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"The Sandman: "On the Waterfront"": At a foggy night on the pier overlooking the waterfront, two unsavory men walk into a decrepit old freighter, unknowing that their every move is watched by a young woman. Inside, one of them pleads with the other, ("Wing"), for some of the narcotics he sells,

Adventure Comics #41 is an issue of the series Adventure Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1939.

Synopsis for The Sandman: "On the Waterfront"

At a foggy night on the pier overlooking the waterfront, two unsavory men walk into a decrepit old freighter, unknowing that their every move is watched by a young woman. Inside, one of them pleads with the other, ("Wing"), for some of the narcotics he sells, but just does not have enough cash to make the buy, so when he threatens to tell the cops, if he wasn't given anything, Wing just has him killed. The woman, who had sneaked on board in time to hear this exchange, gasps when the man's body falls to the floor. She is heard by the narcotics dealer who turns the gun in her direction, but she runs and flings herself over the side of the ship to avoid the shots. The dealer and his henchmen rush to the small motorboats tied at the docks to go search for her.

The Sandman has been secretly watching all this. As soon as she jumps, he switches his usual gas mask for a diving mask, and jumps off the dock, before the drug peddlers came running out. While Wing and three of his boys set out on one boat, another is charged with guarding the water near the dock, to make sure she didn't make it ashore. The Sandman lunges out of the water behind this guard and pulls him back below the water, where he holds him tight until the thug drowns. He then takes the thug's boat out to where the girl is swimming, gets there ahead of the bad guys, and hoists her aboard.

Meanwhile, Wing comes across the guardsman's floating body, and alerts the rest of the men to be on the lookout. As they reach the dock, one of his men points in the direction of the abandoned power facility, as two figures duck inside. After helping the girl to hide in an old furnace, the Sandman waits in the shadows for one of Wing's men to pass, when he lands a hit on the crook's skull to black him out. He takes a pack of matches out of the shirt pocket of the unconscious man and begins to ascend to the roof, planning on creating a signal for the police. Wing has meanwhile discovered the girl's hiding place, far in the back of the furnace. Cruelly, he threatens to light the fire inside, burning her alive unless she crawls out to them. But before the flame from his match can touch the kindling, a gas pellet hits the ground, sending a strange smoke up to surround the area, putting Wing and his associates into a deep sleep. The Sandman puts his gas gun away and whispers to the woman that all was safe now, before running off into the night, just as sirens are sounding outside.

The police are busy arresting the narcotics suppliers while the girl, who reveals herself to be investigative reporter Janice Blue, searches to no avail for the mysterious masked stranger that saved her life.

Appearing in The Sandman: "On the Waterfront"

Featured Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Wing (Single appearance)
    • his men
    • Tipper (Dies)
    • Ed
    • others

Other Characters:

  • Janice Blue (Single appearance)

Locations:

Items:


Synopsis for Barry O'Neill: "Cecil Krull, Part 1 (of 2)"

Barry O'Neill has gone missing in Tunisia while investigating rumors of espionage. His friend, Inspector LeGrand, is currently in talks with the Director of a French Intelligence branch office, who has just received word that his undercover operative, assigned to work alongside O'Neill, has been found dead, the body found floating near the pier. There was no sign of Barry. The Director decides to dispatch the port authorities to an area where a suspicious salvage boat has been operating. Inspector LeGrand opts to go along, wanting to investigate the salvagers for himself.

On board the large salvaging vessel, Cecil Krull grows impatient at the lack of progress, as the French fleet's arrival time grows nearer. His men assure him they are working as fast as they can, when one of them comes rushing over to report that a small boat is headed towards them. It's the Port Authorities, and Krull decides to let them board, and throws down the ladder. Inspector LeGrand climbs aboard, and after exchanging pleasantries, asks to see the salvagers' legal papers. Cecil leads him to his cabin. Everything about the documents seems legitimate, but the Inspector can't shake his gut instinct that something is wrong. As he takes his leave, he and Krull make eye contact, and LeGrand suddenly recalls seeing the very same face some years ago, under a different name. Krull has recognized LeGrand too, and once the authorities go back to shore, he orders his men to follow them, and kidnap the inspector. The thugs wait until he separates from the authority, and then follow him into an alley where they strike! A mysterious Tunisian native jumps into the fray and helps fight the men off, until a heavy club comes down on his head, and LeGrand is then overpowered.

