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in: Comics Published by Quality Comics, Everett M. Arnold/Executive Editor, Gill Fox/Cover Artist,
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Smash Comics Vol 1 25

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"The Ray: "Mitch Mouldin"": A violent and well-organized crime wave runs rampant throughout the Ray's home town. At the newspaper office of "The Star," Happy Terrill's protégé Bud has got some info from a recent crime scene; two other reporters accompany him to Humpel's Soda Fountain, while Happ

Quote1 Flame! I command you to come to your mistress! Quote2
— Wildfire

Smash Comics #25 is an issue of the series Smash Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1941.

Synopsis for The Ray: "Mitch Mouldin"

A violent and well-organized crime wave runs rampant throughout the Ray's home town. At the newspaper office of "The Star," Happy Terrill's protégé Bud has got some info from a recent crime scene; two other reporters accompany him to Humpel's Soda Fountain, while Happy makes an excuse and stays behind. Humpel shows the reporters an Irish-looking good-luck ring, apparently lost by one of the robbers; sure enough, that very robber is already back in the store and has his pistol out. He kidnaps old Humpel and both reporters, to go visit his boss at "Poison Oaks," but Bud slips behind a counter and escapes. He runs to tell Happy, who quickly figures out that Mitch Mouldin is the brains behind all the crime. Happy and Bud go there, in Happy's car. Happy snoops at a window as Mitch Mouldin meets his three new and unwanted kidnappees; he's not pleased, and shoots the moron who brought them there. "There's only one cure for bunglers . . lead poison!" Then Mitch and his prisoners and two thugs head downstairs to a gloomy sub-cellar. There is a partial skeleton shackled to one wall. The kidnapees are about to get thrown into a lime pit when The Ray shows up!

The Ray makes short work of the two thugs; the two reporters run away. Mitch catches a lucky break, and is able to open a valve and knock down the Ray with a jet of water, then to flood the pool where he lays unconscious. It's time to leave town, but first Mouldin sends two thugs downtown to take care of some remaining business. Bud sees them drive off, and gets curious enough to investigate things himself, sneaks into the mansion, is drawn to the sub-cellar by the sound of running water, finds the Ray in the pool, dives in, and pulls him to the surface. The Ray is about five times the size and weight of Bud, so he can't drag him out of the pool. But a thug comes along, with a flashlight, and shines it right on the Ray's face, which revives him; he flies across the room and punches out the thug. Upstairs, Mitch's men have returned from town with a bag full of money, and are ready to leave, when the Ray steps into the room and demolishes it, and them. Bud and the Ray leave before the reporters can get back with the police, to find a houseful of unconscious hoodlums, and Happy Terrill scoops the other reporters by filing the story first.

Appearing in The Ray: "Mitch Mouldin"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Bud

Antagonists:

  • Mitch Mouldin
    • one thug (Dies)
    • three more thugs

Other Characters:

  • two reporters
  • Mr. Humpel

Locations:

  • New York City
    • The Star newspaper
  • Westhaven
    • "Poison Oaks", Mitch Mouldin's luxurious chateau

Items:


Vehicles:




Synopsis for Midnight: "Liver-Lip McGaw"

An extremely mean and ill-tempered mobster, Liver-Lip McGaw, has just killed off the last of his own stooges, and he's looking for more to recruit. He had wanted to shake down the Acme Motor factory, but now changes plans, and starts forcing the workers to sabotage their own plant, at night, lest he harm their families. He breaks into their houses, one at a time, with a movie projector, and shows each one a movie of himself, McGaw, shooting a toddler in cold blood; they fall into line.

Meanwhile at his secret lab, Doc Wackey creates a new invention he calls the Visoscope, with which he can survey any part of the city. While he's showing it to Gabby, they spot a whole lot of sabotage going on at the Acme plant. Doc calls Dave Clark on his wrist-radio, while Gabby races to the factory to get the fight started. The reluctant wrecking crew recognize the talking monkey, and realize that Midnight is on their case. When he shows up in person, and beats up a few of them, the rest cave in and rat out McGaw, but don't know where he is. Midnight calls Doc who uses his Visoscope to locate the villain, at a cock fight. Midnight crashes into the Hamilton Sport Club through a closed window, and gets all fisty with McGaw, who pulls out a dagger and stabs him in the shoulder. The cops have already been called and are just now arriving, so McGaw grabs a battle-axe and a pair of skis, and makes the craziest getaway attempt of 1941, skiing down a dry stairway to the alley behind the club, swinging the halberd maniacally. From the top of the stairs, Midnight shoots him in one ski with his vacuum gun; and Liver-Lip tumbles onto his own axe, and dies.

