Here I am, Don! .. I just now saw the Phantom Lady ducking out of the back door ... It's funny how that girl always appears at the right moment. 
- — Sandra Knight
Police Comics #23 is an issue of the series Police Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1943.
Synopsis for Plastic Man: "The Ghost Train"
To keep the passengers distracted, a mysterious gang leader has his henchmen act as ghosts on a train, so he can steal the Army's payroll being transported on board.
Appearing in Plastic Man: "The Ghost Train"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Woozy Winks
- Captain Murphy
Antagonists:
- J. Noble Wopps
- Snout Sniggers
- 3 henchmen
Other Characters:
- Caprice Corbett, of the W.A.A.C.S.
- Engineer Guffy
- undercover policeman (Dies)
Locations:
- Mammoth City
- Camp Armstead (Mentioned only)
Vehicles:
- "Ghost Train", on the Pottsville Line
Synopsis for The Human Bomb: "The Return of Hustace Throckmorton"
A killer gets sprung from jail and goes on a crime spree with his girl. Their first hold up involves robbing the Human Bomb's sidekick, Hustace Throckmorton, then kidnapping him so he doesn't warn his friend. The incident is announced over the radio anyway, and Roy Lincoln tries to track down his friend. The killer's moll tries to seduce Hustace to use his feet to blow open vaults, but Human Bomb finds their hideout, easily survives a hail of bullets and captures the gang. He leaves wondering once again why he puts up with Hustace always getting into trouble.
Appearing in The Human Bomb: "The Return of Hustace Throckmorton"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Wode Wikard
- Mola
Other Characters:
- Hustace's gambling buddies
Locations:
- State Prison
- Buena Park, (just outside the city limits)
Synopsis for Burp the Twerp: "Encounter With Plastic Man"
Burp the Twerp, the super so-an-so, believes he's a better super-hero than Plastic Man, until Plas shows up in person, then faints at the sight of him.
Appearing in Burp the Twerp: "Encounter With Plastic Man"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
- unnamed reporter
Synopsis for Destiny: "Baby Face"
Baby Face Morgan, a sociopath gangster, shoots one of his own men for trying to get medical help after getting shot. While trying to gas up his getaway car, he shoots the old pump jockey for insisting on seeing a ration book. Hearing a radio broadcast that the police think he won't head for Main City, that's exactly what Baby Face does. He's unaware this a ploy by the police to try to get him to head to his old hideout so they can corner him, and soon the building's surrounded by cops.
Seeing the dead gas station attendant, Destiny's supernatural senses detect Baby Face having a shootout with the police. He appears suddenly behind Baby Face and disarms the crook. All his bravado gone when he has no weapons, Baby Face tries to escape Destiny and runs right out into a hail of police gunfire, sealing his fate.
Appearing in Destiny: "Baby Face"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Baby Face Morgan (Dies)
- Curley (Dies)
- 2nd punk (Dies)
- Joe (Dies)
Other Characters:
- many cops (five die)
- gas station proprietor (Dies)
Locations:
Synopsis for The Spirit: "Ebony's X-Ray Eyes"
While the Spirit goes out to buy some chemicals, Ebony babysits the lab. The test tubes begin to boil over and explode, causing smoke fumes. Ashamed, he leaves the lab and wanders the streets. Soon, he realizes that some of the chemicals must have got into his eyes, because now he has X-Ray vision. Some crooks catch on to this fact and lure him into their gang, so he can help them crack the local bank's safe. The Spirit comes back to the messy lab and thinks his pal has been kidnapped.
