Price: 0.15 USD
Pages: 100
On-sale Date: 1941-02-10
Editing: Whitney Ellsworth (editor); Murray Boltinoff (assistant editor)
Cover Thumbnail for World's Best Comics (DC, 1941 series) #1 Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents)

Batman and Robin; Superman / cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:superhero
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:96 thrilling pages in full color
  • Universe:DC : mainstream
Characters:
Reprints (11)

Issue Data

Indexer Notes

Book is titled World's Best Comics for this first issue only. On-sale date from ad in More Fun Comics #65. Copyright registration for this issue states a publication date of Feb. 7, 1941.

Fillers and text stories added courtesy of Mike32wm.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 1)

blank page(s) / 1 page

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 2)

Batman and Robin; Johnny Thunder; Lando; Red, White and Blue; Superman; The Crimson Avenger; Zatara / foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page

Pencils:
? (various, see note)
Inks:
? (various, see note)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:adventure; humor; superhero; science fiction; war; fantasy-supernatural
Characters:
Red, White and Blue

Indexer Notes

Individual head views by each feature's artist.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 3)

Superman / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
Jerry Siegel (signed)
Pencils:
Wayne Boring (ghosted for Joe Shuster) (signed as Joe Shuster)
Inks:
Don Komisarow ? (ghosted for Joe Shuster) (signed as Joe Shuster)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
B. Drexel Rutherford; Rainmaker (villain, introduction, death)
Synopsis:
A criminal scientist learns how to control the weather and uses his power for extortion, and he even nearly stops the Man of Tomorrow from interfering when he uses a paralysis gas on the Man of Steel.
Reprints (4)

Indexer Notes

Credits in World's Finest Archives are wrong.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 4)

Curios / cartoon / 1 page

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:non-fiction
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:The American flag was first carried...

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 5)

Red, White and Blue / comic story / 8 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:war
Characters:
Red, White and Blue

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 6)

Just Like Junior / comic story / 2 pages

Script:
?
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:humor; children
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Gee, I wish I could go to th' circus...
Characters:

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 7)

The Crimson Avenger / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Jack Lehti (signed)
Pencils:
Jack Lehti (signed)
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Synopsis:
The Crimson saves the Governor from a kidnapping attempt.

Indexer Notes

Crimson Avenger wears a cape.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 8)

Johnny Thunder / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:humor; superhero
Characters:
Mr. Darling; Mr. Katz
Synopsis:
Johnny drives a truck for Daisy's father and has to deal with a rival trucking company trying to sabotage the business.

Indexer Notes

This is the superhero character from Flash Comics. The Thunderbolt is yellow, but he talks.

Danger Ahead
(Table of Contents: 9)

text story / 2 pages

Script:
Arch O'Hara (credited)
Pencils:
Fred Ray (signed as Ray)
Inks:
Fred Ray (signed as Ray)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Take this message at once to the Secretary of State!

Tong War in Chinatown!
(Table of Contents: 10)

Young Doc Davis / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:detective-mystery; drama
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:The savage hates of two...
Characters:

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 11)

Zatara / comic story / 9 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Joe Sulman (signed)
Inks:
Joe Sulman (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; fantasy-supernatural; superhero
Characters:
The Menace (villain)

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 12)

Incredible but True / cartoon / 1 page

Script:
?
Pencils:
?
Inks:
?
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:non-fiction
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Because of the great weight of a full suit of armour...

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 13)

Drafty / comic story / 4 pages

Script:
Ed Moore ? (signed)
Pencils:
Ed Moore (signed)
Inks:
Ed Moore (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:humor; military
  • Feature Logo:Drafty (#158)
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Hey, Drafty-- Look at this--
Characters:
Drafty

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 14)

The King / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Harry Lampert (signed)
Inks:
Harry Lampert (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:detective-mystery
  • Feature Logo:The King
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:The man of a million faces! --Who can disguise himself to look like banker or bum...
  • Universe:DC : mainstream
Characters:
Reprints (1)

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 15)

Dinky / comic story / 2 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:humor; children
  • Feature Logo:Dinky
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Gee! Imagine! A real fortune teller on our block...
Characters:
Dinky

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 16)

Punch Parker / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
?
Pencils:
Inks:
?
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery; drama; biography
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Keen eyes watch a boat chug toward shore...
Characters:
Punch Parker

Indexer Notes

Possible pencils credits provided by Craig Delich and Jerry Bails. The inker for this issue's story is different from that found in World's Finest #2's story.