Appearing in Midnight: "Liver-Lip McGaw"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Liver-Lip McGaw (Dies)

Other Characters:


Locations:

  • Acme Motor factory
  • Hamilton Sport Club

Items:

Vehicles:



Synopsis for Wings Wendall: "Captain Krawl"

Wings Wendall, (now wearing a superhero costume, with a mask), and his flying partner Spinner Benson, in Wings' bright yellow, bullet-shaped, very fast airplane, are providing overhead surveillance of the sea-trials of the U.S. Navy's new, steam-turbine-powered battleship, the "Sea Wolf." The vessel disappears into a fog bank, and the fog now moves along with the big ship. This turns out to be an elaborate trap; the fog is knockout gas, and crewmen start dropping as it closes in. As Wings flies in closer for a better look, a huge, submersible aircraft carrier surfaces next to the battleship, and catapaults two fighter planes into the air. Wendall shoots down both, then jumps out of his plane, swims to the battleship, and scrambles up the hull to the main deck. He finds the sleeping crewmen, just before Captain Krawl gets the drop on him with a pistol, and tells him about his big plan. Krawl and his submersible carrier are going to capture scores of battleships and cruisers, and man them with picked crews, then take control of all the main sea lanes, exacting tribute from trading nations. He has Wendall locked up in the brig with Captain Bennett and a few crewmen; they have all reawakened. Also Wendall has sneaked in a small radio transmitter, with which he signals Spinner, still circling above. Spinner flies away and soon returns, leading four destroyers. When Krawl prepares to toss the captured crewmen overboard, Wings punches him hard but doesn't knock him out, then dukes it out with at least three hench sailors, just as this flotilla of reinforcements is arriving. Krawl escapes, at least as far as getting into the hatch of his super submarine, but it is soon sunk with depth charges. Benson flies by again, dropping a rope ladder, and Wings Wendall departs.

Appearing in Wings Wendall: "Captain Krawl"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Spinner Benson

Antagonists:

  • Captain Krawl
    • Krawl's crew

Other Characters:

  • Captain Bennett
    • Captain Bennett's crew

Locations:

Vehicles:

Synopsis for Invisible Justice: "Ghosts of the Glens"

In Oakwood, late at night, wealthy art dealer Phineas Barr is robbed by a home-invading gang of KKK-costumed criminals. Over the following nights, at least two more similar crimes, including at least one murder, are committed. Kent Thurston is called in by his old friend John Thorpe, and meets his daughter Joan, and his lawyer Tom Slade. The next day as Thurston is poking around in the woods and marshes near town, he finds Joan and Tom, as they encounter three of the hooded gangsters, now bent on kidnapping Joan. Thurston steps in fists first and tags one of them, but gets head-konked unconscious from behind. When he recovers, everybody is gone. Based on Thorpe's having called this gang "the Ghosts of the Glens," Kent forms a hunch, and based on that, he finds the gang's hideout, in a particular part of the woods, into which he invisibly sneaks. Here, the Invisible Hood witnesses a strange ritual, with a boiling cauldron and a silver bough, which he invisibly interrupts by stealing the symbolically important Silver Bough from the hand of the hooded leader, then grabbing Joan and running away. Joan soon runs away under her own power as the invisible Thurston brandishes the visible Silver Bough, claiming leadership of the gang, and leveling accusations against the former leader, whom he un-hoods, and who turns out to be Slade. He then scatters the other hoods by dumping over the boiling cauldron. Slade flees on foot, with three hooded thugs plus the Invisible Hood in pursuit, and he creates a rockslide to knock out all of the visible pursuers, but gets caught and thrashed by the Invisible Hood. Later Kent Thurston enjoys a cigarette while he tells his old friend Thorpe all about it.

