Price: 0.10 USD
Pages: 68
On-sale Date: 1941-05-14
Editing: Ed Cronin (credited as Edward Cronin) (editor); Busy Arnold (credited as E. M. Arnold) (general manager)
Cover Thumbnail for Police Comics (Quality Comics, 1941 series) #1 Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

[Introducing the Firebrand]
(Table of Contents)

Firebrand / cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Reprints (8)

Issue Data

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1941 by Comic Magazines, Inc.

The on-sale date is the publication date reported in the U. S. Copyright Office filing.

Win One of These 2 Free Trips to Red Ryder's Rocky Mountain Rancho
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

Daisy Air Rifles / Daisy B-B Guns / advertisement / 1 page

[Introducing the Firebrand]
(Table of Contents: 2)

Firebrand / comic story / 11 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Reed Crandall (signed)
Inks:
Reed Crandall (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Slugger Dunn (introduction, ex-prize fighter); "Emerald" Ed Reilly (introduction, Rod's father, steel tycoon); Joan Rogers (introduction, Rod's fiancee); Baron von Hanson (villain); Sylvester Cole (villain); Dave (villain, death); Dippy Dolan (villain, pickpocket)
Synopsis:
Firebrand's break-up of a window washer's racket leads him to bigger fish, who are attempting to steal a fortune in diamonds.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

Slugger was originally named Slugger Shea. Firebrand, in the early stories, left his signature torch emblem for the police to find.

[The Origin of #711]
(Table of Contents: 3)

#711 / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; crime; detective-mystery; superhero
Characters:
un-named district attorney; Mary Horn (Jacob's wife, not seen); Jacob Horn (villain, death); "Slick" Panzer (villain)
Synopsis:
Dan agrees to take the rap for a soon-to-be-father, who agrees to give himself up to the law after seeing his newborn and wife. But when he is killed in an accident, prisoner #711 decides to remain behind bars and fight crime from there, in this case against Slick Panzer, who has swindled a widow out of $250,000.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

711 wears a crimson jacket and cape and a hat which cast a heavy shadow over his face.

[Dr. M. Balm's Man-Eating Plant]
(Table of Contents: 4)

Super Snooper / comic story / 1 page

Script:
Gill Fox (signed)
Pencils:
Gill Fox (signed)
Inks:
Gill Fox (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:humor
Characters:
Super Snooper (introduction); Dr. M. Balm (villain)
Synopsis:
An evil doctor creates a flesh-eating flower and sends it to Super Snooper to rid himself of the crime fighter.
Reprints (3)

[The Attack of Ali Harid]
(Table of Contents: 5)

Eagle Evans / comic story / 7 pages

Script:
Witmer Williams ? (signed as Clark Williams) (see notes)
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery; aviation
Characters:
Snap Smith (introduction, cameraman); un-named U.S. army general; un-named Libyan prince; Ali Harid (villain)
Synopsis:
Evans and Snap head to Cyranis to photograph enemy movements and activity, but when they return with photos for the general, they are arrested for violating a treaty with Ali Harid. They escape, team up with a Libyan prince and prevent Harid's planned actions.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

Script credit from Millennium Edition: Police Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) #nn. The Who's Who lists no writing credits for Williams, so ? placed beside the script credit. Script and artist correction by Craig Delich July 3, 2012

"Clark Williams" is a house name and the story is signed under that name.

[The Legend of the Black Baron]
(Table of Contents: 6)

Chic Carter / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery; superhero
Characters:
Curtis Randall (art collector, death); Detective Monahan; Hodges (Curtis Randall's butler, death); Betty Randall; Damon (cousin); The Black Baron [Harvey Randall] (villain, death)
Synopsis:
When Curtis Randall decides to change his will and give away his entire art collection, he is seemingly murdered by a suit of armor belonging to one of his ancestors. Chic is present for the reading of Randall's will and uncovers a murder plot by the deceased's brother Harvey, The Black Baron, wearing a skull mask, tries to claim his brother's fortune but falls to his death in the end.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

Feature continues from Smash Comics (Quality, 1939 series) #26.

Millennium Edition: Police Comics No. 1 (DC, 2000 series) credits Will Eisner with the script and art. The Who's Who lists Henkel as creator, writer and artist for the strip. Jim Amash and Mike Kooiman, in the Quality Companion, categorically state that The Sword was created by Henkel.

Henkel himself said, in Alter Ego (TwoMorrows, 1999 series) #48, that super-heroes didn't interest him. He was more into adventure stories, like those in the movies; he liked realism. Perhaps this was why Carter appeared in costume as The Sword for only a very short time. Added by Craig Delich Janaury 3, 2014.

Carter has not assumed the identity of The Sword yet.

