Marvex the Super-Robot and the Purple Mask begin runs in the title. Alex Schomburg bondage cover. Joe Simon art. The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books rates this issue a "7" ("scarce") on its Scarcity Index.
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COVER DETAILS
Characters:
The Purple Mask [Dennis Burton]; the Nazis (villains)
Pencils:
Alex Schomburg
Inks:
Alex Schomburg
Letters:
typeset
STORY DETAILS
Title:
The Escape of Red Corker
Characters:
Dale of the FBI (introduction); J. Edgar Hoover; George Dean; Helen Dean; Red Corker (villain; introduction; death)
Synopsis:
Red Corker escapes from prison and re-unites with his old gang, having planned dozens of jobs while housed in jail. Ace investigator, Dale, is dispatched from Washington D.C. to Dream Island in San Francisco to try and rescue Helen Dean, daughter of oil magnate George Dean, who has been kidnapped by Corker.
Pages:
8.000
Script:
Phil Sturm (signed)
Pencils:
Gus Ricca ?
Inks:
Gus Ricca ?
Notes:
Only appearance.
Prior pencil credit to Joseph Cal Cagno for reasons not clear. Tentative credit to Gus Ricca from the Masterworks.
Chesler shop material.
Title:
In the Miracle City
Characters:
Breeze Barton (introduction, origin); Ann Barclay (introduction); Zanoba (a scientist, introduction); Mubahn and the demon people (vilains introduction for all)
Synopsis:
While on a scouting expedition in 1945 in South Africa, Breeze discovers a Japanese Army marching toward British territory, but is shot down. Making his way to Miracle City, a young girl escorts him to a scientist named Zanoba, who is later captured by the Demon People, and Breeze heads out for the rescue.
Pages:
9.000
Pencils:
Jack Binder
Inks:
E. C. Stoner
Notes:
Chesler shop material.
Title:
Mystery of the Swabert Mansion
Characters:
The Purple Mask [Dennis Burton]; Commissioner Herrick; Frederick Swabert (introduction); Renard (villain, introduction, death); his gang (villains, introduction); Mr. Bellos (villain, introduction)
Synopsis:
The Purple Mask investigates an attempt to force Frederick Swabert to reveal the hiding place of his father's fortune or risk being killed for refusing to do so.
Pages:
8.000
Script:
Will Harr (signed)
Pencils:
Maurice Gutwirth (signed)
Inks:
Maurice Gutwirth (signed)
Notes:
Dennis Burton appeared as the Laughing Mask in the previous issue, but is the Purple Mask in this issue and the next.
Will Harr's signature is in the splash panel, but Maurice Gutwirth's is in the 3rd-to-last panel of the story.
Chesler shop material.
Title:
The East Side Murders
Characters:
The Phantom Reporter [Dick Jones] (introduction); a park commissioner; various corrupt officials (villains, introduction for all); Max; other gangsters (villains, introduction, death for all)
Synopsis:
Cub reporter Jones is assigned a case in which seven families on the east side of town have been wantonly beaten, resulting in three deaths. He soon discovers, as the Phantom Reporter, that the Park Commissioner, Police Chief and the publisher of several newspapers were behind it all... each having vested interest in the property on the east side, and hoping that the crime wave would get people to vacate their property so they could pick it up cheaply!
Pages:
8.000
Script:
Robert O. Erisman [as ROE] (signed)
Pencils:
Sam Cooper (signed)
Inks:
Sam Cooper (signed)
Notes:
Only golden age appearance. Next appearance in The Twelve (Marvel, 2008 series) #1.
Probably produced in-house / freelance. Erisman was a pulp editor for Goodman.
Title:
Powdersmoke Showdown
Characters:
Bick Deems; Hardwinter Smith; Widow Ames; Sam Hala (death)
Synopsis:
Bick and Sam, once the best of friends, get into a shooting match over a widow woman.
Pages:
2.000
Script:
James P. Olsen (signed)
Pencils:
? (illustration)
Inks:
? (illustration)
Letters:
typeset
Notes:
Probably produced in-house / freelance.
