Police Comics #17 is an issue of the series Police Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1943.
Synopsis for Plastic Man: "Murder in Maniac Mansion"
A corny play is livened up in its aftermath by the murder of its director, Plastic Man observing it was probably an animal's fangs that tore his throat out. Just at that moment, a blind man with a seeing-eye leopard walks out the front of the theater.
A singing telegram boy comes in with two deliveries for the director, one celebrating the first night of his new play, and the other inviting him and the whole cast out to the morbidly-titled Maniac Mansion for the weekend to celebrate the opening more formally. Despite every single person begging off, they all show up at Maniac Mansion. Including Steinmetz, the director everyone thought was killed off (although it turns out to be Plastic Man, in an unsuccessful bid to smoke out the killer). All of the cast members are open enough about hating Steinmetz to want to kill him. Even Gar Crochett, the writer of the play and the blind man with the leopard, came, intending to force them to rehearse his original, far superior script. However soon one of the actors is killed, and Plastic Man and Woozy are menaced by a ghostly figure who turns out to be actor Stanley Vane.
He and the wife of the murdered actor had been having an affair. Steinmetz found out and was blackmailing them, so he was the first victim. Crochett intends to whip the entire cast into shape before they go back to town. And since Vane's being arrested for all the killing, Crochett dragoons Woozy into playing the lead role until a replacement's found.
Appearing in Plastic Man: "Murder in Maniac Mansion"
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Synopsis for Manhunter: "Red Haired Kate"
Appearing in Manhunter: "Red Haired Kate"
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Synopsis for "Dewey Drip"
Appearing in "Dewey Drip"
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- Dewey Drip
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Synopsis for Destiny: "Have You Seen Him?"
After barely escaping from his last encounter with Destiny, Oscar Jones concocts a cunning plan to rid himself of the hero. Oscar clubs a policeman and takes his gun, so when it's traced there'll be nothing specific enough to lead back to him. Destiny tries using his "trance" powers to bring himself to Oscar's location, but instead they bring Oscar to him, who fires. Unbeknownst to him, it was only a grazing wound, and Destiny survived.
With no heroes to get in his way, Oscar Jones goes on a one-man crime wave. His latest scheme is to steal a 100k prize at a society function. That night is when Destiny recovers enough to get his powers to work again, and this time he overwhelms Oscar, ultimately punching him through the doors of a police precinct. Having avenged his predecessor, the hero makes a joke to a policeman about Jones' capture not being fate...but Destiny.
Appearing in Destiny: "Have You Seen Him?"
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Synopsis for "The Black Widow"
Appearing in "The Black Widow"
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- Burp the Twerp
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Synopsis for Spirit: "The Orphans"
Appearing in Spirit: "The Orphans"
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Synopsis for Phantom Lady: "Mystery of the Black Cat!"
Sandra Knight is entertaining guests at her fathers estate. A loud scream is suddenly heard and one of the guests named Carl goes out to investigate. He is later found dead. A hostile black cat is found near the body but the guests are unable to capture it. Sandra Knight switches to her a Phantom Lady costume and follows the black cat into a dark basement. Phantom Lady finds an Axis agent hiding in the basement and subdues him. She surmises that the agent was planting a bomb when they were interrupted by the unfortunate party guest Carl. She also reveals that the black cat was protecting her litter of kittens.
Appearing in Phantom Lady: "Mystery of the Black Cat!"
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Synopsis for Chic Carter: "The Voice from the Grave"
Appearing in Chic Carter: "The Voice from the Grave"
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Synopsis for "The Madman"
Appearing in "The Madman"
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- Dick Mace
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Synopsis for "Super Snooper"
Appearing in "Super Snooper"
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- Super Snooper
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Synopsis for Human Bomb: "Olaf Olson and Lars Larson"
Olaf and Lars, a pair of reporters, come into Roy's lab and show him a picture of him putting on his Human Bomb outfit. Seeing Roy's secret identity threatened, Hustace shows Roy couldn't be the Human Bomb, because Roy's hands don't make him explode (because Roy and Hustace's explosive touches cancel each other out).
The devil on Hustace's shoulder convinces him to use the chance to seize some publicity by claiming he's the Human Bomb. However, the suit's way too big for him, and since he can't see where he's going he accidentally uses his shoes and blows the corner off a building. When the police show up the reporters claim Hustace is the Human Bomb. Which the police refuse to believe since the Human Bomb doesn't cause rampant property damage without a good reason, and because Hustace is way too puny to be the well-known hero. The reporters leave, extremely confused.
Appearing in Human Bomb: "Olaf Olson and Lars Larson"
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Notes
- Plastic Man is reprinted in Plastic Man Archives Vol. 1.
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