

John Devlin

Inks

John Devlin

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hmm - Interesting...

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Philpot Veep; Waldo

Synopsis

Veep spots a suspicious character who is obviously charging protection money to merchants, and has him arrested.

The Episode of the Prominent Proboscis (Table of Contents: 12)

Philpot Veep / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

John Devlin

Pencils

John Devlin

Inks

John Devlin

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I'm worried, Mr. Veep...

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Philpot Veep; Waldo

Indexer Notes

last appearance

[The Origin of Magno] (Table of Contents: 13)

Magno the Miracle Man / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Paul Gustavson (credited) (sourced)

Pencils

Paul Gustavson (credited) (sourced)

Inks

Paul Gustavson (credited) (sourced)

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson (credited) (sourced)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Known to his fellow workers as plain Tom Dalton...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Magno [Tom Dalton] (introduction, origin); Mike Harvey (introduction)

Synopsis

Tom is electrocuted by 10,000 D.C. volts, then revived by an equal shock of A.C. volts, all of which result in his obtaining powers of magnetism. As a blue collar lineman in a local town, he often uses excuses to duck away from his job to right injustices.

Reprints

• in Gwandanaland Comics (Gwandanaland Comics, 2016 series) #2005 - The Golden Age Firsts of Quality Comics: Volume 1 ([May] 2018)

Kickback (Table of Contents: 14)

Jimmie Christian / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Robert Hyatt (credited as Robert M. Hyatt)

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Tobe Waller, grizzled, sun-dried old desert rat...

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Tobe Waller; Tony

[Ahmed the Bedouin] (Table of Contents: 15)

Abdul the Arab / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

Bob Powell (signed as Powell Roberts)

Pencils

Bob Powell (signed as Powell Roberts)

Inks

Bob Powell (signed as Powell Roberts)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

In answer to a plea for help...

Genre

adventure

Characters

Abdul the Arab; Hassan; Ahmed; Najaf (Intro); Sheik Tell Akib (intro)

Tracking the Chinatown Terror (Table of Contents: 16)

Captain Cook of Scotland Yard / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Stan Asch

Inks

Stan Asch

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

What is wrong at Scotland Yard?

Genre

detective-mystery

Characters

Craig Cook; Kelly; The Key (intro)

Indexer Notes

Previously credited to Bill Smith, but clearly by Stan Asch.

Final appearance.

[The Pneumonia Cure] (Table of Contents: 17)

Bozo the Robot / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

George Brenner (signed as Wayne Reid)

Pencils

George Brenner (signed as Wayne Reid)

Inks

George Brenner (signed as Wayne Reid)

Colors

?

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hmm - What's this?

Genre

science fiction; superhero

Characters

Bozo the Robot; Hugh Hazzard; Dr. E. Salor (intro); Boss Patone; Slick; Horg (Dies)

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

The Ray / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)