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Issue: Smash Comics #23 Public Domain
Disclose Detail
Title:
Variant: unnamed
Rating:
Publisher: FlagQuality Comics
Indicia Publisher: E. M. Arnold
On Sale Date: 04/18/1941
Volume: none
Pages: 68
ISBN: none
UPC/EAN: none
Price: $0.10 USD
Indicia Frequency:
Content Items: 15 (14 stories, 1 cover)
Editor(s): Ed Cronin ?
Disclose Notes: The on-sale date is from the publication date recorded in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, 1941, New Series, Vol. 36, No. 3.
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Disclose Format
Publication Type: Comic Book
Color: color
Dimensions: standard Golden Age U.S.
Paper Stock: glossy cover; newsprint interior
Binding: saddle-stitched
Publishing Format: was ongoing series
Format Notes:  
Disclose Reprinted In0
There is currently no data for this Issue being reprinted anywhere.
Disclose Reprinted From0
There is currently no data for this Issue being reprinted from anywhere.
Disclose Images1
Cover, Front
Original Artwork
Digital Edition
Adult Image
Title Page
Indicia on this Page
 
 
Assets0
 
[untitled]

Illustration  on  Cover, Front
Credits
Gill Fox
Gill Fox
?
?
Subject Matter
superhero
The Ray
The Ray [Happy Terrill]; Bozo the Robot (inset); Espionage [Black X] (inset); The Jester [Chuck Lane] (inset); Midnight [Dave Clark] (inset)
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
1
The Beetle and the Tongs

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
?
Lou Fine [as E. Lectron] (signed)
Lou Fine [as E. Lectron] (signed)
?
?
Subject Matter
superhero
The Ray
The Ray [Happy Terrill]; Bud; Tom Lum (introduction); The Beetle (villain, introduction); Long Woo (villain, introduction, death)
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.
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
9
The Hijacked War Planes

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Vernon Henkel (signed)
Vernon Henkel (signed)
Vernon Henkel (signed)
?
?
Subject Matter
aviation
Wings Wendall
Wings Wendall; Spinner; General Harrison
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
4
Boomerang Bullets

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
?
Jack Cole
Jack Cole
?
Jack Cole
Subject Matter
humorous, mystery
Wun Cloo
Wun Cloo (detective)
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
1
The Hundred Grand Hobo

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Paul Gustavson
Paul Gustavson
Paul Gustavson
?
Paul Gustavson
Subject Matter
superhero
The Jester
The Jester [Chuck Lane]; Mulligan; Limpy (introduction)
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
5
All Gustavson credits verified and courtesy of Terry Gustafson, son of Paul Gustavson.
The Ghost Town Bandits

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
?
Alex Blum [as S. M. Regi] (signed)
Alex Blum [as S. M. Regi] (signed)
?
?
Subject Matter
adventure
The Purple Trio
The Purple Trio [Tiny Todd; Warren; Rocky Hill]; Wolf Fang (villain, introduction)
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
6
Alex Blum's gloomy faces are not to be mistaken.

S. M. Regi was a pen-name sometimes used by Jerry Iger, but also by others as a house by-line. Jerry Iger did not write this feature, but Alex Blum, under this pen-name or by-line, did draw the strip.
[untitled]

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
John Devlin
John Devlin
John Devlin
?
?
Subject Matter
childrens, humorous
Archie O'Toole
Princess Itchovitch (intro); Archie; Ivan
King O'Toole! King Itchovich of Slopolio...
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
1
Enter: Doc Wackey

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Jack Cole (signed)
Jack Cole (signed)
Jack Cole (signed)
?
Jack Cole
Subject Matter
adventure, superhero
Midnight
Midnight [Dave Clark]; Gabby (a monkey); Doc Mortimer Wackey (villain, introduction, reforms)
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.
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
5
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.
The Temple of Mars

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Lane French [as Will Erwin] (signed)
Witmer Williams
Witmer Williams
?
?
Subject Matter
espionage
Espionage Starring Black X
Espionage [Black X]; Sandra Sanders (introduction), Luigi Piscato (death); Madam Doom (villain)
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
6
Williams is credited on drawing this feature.

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).
The Blue Death

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
?
Art Pinajian [as Art Gordon] (signed)
Art Pinajian [as Art Gordon] (signed)
?
?
Subject Matter
superhero
Invisible Justice
The Invisible Hood [Kent Thurston]; The Crystal Queen (villain, death); Caglio (villain, a magician, introduction, death)
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.
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
5
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.
The Human Bronzes

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Harry Francis Campbell [as Duane Byrd Monroe] (signed)
Harry Francis Campbell [as Duane Byrd Monroe] (signed)
Harry Francis Campbell [as Duane Byrd Monroe] (signed)
?
?
Subject Matter
mystery
The Scarlet Seal
The Scarlet Seal [Barry Moore]; Captain Tim Moore; Bernice Fonda (introduction, death); Morta (villain, embalmer, introduction)
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.
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
5
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.
Beeskrieg

Text Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Robert M. Hyatt?
?
?
?
typeset
Subject Matter
adventure
Jimmy Christian
Jimmy Christian
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
2
next story "The Hunted Castle"
The Capture of Princess Bardia

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Bob Powell [as Powell Roberts] (signed)
Bob Powell [as Powell Roberts] (signed)
Bob Powell [as Powell Roberts] (signed)
?
?
Subject Matter
adventure
Abdul the Arab
Abdul; Hassan; Pooch (intro,a girl), Princess Bardia; Kibur (Intro, Dies)
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
4
Powell is credited as writer and artist on this feature, and his pen name was Powell Roberts, all by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.
The Black Death

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Vernon Henkel
Vernon Henkel
Vernon Henkel
?
?
Subject Matter
mystery
Chic Carter
Chic Carter; Monahan; The Black Death (Intro; Holt); Foster (intro, dies), Worthington (intro, dies); Dr. Parker
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
4
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.
Karl Zoff's Double

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
George Brenner ?
George Brenner [as Wayne Reid] (signed)
George Brenner [as Wayne Reid] (signed)
?
?
Subject Matter
science fiction
Bozo the Robot
Hugh Hazzard; Bozo; Karl Zoff; Kurtz (Intro for both); Fox (intro)
Reprinting
 
Miscellaneous
7
Wayne Reid is a pen name for Brenner, and he is only credited as artist on this feature by Jerry Bails' Who's Who.

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