Price: 0.10 USD
Pages: 68
On-sale Date: 1938-06-06
Editing: Vin Sullivan (credited as Vincent A. Sullivan) (editor)
Cover Thumbnail for Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #17 Edit Cover
Cover Gallery 

[no title indexed]
(Table of Contents)

cover / 1 page

Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery

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.

Swelegant Is the Word for It!
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

Action Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

The Snake Death
(Table of Contents: 2)

Speed Saunders / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
?
Pencils:
Fred Guardineer (credited, signed)
Inks:
Fred Guardineer (credited, signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:detective-mystery
Characters:
a spy (introduction, death); Percy (introduction, death); Mr. Horn (introduction); Miss Horn (introduction)

Indexer Notes

We formerly credited the script of this story to Gardner Fox, but in an interview in Alter Ego #20 (June 2003), he stated that his first comic story, sold in March 1938, appeared in Detective Comics #18.

Guardineer signs in the final panel.

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

Oscar the Gumshoe / comic story / 1 page

Script:
Bob Kane (signed)
Pencils:
Bob Kane (signed)
Inks:
Bob Kane (signed)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:humor
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Gosh! The Black Mask Gang...
Characters:
Oscar the Gumshoe
Synopsis:
Oscar receives a note telling him of the whereabouts of the Black Hand Gang, notorious bank robbers. He and a squad of police advance on a shack, kick in the door, and find a gang of kids who are amused that the cops have fallen for their prank.

[The Maine Castle Mystery, Part 1]
(Table of Contents: 4)

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:detective-mystery; crime
Characters:
Bill Graham (introduction); Vera Sanders (introduction); The Boss (villain, introduction); his gang (villains, introduction)

[Von Ruyter's Explosive Gun]
(Table of Contents: 5)

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:adventure; detective-mystery
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Van Ruyter has, after two years...
  • Universe:DC : mainstream
Characters:
Von Ruyter (introduction); Countess Varnoff De Mornay (villain, introduction)
Synopsis:
Von Ruyter has invented a new form of high explosive gun. Tests for the War Department are spectacular, and they ask permission to install a battery of guns in one of their Pacific possessions. The plans are stolen, however, and his friend Cosmo goes off to investigate, finally uncovering the Russian Countess De Mornay. She gets away with false plans Cosmo has planted. The diagram shows the monkey cage in the Bronx Zoo, and the formula is that for castor oil.

Indexer Notes

story in black and white

[The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, Part 1]
(Table of Contents: 6)

Fu Manchu / comic story / 4 pages

Script:
Sax Rohmer (credited) (original author)
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:adventure
  • Feature Logo:Doctor Fu Manchu!
  • First Line of Dialogue or Text:Imagine a man, tall, lean and cat-like...
Characters:
Sir Denis Nayland Smith (introduction); Dr. Petrie (introduction); Dr. Fu Manchu (villain, introduction)
Reprints (0)
  • from Dr. Fu Manchu daily (Bell Syndicate)

Indexer Notes

Adapted from The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer; also reprinted in Wow -- What a Magazine! (Henle Publications, 1936 series) #1-4.

The daily strip ran in newspapers in 1930 and 1931.

The Hooded Hordes
(Table of Contents: 7)

Spy / comic story / 8 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Joe Shuster (credited)
Inks:
Joe Shuster (credited)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; detective-mystery; spy
Characters:
The Hooded Hordes (introduction, villains)

Indexer Notes

story title from next issue blurb in previous issue

Disaster on the Diamond
(Table of Contents: 8)

text story / 2 pages

Script:
Vin Sullivan (credited as Paul Dean)
Pencils:
Inks:
Colors:
?
Letters:
typeset
  • Genre:sports
Characters:
Percy Hamilton; Slugger Brant; Mr. Stone

Indexer Notes

We formerly credited the script of this story to Gardner Fox, but in an interview in Alter Ego #20 (June 2003), he stated that his first comic story, sold in March 1938, appeared in Detective Comics #18.

The Coolie Smugglers [Part 1]
(Table of Contents: 9)

Bruce Nelson / comic story / 12 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Tom Hickey (credited) (signed as TH)
Inks:
Tom Hickey (credited) (signed as TH)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; aviation; detective-mystery
Characters:
Captain Carstairs (villain, introduction)

The Right Trail
(Table of Contents: 10)

Buck Marshall / comic story / 6 pages

Script:
Pencils:
Inks:
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; western-frontier
Characters:
Speck (villain, introduction)

Indexer Notes

story in black and white

Slam Bradley Gets the Air
(Table of Contents: 11)

Slam Bradley / comic story / 13 pages

Script:
Jerry Siegel (credited as Siegel)
Pencils:
Joe Shuster (credited as Shuster)
Inks:
Joe Shuster (credited as Shuster)
Colors:
?
Letters:
?
  • Genre:adventure; detective-mystery
Characters:
Ramon Gonzales (villain, introduction); Sporty Morgan (Shorty's brother, introduction)

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

Detective Puzzles / activity / 1 page

Script:
A. W. Nugent (credited, signed)
Pencils:
A. W. Nugent (credited, signed)
Inks:
A. W. Nugent (credited, signed)
Letters:
?

Indexer Notes

inside back cover

[Broadcast thru Your Radio Talk - Sing - Play]
(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog / advertisement / 1 page

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Issue at my.comics.org
View Change History
Table of Contents ToC
    Table of Contents
  1. [no title indexed]
  2. Swelegant Is the Word for It!
    Action Comics
  3. The Snake Death
    Speed Saunders
  4. ["Gosh! The Black Mask Gang..."]
    Oscar the Gumshoe
  5. [The Maine Castle Mystery, Part 1]
    Larry Steele
  6. [Von Ruyter's Explosive Gun]
    Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise
  7. [The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, Part 1]
    Fu Manchu
  8. The Hooded Hordes
    Spy
  9. Disaster on the Diamond
  10. The Coolie Smugglers [Part 1]
    Bruce Nelson
  11. The Right Trail
    Buck Marshall
  12. Slam Bradley Gets the Air
    Slam Bradley
  13. [no title indexed]
    Detective Puzzles
  14. [Broadcast thru Your Radio Talk - Sing - Play]
    Johnson Smith & Co. Catalog
Related Links
Issue was modified by, among others
  • Katie
  • Keith Chandler
  • Bill Devine
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Bob Hughes
  • Jerzy Kiekrz
  • R. S. Martin
  • Lindsey Naumann
  • Matthew Peets
  • Hyju Rocket
  • Tony R. Rose
  • Per Sandell
  • Jim Van Dore
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