“Yesterday’s” Comic> Amazing Mystery Funnies #19

The day Don Knotts lost it!

Amazing Mystery Funnies #19

I finally started a spreadsheet of Golden Age comics I want to read and ones I’d decided to stop reading. That should cut down how long it takes me to start doing the Friday reviews. Do you care? Probably not. I just need to fill out the intro, and this comic is on the “keep reading” part of the list. That’s all I’ve got. Let’s get to the anthology.

[Read along with me here]

The Fantom Of The Fair

The fairless Fantom heads to Rochester, Maine on his country tour of places to punch bad guys. A carnie uses a man who feels no pain and follows his order for show and for crime. The police chief wants to handle this alone but you’d think after he was robbed and his friend beaten up he’d welcome the Fantom’s help. Personally, this is one time having the carnies recognize him as the Fantom Of The Fair would make mild sense, but that’s not what happens. Also not really a fan of this blue costume with a cowl. He should go back to the full body black costume. He looked more like a phantom/fantom. Otherwise the only critical issue is that it’s a bit short for what they could have done with it.

Space Patrol by Basil Wolverton

Nick Nelson and the Martian Kodi are sent to find pirates near Mercury and see a ship fall into the lava. Nick is suspicious and the two space patrolmen find the pirates using trickery and monsters to steal the green diamonds they were carrying. The “science” is a product of its time but the story itself is only mildly interesting. Not bad but not very good.

The Inner Circle

Selkirk of the Inner Circle (just to place someone tied to the title into the story) is on vacation in Malaysia but his hunting trip is interrupted when he’s asked to help guide a couple through the jungle. Except they’re up to something. I’m not sure what exactly. The girl, who is there unwillingly, mentions something about a blackmail of someone in a different group. It’s mostly an excuse for the story to shoot jungle natives, but still manages to be somewhat interesting.

Fantasy Isle chapter 3 by George Loomis

I read the story so far synopsis and I still don’t remember this comic. Tippy the reporter lands on a fantastic island and has to do some wizard’s dirty work. This time he needs three hairs from a giant’s head. The witches and cultists(?) don’t make it any easier, but his invisibility tablets do…once they fully kick in. Now he can just figure out how to turn visible again. I kind of hope he doesn’t, because I wouldn’t be against not seeing this story again.

Larry Kane: The Adventure-Hunter: “Arrows Of Doom” by Dahl

I think this is a new one. One of Larry’s friends is killed by a white man who commands a tribe in Bwana that uses poisoned arrows and goes after him to bring him to justice. It’s not bad but it could have been pretty good if the story had more time.

And just to warn you, when I went to read the comic there was a glitch where the page wouldn’t change for a few clicks. You might have to scroll back to catch the next story, which I think is also new.

The Headless Horseman by Martin Filchock

Oh, not THAT Headless Horseman, but he is referenced in the introduction. Instead we’re in the Old West, where a teller is killed during a bank robbery. Our hero goes after them while the wrong man is scheduled to be hanged, who happens to be the political rival of the Sherriff behind the robbery. Wait, did I say “hero”? I apparently meant “heroine” because it’s a girl in a getup that makes her look like a headless cowboy, and she’s a good shot. This is actually an interesting premise. Here’s one I want to see return if only to get her backstory. I looked up the character to get her last name (Betty Warren) for the tag, and sadly we’ll only see her one more time. Shame. I like the concept.

Jon Linton: Flyer, Scientist, Adventurer by Harry Francis Campbell

Our crew managed to escape Satan Rex, but the plan to shove Earth into the sun is still going on. With little time remaining, Jon has his team finish his new spaceship, whose weapon can breach the green mist wall and destroy the villain’s machinery. For the panel space we have there’s a good job of building the tension as Jon is forced to alert the nations of the world so they can rise up, and their continuing failure until the ship is ready. The situation is desperate and you can tell. This might be the best story of the issue.

Speed Centaur by Malcom Kildale

Looks like we’re back to normal adventures…or as normal as a crimefighting centaur can be. Plus Speed has to put on his horse secret identity again to break up a gambling and drug ring at the racetrack. Get past the premise of a centaur disguised as a horse to battle crooks and this is a fun story.

overall

I can see why this is on the good list. We range from mid to good this issue, with good being the dominant rating. Hope to see this again next month.