XOWComics.com

Issue: Sure-Fire Comics #1

- Attribution History

Publication Date: June 1940

Issue v1 #1

Detail

Issues: #1 of 4 Issues

Title:

Variant: unnamed

Rating:

Publisher: Flag

Ace Magazines

Brand: Ace

Indicia Publisher: Ace Magazines Inc.

On Sale Date: 04/14/1940

Volume: 1

Pages: 68

ISBN: none

UPC/EAN: none

Price: $0.10 USD

Indicia Frequency:

Content Items: 13 (8 stories, 1 cover)

Editor(s):

Notes: Pat Lamar packaged this issue for Ace, and per the NY Supreme Court December 1941 hearing records, his studio provided 47 pages of scripts, 64 pages of coloring, and the 60 pages of comics, lettering and logos, etc. 15 pages of script were not provided by Lamar. Lamar stated that he had done comics work for Harry Donenfeld, but that his only artwork for Ace were corrections requested by the art director.

On sale date from the fanzine, Fantasy News, dated April 14, 1940 (on page 3). The comic was scheduled for release during the week of April 14-20, 1940. Information shared by Bart Bush through the Comics History Exchange page on Facebook (4 October 2016).

Publication date of 25 March 1940 was reported to the U.S. Copyright Office and found in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, New Series, Volume 35, 1940, Number 2. Copyright number B 451091.

Does this data need corrections? Become an editor.

Format

Publication Type: Comic Book

Color: full color

Dimensions: standard Golden Age U.S.

Paper Stock: newsprint interior; glossy cover

Binding: saddle-stitched

Publishing Format: was ongoing series

Format Notes:

Reprinted In0

There is currently no data for this Issue being reprinted anywhere.

Reprinted From0

There is currently no data for this Issue being reprinted from anywhere.

Images1

- View Linked Content Item
- View Cover Detail

Cover, Front

Original Artwork

Digital Edition

Adult Image

Title Page

Indicia on this Page

Assets1

- View Extra Large
- View Cover Detail

Indicia

Content Items (13 total)

[untitled]

Illustration on Cover, Front

Credits

Penciller(s): ?

Inker(s): ?

Colorist(s): ?

Letterer(s): ?

Subject Matter

Genres: superhero

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 1

Lt. Col. W. G. Barker

Illustration on Interior Page(s)

Credits

Writer(s): ?

Letterer(s): ?

Subject Matter

Genres: informational, non-fiction

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 1

Notes: Inside front cover.

Ajay likely stood for the initials "A.J." Possibly Andrew J. Hull, of PM, the short-lived New York daily that preceded the New York Star.

From the 14 May 1943 issue of PM: "This is going to get complicated right now, but we have two Ajays. The original, is Andrew J. Hull, another artist in our department who once worked some place where there was another man with his name. As a result, they made up the name Ajay from Hull’s first two initials and pinned that on him so he wouldn’t be confused with the other man and he has been using it ever since." –John P. Lewis (editor)

Ambassador of Doom

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Character(s): The Green Mask [Sam Barkley] (villain, introduction, death); Captain Nelson (death); Agent Saunders (death); K-9 (voice); Doctor Stoll; Inspector Clyde; Valerie Dashman; Suzanne Blackwell; Thomas (butler); Lili Damora (villain, death); Senator Dashman; Senator Blackwell; Ferris Blackwell; James Dorn (undertaker)

Synopsis: The United States has developed a deadly shock ray which it finally decides not to use. However the villainous Green Mask and his underlings manage to get the original plans for it to manufacture and use against the U.S. It falls to X, the Phantom Fed, to use his abilities of disguise to retrieve the plans and take the Green Mask out of action.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 15

Notes: Based on the magazine "Secret Agent 'X'" May 1934 story; per Mark Trost in Blood 'n' Thunder #30 (Summer 2011). Brant (not Brand) House was the pen name of the writers for the Secret Agent 'X" pulp.

[untitled]

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Genres: superhero

Character(s): Mary Parker; Cynthia (maid); Tony (thug); Mr. Parker; The Phoenix (villain, introduction, apparent death)

First Line: Egypt--the land of eerie mystery...

Synopsis: In Egypt, explorer Robert Morgan trains with the Old Man of the Volcanos until he deems him ready to receive the Amulet of Annihilation, which imbues him with superhuman powers, chief among them the ability to harness lightning. He also gives him the name 'Flash Lightning'. The old man tasks him with rescuing young Mary Barton's father from a Central American jungle where he is being held prisoner by the megalomaniac Green Mask. All obstacles, man or animal, prove no barrier to Flash as he rescues the prisoners and sends the Green Mask's plane crashing into a volcano.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 12

Notes: Based on the magazine Captain Hazard pulp story for May 1938, per Mark Trost in Blood 'n' Thunder #30 (Summer 2011).

