National Comics #49 is an issue of the series National Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1945.
Synopsis for The Barker: "A Corpse for a Cannonball"
Bombo the human cannonball gets ready to do his stunt, but he comes down funny, and the rest of the sideshow realizes not only was he knifed in the back mid-flight, it's not Bombo in his costume. They quickly find the real Bombo, who says the man who slugged him and took his outfit's a fellow human cannonball who had to flee from the law years ago. However a cop identifies him by a different name and says he recently stole $80,000 of bonds. But if he's wanted for grand theft, why get involved in a big flashy stunt?
The answer comes soon enough: the thief had two accomplices when he stole the bonds, but tried to get away without having to split the proceeds. The wallet with the bonds was hidden in the spring mechanism for the cannon, while the thief had been trying to blast himself to safety to come back for it later. However one of his doublecrossed confederates was an expert knife-thrower and got him just as he was fired. After catching the two gangsters, who are on the lot trying to find where the loot was hidden, the Barker's happy to hand them off to the police who'd mocked him before.
Appearing in The Barker: "A Corpse for a Cannonball"
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Supporting Characters:
- Colonel Lane
- Lena
- Liz Flannery
- Major Midge
- Spuda the Spider-Man
- Tiny Tim
- Madame Shali, snake charmer
- Peaches, bearded lady
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- Amby
- Drago
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Synopsis for Windy Breeze: "Here Lies Windy Breeze"
Windy has a date with a beautiful girl but no money for fancy gifts. He feigns illness and after some flowers and candy arrive as gifts, he reuses as gifts for his date.
Appearing in Windy Breeze: "Here Lies Windy Breeze"
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Synopsis for Lassie and Laddie: "The Owls' Election"
Appearing in Lassie and Laddie: "The Owls' Election"
Featured Characters:
- Lassie
- Laddie
Supporting Characters:
- Roberta
- Roger
Synopsis for Sally O'Neil Policewoman: "Nick the Knife"
Appearing in Sally O'Neil Policewoman: "Nick the Knife"
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Synopsis for Intellectual Amos: "Amos and the Pirates"
Appearing in Intellectual Amos: "Amos and the Pirates"
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Synopsis for Quicksilver: "The Murder Hobbyists"
Quicksilver finds himself on the trail of misanthropic upper-crust folks who callously murder people for sport.
Appearing in Quicksilver: "The Murder Hobbyists"
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Synopsis for The Whistler: "Monster of Milton Park"
A shadowy malcontent drops a log on the tracks of a roller coaster at Milton Park, causing it to derail and kill four passengers. Newly-minted crime reporter Mallory Drake is ordered to cover the story by his editor, but since this is the third fatal accident at that same amusement park, he instead puts on his mask and investigates as the Whistler. He overhears Anson, the owner of the land the park's built on, magnanimously offer to let Tom Milton, the owner of the park, out of his lease early. But Tom refuses with the colossal investment he's already made.
Whistler follows Anson, and catches him trying to smash the park's Ferris Wheel with a steam shovel, but Anson sees him coming which at least saves the passengers when Anson attacks Whistler from behind instead. Anson starts leading Whistler to police headquarters, figuring to hand him over as the park's saboteur. Using some whistle-ventriloquism, Whistler distracts Anson and knocks him out. However, the real park saboteur shows up then: Tom Milton himself. Whistler freezes him with a tweet of his petrifying whistle, then gets Tom to confess that if the park went bankrupt he'd be released from his lease and set up in more lucrative territory by "the gambling syndicate." At the paper, Mallory Drake's lauded for landing the story, but sweats when his boss gives him another assignment: find out the Whistler's true identity!
Appearing in The Whistler: "Monster of Milton Park"
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Supporting Characters:
- Mac Shane, Editor, Daily Record
Antagonists:
- Tom Milton
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Locations:
- Daily Record offices
Synopsis for Destroyer 171: "The Red Devil Mission"
Appearing in Destroyer 171: "The Red Devil Mission"
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Notes
- Also featured in this issue of National Comics were:
- Captain Tootsie: "The Farmyard Fire" (Advertisement for "Tootsie Rolls") by C.C. Beck and Pete Costanza
- "Carribee" (text article)
- Salty Waters by Bernard Dibble
See Also
Links and References