Tied up in a cellar, being interrogated by Cecil Krull, Inspector Legrand finally remembers where he's seen him before! His face matches the Intelligence Bureau's photo of Vadlop Durez, an international spy, whose file is packed with the various crimes he has committed against France. And now, as Vadlop explains, he was going to blow up the fleet of French ships, using some underwater mines that his men have set up, while acting as salvagers. LeGrand is helpless to warn the ships of the danger, and to make sure he stays that way, Durez orders his boys to take the good inspector out on their plane and drop him into the ocean. His bindings will prevent him from being able to swim.

Outside the building, the strange native who tried to help LeGrand earlier is eavesdropping on the conversation.

Appearing in Barry O'Neill: "Cecil Krull, Part 1 (of 2)"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Vadlop Durez, as "Cecil Krull" (First appearance)
    • his thugs

Other Characters:

  • Director of French Intelligence in Tunisia
  • Agent X-3 (Deceased)
  • French Port Authority officers

Locations:

Vehicles:

  • Salvage Ship
  • Fishing Boats

Synopsis for Federal Men: "The Deadly Snowfall"

The citizens of the small town of Cornyville hurry about their daily business, unmindful of the snow that starts to fall merrily upon them. The weatherman has told them earlier, after all, that a snowstorm would be coming. But after the first body is found, a nightmare begins to unfold, as people start dropping to the ground left and right. The town is thrown into a frenzied panic, none of them understands what was happening or why people are suddenly dying. When the snow finally stops, there isn't a single person stirring. Cornyville has become a "dead town".

The terrible news spreads across a stunned nation! This strange occurrence has all the leading scientific minds baffled! Then people are treated to the broadcast voice of the well-known religious fanatic, Mobrune, who warns the nation that the wicked are being purged from the world.

As the days pass, he gains more and more listeners. And then a week later, another town is hit by the snowstorm of death, leaving not a soul alive. Mobrune tells all to rally around him in order to save themselves, as told to him in a vision.

Meanwhile, the FBI sends Steve Carson out to investigate Mobrune, with suspicions that he may know more than he is letting on. Visiting the fanatic's headquarters, Steve witnesses a spectacular meeting taking place, with Mobrune getting his crowd all excited with his raving sermon. As the rally goes on, Steve sneaks away unobserved and conceals himself behind a cabinet and waits. His patience eventually pays off, when he hears Mobrune talking with another man about the money they've made off the nation's panic. But they feel more is needed, so Mobrune mentions another snowstorm that's supposed to hit Lane City in the afternoon, in which he winks at his associate as the two men depart. Having heard the entire exchange, Steve leaves the building, gets in his car, and trails the crooks to a private flying field, As they drive to a lone plane on the takeoff runway, Steve parks behind some bushes and races over to the plane, before the duo got to it, and creeps inside.

Mobrune and his assistant climb into the cockpit and take off. He quickly goes over the plan, to fly above the clouds over the town and release his specially made, undetectable deadly gas. The deck's cargo hatch is opened. The compound will drop through the chilled air, and when the temperature gets cold enough, the compound will break up and spread across the unsuspecting townsfolk, killing them as they breathe it in. Steve has heard enough. He jumps out with his gun drawn, ordering Mobrune to land the plane. But Mobrune will not be taken in easily, and in a quick motion raises his own gun to Steve's chest. But an air pocket suddenly makes the plane lurch, causing him to lose his balance and fall through the open hatch, to his death far below. His assistant complies with Steve's orders and turns the plane back around to the private airfield.

Back at the FBI headquarters, news is spread quickly that there was no longer a reason to fear the great "Snow Death".

Appearing in Federal Men: "The Deadly Snowfall"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Mobrune (Single appearance; dies)
    • Mobrune's Assistant (Single appearance)

Locations:

  • Cornyville (population wiped out)
  • Lane City

Items:

  • Mobrune's "Snow Death" Toxin

Vehicles:

  • Mobrune's Modified Cargo Airplane

Synopsis for Jack Woods: "The Fiddler and the Bank Robbers"

