“Yesterday’s” Comic> Smash Comics #4

Not the crossover I was expecting, but you have my curiosity.

Smash Comics #4

E.M. Arnold (November, 1939)

We’re probably not getting a Wings Wendall/King O’Toole crossover, are we?

Just as well. O’Toole’s stories aren’t working with me, though it’s probably just my sense of humor. It’s still more interesting that the short gag strips I usually ignore in these Golden Age comics. Not much else to say, so let’s get on with it.

[Read along with me here]

Espionage starring Black Ace

Black Ace matches wits with Madame Doom, who is out to steal plans for the California defense network to sell to foreign baddies. It doesn’t help that those plans are needed for a meeting across the country. and Ace and Batu have to pick up a bunch of agents along the way. Not sure how this will stop war with the Orient (and history tells us it doesn’t, depending on where you place Japan) or why a British agent is getting picked up in St. Louis, but a good enough opener.

Chip Chance At Hillside by Scott Sheridan

Chip learns he was tricked and that the plays were stolen. Chip wasn’t caught by the coach out of his room, but for the sake of the playbook confesses, then confronts the player who tricked him so his girl would see him play in the game. Our hero then does a stupid thing and manages to survive AND win the game…but going into the next chapter the bad guys will be out for him. This was a bit more interesting than I thought. It might end up making for a good serial comic.

Invisible Justice by Art Gordon

The Invisible Hood crosses paths with the Green Lizard when the criminal (that’s the lizard guy) blackmails one of the Hood’s friends. We learn Blane used to be a private investigator, though we still don’t know what he does for a living. Being an invisible vigilante doesn’t exactly pay a lot. Some odd dialog and a strange way to reveal the identity of the baddie, but overall it was a good story.

Captain Cook Of Scotland Yard

Not to be confused with Captain Crook of McDonaldland. (Kids today are missing out on a lot.) Letterer needs to get his typewriter fixed because there are letters missing in dialog, captions, and even a note in-world. Creig Crook is sent undercover into a band of terrorists who all hide their identities even from each other. It doesn’t go well for the baddies. The comic could have used another page at least so the ending wasn’t so rushed, but otherwise a good little tale. And I do have to judge by size. Sorry, Yoda.

Hugh Hazzard & His Iron Man by Wayne Reid.

Guys with German sounding name are after American submarines, believing they could rule the world with them. Not Adolph’s best people, and the war hasn’t even started yet. Hugh and Bozo have to stop them and save Pat…whose appearance here is utterly useless really. Otherwise we get to see a robot splat a shark.

Archie O’Toole by Bud Thomas

I want to know this man’s backstory. How did he become king? We have an Arabian stereotype showing up to attempt to make a deal with King O’Toole but messing it up because Archie’s Archie. The odd part is when Archie says a dancer can “shag”, which means dancing here but I think Austin Powers kind of ruined that word. This isn’t that Archie; he’s too purehearted. Or he hasn’t hit puberty yet. One of the two. Also, we do learn he watered elephants in a circus and apparently one of them is in the wild now for some reason. Logic isn’t exactly in top form in this comic, but it’s comedy in a 1939 comic.

Abdul The Arab

Speaking of Arabs, here’s another story that needed more pages. Abdul and Hassan find dead prospectors and go after the guys responsible. Saying the ruby was cursed really doesn’t play into this unless you think desert thieves are caused by curses.

Chic Carter: Ace Reporter

Chic and his Singapore friend Red Hannigan are on the story of Chinese pirate hijackings on the high seas, except the Caucasian pirate leader was once saved by Red so he and Chic can actually take part in the story. A very international tale that is yet another cut short tale. Chic and Red got help really fast. Also, Chic works for the Daily Star, which is what the Daily Planet was called back then over at DC Comics. I wonder if there were any other shared newspaper names?

Flash Fulton by P. Gustavson

For those reading along, I didn’t miss the detective comedy, I’m ignoring it because those two pages always suck. All Flash wants is his vacation, but the newsreel reporter is sent to take pictures of a dictator…but he’s convinced the man is a phoney. Not sure he stopped the guy’s plans or what happened to the real dictator…or why there needed to BE a fake dictator. This is what happens when you rush a story: too many questions.

John Law: Scientective> “The Impossible Murder” by Harry Francis Campbell

Force to study law to protect his scientific patents, John Law now fights crime. Still not as silly as the ventriloquist turned science detective but what can you do? Hopefully he can stop “The Avenger” from getting revenge on the guys who stole his ideas (I’m betting that’s who he’ll turn out to be, or at least connected) and sending an innocent man to the electric chair for the crime. The epilogue ends fast, and you probably won’t guess how the real killer did it, but as a mystery story it works pretty well.

Wings Wendall Of The Military Intelligence by Vernon Henkel

It’s our last story for the comic. Bombers are disappearing along a particular route and Captain Wendall will tackle with a mad scientist before his adventure is through. Like before the epilogue ends fast, but the story itself is quite good for the allowed space.

overall

Another good issue, with only the lack of pages causing the problem. Drop the lame gags (or at least get some good ones) and you might have more room for the interesting stories.