Appearing in The Spirit: "Ebony's X-Ray Eyes"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Ebony White
Antagonists:
- Pierpont J. "Nifty" Dugan
- Smiley, his partner
- Boss Garvy
- two other thugs
Other Characters:
- Officer Gilhooley
Locations:
- Central City
- Wildwood Cemetery
- First National Bank
- New Bank
Items:
- Colt's X-Ray Liquid
- Colt's Oxygen Capsules
Synopsis for Flatfoot Burns: "The Sky Saboteurs"
Appearing in Flatfoot Burns: "The Sky Saboteurs"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- USAAF soldiers
Locations:
- United States Airport Testing Grounds
- Flatfoot's private laboratory
Items:
- Flatfoot's Sky Writing Alphabet Noodle Soup Solution
Vehicles:
- experimental U.S. fighter planes, 20 of them (Destroyed)
- Flatfoot's improvised autogiro
- advanced Japanese airship
- standard U.S. fighter planes
Synopsis for Super Snooper: "Art Treasure Stolen"
Appearing in Super Snooper: "Art Treasure Stolen"
Featured Characters:
- Super Snooper
Other Characters:
- Gill Fox (Cameo)
Locations:
- Gill Fox's art studio
Synopsis for The Phantom Lady: "The Four Maniacs"
Sandra Knight comes home from a date with Don Borden, and finds that the Senator's entire household staff (Head Butler, Assistant Butler, Maid, and Doctor) have been replaced by new domestic help, all of whom turn out to be escapees from an insane asylum. They hold Henry and Sandra prisoner, to set an ambush for the Phantom Lady. Sandra slips out of sight and changes outfits, then returns with some questions. The maniacs are looking for her help, to hide from a pursuer, and they knew to look for her here at the Senator's, house because they read about her in Police Comics. The real servants are in the cellar; Phantom Lady frees them; this upsets Looey who tries to shoot Sandra. She punches him out without even using her Black-Light Ray.
Meanwhile outside Don arrives to pick up Sandra for that evening's date, and a van from the Crane Insane Asylum with a squad of men in white coats, both arrive at the same time. They pitch into the fight, and soon the kooks are subdued.
Appearing in The Phantom Lady: "The Four Maniacs"
Featured Characters:
- Phantom Lady (Final appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Senator Henry Knight (Final appearance)
- Don Borden (Final appearance)
Antagonists:
- Four Maniacs
- Looey, head butler
- Joe, assistant butler
- Ethel, maid
- unnamed fake doctor
Locations:
- Washington, D.C.
- Senator Knight's mansion
Items:
- (no Black-Light Ray seen)
Vehicles:
- Crane Insane Asylum van
- Don's roadster
Synopsis for Manhunter: "The Murdering Rhymster"
Several thieves purchase the rights to an inventor's "secret weapon." The next morning, the inventor reads in the paper how he was conned into the deal and commits suicide. His son finds his father's body and vows to go after the crooks who stole his invention. But instead, two of the four crooks get murdered by one of their own number, Franklin Smith, under the guise of "the Rhymster", before Manhunter and Thor put an end to his crimes.
Appearing in Manhunter: "The Murdering Rhymster"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Neway Armaments Company
- The Rhymster (First appearance)
- John Bent (Dies)
- Steve Chance (Dies)
- Ben Stark
Other Characters:
- Thomas Oliver Grimm (Dies)
- John M. Grimm, as "Lewis"
Locations:
- Empire City
- Ben Stark's summer house
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- All Quality Comics characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof were originally Trademarked & Copyright © 1951 Quality Comics. The characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof were acquired by DC Comics in 1956. While some of the properties acquired did not have copyright and trademarks renewed, some of those depicted here are Trademarks & Copyright © 1973-2008 DC Comics, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
- Destiny, now under new creators, reverts back to being a tramp (as portrayed in Police Comics #16), and they never illuminate Destiny's true identity.
- Flatfoot Burns is aware that he is a comicbook character.
- Manhunter gets head-konked unconscious with a gaff hook.
- It's the last Quality Comics issue for Phantom Lady.
- This feature later reappeared in Phantom Lady #13, Aug 1947, published by Fox.
- Chronologically, this story follows the Phantom Lady story in Feature Comics #71, September 1943.
- In this story, the bad guys know to look for the Phantom Lady at Senator Knight's house because they read about her in Police Comics.
- Plastic Man: "The Ghost Train" is reprinted in Plastic Man Archives Vol. 2.
- The Spirit: "Ebony's X-Ray Eyes" was originally printed in The Spirit comic strip (9/15/1940) by Register and Tribune Syndicate.
- Also appearing in this issue of Police Comics were:
- Dewey Drip by Bernard Dibble
- Dick Mace: "The San Juan Bluebeard" (text story) by Robert M. Hyatt
Trivia
- Jack Cole is also credited as Ralph Johns in this issue.