While riding the dusty trail on his loyal steed, Jack Woods comes up alongside an old man heading in the same direction. They greet each other, the man introducing himself as Stomp McHenry, and the two ride beside each other the rest of the way to town. Stomp says he needs to make a stop at his home nearby to pick up his son, Speck. But as they arrive, a figure steps out onto the front porch of the cabin with a pair of six-shooters in his hands and threatens for the two of them to come inside. Old Stomp recognizes the bandit as Slash Morlin. Speck is being held hostage by one of Slash's gang inside, which infuriates his father. Jack holds him back, warning that for now, the bandits hold all the cards. Slash tells him that he was planning on a bank robbery tonight during the town dance, and since Stomp would be playing the fiddle, he would be responsible for keeping the sheriff busy with a tune. If he refuses, the bandits wil. kill his son, so Stomp agrees. They then turned their attention to Jack, who Slash tells to leave town. Pretending to go along, Jack Woods hops up on his mustang and rides off, much to the disbelief of his friend Stomp.

That night, as the townsfolk have their party in the dance hall, one of Slash's cronies watches the proceedings from a nearby alley, when he is suddenly tackled from behind. Jack Woods ties up and gagged the man, and gently dragged him off to a hiding space, where he wouldn't be found for a time. Inside the hall, a troubled Stomp McHenry is anxiously plucking at the fiddle strings as the sheriff arrived. He wants to warn him, but dares not. Stomp feels a tap on his shoulder, and when he turns he is surprised to see Jack at his side. Jack whispers that he took care of the watchman out front, and that if McHenry would come with him, together they could stop the robbery!

Slash and his gang of bandits are inside the bank, attempting to figure out the vault lock. A guard is placed at the front entrance to warn them if anyone was coming. Hiding by the barrels at the side of the building, Jack tells Stomp to wait while he made his way up behind the bandit.

Appearing in Jack Woods: "The Fiddler and the Bank Robbers"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Stomp McHenry (First appearance)

Antagonists:

  • Slash Morlin (First appearance)
    • his gang, Miguel, others

Other Characters:

  • Speck McHenry (First appearance)
  • Sheriff Henkle (First appearance)

Locations:

Synopsis for Socko Strong: "The Flying Dutchman, Part 2 (of 4)"

Shipwrecked on a tropical Island, Socko Strong and Jerry Indutch have befriended the local natives. While Socko serves as the chief's new bodyguard, Jerry spends time with the chief's daughter, Beri. However, their peaceful stroll is being watched by the jealous eyes of Nogoodi, the strongest warrior in the tribe and the chief's former bodyguard. He hates the white men for stealing his position and the heart of the girl he adored. He takes it out on Jerry, pummeling the meek little man in order to prove his strength to Beri. But just then, in response to his friend's pleas, Socko appears out of the brush to teach Nogoodi a lesson. The angry native attacks, and Socko counters with an uppercut that sends Nogoodi to the ground. The enraged warrior continues to go after the white man, and each time ends up succumbing to Socko's fist. Jerry cheers for his friend, while Beri admires his strength in combat. Attracted by the commotion, the village chief runs up in time to see Socko deliver a knockout blow. He declares Socko the new strongest man in the village, and gives his daughter's hand in marriage as a prize. Socko refuses the offer, though, unintentionally insulting the chief.

As a result, he and Jerry are locked up in an outlying hut, where they will remain under guard until Socko changes his mind. The odds are highly against them if they try to fight, and escape seems impossible as well. However, they discover that they were not alone. Another prisoner, a white man like them, starts to speak from one corner of the hut. He says his name is Sedburn, and that he was an aviator whose plane crashed on the island seven years ago, he's been held by the natives ever since! The sound of Tom-Tom drums grab the trios attention. The tribe is holding a council to decide the fate of their prisoners. Every witch doctor in the tribe gathers together to give the final verdict: Death, in seven days!

Three days pass as the trio tries to come up with a plan. Simply running would be fatal, as Sedburn indicates the spears the natives carry are all tipped with a deadly poison. Jerry spots the chief's daughter, Beri, and calls her over. Socko notices she is carrying a strange case, as she comes closer, he recognizes it as a portable projector! Beri says she found it in the ship debris that had washed ashore, but she is willing to give it to Socko as a gift. Lucky for them, the projector has a fresh battery with some film included with it, giving Socko an idea that could set them all free.