[The Origin of Plastic Man]
(Table of Contents: 7)

Plastic Man / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Jack Cole (signed)
Pencils:
Jack Cole (signed)
Inks:
Jack Cole (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero; humor
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:From time to time the comic world welcomes a new sensation!
Characters:
un-named monk; Skizzle Shanks (villain); Skizzle Shank's mob (villains)
Synopsis:
While escaping from a crime scene, Eel O'Brian has a vat of acid dumped on his head, giving him the ability to stretch his body. Eel decides he doesn't want to be a criminal anymore and uses his newly found powers to capture his former partners in crime.
Reprints (14)

[The Redemption of Steele Kerrigan]
(Table of Contents: 8)

Steele Kerrigan / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
?
Pencils:
Al Bryant (signed)
Inks:
Al Bryant (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery
Characters:
Anne (introduction); un-named prison warden; Spike (villain); Torpedo (villain)
Synopsis:
Imprisoned for having taken the rap for a gang of robbers he was working as a lookout for, Kerrigan saves the life of the warden and is paroled. But he is quickly approached by Spike and his gang, who kidnap Betty and manage to convince the authorities that Kerrigan was in on another job, the same day he was released.
Reprints (3)

[The Alien Smuggling Racket]
(Table of Contents: 9)

The Mouthpiece / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:detective-mystery; superhero
Characters:
Smokey Joe (villain); Captain Peg-Leg Friel (villain, death)
Synopsis:
D.A. Perkins dons a mask and cape in order to get the goods on a brutal alien smuggling racket, spearheaded by Peg-Leg Friel, who smuggled European refugees inside fish carcasses! When Peg-Leg attempts to escape, the Mouthpiece thinks nothing of harpooning the dastardly villain.
Reprints (3)

Vengeance
(Table of Contents: 10)

Dick Mace / text story / 2 pages

Script:
Pencils:
? (spot illustrations)
Inks:
? (spot illustrations)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:adventure
Characters:
Albert Brancourt (weathy diamond merchant, death); Mrs. Grancourt (Albert's wife, death); two un-named children of Albert Brancourt (both die); Adrian Grancourt (Albert's oldest son, death); Vivienne Grancourt (Albert's 9-year old daughter, death); Pierre LaFonde (villain, printer, death)
Synopsis:
Two former French army majors become bitter enemies after the war, and one of them, Pierre LaFonde, swears revenge after being cheated out of a fabulously valuable diamond mine.
Reprints (3)

[The Coming of the Phantom Lady]
(Table of Contents: 11)

Phantom Lady / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
?
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Don Borden (introduction, State Department investigator); Dr. Raphael (inventor); Wenner (villain, death); Pete (villain, Raphael's assistant, death)
Synopsis:
The Phantom Lady rescues a kidnapped scientist who has developed a uranium explosive.
Reprints (5)

Indexer Notes

Phantom Lady's origin was revealed in Freedom Fighters (DC, 1976 series) #15 (July-August 1978).

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

Dewey Drip / comic story / 1 page

Script:
Pencils:
John Devlin (signed as Devlin)
Inks:
John Devlin (signed as Devlin)
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:humor
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:This the Drip residence?
Characters:
Dewey Dip (introduction); Mr. Drip; Mrs. Drip; Lulu (Dewey's girl)
Synopsis:
Dewey gets a letter from the government informing him that he has been drafted.
Reprints (3)

[The Origin of the Human Bomb]
(Table of Contents: 13)

The Human Bomb / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
  • Genre:superhero
Characters:
Professor Lincoln (Roy's father, death); Fritz (villain, death); Baldy (villain); Riker (villain); un-named Axis consul (villain, death)
Synopsis:
An Axis consul makes several attempts to steal a new explosive capsule invented by the late Professor Lincoln, but, in the end, he is on the receiving end of its power.
Reprints (3)

Indexer Notes

A black and white restoration/homage to this story by Jack Cole is printed in Golden-Age Men of Mystery (AC, 1996 series) #12.

Even though the Who's Who doesn't list Gustavson as a writer of the strip, Mike Kooiman and Jim Amash state in the Quality Companion that he created the strip and wrote it, so the question mark with the script credit has been removed by Craig Delich, January 18, 2013. Also verified by Gustavson's son, Terry Gustafson.

Letterer credit courtesy of Terry Gustafson, Paul Gustavson's son.

Take a Tip from a Navy Torpedo
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

United States Rubber Company / advertisement / 1 page

Train Your Feet for Active Sports
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

U. S. Keds Shoes / advertisement / 1 page

my.comics.org
Tracked in 10 collections.
Issue at www.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. [Introducing the Firebrand]
    Firebrand
  2. Win One of These 2 Free Trips to Red Ryder's Rocky Mountain Rancho
    Daisy Air Rifles / Daisy B-B Guns
  3. [Introducing the Firebrand]
    Firebrand
  4. [The Origin of #711]
    #711
  5. [Dr. M. Balm's Man-Eating Plant]
    Super Snooper
  6. [The Attack of Ali Harid]
    Eagle Evans
  7. [The Legend of the Black Baron]
    Chic Carter
  8. [The Origin of Plastic Man]
    Plastic Man
  9. [The Redemption of Steele Kerrigan]
    Steele Kerrigan
  10. [The Alien Smuggling Racket]
    The Mouthpiece
  11. Vengeance
    Dick Mace
  12. [The Coming of the Phantom Lady]
    Phantom Lady
  13. ["This the Drip residence?"]
    Dewey Drip
  14. [The Origin of the Human Bomb]
    The Human Bomb
  15. Take a Tip from a Navy Torpedo
    United States Rubber Company
  16. Train Your Feet for Active Sports
    U. S. Keds Shoes
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • Henry Andrews
  • David Banuelos
  • Ray Bottorff Jr
  • Craig Delich
  • Gregory Fischer
  • Merlin Haas
  • Matthew Head
  • Michael Hoskin
  • Kirk House
  • Denys Howard
  • Bob Hughes
  • Steve Jenner
  • R. S. Martin
  • Clint Maxwell
  • Darrel McCann
  • John Monagle
  • Mike Nielsen
  • Mark Q
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Jim Van Dore
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