Taking “smash” a bit too literal, Bozo.
Smash Comics #8
E.M. Arnold (March, 1940)
You know what I just put together? Chic Carter is here AND in Police Comics. I wonder if they’re supposed to be the same character? Both E.M. Arnold and Comic Magazines, Inc will become Quality Comics. Only here (and the dates aren’t far apart), Chic takes on the “Sword” costumed crimefighter identity and there he doesn’t. They’re both crime reporters who get involved in the crimes they’re reporting. I’ll have to look into this, but past me told me to keep reading and I sometimes trust past me’s tastes.
Espionage Starring Black X
Black X, who apparently can just have a newspaper editor visit his apartment and the editor call him by his spy name, is ordered to help the editor’s girl reporter get out of Germany with papers from “a former high official of German intelligence”. (Can’t say his name, though.) This means sneaking through two battlefields to get to Germany, and an escape plan where the reporter pretends to be his wife…which she’s hoping will be more than pretend. Outside of an unnecessary appearance by Madam Doom, it’s a good story. There’s one panel that make a German official almost loom over them like a giant, and watching Batu find the reporter’s crush amusing was another fun panel. The comic seems reluctant to have the US involved with the war, but they won’t mind making the Nazis and “Japs” look bad later on. A good starter to the issue.
Clip Chance At Cliffside by Scott Sheridan
Gamblers try to ruin the big game for Cliffside. Again. This time it’s hockey and the plan is to replace one of the players with a lookalike who will throw the game. Clip, who seems to play more sports that Bo Jackson, figures it out. The story ends a bit short and I’m waiting for one of these stories having the opposing team realizing our main characters are being cheated against, and out of a desire to win fair and square work to stop the dirty cheats. I know, better chance on Clip joining the girls’ volleyball team…which I wouldn’t put past this comic at this point.
Abdul The Arab
Abdul is asked to investigate missing oil from his oil wells, and our hero learns how it’s being stolen and exposes the plan. He gets to use his brains to solve this, and still gets to punch a dude.
Captain Cook Of Scotland Yard
Cook’s in America when an arsenal temporarily holding a lot of gold just blows up. (Don’t you hate Mondays?) Another investigator disappears during his investigating, but Cook arrives to put everything together. Caught without his gun, it’s a short wave radio that saves the day. Worked for Alec and Shanna, and Cook doesn’t even have a TRS-80.
Hugh Hazzard And His Iron Man by Wayne Reid
The US declares they’re staying neutral in the war, but the Na…I mean Batzi spy chief Adolf Zhun thinks if he can get the troops to war the US will be easy pickings. Okay. Kind of doubt that would ever work, but Hugh and Bozo are here to stop them. There are a few minor logic leaps and I thought Hugh was too under the radar to show up as a newspaper headline, but it’s a fun story otherwise. It is interesting to see how the various writers deal with the rising war before Pearl Harbor convinced everyone to join in.
Chic Carter
Twice in one week. Chic is called back after completing his adventure from last issue, because the editor suspect the “cursed” Star Of Egypt jewel is actually something more normal and deadly. Turns out he’s right, and the Sword identity must be all over with. Chic just breaks out a gun to solve everything. I guess “The Gun” wasn’t as interesting as “The Sword”. I don’t really miss the hero identity since Chic solved so much of a story without it, but I do wonder behind the scenes what happened to it.
Invisible Justice by Art Gordon
I see voodoo is also making a reappearance this week. A voodoo dude wants to cut off Unionville for his experiments, and the Invisible Hood is there to stop him. Some inconsistencies as to whether or not people know the Invisible Hood exists could have been worked out better, but not a bad story. The weakest so far, but that’s whatever the opposite of “damning with faint praise” is.
Flash Fulton by Paul Gustavson
Apparently they also have voodoo in the Amazon. What’s with all the voodoo this week in my reviews? Is that Rex Mundi’s power, too? Anyway, Flash and Andy are sent to find a man lost in the Amazon, which their guide claims is full of voodoo cannibals. Yeah, I don’t think National Geographic’s covering that. It’s not the strongest ending and is a product of its time, but not terrible. Slightly better than the last story.
John Law: Scientective> “Danger In Numbers”
More of the former ventriloquist turned science geek, like if Jeff Dunham joined the cast of Scorpion. The Avenger is at it again, because he never battles anyone else. John figures out one of the 13 men being threatened in this arc might be The Avenger and comes up with a clever plan to smoke him out and rescue one of the captured men. It’s one of the better installments but I wonder what he’ll do if he ever catches the guy and put him away? New series or new recurring enemy?
Wings Wendall Of Military Intelligence by Vernon Henkel
We aren’t in the war, but the Germanish dirigible crew is going to attack our weapons factories unless Wings and a pretty reporter girl can stop them. A really good adventure to end the comic.
overall
Past me was right. This was a good comic overall. Even the weak stories were a pleasant read. We’ll be seeing more of this comic, which I guess means seeing double of Chic Carter as he shows up here and in Police Comics.
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