On the seventh day, the prisoners are taken to a beach down by the cliffside where a strange ceremony begins. Socko indicates that it is time to put his plan into motion, and as the witch doctor performs the dance that starts the ritual of death, Socko begins mocking him. The witch doctor glares at the white fiend, angered by his disrespectful actions, but Socko continues to tell the tribe that he could perform a better trick, and he opens up the projector and aimed it at the rocky wall. An image of an erupting volcano flashes on the cliff face, which frightens the tribe so much, having never seen a moving picture before, that they flee screaming into the jungle, forgetting all about Socko, Jerry, and Sedburn. The trio take that as their cue to depart, racing across the shore until they spot a ship anchored out in the distance. It is too risky to make a signal fire, so they decide to build a crude raft that would get them up close enough to climb aboard. It is only as they start ascending the bow that Jerry notices the ship's name... "The Flying Dutchman."

Appearing in Socko Strong: "The Flying Dutchman, Part 2 (of 4)"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Jerry Indutch

Antagonists:

  • Nogoodi (Single appearance)
  • Kentuck Yhome (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Beri (Single appearance)
  • Sedburn (First appearance)
  • Tribal Chief (Final appearance)

Locations:

  • Tropical Island

Vehicles:

  • "The Flying Dutchman"

Synopsis for Don Coyote: "A Playboy In King Arthur's Court, Part 4 (of 5)"

Don Coyote's time-traveling partner, who is now the King of England, continues reinventing and introducing 20th century technology into their medieval world.

Appearing in Don Coyote: "A Playboy In King Arthur's Court, Part 4 (of 5)"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Locations:

Items:

  • attempted radio

Synopsis for Captain Desmo: "Revolt of the Thugs, Part 1 (of 2)"

After receiving an urgent note from Colonel McAllister, Captain Desmo and Gabby Maguire head down to his office to find out what's going on. As the Colonel explains it, the natives are on the verge of revolt, already they have wiped out the interior bases. Reports are now saying that the revolt is being led by a lone figure that has unusual abilities. As Desmo listens, the radio transmitting from Jeddur city has just fallen silent. McAllister curses, knowing it to be the work of natives. He calls forth Sergeant McTavish and assigns him a six-man detail to march out to the city of Jeddur and repair the lines, while offering any assistance to the patrol that was there. Captain Desmo and Gabby request to go along should things get rough.

After hasty preparations, the group follows the trail to the interior. Many difficult hours of travelling pass, and then at last the small city of Jeddur is before them. But there is something strange afoot. Desmo notices that the city seems to be deserted; not a single person is seen in the streets. While the Sergeant and his troop fix the cut wires, Desmo and Gabby head down to investigate. To their horror, when they check the outpost, all they find is the dead body of the operator, slumped over his desk. Gabby checks the building across the way and walks right in on a meeting between a horde of unsavory characters, who start to rush him with knives and blunt instruments. Of course, Gabby's skill in combat hasn't failed him yet, and he's able to hold his own, until the Sergeant's detail arrives on the scene and helps fight off the rest.

Captain Desmo sees a pack of natives pouring over the rooftops, and follows them to where his friend Gabby was locked in fisticuffs with several more of the revolters. He joins the fray until the numbers become overwhelming, when he orders the Sergeant and his men to retreat. A grenade keeps the natives temporarily at bay, giving Desmo, Gabby, and the team enough time to get a head start. They race to a footbridge over a deep gorge, with the horde nearly at their backs! Once he and his party are across, Desmo starts hacking at the ropes with a machete. Suddenly the entire bridge gives way, plunging the natives many feet downwards to a watery grave.

Back at the command post, a worried McAllister has been waiting for hours without hearing a word from the captain and his team. Just when he has given up all hope, Captain Desmo walked through his door, the others following behind. And as Gabby presents what he called a "souvenir" to the Colonel, an old weapon that he recognizes as an instrument used by the Thugs, an old religious cult consisting of robbers, assassins, and the like, thought to have disappeared from India in the 1860's.

Later that same day, Gabby is pulled aside by Stashu, a well-known local man, who often helped the colonel by doing odd jobs, telling him that he knew where the Thugs had their hideout. With his customary lack of caution, Gabby thinks that if he lets Stashu take him there, he could single handedly take out the leader, and save McAllister a lot of trouble. With a swelled head, Gabby follows Stashu into the hot desert, unaware of the natives' plans for the English Army.

