Smash Comics #40 is an issue of the series Smash Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1943.
Synopsis for "Midnight Vs. Bullets Balow"
Appearing in "Midnight Vs. Bullets Balow"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Bullets Balow
Other Characters:
- Velvet
- Robustia, the Queen of Flight
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
- disappearing rocket
Synopsis for Espionage Starring Black X: "The Battle of the Solomon Islands"
Appearing in Espionage Starring Black X: "The Battle of the Solomon Islands"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Baroness Elzia
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Bozo the Robot: "Another Iron Man"
Self-styled genius and inventor Homer Twipple builds himself a super-powered robot suit, climbs inside, and tests it by jumping off a roof. The suit is very durable and impact resistant but doesn't fly at all. Elsewhere in the city, Bozo the Iron Man is pursuing some saboteurs, who soon coincidentally, but briefly, find themselves cornered between two advancing iron figures. The villains escape on foot when the two Iron Men crash into each other.
The new Iron Man wants to team up with the established Iron Man, who is having no part of it, and who orders the neophyte to take off the metal suit, then prepares to crush it like an eggshell. That's when the saboteurs return, and have a quick conference, then split up, leaving behind one lookout. Twipple sneaks up on him, and knocks him out with the big glove from his Iron Man robot suit. But then he can't stop bragging about it for quite a few seconds.
The saboteurs and the detectives spend a few minutes sneaking up on each other, then the bad guys discover Twipple's empty Iron Man suit, and blow it up with an explosive charge. Hazzard and Twipple both observe this, and Twipple gets some ribbing about it from Hugh. The two of them then take down the remaining two saboteurs, and Hugh talks Homer out of starting a career as a robot vigilante.
Appearing in Bozo the Robot: "Another Iron Man"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Saboteurs: Eric, two others
Other Characters:
- Homer Twipple
Locations:
Items:
- Twipple's Iron Man (Destroyed)
Synopsis for The Marksman: "The Crossbow"
Appearing in The Marksman: "The Crossbow"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Cross Bow
Synopsis for The Ray: "A Destroyer Is Launched"
Happy and Bud are on hand to watch the launch of a new destroyer, only for it to sink as soon as it touches water. From some suspicious holes in Bud's coat, Happy realizes the champagne bottle used to christen the ship must've actually had acid in it. He tells Bud to call the story in while he investigates as the Ray, but the Nazi spies behind it grab Bud out of the phone booth. After confirming his hunch about the acid, Ray remembers another ship's launching in just a few hours, and it's probably at risk too. He flies off to warn the owner of those shipyards, only to find them being attacked by thugs. He tries to intervene but is felled by a blow from behind, and the champagne bottle is switched with another containing their secret supply of acid. In the spies' hideout, the leader decides to be poetic and take a photo of the Ray's demise to send to Hitler. The light from the flashbulb reinvigorates Ray, however, and he beats up the spies, then flies to the shipyards and snatches the deadly bottle before another boat can be sunk. It slips from his hand, and poetically lands on the car the spies' accomplices were using to flee, destroying them utterly.
Appearing in The Ray: "A Destroyer Is Launched"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Bud
Antagonists:
- Fifth Columnists
- Adolf Hitler (Mentioned only)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
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Synopsis for The Jester: "Hoodlums, Inc."
Gurgles, a mob boss with the warden of the state pen wrapped around his finger, has the meek man call the police and pretend there's a riot at the prison. This is a diversion so Gurgles can sneak into police headquarters and steal all the evidence they have against him. However, in leaving Chuck Lane behind to make sure he doesn't get in the way, McGinty leaves the Jester behind to protect headquarters and capture Gurgles in the act. He flees back to the prison to try to get away, but then Gurgles finds his orders to be let out of solitary overruled by the Jester.
Appearing in The Jester: "Hoodlums, Inc."
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sergeant Hustace McGinty
Antagonists:
- Gurgles
Synopsis for Rookie Rankin: "Master Criminal Marak"
Parisian expat Marak saves a rich man from being mugged, but it's to blackmail him into making Marak his business partner. When the crooked dealings become too much for the man's conscience, Marak shoots him in the back, just before Rankin bursts in his door to haul him in for a dozen unpaid parking tickets. The commissioner's a personal friend of Marak's, though, and has the mastermind released under his own responsibility. Rankin's not convinced and follows Marak, who's gone to get even with another of his victims who refused to go through with a scheme that would've defrauded scores of people. This time Rankin catches him in time, with a witness to conspiracy and attempted murder. Because Rankin made the commissioner look like a fool for arresting a murderer under his personal responsibility, though, Rankin finds himself pounding a beat at the city limits.
Appearing in Rookie Rankin: "Master Criminal Marak"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Marak
Synopsis for Yankee Eagle: "The Crow"
Appearing in Yankee Eagle: "The Crow"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Crow (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
Notes
- Published by E. M. Arnold.
- Last issue for The Ray, who next appears thirty years later, in Justice League of America #107, Oct 1973.
- Also featured in this issue of Smash Comics were:
- Archie O'Toole: "Commando Invasion Practice" by Bernard Dibble
- "Black Bouchard" (text story)
- Wun Cloo by Jack Cole
See Also
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.
