This is when Hugh knew Bozo was watching too many old Crocodile Hunter episodes.
Smash Comics #5
E.M. Arnold (December, 1939)
I’d be surprised in an anthology comic like this was 100% amazing. With different stories barely sharing a genre you know something is going to fall off. On the plus side that means if enough stories work by shere numbers you win. On the downside, if there are only one or two stories you get into you end up losing those stories because the rest don’t live up to the price when there are a bunch of other comics, some of which aren’t public domain and I’m not even doing every series Comic Book Plus has. Back then there were a bunch more options begging to take that shiny dime off of you when 10¢ was actually worth something.
So far this series has had more hits than misses. Time to see if they end the cover year continuing that trend. This probably didn’t come out in December thanks to weird cover dating comics still does today, so I’m not expecting any Christmas stories. We haven’t had any from the December dated comics so far.
Espionage, Starring Black Ace
Apparently he’s changing his name to Black X next issue. Maybe because he doesn’t have a card motive and isn’t a pilot, so “ace” doesn’t quite work? I don’t know. As for this issue, still Black Ace deals with a saboteur who works for a foreign power wanting to stop the United States from arming up, thus scaring both sides out of fighting because they could destroy Europe. Somehow the ordinary crime story where an American secret agent’s Hindu assistant’s occult powers it the key to finding a bomb is not the most unbelievable thing in the story. Yes, I have heard the news this week and the Middle East isn’t Europe, plus World War II still happened even after we got involved so I’m still calling BS. Nice starter adventure for the issue otherwise.
Archie O’Toole by Bud Thomas
It’s one of the gag stories but unlike some others it doesn’t make me gag. It’s only two pages as a mobster tries to take over Pyromania just as Archie has been reading detective stories and chases him off. It’s not fall down hilarious but the gags work better here than the joke comics I usually ignore. So points for being worth reading.
Chic Carter: Ace Reporter by Vernon Henkel
Another European war. In a 1939 comic. I wonder why? Anyway, Chic is sent to “cover everything” and there are jokes I could make but the story is too short for that. Chic witnesses the abduction of the princess, and surprisingly he’s immediately believed by the authorities despite being arrested earlier. So he helps expose the villains and rescue the princess. With a few more pages this could have been really good instead of pretty good. Kudos for the king and his men not being treated as suckers falling for a frame-up that wasn’t even intentional and trusting our hero. That doesn’t happen enough in the name of drama.
John Law, Scientective by Henry Francis Campbell: “The Mystery Mile”
The Avenger here isn’t a superhero or a British secret agent with a hat and cane. He’s the baddie, blowing up trains, so our ventriloquist turned science-loving detective has to bring him down. Did I just forget that this Avenger is from a previous story? With all the anthologies I review on Fridays I might have. The science may be debatable at some times, or at least exaggerated, but it’s still a good story.
Wings Wendall Of The Military Intelligence by Vernon Hunkel
A spy plane disguised as a news photo plane is trying to get pictures of the military’s new bombers and Wings has to stop them. Otherwise we don’t have a story, and this is a good one. There’s not much else to summarize.
Philpot Veep: “The Adventure Of The Devastating Damsel
Another of the short comedy bits I usually ignore, but it was actually not a bad two-page adventure as Veep tries to protect his assistant from being killed. I’m quite amazed. That’s two for three. Three being the one I didn’t review because it was just a bunch of one panel gags.
Chip Chance At Cliffside by Scott Sheridan
Gamblers upset at Chip winning a big game and screwing up their illegal gambling seek revenge. At first they try to kill him, then decide to hold him hostage during the next game so they can win big. Of course he gets back just in time to save the game. A bit cliché but it’s still a good story.
Invisible Justice by Art Gordon
Racketeers kidnap the special prosecutor and the Invisible Hood goes after them. One page short I think but tossing the villain out in a parachute is a new one. I liked it. The story, I mean. Well, and the parachute thing.
Abdul The Arab
Abdul’s friend appears to be behind a series of attacks on tourists in the desert and decides he must bring his friend in…until he learns it’s a frame job in the story of the luckiest dude in the comic. Seriously, he happens to stumble on a jilted gang member, the horse the bad guy is on just happens to trip at the right moment, Abdul just happens to literally fall into the enemy base…he must have all four rabbit’s feet and the rabbit!
Captain Cook Of Scotland Yard
Smugglers are smuggling (duh) explosive gas through England to a European country in the middle of a war because of course they are. That’s been a running tale this comic. Creig Cook of Scotland Yard must bring them down. We’re back to making good use of the panel space. See if you can figure out how they’re smuggling the gas before Cook does.
Flash Fulton by Paul Gustavson
Our news team of Flash and Andy just wanted to take pictures of the new dam and uncover a crooked mayor. I have a hard time believing with that old style camera Flash could record the entire series of events without losing it. Otherwise it’s a good story, the other running theme in this comic. At least the dam wasn’t involved with a war in Europe.
Hugh Hazzard And His Iron Man by Wayne Reid
Unlike the Avenger at the start of the book, this Iron Man is on the side of good. Except he’s a robot and not a dude in armor. Meanwhile the bad guys are so sure that Hugh and Bozo (Bozo’s the robot in case you missed previous issues–hey, I forgot the Avenger wasn’t new) are going to interfere with their latest scheme that they draw Hugh and Bozo into their latest scheme and get taken out for it. Our villains, folks. I kid. The story is cool if you just want to see an indestructible robot beat up spies.
overall
Once again we have a great selection of comics. Even the comedic ones still were worth reading. I don’t see that often enough.
BW Media Spotlight 