Rating: 5
Flash Comics #7 is one of the earliest examples of the cover art hinting of the actual story within the issue. The ‘Hawk’, as he is referred to in these earlier stories, battles a Frankenstein like creature, the czar. It’s creator, Boris Nickaloff, injects adrenalin into his statue of plasm-clay sculpture. The czar goes on a rampage robbing banks and killing anyone that stands in his way. Shiera’s part in this story is nothing more than the girl that gets abducted and awaits the Hawkman’s arrival to rescue her.
The Flash story is a variation of the previous one. Instead of the Olympic try-outs, the setting shifts to a 500 mile race. The Flash needs the help of a former college friend – identity revealed again. The bad guy extorts the help of an inventor that has made a gun that makes metal evaporate. It wasn’t really clear why the bad guy decided to use the weapon on fixing the race rather than selling the tech to a foreign country. Without Joan in this one, the story was not that interesting.
Inside cover has a full page ad for the introduction of the Green Lantern in All-American Comics.
King Standish is the master of disguise, who’s real face has never been seen by the underworld.
‘The beautiful witch has tried to trap him but has always failed.’. Competing gangs race to a lawyers home to steal $100000 in securities. The King also hears of the set-up and is waiting. I like the King because he has the same contacts as the gangsters but can move in and out of the underworld without detection. The beautiful Witch is cleaver enough to learn the Kings existence.
You can almost sense the pheromonal exchange between these two. Why does the King let her go? Why does she secretly wish to find the King? There is just enough mystery to make me want to buy the next issue.
I really can’t read Rod Rian. The vignettes are uneven with no coherent tie-in. Apparently this strip was a ‘John Carter of Mars’ quickie. Like the Atom strip years later, I struggle to read these stories. For the sake of perseverance, I’m reading them – very quickly.
A full page house ad alerts readers to look for a new issue of Flash Comics about the 15th of every month.
For those lucky readers of DC comics back in the summer of 1940, here is the line up:
1st of the month More Fun Comcis – the Spectre
5st of the month Detective Comics – the Batman
7st of the month Adventure Comics – the Sandman
15st of the month Flash Comics – the Flash
20st of the month All American Comics – the Green Lantern
23st of the month Action Comics – Superman
Also advertised on the last page is the ‘coming soon’ issue of All-Star Comics.
Johnny Thunder gets fired as a G-man and tries being a superhero – ‘The Thunderbolt’. His SAY YOU hour of power helps him catch a beautiful secret agent.
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