Appearing in Captain Desmo: "Revolt of the Thugs, Part 1 (of 2)"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Gabby Maguire

Antagonists:

  • Revolting Natives (First appearance)

Other Characters:

  • Colonel McAllister
  • Sergeant McTavish (First appearance)
  • Rawlins (First appearance)
  • Riley (First appearance)
  • Kennedy (First appearance)
  • Kent (First appearance)
  • Stashu (First appearance)

Locations:

Items:

  • Thuggee-style Dagger

Synopsis for Anchors Aweigh: "The Monsters of Sin Yen"

LCDR Don Kerry spends a week studying the top secret plans for the Navy's new radio-guided torpedo, then takes some shore leave. He meets up with Red Murphy and they go to see a movie, but along the way, shockingly, wlking across the street in plain daylight is Sin Yen, the master spy, and a man wanted by the secret service! Don and Red follow him, into a warehouse, where he ambushes them. Sin Yen wants the plans for the radio controlled torpedo. Don kicks the gun out of Yen's hand, then he and Red make a run for the exit, but they slam into an invisible pane of glass that had been secretly placed in front of the doorway, and are knocked out.

Don and Red wake up an hour later, to find themselves in a large room, with a control booth attached to the ceiling. Inside, the master spy speaks through a microphone, asking Don one last time if he'll reconsider. Nope. Yen presses a few buttons on his console, and big sections of the wall slide open, revealing the results of Sin Yen's twisted genetic experiments on animals. The first to attack is a 7-foot-tall ape, that walks upright like a man. With its monstrous strength, it throws Red across the room into the wall, knocking him out cold. Don crashes a table down over the beast's head but it only serves to anger him. But as it charges towards Don, the Gorilla-Man falls through a weak spot in the floor, to be impaled on sharp wooden stakes. The floor is also rigged with several trap doors. A second monster is released, a creature with the front half of a giant spider and the back half of a slithering snake! It attacks Red's prone form, but Don intercepts, hopping onto the creature's back, and locking his powerful arms around its head. The serpent part wraps Kerry and likewise squeezes. The grim contest continues for several minutes, but the beast collapses first. Suddenly a heavy wall of glass drops down, separating Don from Red, whose side of the room begins to fill with water! Sin Yen asks for the plans one final time. Red starts to stir, the water reviving him. Don again refuses the villain's demand! The angry spy pulls a lever, releasing the "Octo-Dile", an eight tentacled being with the ferocity of a crocodile and the reach of an octopus. Red jumps aside to avoid being slammed by one of the tentacles, and the infuriated creature swings its other limbs around wildly, breaking the glass barrier, causing shards to fall every which way. One of the glass fragments sticks itself in the Octo-Dile's chest, causing it to thrash around in agony. Its wild movements strike the control booth, bringing it, and the crazed Sin Yen within, crashing to the ground. Another minute, and the abomination of nature is completely still. Sin Yen's body lays nearby, crushed under the booth's weight. A hole has been torn in the side of the room, leading to the street outside. The two Navy men escape from the warehouse, which is already crumbling.

Appearing in Anchors Aweigh: "The Monsters of Sin Yen"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Red Murphy

Antagonists:

  • Sin Yen (Single appearance; dies)

Items:

  • Radio Controlled Torpedo Plans

Synopsis for Skip Schuyler: "The Modern Rustlers"

At the ranch house of retired Colonel Danforth, Skip Schuyler was sitting in the study asking about the urgent letter the Colonel had sent him, requesting his assistance. Colonel Danforth replied that his ranch has been having problems of late, but before he could explain further, a young woman walked into the room. The Colonel introduced his daughter, Leslie, to a speechless Skip who was dumbstruck by the girl's beauty. He could barely pay attention to Danforth's story about the cattle on his ranch, as Leslie passed him by with a smile, and before Skip knew it the Colonel's assistant had called them in for lunch. Afterwards, Danforth took Schuyler out on the horses, and showed him the eight hundred and fifty acres of land he owned. It was far too large for the small number of farmhands the ranch had, and the rustling of his cattle threatened to run the Colonel into bankruptcy. He told Skip that this was why he called him out here, because he needed someone with modern ideas for dealing with the new turn-of-the-century rustlers that use automobiles and aeroplanes to steer cattle away. It was impossible to know when the plane will strike or which herd it will go after, and there was nothing the farmhands could do to stop the cattle from stampeding. All he knew was that the plane steered the cows several miles, until they reached the highway, where men armed with machine guns would gather them up in a trailer. Listening to Colonel Danforth, Skip came up with a plan. He'd use the Army plane he flew out there in, to patrol the skies. With the plane's speed, he doubted any criminal could out-fly him.

