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Issue: Smash Comics #16 Public Domain
Publication Date: November 1940
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Disclose Detail
Issues: #16 of 85 Issues (86 Printings)
Title:
Variant: unnamed
Rating:
Publisher: FlagQuality Comics
Brand:
Indicia Publisher: E. M. Arnold
On Sale Date: 09/18/1940
Volume: none
Pages: 68
ISBN: none
UPC/EAN: none
Price: $0.10 USD
Indicia Frequency:
Content Items: 15 (13 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, 1940, New Series, Vol. 35, No. 4.
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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
 
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Disclose Content Items (15 total)
Disclose Issue Images
[untitled]

Illustration  on  Cover, Front
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: espionage
Character(s): Espionage [Black X]; The Ray [Happy Terrill] (inset); Bozo the Robot (inset); Wings Wendall (inset); The Invisible Hood [Kent Thurston] (inset)
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 1
Disclose
The Revenge of Bela Jat

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Writer(s): ?
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: superhero
Character(s): The Ray [Happy Terrill]; Shimego; Gar; Bela Jat (villain, introduction, death)
Synopsis: The Ray faces Bela Jat, a Hindu mystic, who can transform himself at will into an "ecto-fluid". His murderous reign ends when Police catch him in solid form and put a knife in his back.
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 9
Disclose
Mystery of the Empty Theatre

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Writer(s): ?
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: adventure
Character(s): The Purple Trio [Rocky Hill; Warren; Tiny Todd]; Old Willy (introduction, death)
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 6
Disclose Notes: The Who's Who indicates that S. M. Regi was a pen-name sometimes used by Jerry Iger, but also by others as a house by-line. It further indicates that Jerry Iger did not write this feature, but that Alex Blum, under this pen-name or by-line, did draw the strip.
Disclose
The Hypnotic Fiend

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: childrens, humorous
Character(s): Archie O'Toole; Sum Fun (intro)
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 2
Disclose
[untitled]

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: mystery
Character(s): Mae "Scoop" Merrill (intro); Chic Carter
First Line: Mystery shrouds a dark and forbidding mansion hidden among the bayous of Louisiana...
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 4
Disclose
[untitled]

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: mystery
Character(s): The Scarlet Seal [Barry Moore] (actor, introduction, origin); Captain Pat Moore (Barry's father, introduction); Lt. Bemis; Spider (death); Bugs Marlone (villain)
First Line: Barry Moore, top-notch character actor of the films has just finished his latest picture [sic]
Synopsis: Actor Barry Moore, after finishing the film "Oriental Horror," takes a job in his father's police department but finds that the commissioner is a soft headed liberal. So Barry devises a secret life in order to infiltrate the underworld disguised as a Chinese-American called the Scarlet Seal.
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 5
Disclose Notes: 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 this first story....after that, the strip was signed "Duane Byrd Monroe", a pen name for which no reference can be found.

Jim Amash and Mike Kooiman, in the Quiality Companion, state that Campbell is falsely credited on this feature.....and the art of Lee's (which is very refined in nature) in no way looks like that of Campbell.

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 writer and artwise.

The name Barry Moore is a play on the famous screen actor family, the Barrymores.

Many stories display Moore jumping out of a cab and entering through the front door of his secret lab, which was disguised as a fake store front.

Moore's fortune financed his capers, and procured props such as firecrackers and flash powder, and he was also adept in jujitsu.
Disclose
[untitled]

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: superhero
Character(s): The Invisible Hood [Kent Thurston]; Professor James; Professor Hill; Dr. Robb (introduction, death)
First Line: The citizens of a great city are thrown into confusion one afternoon as the impossible occurs...
Synopsis: An ancient Egyptian artifact that gives those close to it the power to suspend gravity is stolen by a member of an archaeological dig.. The Hood pursues the thief who commits suicide and destroys the artifact.
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 5
Disclose Notes: The anti-gravity attribute in this story is very similar to Hawkman's Ninth Metal.

The story has a confusing beginning with the apparition of a giant mummy that is never again mentioned wrecking the city and destroying a train.
Disclose
Invasion of Mexico

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: espionage
Character(s): Espionage [Black X]; Rod Pasquale; Colonel Atwater
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 6
Disclose Notes: 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 as well.
Disclose
The Labor Racketeers

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: superhero
Character(s): Magno [Tom Dalton]; Big Tim Fink (villain, introduction)
Synopsis: Magno breaks up a fake union run by racketeers.
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 4
Disclose
The Arson Arrows

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: humorous, mystery
Character(s): Fire Commissioner Nosey (Intro)
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 2
Disclose
The Sheik's Power Play

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: adventure
Character(s): Abdul; Hassan; Sheik Karu-Bali (Intro, Dies)
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 4
Disclose
Vanishing Gold

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Penciller(s): ?
Inker(s): ?
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): typeset
Subject Matter
Genres: adventure
Feature(s): Jimmy Christian
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 2
Disclose
[untitled]

Cartoon  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: humorous
First Line: As a last resort, Spud always gets the mascot...
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 1
Disclose
The Fifth Column

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: aviation
Character(s): Wings Wendall; Puget (Intro, Dies)
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 7
Disclose
Turgin's Fifth Column

Story  on  Interior Page(s)
Credits
Colorist(s): ?
Letterer(s): ?
Subject Matter
Genres: science fiction
Character(s): Hugh Hazzard; Bozo the Robot; Turgin (intro,dies)
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:  
Miscellaneous
Pages: 7

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