Post #68

Issue #56
August 1944
Rating: 4

The Flash story in this issue feels like a rush to meet a deadline submission. The Martin Naydel art is rough and looks cartoonish.
Peachy Pet gets another lead in the Johnny Thunder story. Johnny only makes a cameo. The Hawkman story is typical formula.

Page count has been reduced. The Whip didn’t make the cut.
The Minute Movie utilizes a mysterious Japanese drug that fakes death.


The best strip is the Ghost Patrol battling Nazis in Holland.

Post #67

Issue #55
July 1944

Rating: 5

This is a transitionally issue. The Flash story is futuristic with its television theme. The art, along with the Ghost Patrol story looks progressive as well. This new look makes The Minute Movie, The Whip, and The Hawkman stories look dated. Once again, Peachy Pet Thunder gets her own story with out appearances from Johnny or the Thunderbolt.

Post #66

Issue #54
June 1944
Rating: 4

The storytelling in these strips are all formulas recycled many times over now that the title is in its fifth year.

Rating the strips in this issue are as follows:

1. The Whip

2. Minute Movies

3, Ghost Patrol

4. Johnny Thunder

5. Hawkman – no Hawkgirl

6. Flash

The Whip story is the typical formula superhero concealing his identity by playing the out of touch fool, but done with just enough variance to stand out from the rest in this issue. Homer Fleming really had a knack for rendering Dr. Jekyll\Mr. Hyde expressions from his villains.  Ed Wheelan’s Minute Movies story plays the romantic strings again for the countless time with the same (successful) emotional effect. Ghost Patrol and Johnny Thunder (Peachy Pet story without Johnny nor Thunderbolt) are standard fair. Shelly Moldoff’s trademark action scenes are very effective in an otherwise recycled crime yarn. Of the many fine artists to draw the Flash, Martin Naydel work is undistinguished amongst the group. He commits the unforgivable crime of rendering Joan Williams from the irrespirable blonde beauty with a great intuition into a homely grade school teacher spinster that looks more like Jay’s second cousin then his girl friend.