Appearing in Invisible Justice: "Ghosts of the Glens"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

  • Ghosts of the Glens
    • Tom Slade

Other Characters:

  • Phineas Barr
  • John Thorp
  • Joan Thorp

Locations:

  • Oakwood

Items:


Vehicles:



Synopsis for The Jester: "Sabotage at the Navy Yard"

Detective Mulligan had spotted a guy sneaking into the Navy Yard with a stick of dynamite, then the Jester had shown up and thrown Mulligan in the river, and told the dynamite guy to leave. This is all the proof Mulligan needs to convince him that the notorious vigilante is actually a crook himself. Meanwhile and elsewhere, the Jester is following the dynamite guy through a maze of dingy byways and back alleys, undetected, despite his outlandish and noisy costume, and this tool leads him directly back to his gang's hideout, in the cellar of an old house. The leader orders this idiot to go back to the Navy Yard and finish the job, and sends both of his other henchmen with him. Then the Jester crashes in, and punches him out, then sprints away in pursuit of the other three. About then Mulligan arrives with several more cops; Jester gets them to chase him, by throwing one of his distinctive rubber Jester toys at Mulligan's head, then returns to chasing the real bad guys. This all leads to a munitions warehouse at the Navy Yard, and a one-against-four fistfight, with the Jester winning it. No sooner has he left than Mulligan starts taking credit for defeating these saboteurs, which he's still doing, hours later, at police HQ, for Officer Lane's edification. Lane at least gets credit for having busted the gang's leader.

Appearing in The Jester: "Sabotage at the Navy Yard"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Detective Mulligan

Antagonists:

  • Spies, five of them

Other Characters:


Locations:

Items:


Vehicles:



Synopsis for Espionage Starring Black X: "Basil's Gang"

Black X disguises himself as Old Basil, a captured and imprisoned spy, and infiltrates his gang's basement hideout. He picks up a set of sealed orders and a briefcase, then leaves, but before he even gets into the spies' own car (which Batu has already stolen), two spies open fire on him from an upstairs window. Black X whips out his super automatic and returns fire, killing them both, then flees town, at 95 mph, with Batu at the wheel, and one car full of spies in hot pursuit. The sealed orders give their destination, Cape May, to meet a Dornier flying boat from Old Basil's homeland. The spies know a shortcut, and take a speedboat to Cape May, arriving ahead of Black X; all of this takes several hours. At least five spies are ready for them when they arrive, or think they are, but Black X and Batu punch the hell out of them and Batu gets hold of a submachine gun, and the spies are captured alive, except for Herr Kapitan, killed by Batu, who then ties the rest of them up. Meanwhile Black X finally gets around to looking inside the briefcase, and finds photostats of the U.S. defense production schedule. He hides the papers under a bush and fills the briefcase with rocks. About then the huge trans-oceanic 4-engine amphibious airplane arrives, (in camouflage paint but with no national insignia or other markings), and Black X and Batu go out to meet it in a small boat. By that time, one spy has gotten loose from his bonds and yells to the plane that the two are imposters. The plane's commander, (also called Herr Kapitan) tries to capture them, but Black X goes upside his head with the briefcase full of rocks; he's out. The plane takes off, with the aircrew hoping to gain the upper hand, and Black X still hoping to capture them all alive. No dice, they open fire in the enclosed space, and inadvertently ignite some magnesium flares. Black X and Batu escape via parachute as the big plane catches fire and crashes into the sea. They recover the production schedules and call in the G-men, then afterward Black X and Col. Atwater review these events at their favorite café.

Appearing in Espionage Starring Black X: "Basil's Gang"

Supporting Characters:

  • Batu
  • Colonel Atwater

Antagonists:

  • Old Basil (Behind the scenes)
  • Basil's gang of spies
    • Herr Kapitan
    • Max (Dies)
    • Hugo (Dies)
    • Heinz
    • at least four more hench-spies
  • Dornier aircrew
    • Herr Kapitan
    • at least 5 other airmen

Other Characters:


Locations:

  • Cape May
  • Col. Atwater and Black X's favorite cafe, in Washington DC

Items:

  • Black X's super automatic

Vehicles:

  • Dornier flying boat

Synopsis for Rookie Rankin: "First Night"


Appearing in Rookie Rankin: "First Night"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • Ma Rankin
  • Sgt. Burns
  • Nightstick Kane
  • Jimmy

Antagonists:


Other Characters:


Locations:


Items:


Vehicles:



Synopsis for "Origin of Wildfire"

"Fifteen years ago" a raging forest fire swept through the Great Northwest, and the fatalities included forest ranger Frank Vance, who died while trying to locate and rescue his toddler daughter Carol. Little Carol meanwhile was strolling around, completely unharmed, and unperturbed by the inferno, and also by the appearance of the very large and apparently supernatural "Lord of Fire." This powerful entity liked Carol's attitude, and granted her immunity from harm by fire, and made her Mistress of Flame.