The next day, Colonel Danforth and Leslie wished Skip luck as he got into his plane and took off. He cruised around, keeping an eye on the outlying sections of the ranch. Below, several herds of cattle could be seen grazing in the pastures, but still no sign of any plane. And then he saw them, out on the highway was a line of cars and trailer trucks lining up on the side of the road, preparing to steal another herd. The drone of another aeroplane engine was heard coming out of the west, and Skip maneuvered his own plane towards the sound. Sure enough, the plane that had been stampeding the cattle appeared, and Skip decided to try to get it to land by utilizing a scare tactic from the old war. He charged directly towards the outlaw in a game of chicken, with the other plane realizing what he was doing and at first holding its course. But Skip's nerves of steel paid off, and the outlaw pilot dove out of the way at the last moment. Skip tried the maneuver a few more times until the rustler couldn't take it anymore and brought his plane down in an open field. When both planes had touched down, Schuyler got out of the cockpit and rushed towards the other pilot. But he stopped in time to see the man flash a gun. With quick reflexes, Skip picked up a fist-sized rock off the ground and threw it at the pilot's head, knocking him senseless. To end things, Skip dragged the limp form of the pilot back to his plane, and then stuck one end of a gasoline soaked rope into the gas tank of the man's plane. As he took off in his army plane, with the outlaw tied up comfortably in the back seat, to be delivered to Colonel Danforth, the flame followed the rope until it struck the main fuel line, and Skip watched from high above as the rustler's main means of cattle robbing went up in smoke.

Appearing in Skip Schuyler: "The Modern Rustlers"

Featured Characters:

  • Skip Schuyler

Antagonists:

  • cattle rustler pilot
    • his truck drivers and cow hands

Other Characters:

  • Colonel Danforth (Single appearance)
  • Leslie Danforth (Single appearance)

Locations:

  • Out West
    • Danforth's Ranch

Vehicles:

  • Skip's Army Aeroplane
  • Rustler's Aeroplane (Destroyed)

Synopsis for Rusty and His Pals: "The Menace of Chen Fu, Part 1 (of 5)"

After their last adventure, in which Rusty and the gang had left Long Sin and Ichabod Slade to their fates on a sinking island, the boys were relaxing as the Duchess, former smuggler, flew them across the ocean to safety. At least, that was the plan, until the fuel gauge indicated they were out of gas. Steve figured one of Long Sin's men had shot a hole in the tank, meaning the fuel was quickly leaking out. With her expert piloting skills, the Duchess was at least able to glide the amphibious plane onto the water, where unfortunately they would remain until a ship passed by, or they starved to death, which was a thought that made the always-hungry Tubby groan.

It was three days of being surrounded by grinning sharks before Rusty suddenly cried out that a ship was coming towards them? Some time later, after picking up (and feeding) Rusty's gang, the ship resumed its journey. That night on the deck, Steve spent some romantic time with the Duchess, who now insisted that he start calling her by her name, Diane.

Two days later the ship docked at Liverpool, where all sorts of reporters met the gang at the dock, relentlessly hounding them with questions about the death of criminal Long Sin, and their discovery of a smuggling ring! But in another part of England, a man was not pleased with the headlines. Chen Fu, the secret head of the vast opium smuggling ring, was furious at the loss of his best man, Long Sin, and the shipment of opium that he had promised him. The crime lord demanded vengeance! Calling in two of his henchman, Chen Fu provided them with a photograph of Rusty, and ordered them to kidnap the boy and bring him back to the hideout.

Later that day, as Rusty strolled down the streets of London, he failed to notice two sinister figures, following him.

