Volume: 1
Price: 0.10 USD
Pages: 68
On-sale Date: 1937-10-10
Editing: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (credited) (editor and publisher); Vin Sullivan (credited as Vincent A. Sullivan) (associate editor); Whitney Ellsworth (credited as F. Whitney Ellsworth) (associate editor)
Cover Thumbnail for Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #9 Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents)

Speed Saunders / cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery
Characters:
Synopsis:
A police detective is hiding under a dock, with either a body or a suspect.

Issue Data

  • Indicia / Colophon Publisher: Detective Comics Inc.
  • Indicia Frequency: monthly
  • Printer: [none printed]

Indexer Notes

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

Detective Comics
(Table of Contents: 1)

table of contents / 1 page

Script:
?
Letters:
typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover. Includes indicia.

[Case of the Hobo Hero]
(Table of Contents: 2)

Speed Saunders / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Creig Flessel (credited)
Inks:
Creig Flessel (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Who is the old gent...
  • Universe:DC : mainstream
Characters:
Gloomy Jake Jones (introduction); Mike Molona (introduction, villain); the Mayor (introduction, villain)
Synopsis:
Speed notices how many hobos and derelicts are on the street. He trails one named Gloomy Jake, and sees him get into a car belonging to racketeer Mike Molona. Disguised as a delivery man he knocks at Molona's door, is recognized by the goon who answers, and knocks him out. Putting on a butler's outfit he hides under the table, where he overhears Jake trying to sell missing tax reports to Molona and the Mayor. Speed confronts them, but is shot, The police break in, and Jake is revealed to be an undercover police investigator.

Indexer Notes

Gardner Fox does not begin writing until issue 18.

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

Sgt. Simp / comic story / 0.67 page

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:humor
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Boy, he's doin' at least sixty!

Larry, We'd Like To Have You, - But...
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Hohner Harmonicas / advertisement / 0.33 page

[Mystery of the Wholesale Kidnappings, Part 5]
(Table of Contents: 5)

Larry Steele / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)
Pencils:
Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)
Inks:
Bill Ely (credited as Will Ely)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:crime; detective-mystery
Characters:
Dr. Sargoff (introduction, villain); Sonia Sargoff (villain); Dutch (villain); Squinty (villain)
Synopsis:
Larry and Hatch have discovered a basement laboratory and are being held at gunpoint by the doctor's wife. Larry overpowers her and they confront the doctor. He claims he will drain the embalming fluid from the four bodies and restore them to health, but Sonia snatches a gun and again holds them prisoner. A boat filled with G-Men have arrived, and the operation is performed successfully. One of the revived bodies turns out to be that of Larry's missing father. The doctor poisons himself in preference to being taken alive.

Death in the Radio-Studio
(Table of Contents: 6)

Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Sven Elven (credited as Sven Elvén) (illustrated by)
Inks:
Sven Elven (credited as Sven Elvén) (illustrated by)
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery; adventure
Characters:
Brenner; Glasser (introduction, villain); Hal Lane (introduction, death)
Synopsis:
Singers over the Federal Broadcasting System are being mysteriously killed. Vice-President Brenner asks Cosmo to look into it. He discovers an elaborate device which releases a poison gas into the faces of the singers as they step up to the microphone. The radio monitor Glasser is revealed to be behind the extortion plot.

The Blood of the Lotus [Part 1]
(Table of Contents: 7)

Bruce Nelson / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Tom Hickey (credited) (signed as TH)
Inks:
Tom Hickey (credited) (signed as TH)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery; adventure
Characters:
Sing Lee (introduction); Lois Woodworth (introduction); Donald Barnes (introduction); Philip Pomeroy (introduction, villain)

Indexer Notes

story does not match writing style of Wheeler-Nicholson

Death at Latitude 30
(Table of Contents: 8)

text story / 5.84 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Creig Flessel (credited, signed) (illustrated by)
Inks:
Creig Flessel (credited, signed) (illustrated by)
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:adventure; drama
Characters:
Jed Johnson; Lola Mendez; Tim O'Connor

Free Mail Coupon for Big Train Book in Full Colors
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

American Flyer Trains / advertisement / 0.16 page

The Johnson Mystery
(Table of Contents: 10)

comic story / 4 pages

Script:
Russell Cole (credited as Alger)
Pencils:
Russell Cole (credited as Alger)
Inks:
Russell Cole (credited as Alger)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery

[The Vanishing of R-42]
(Table of Contents: 11)

Spy / comic story / 4 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Joe Shuster (credited)
Inks:
Joe Shuster (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; spy; detective-mystery
Characters:
Agent R-42 (introduction); Talvanian ambassador (introduction, villain); Talvanian spies (introduction, villain)
Synopsis:
Bart and Sally are sent to the Talvanian Embassy in order to help Agent R-42. Bart enters under false pretenses, but hides and locates R-42, who is a captive. The ambassadors try to discover where he has hidden some stolen dispatches. Bart is caught and is about to be shot, when Sally sends a gas bomb through the window and saves both Bart and R-42.

Silver and Lead
(Table of Contents: 12)

Buck Marshall / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; western-frontier
Characters:
The Sheriff; Bender (introduction, villain); Latigo (introduction, villain)

Indexer Notes

story in black and white

[The Human Fly]
(Table of Contents: 13)

Slam Bradley / comic story / 12.89 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Joe Shuster (credited)
Inks:
Joe Shuster (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; detective-mystery
Characters:
Sgt. Kelly; The Human Fly (introduction, villain); Snoop Dolan (introduction)
Synopsis:
Slam demonstrates how a thief might have scaled the outer wall of the skyscraper and stolen jewels from a room on the 14th floor. He later captures "The Human Fly" by pursuing him up the outer wall to the roof.

Indexer Notes

Story title from next issue blurb in previous issue.

A poster on the wall in panel 21 urges readers to join the Junior Federal Men Club, New Adventure Comics. Federal Men was another of Siegel and Shuster's strips.

Now Ready - New Catalog of Lionel Trains
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 14)

Lionel Trains / advertisement / 0.11 page

Better Than Ever!
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

More Fun Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

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

Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog / advertisement / 1 page

my.comics.org
Tracked in 21 collections.
Issue at www.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. [no title indexed]
    Speed Saunders
  2. Detective Comics
  3. [Case of the Hobo Hero]
    Speed Saunders
  4. ["Boy, he's doin' at least sixty!"]
    Sgt. Simp
  5. Larry, We'd Like To Have You, - But...
    Hohner Harmonicas
  6. [Mystery of the Wholesale Kidnappings, Part 5]
    Larry Steele
  7. Death in the Radio-Studio
    Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise
  8. The Blood of the Lotus [Part 1]
    Bruce Nelson
  9. Death at Latitude 30
  10. Free Mail Coupon for Big Train Book in Full Colors
    American Flyer Trains
  11. The Johnson Mystery
  12. [The Vanishing of R-42]
    Spy
  13. Silver and Lead
    Buck Marshall
  14. [The Human Fly]
    Slam Bradley
  15. Now Ready - New Catalog of Lionel Trains
    Lionel Trains
  16. Better Than Ever!
    More Fun Comics
  17. [no title indexed]
    Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Keith Chandler
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Bob Hughes
  • Jerzy Kiekrz
  • R. S. Martin
  • Donald Dale Milne
  • Frank Motler
  • Matthew Peets
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Per Sandell
  • Jim Van Dore
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