Carnival
(Table of Contents: 17)

text story / 2 pages

Script:
George Shute (credited)
Pencils:
?
Inks:
?
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:The city was gay with carnival.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 18)

Lando / comic story / 8 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero; science fiction
Characters:

The Witch and the Manuscript of Doom!
(Table of Contents: 19)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
George Roussos (backgrounds)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Erik Dorne (introduction, death); Dorne's butler; Joshua Grimm (introduction, publisher); Melissa Brunt (introduction, Dorne's Aunt); Jane Ware (introduction, actress); The Witch [Mr. Wright] (villain, introduction)
Synopsis:
The Batman and Robin must track down The Witch, a mysterious figure responsible for the murder of Erik Dorne and the theft of a manuscript he wrote.
Reprints (9)

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 20)

blank page(s) / 1 page

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover.

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents: 21)

Batman and Robin; Johnny Thunder; Lando; Red, White and Blue; Superman; The Crimson Avenger; Zatara / illustration / 1 page

Pencils:
? (various)
Inks:
? (various)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:humor; superhero; science fiction; war; adventure; fantasy-supernatural
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Proudly presenting a star-studded collection of the world's best comics
Characters:
Red, White and Blue

Indexer Notes

Found on the back cover.

my.comics.org
Tracked in 11 collections.
Issue at www.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. ["96 thrilling pages in full color"]
    Batman and Robin; Superman
  2. [no title indexed]
  3. [no title indexed]
    Batman and Robin; Johnny Thunder; Lando; Red, White and Blue; Superman; The Crimson Avenger; Zatara
  4. ["When a criminal scientist becomes master of one of nature's most beneficial phenomenons..."]
    Superman
  5. ["The American flag was first carried..."]
    Curios
  6. ["The first line of defense against the enemy within..."]
    Red, White and Blue
  7. ["Gee, I wish I could go to th' circus..."]
    Just Like Junior
  8. ["Although his identity is concealed by a pseudonym..."]
    The Crimson Avenger
  9. ["'How come Johnny Thunder's driving a truck?' you ask..."]
    Johnny Thunder
  10. Danger Ahead
  11. Tong War in Chinatown!
    Young Doc Davis
  12. ["From the seething maelstrom of crime, there rises..."]
    Zatara
  13. ["Because of the great weight of a full suit of armour..."]
    Incredible but True
  14. ["Hey, Drafty-- Look at this--"]
    Drafty
  15. ["The man of a million faces! --Who can disguise himself to look like banker or bum..."]
    The King
  16. ["Gee! Imagine! A real fortune teller on our block..."]
    Dinky
  17. ["Keen eyes watch a boat chug toward shore..."]
    Punch Parker
  18. Carnival
  19. ["Lando the Unknown, greatest of magicians, wages continual warfare..."]
    Lando
  20. The Witch and the Manuscript of Doom!
    Batman and Robin
  21. [no title indexed]
  22. ["Proudly presenting a star-studded collection of the world's best comics"]
    Batman and Robin; Johnny Thunder; Lando; Red, White and Blue; Superman; The Crimson Avenger; Zatara
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Henry Andrews
  • David Banuelos
  • Dwayne Best
  • Michael Bradley
  • John Censullo
  • Pat Conolly
  • Peter Croome
  • Craig Delich
  • Gregory Fischer
  • Jochen G.
  • Matthew Head
  • Bob Hughes
  • John Pannozzi
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jim Van Dore
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