*Please note, comics do not have to be CGC-graded.
COVER DETAILS
Characters:
The Ray [Happy Terrill]; Bozo the Robot (inset); Espionage [Black X] (inset); The Jester [Chuck Lane] (inset); Midnight [Dave Clark] (inset)
Pencils:
Gill Fox
Inks:
Gill Fox
STORY DETAILS
Title:
The Beetle and the Tongs
Characters:
The Ray [Happy Terrill]; Bud; Tom Lum (introduction); The Beetle (villain, introduction); Long Woo (villain, introduction, death)
Synopsis:
To help out during a case involving feuds between rival clans in Chinatown, The Ray gives Bud a "ray ring" that emits a beam to blind people.
Pages:
9.000
Pencils:
Lou Fine [as E. Lectron] (signed)
Inks:
Lou Fine [as E. Lectron] (signed)
Title:
The Hijacked War Planes
Characters:
Wings Wendall; Spinner; General Harrison
Pages:
4.000
Script:
Vernon Henkel (signed)
Pencils:
Vernon Henkel (signed)
Inks:
Vernon Henkel (signed)
Notes:
Henkel s credited as writer and artist on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.
Title:
Boomerang Bullets
Characters:
Wun Cloo (detective)
Pages:
1.000
Pencils:
Jack Cole
Inks:
Jack Cole
Letters:
Jack Cole
Title:
The Hundred Grand Hobo
Characters:
The Jester [Chuck Lane]; Mulligan; Limpy (introduction)
Pages:
5.000
Script:
Paul Gustavson
Pencils:
Paul Gustavson
Inks:
Paul Gustavson
Letters:
Paul Gustavson
Notes:
All Gustavson credits verified and courtesy of Terry Gustafson, son of Paul Gustavson.
Title:
The Ghost Town Bandits
Characters:
The Purple Trio [Tiny Todd; Warren; Rocky Hill]; Wolf Fang (villain, introduction)
Pages:
6.000
Pencils:
Alex Blum [as S. M. Regi] (signed)
Inks:
Alex Blum [as S. M. Regi] (signed)
Notes:
Alex Blum is credited on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who, and his gloomy faces are not to be mistaken. Compare sample in Jerry Bails' Who's Who. Jerry Iger is credited as writer for Quality, and his pen name was S.M. Regi (Iger backwards).
Writer revision from Jerry Iger to ? by Craig Delich 2013-12-26. The Who's Who indicates that S. M. Regi was a pen-name sometimes used by Jerry Iger, but also by others as a house by-line. It further indicates that Jerry Iger did not write this feature, but that Alex Blum, under this pen-name or by-line, did draw the strip.
Characters:
Princess Itchovitch (intro); Archie; Ivan
Synopsis:
Midnight faces a foe who administers pills to people that regresses them to infancy, and he is even tricked to ingesting the drug as well. Gabby takes a chance with the antidote, which might kill the subject, but Dave is restored. Then, instead of turning the doctor in, Midnight gives Wackey a chance to reform, working with him and Gabby to better promote his genius.
Pages:
5.000
Script:
Jack Cole (signed)
Pencils:
Jack Cole (signed)
Inks:
Jack Cole (signed)
Letters:
Jack Cole
Notes:
Dr. Wackey's first name was not revealed until Smash #32. He becomes Midnight's partner by the end of this story.
A diagram of Midnight's Vacuum Gun is shown in this story.
Pencils:
Witmer Williams [as Clark Williams] (signed)
Inks:
Witmer Williams [as Clark Williams] (signed)
Notes:
Williams is credited on drawing this feature.
Writer revision from Eisner to French by Craig Delich.
Will Eisner created the Espionage feature, and Will Erwin was a pen name used by Will Eisner (Erwin was Eisner's middle name), but it also became a house by-line after Eisner's tenure after 1940. Lane French wrote the feature in 1941, followed by Toni Blum (1942) and Otto Binder (1942-43).
Title:
The Blue Death
Characters:
The Invisible Hood [Kent Thurston]; The Crystal Queen (villain, death); Caglio (villain, a magician, introduction, death)
Synopsis:
Caglio and the Crystal Queen squabble over a mystical and lethal blue gem, which ends when the magician kiils the Queen and later succumbs to an explosion.
Pages:
5.000
Pencils:
Art Pinajian [as Art Gordon] (signed)
Inks:
Art Pinajian [as Art Gordon] (signed)
Notes:
Art Gordon is a pen name for Art Pinajian, and he is credited as writer and artist on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.
Title:
The Human Bronzes
Characters:
The Scarlet Seal [Barry Moore]; Captain Tim Moore; Bernice Fonda (introduction, death); Morta (villain, embalmer, introduction)
Synopsis:
The Seal takes the law into his own hands to stop a murderous embalmer who is killing young women and posing them as life-like sculptures.
Pages:
5.000
Script:
Harry Francis Campbell [as Duane Byrd Monroe] (signed)
Pencils:
Harry Francis Campbell [as Duane Byrd Monroe] (signed)
Inks:
Harry Francis Campbell [as Duane Byrd Monroe] (signed)
Notes:
This feature was created by Manning de Villeneuve Lee, an accomplished fine artist and book illustrator who specialized in historical subjects. His by-line only appears on the first story in #16....after that, the strip was signed "Duane Byrd Monroe", a pen name for which no reference can be found.
The Who's Who lists Campbell as writer and artist in 1940-41.......Lee (called Lee Manning in the Who's Who) wrote and drew the strip in 1940, and Henry Taylor drew the strip in 1941. I'll leave it to other writer/art experts that have access to all the stories (from Smash #2-24) to determine who did what stories story and artwise.
Notes:
Powell is credited as writer and artist on this feature, and his pen name was Powell Roberts, all by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.
Title:
The Black Death
Characters:
Chic Carter; Monahan; The Black Death (Intro; Holt); Foster (intro, dies), Worthington (intro, dies); Dr. Parker
Pages:
4.000
Script:
Vernon Henkel
Pencils:
Vernon Henkel
Inks:
Vernon Henkel
Notes:
Originally credited to Klaus Nordling, but this is Henkel, who is credited on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who. Compare the grinning face with bright eyes with his signed Wings Wendell story.
Title:
Karl Zoff's Double
Characters:
Hugh Hazzard; Bozo; Karl Zoff; Kurtz (Intro for both); Fox (intro)
Pages:
7.000
Script:
George Brenner ?
Pencils:
George Brenner [as Wayne Reid] (signed)
Inks:
George Brenner [as Wayne Reid] (signed)
Notes:
Wayne Reid is a pen name for Brenner, and he is only credited as artist on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.
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
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
0
1
1
2
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
11
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
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
Total
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
2
1
1
2
2
0
0
0
2
0
1
0
0
1
0
0
13
*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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