Fifteen years go by, during which little Carol is adopted by the wealthy Mr. & Mrs. John Martin. One night a fire alarm goes off in the town, and Carol instantly changes her whole appearance, especially her costume and the length of her hair, and flies out to look for the fire, and help out. It's clear from her remarks that she's done this before. She finds the fire at the edge of town, approaching the new munitions plant. Unseen on the sidelines, Bundist villains Heinrich and Dolph watch and smirk and gloat.

Wildfire flies onto the scene and commands the flames to come to her, away from the endangered buildings and people, then commands them to tell her how they got started. A fiery hand forms in mid-air, and points at Heinrich and Dolph, who try to run away. The big hand scoops them up and Wildfire questions them; they work for the Green Masked Bund; the big blazing hand dumps these two onto the front stoop of a police station, apparently not even singed. The flaming hand returns to Wildfire; she merges it into the flame of her hair, and streaks away.

Wildfire flies to the HQ of the GMB, where four of the very KKK-looking Bundists are torturing the kidnapped Senator Raymond. They want him to sign a letter that if published will undermine the national defense effort, and he's resisted heroically until now, but at last he caves and signs, just before Wildfire bursts into the room, and starts throwing her flame darts, one of which incinerates the letter. Bullets are useless against her; they hit her fiery shield and melt like wax, and also lose their momentum and drop to the floor. The four fanatics charge at Wildfire, make contact, and then run away with their clothes on fire. Finally the cops are called in, and find the Bundists are all corralled in a ring of fire.

Appearing in "Origin of Wildfire"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:

  • John Martin, Carol's adoptive father
  • Mrs. Martin, Carol's adoptive mother
  • Marie, their maid

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:


Items:


Vehicles:



Synopsis for The Purple Trio: "Monkeyshines"


Appearing in The Purple Trio: "Monkeyshines"

Featured Characters:

  • The Purple Trio:
    • Rocky Hill, strongman
    • Tiny Todd, midget
    • Warren, ventriloquist

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:


Other Characters:


Locations:


Items:


Vehicles:



Synopsis for Bozo the Robot: "The Clown"

An underworld-takeover contender, in white greasepaint makeup, The Clown, does a series of high-profile, pre-announced murders, despite ineffective cordons of alert policemen, using a delayed-action poison, and leaving a calling card at the scene of each murder. This goes on for weeks. Incumbent underworld czar Dip Downe calls out The Clown via underworld grapevine. That night the Clown barges in to Downe's house, ready to shoot, but out step 3 of Downe's henchmen, ready to shoot, then in crashes Bozo the Iron Man, ready to throw around some thugs. While that goes on, The Clown shoots down Downe and flees the scene, with Bozo in pursuit. The Clown shoots all his ammo at Bozo, to no effect, and there's a brief brawl on a pier, in which The Clown gets lucky and head-whacks Bozo off-balance, toppling him into the water. "That bird's given me the best battle I've ever had!", admits Bozo, as he speeds away underwater, then gets airborne for some surveillance, and thus finds The Clown on his way out of town. Bozo administers a comprehensive thrashing, recovers several weeks worth of loot, and leaves the villain for the police.

Appearing in Bozo the Robot: "The Clown"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters:


Antagonists:

Other Characters:


Locations:


Items:


Vehicles:


Notes

  • Bozo the Robot: "The Clown"
  • Invisible Justice: "Ghosts of the Glens"
    • It's implied, in his closing remarks, that Kent Thurston may have let John and Joan Thorpe in on his secret identity.
  • The Ray:
    • The last time we see old Mr. Humpel is in the 3rd panel of the 4th page, after which he's neither seen nor mentioned.
  • Wildfire:
    • There's a "Lord of Fire" in the Quality Universe, and nobody but Carol Vance seems to know about him.
  • Wings Wendall: "Captain Krawl"
    • We are told in a caption that "a depth bomb makes a direct hit !!" on Captain Krawl's submersible aircraft carrier, but not that this vessel was destroyed.
  • Also appearing in this issue of Smash Comics were:



See Also


Links and References
Superboy Vol 4 69
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