Smash Comics #1 Mile High pedigree (Quality, 1939) CGC VF/NM 9.0 White pages. A stunning key issue from the Mile High collec...

Auction amount: $8,050.00

Sold: Jul 7, 2002

Smash Comics #1 Values

Publisher: Quality Comics, 1939

About Smash Comics #1

The first robot cover on a comic book. Origins of Bozo the Robot, Black X, Hooded Justice, and Hugh Hazzard and his son Iron Man. Will Eisner provided the art for the Black X feature. The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books rates this issue a "7" ("scarce") on its Scarcity Index.

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COVER DETAILS

Characters: Bozo the Robot; Espionage [Black Ace] (inset); Abdul the Arab (inset); Archie O'Toole (inset); Wings Wendall (inset)

Pencils: Ed Cronin ?

Inks: Ed Cronin ?

STORY DETAILS

(15 Stories)

Title: The Black Spot

Characters: Espionage [Black Ace]; Colonel Atwater; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Batu; The Black Spot (Villains); Vlamir Koran (Introduction); Mara Hani (Introduction, Dies)

Synopsis: The Black Spot (a political group) takes over Argentina and conquers most of the rest of South America, before Black Ace intervenes.

Pages: 9.000

Script: Will Eisner [as Will Erwin] (signed)

Pencils: Will Eisner [as Will Erwin] (signed)

Inks: Will Eisner [as Will Ervin] (signed)

Notes: Feature continued from Feature Comics #22, where the hero was called Black X. Black Ace becomes Black X again with issue #6. No explanation given.

Title: The King's Visit

Characters: Simple Simon; King Julius; Slaughterhouse

Synopsis: King Julius of Slobodka visits Shickshinny and gets kidnapped

Pages: 4.000

Script: Ed Conin

Pencils: Ed Cronin (signed)

Inks: Ed Cronin

Notes: (only appearance)

Title: Introducing the Invisible Hood

Characters: The Invisible Hood [Kent Thurston] (introduction); Inspector Bill Blake; Maharajah of Raas; Peter Robinson; Butch (villain); Spike (villain)

Synopsis: The Maharajah of Raas is willing to pay a million dollars for the return of a stolen sacred Indian necklace, and Inspector Blake calls in Kent Thurston because of his knowledge of precious gems. Donning a simple disguise, Thurston uses a gas gun to convince a culprit to cooperate as to the location of this necklace.

Pages: 4.000

Script: Art Pinajian [as Art Gordon] (signed)

Pencils: Art Pinajian [as Art Gordon] (signed)

Inks: Art Pinajian [as Art Gordon] (signed)

Notes: Many sources confuse the name of this hero with the name of the feature. In this issue, it was titled "Hooded Justice" and it starred the "Invisible Hood". Here he did not have the power of invisibility, merely donning a red monk's cloak and domino mask.

Title: The Ghost Express

Characters: Captain Cook; Kelly; The "Ghost Engineer" (Intro, Villain)

Pages: 4.000

Script: Toni Blum ?

Pencils: William A. Smith [as Will Arthur]

Inks: William A. Smith

Notes: continued from FEATURE COMICS #22. Writer id by Bob Hughes.

Title: Iron Monster At Large Again

Characters: Hugh Hazzard; Bozo the Robot (introduction, origin): Commissioner Hunt; Inspector Burke; Chief Blane; Pat; Dr. Von Thorp (villain, introduction)

Synopsis: Mad scientist Von Thorp sends his metal robot on a rampage through the city, leaving the Police at their wits' end, so they call in Hugh Hazzard, who manages to stow away inside the robot. The robot returns to von Thorp's hideout, whom Hazzard manages to capture. Learning that the Police plan a watery grave for the robot, Hazzard rushes in to save it, naming him Bozo the Iron Man, and using him as his new crime-fighting partner.

Pages: 7.000

Script: George Brenner [as Wayne Reid] (signed)

Pencils: George Brenner [as Wayne Reid] (signed)

Inks: George Brenner [as Wayne Reid] (signed)

Notes: Brenner probably created Bozo from the golden robot Elektro, which was made by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and presented to the 1939 New York World's Fair. It was 7' tall and performed a variety of feats, but could not house a human being.

Data Courtesy of Grand Comics Database under Creative Commons license

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CGC Census Report*

Grade	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	2	1	1	2	2	4	4	3	1	0	1	2	1	1	1	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	31
Qualified	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
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
Restored	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6
Total	0	0	3	2	1	2	2	4	4	5	1	1	3	2	1	1	1	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	38

*All information listed is intended to be as accurate as possible, but errors are possible. No item may be returned or refused based on this information which is provided as a service to our customers. You should contact each pricing source directly to determine the accuracy of this information.

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