Title:
The Devil Beast and the Nazis
Characters:
Trojak; Edith Alton; Balu (the tiger); Sator (a bird); the Nazis (villains)
Synopsis:
The native villagers tell Trojak of a strange beast that sneaks into their village every morning and takes one their tribal members away. After dealing with that menace, he then has to rescue Edith from the Nazis.
Pages:
13.000
Script:
Joe Simon ?; ? (probably at least one other scripter, see notes)
Pencils:
Joe Simon (signed, pages 1-9 ?); August Froehlich (pages 10-13 ?) (see notes)
Inks:
Joe Simon (signed, pages 1-9 ?); August Froehlich (pages 10-13 ?) (see notes)
Letters:
Joe Simon (see notes); ? (see notes)
Notes:
The Masterworks reprint credits this to Joe Simon but this is not entirely correct.
Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr. identifies August Froehlich as the artist of the last four pages, and sees his work in some of the earlier pages as well.
Henry Andrews is of the opinion that pages 1 and 2 are definitely Simon, but 3-9 are less clear. As for lettering, Simon used a distinctive "W" shape at this time, which is clear on all of pages 1 and 2, which have consistent lettering, but the lettering becomes less consistent for the remainder of the story. Even some of the definite Froehlich pages have what appear to be Simon lettering, although there may be an alternate explanation.
Note that this is right around the time that Simon left Funnies, Inc. to take the job of editor for Fox Publications, and most likely had to drop this assignment before its completion.
Funnies, Inc. material.
Title:
The Origin of Marvex the Super-Robot
Characters:
Marvex the Super-Robot (introduction, origin); Clara Crandall (introduction); Bolo and other Fifth Dimensional people (villains, introduction, death); Von Crabb (villain, introduction, death)
Synopsis:
Weird creatures of the 5th Dimension create a super robot in order to send him to Earth to capture human beings to become slaves in that dimension. But Marvex retaliates against his masters, and, by means of an explosion, is blown out of the 5th Dimension to Earth.
Pages:
7.000
Pencils:
? (see note)
Inks:
Hal Sharp
Notes:
Art credit revised from Allen Simon? to Hal Sharp by Craig Delich 2009-8-6. Pencil credit revised by Craig Delich 2010-3-20 from Sharp to ?. Sharp is definite inker, but he has a penciler unknown to me at this time.
Chesler shop material.
Title:
Ali Hassan and His Desert Pirates
Characters:
Captain Strong [Bob Strong] (introduction); Major Renald; Ali Hassan and his band of pirates (villains, introduction)
Synopsis:
Bob Strong, a member of the French Foreign Legion, is ordered to stop the plundering of caravans by the evil Ali Hassan.
Pages:
8.000
Notes:
Only golden age appearance. Next appearance in All-Winners Squad: Band of Heroes (Marvel, 2011 series) #2.
The Masterworks tentatively credits Harry Fisk, but as of January 2012 Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., via the Timely-Atlas list, states that this is definitely not Fisk. The heads may have been produced by a separate artist from the figures and backgrounds.
Chesler shop material.
Characters:
Dr. Hokom
Synopsis:
The traveling medicine man is selling his "Palsy Walsy" tonic with no success.
Pages:
1.000
Script:
Joe Beck ?
Pencils:
Otto Eppers ?
Inks:
Otto Eppers ?
Notes:
Credits listed come from the Marvel Masterworks volume.
Studio source unknown.
Exclusive to Heritage members: GoCollect price report for this certified comic.
CGC Census Report*
Grade
NG
PG
CVR
0.5
1.0
1.5
1.8
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
9.2
9.4
9.6
9.8
9.9
10.0
Total
Universal
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
1
1
2
2
2
0
2
0
0
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
18
Qualified
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Signature Series
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
CGCxJSA
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Restored
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
Total
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
2
1
1
1
2
4
2
1
2
0
0
1
1
3
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
23
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