Thursday, September 6, 2012

July 1940: Hit Comics #3

Cover by Lou Fine

'Casey Jones' (by Munson Paddock): It's the final appearance of Casey Jones, our one and only train-driving hero. The freight business isn't exactly rife with excitement, so I'm not surprised that this is the final installment. In this story, Casey is carrying some valuable cargo, and must deal with saboteurs. This is exactly the same plot as in last issue, which highlights just how limited the railroad setting is.

In other stories:

'Hercules' (by Dan Zolnerowich)
infiltrates the Burns Koffin Gang, and smashes it from the inside. 'X-5 Secret Agent' (by Courtney Thompson) rescues an enemy agent who refused to steal from the US government. 'Jack and Jill' (possibly by John Lindermayer) are hosting their Aunt Agatha, who turns out to be a jewel thief in disguise. 'The Red Bee' (possibly by Charles Nicholas) investigates some crooks who are using city supplies to build private residences. 'The Strange Twins' (by S.M. Iger and Alex Blum) face off against each other in India, where Rod Strange is running an opium ring. 'Bob and Swab' (by Klaus Nordling) deal with spies who are sending naval information to foreign submarines. 'The Old Witch' (by Pierre Winter) tells a story about ghostly cavaliers who return and manipulate a girl into committing murder. 'Blaze Barton' (by Henry Kiefer) makes a trip to the Earth's core, where he helps a society of beautiful women in their war against the hideous Core-Creatures. And 'Neon the Unknown' (by S.M. Iger and Alex Blum) goes looking for a missing explorer in a lost underground prehistoric world.