[untitled]

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Genres: superhero

Character(s): Jack (desk sergeant); Flanagan (thug); McGowan (thug); Allen Reynolds (villain, crooked stock promoter); Arthur Wells (villain, a charity fraud)

First Line: The Raven, master avenger, preys on the clever crooks...

Synopsis: The Raven robs Reynolds and Wells and gives the money to the poor. The Raven realizes he's got to be more careful when his girlfriend Lola Lash gets the drop on him in his costume and nearly finds out the Raven is her boyfriend, Danny Dartin.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 7

Notes: Based on the story "The Sinister Sphere", the first Moon Man story, which appeared in Ten Detective Aces June 1933; per Mark Trost in Blood 'n' Thunder #30 (Summer 2011).

The Big Moment

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Genres: science fiction

Character(s): Adelaide; Fritz; Commander Britt

Synopsis: Whiz goes to 1960 Los Angeles and discovers and ultimately thwarts a plan for European dictators to attack the United States coastline.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 5

[untitled]

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Genres: superhero

Character(s): Nancy Bentley; Namnoc (villain); Mr. Bentley

First Line: Introducing Marvo the Magician and his monkey, Tito...

Synopsis: After rescuing young Nancy Bentley from some thugs, Marvo the Magician learns that her father, a government official, is on the trail of a gang of counterfeiters. Eventually Marvo and Nancy are captured by the gang and brought to their leader Namnoc. With the help of his magic illusions and an assist from his marmoset Tito, Marvo breaks free and Namnoc and his gang are all captured.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 6

Clues That Caught Criminals

Text Article on Interior Page(s)

Credits

Writer(s): ?

Penciller(s): ? (illustrations)

Inker(s): ? (illustrations)

Colorist(s): ?

Letterer(s): typeset

Subject Matter

Genres: mystery, non-fiction

First Line: Few criminals ever achieve the depths of diabolical horror…

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 2

Notes: Account of the crimes of con-artist and murderer Herman W. Mudgett, aka H. H. Holmes.

[untitled]

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Genres: adventure, aviation

Character(s): Bailey (death); Captain von Hartmann (death)

First Line: That front ship is an odd-looking cross...

Synopsis: Aviator Ace McCoy and his pal Bill Regan thwart the plans of German forces to use a Sargasso Sea of wrecked ships as a U-boat refueling base.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 8

Meet "Hap" Hazard

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Genres: humorous

Synopsis: Hap is tricked into driving a getaway car from a couple of bank robbers but temporarily blinds them by squirting them with red pepper from his lapel flower and turns them over to the police.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 2

[untitled]

Story on Interior Page(s)

Subject Matter

Genres: western

Character(s): Pino Zavala; Francisco Ramos; Les Travers (death); Don Sanchez-Ramos; Allana Ramos

First Line: Meet Buck Steele--his horse Blackie--and his dog Rusty...

Synopsis: Buck Steele rides south of the border into Mexico to help a ranchero fight off a gang of Mexican rebels.

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 7

Read These! Every Month

Promotional Material (from Publisher) on Interior Page(s)

Credits

Writer(s): ? (promo copy)

Letterer(s): ?

Subject Matter

Genres: superhero

Character(s): The Shark; The Iron Skull; Drago (villain); Minimidget

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 1

Notes: Promotional house advertisement for Amazing Man, with miniature splash pages of A-Man, Iron Skull, Minimidget, and the Shark from Amazing Man Comics (Centaur, 1939 series) #11 (April 1940).

[untitled]

Promotional Material (from Publisher) on Interior Page(s)

Credits

Writer(s): ? (promo copy)

Penciller(s): various (cover reproductions)

Inker(s): various (cover reproductions)

Letterer(s): ?

Subject Matter

First Line: Sure-Fire Comics is published by the publishers of these well-known Ace Magazines

Reprinting

Reprint Notes:

Miscellaneous

Pages: 1

Notes: Showing Ace Magazines pulp and regular magazines covers. Includes Secrets, Everyday Photography, Flying Aces, Love Fiction Monthly, Ten Detective Aces, Western Trails, Ace Sports, Ten-Story Love, 10 Cent Story Detective, Western Aces, Complete Love Magazine, Sky Aces, 12 Sports Aces, Lone Wolf Detective, All-Novel Western, and Variety Love Stories.