Appearing in Rusty and His Pals: "The Menace of Chen Fu, Part 1 (of 5)"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Steve Carter
  • The Duchess (Diane)

Antagonists:

  • Chen Fu (First appearance)
    • Opium Smuggling Gang
    • Long Sin (Mentioned only)

Other Characters:

  • Alfred P. Forrest (Final appearance)

Locations:

Vehicles:

  • Seaplane (abandoned)
  • Merchant Steamship

Synopsis for Cotton Carver: "The Land of Thule"

In the Shrine of Dagan, after Cotton Carver defeated Voggoth and his band, the great golden statue of Dagan has started to turn into the wall, revealing the source of the voice of the speaking statue, as a woman sitting on a throne on the other side. The majestic woman beckons Cotton to come closer. She tells him that she is Elara, Priestess of Dagan, and that she was impressed by his journey through the Temple of the Heartstone. If he would come with her now, she may be able to help him get back home to the outer crust, but Cotton would have to leave his friends in the shrine, where Voggoth would treat their wounds with a special medicine. Ever curious, Cotton agrees and allows Elara to lead him through the dark cavern behind the glorious statue, until they come to a small dock where a little boat is waiting. Once they both are seated, the boat magically begins to move, without the use of a motor or oars!

Soon, the boat brings them to a massive gate that puts Cotton in awe. Elara speaks, commanding the gate to open and admit them to the Palace of Thule, her home. The gates respond as they withdraw, letting the tiny boat move onward toward a gloomy castle on an island. Elara has taken Cotton to her father's tomb inside the castle, where she explains to him a prophecy, about a strange warrior that would arrive when Thule's last ruler died. She believes him to be that warrior, and presents Cotton with a sword named Malar, saying it has magical properties. Cotton isn't really following what she's saying, and asks just what it is she wants him to do? Elara answers that he was destined to slay the wicked Scarlet Seeress, who sought to conquer the entire world with her power. Only the blade of Malar could do her any harm. If Cotton would do this, Elara promises to show him the path to the outer crust. Before sending him off, she offers him a token of her good will in the form of a gold bracelet that will bring him luck.

Cotton Carver journeys through a forest, following Elara's directions. As he moves along, he thinks of all the strangeness he has so far encountered in the land below the crust, things undreamed of in the world above, but seemed commonplace here. While he is thus lost in thought, a large, glass bell-jar drops over him, and he starts to experience a dizzy falling sensation.

Cotton awakens to find a red-headed woman kneeling over him, attempting to get him to drink a foul concoction. He slaps the cup aside, angering his captor who casts a spell to put him into a deep trance-like sleep. While in this state, Cotton is commanded to follow the woman into a tower, where a bearded old man sits on a throne. He asks Cotton why he has come to the Kingdom of Loma, to which Cotton replies he was sent to avenge the death of Thule's King. This obviously comes as a shock to the old man, who accuses the woman, whom he calls Sacla, of murdering Thule's last ruler. Sacla laughs wickedly, admitting that the fall of Thule would only be the start of her world takeover, and then she disappears in a cloud of smoke!

Cotton has unfortunately left the sword, Malar, back where he was first found by the Scarlet Seeress, and after his sleep-walking hike to this place, he could not remember where that was. The old man takes out a mystical plate that reflects what the user wishes to see, and through it Cotton is able to see the blade, lying in an open field! He is then led outside, the old man explaining that he had a method of quick travel through the woods. He is taken to an odd looking vehicle which the man calls his flying car, and indeed it does fly! The old man pilots it towards the clearing where the sword lays.

Outside the gates of Thule, Sacla, the Scarlet Seeress, had gathered her dark army for an invasion. But she is interrupted by Cotton Carver, who leaps from the flying car with blade in hand, to face down the wicked woman. A fight between the two breaks out, but Cotton has the upper hand, right from the beginning! The sword of Malar slices through Sacla in a bloody finale, and the dark horde disappears back into the shadows whence they came.

Appearing in Cotton Carver: "The Land of Thule"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • King of Loma

Antagonists:

  • Sacla, the Scarlet Seeress (Single appearance; dies)
    • her dark army

Other Characters:

  • Kothe
  • Elara
  • Voggoth

Locations:

Items:

  • Malar (magical sword)
  • Gold Bracelet (good luck)
  • Mystical Plate (scrying)

Vehicles:

  • Self-Propelled Boat
  • Flying Car

Notes

  • Anchors Aweigh: Don Kerry gets konked out once, and Red Murphy gets konked out twice, in this story.
  • After this issue, Don Coyote drops out, then returns in issue #43.
  • Last issue for Joe Shuster art on Federal Men.
    • The entire population of the town of Corneyville is wiped out by Mobrune's toxic snowfall. Afterward this is never mentioned again.
  • Sandman drowned Tipper; body count = 1.
  • Also appearing in this issue of Adventure Comics were:

Trivia


See Also


Links and References

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