Crack Comics #8 is an issue of the series Crack Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1940. It was published on October 30, 1940.
Synopsis for The Black Condor: "The Menace of the Thinking Machines"
Appearing in The Black Condor: "The Menace of the Thinking Machines"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Lung Woe (Dies)
- an enemy spy
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- The Spinning Death Machine (Destroyed)
Synopsis for Space Legion: "Vendrome's Electrical Weapon"
Appearing in Space Legion: "Vendrome's Electrical Weapon"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Space Legion
Antagonists:
- Vendrome (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Dr. Wadsworth
- Elaine Wadsworth
Locations:
Items:
- Vendrome's electrical weapon
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Madam Fatal: "The Secret of the Rex"
Appearing in Madam Fatal: "The Secret of the Rex"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Trag
Other Characters:
- Professor Crane
- Dr. Prowl
- Thor
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for The Red Torpedo: "Allied With the Black Shark"
Appearing in The Red Torpedo: "Allied With the Black Shark"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Black Shark
- Nazi Party
- Herr Schaft
Other Characters:
- Capt. Arville (Dies)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Jane Arden // Lena Pry"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Jane Arden // Lena Pry"
Featured Characters:
- Jane Arden (across top halves of pages)
- Lena Pry (across bottom halves of pages)
Synopsis for Alias the Spider: "The Boy and the Bank Robbers"
A series of mid-western and western banks are robbed by a gang that sets up fake movie shoots, to cover up their crimes. Along the way they kidnap a young boy, and con him into believing he's taking part in a movie production, while using him as a human shield in their bank jobs.
The Spider comes racing out of the east, in the Black Widow, and hunts for the gang, starting in Ridgewood, Utah, a recent robbery scene. Before long, the gang's trail leads him right back to Ridgewood, so the Spider pays a local, aged, pistol-packing cowboy to hide his distinctive-looking car, and ducks into a saloon with his new pal. The old cowboy knows where the gang hangs out and leads the Spider to a particular house; a gunfight ensues, to which the old cowboy has brought two .45 revolvers; they chase the robbers until they hunker down behind a parked car and start shooting back. One robber scuttles into the house and brings out the boy, again doing the human shield thing.
Both the Spider and the old cowboy shoot once, both fatally; the boy is rescued, and the remaining two thugs flee in their sedan. The Spider and his two friends pile into the Black Widow and give chase, into the snow-covered mountains, where they find the hoods holed up in an old cabin. The Spider uses his burning seal arrow to set fire to the parked sedan, then does some more trick shooting to cut off the cabin's water line, and to close off the exhaust pipe from the cabin's stove. This drives the robbers into the open. The Spider chases them down and beats them up, then encourages the old cowboy to take them in and collect the reward, then returns to his New York home.
Appearing in Alias the Spider: "The Boy and the Bank Robbers"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mike
- Spud
Other Characters:
- Bobby
- the "old timer"
Locations:
- Ridgewood, Utah
Items:
Vehicles:
- The Black Widow (the Spider's car)
Synopsis for Lee Preston of the Red Cross: "The Saboteurs and the Train Crash"
Appearing in Lee Preston of the Red Cross: "The Saboteurs and the Train Crash"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Rick Royce
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Ned Brant"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Ned Brant"
Featured Characters:
- Ned Brant
Synopsis for Wizard Wells: "With Remote Control"
Appearing in Wizard Wells: "With Remote Control"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Tug
Antagonists:
- Ralph Terrell
- John Terrell
Other Characters:
- Jason Terrell
- Betty Terrell
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for The Clock: "Stuporman"
Snoop Cadrone bumps off another mobster (Scallio), so he can be the boss of the underworld. The Clock must find a way to overcome and defeat Snoop's super-strong and impervious pinheaded monster from Mongolia. After invading his hideout and punching out Cadrone, the Clock tricks his giant enforcer into charging off the edge of a tall building, breaking some high-tension wires on his way to the pavement.
Appearing in The Clock: "Stuporman"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Pat "Pug" Brady
Antagonists:
- Stuporman (Dies)
- Snoop Cadrone
Other Characters:
- Scallio (Dies)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- The artist who drew the cover has not yet been identified, but is speculated to be Gill Fox. See the page for Crack Comics #8 at the Grand Comics Database.
- Alias, the Spider:
- Tom Hallaway's body count now > 9.
- The Spider's home, this issue, is identified as New York City. Previous stories have been ambiguous on this point.
- The Clock's adventure, this issue, is identified as taking place in New York City. Previous stories have been ambiguous on this point.
- Also featured in this issue of Crack Comics were:
- Molly The Model, by Bernard Dibble
- Off The Record, by Ed Reed
- Snappy, by Arthur Beeman
- Slap Happy Pappy, by Gill Fox
- Rube Goldberg's Side Show, by Rube Goldberg
See Also
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.