The Golden Age Comic Blog (Hawkman page 32)

[SDcomics]

And I think it's worth mentioning that the first story in All-Flash 31, "The Secret City", was reprinted in The Flash number 229 in 1974.

[John Moores]

Absolutely!

[John Moores]

And so, as we near the end of the forties, and the beginning of the end of the first super-hero boom (aka the Golden Age), we reach the final issue of All-Flash, number 32. The copy I have, alas, is not complete, but due to both stories still extant having been reprinted in the Silver Age, we have those tales, at least, both featuring antagonists who would appear right up until the turn-of-the-century, and beyond, at least (in one case) in name only. 

The first story starts right in the middle of the action - a getaway car fleeing a police vehicle in broad daylight, with both cars exchanging gunfire. However, a bizarre automobile - shaped like a fiddle - cuts in front of the cops and its driver, the Fiddler (you were expecting maybe the Shade?), using an altered version of the musical instrument from which he derives his name as a kind of crossbow, shoots one of the policemen! However, unluckily for the Mad Maestro of Crime, Jay Garrick and Joan Williams have happened along, and spotting the strange scene, Jay quickly switches into his Flash outfit.

Speedily - yet warily - approaching the wild-haired criminal, Flash easily dodges the fiddle-bow-cum-crossbow-bolt on a wire Fiddler shoots at him, but when the Fiddler uses the “weapon” in a more conventional way - by playing it - the speedster is stopped cold by a solid wall of sound. Although the hero backs up, to try again invisibly, he’s still stunned after hitting the wall of sound solidly. Joan manages to help our hero up, but as she does, the Fiddler makes his escape in his outlandish vehicle, using another fiddle-gimmick - a violin-shaped camera - to shoot a picture of the defeated looking Flash, who tries to stop the miscreant, but simply doesn’t have the strength. As Fiddler disappears into the distance, the villain drops a card which boasts of his ambition to begin “a SYMPHONY of crime” - of which this exploit was only “the overture”.

Next day, the fickle public of Keystone are laughing at their heros expense, as the Fiddler distributes the picture of the stunned-looking Flash citywide. At an underground hideout, the master villain is accepting applause from a bunch of gangster who wish to nominate the crook as their leader.

Meanwhile, Jay and Joan are approaching Garrick labs with a new determination to bring the new super-villain in town to justice when they see the arch-foe himself, entering Jay’s lab! Switching quickly to the Flash, Jay spins the criminal into dizziness while Joan grabs the violin case the man is holding. Speeding both girl and yegg to the police station, Flash is faced with another humiliation when he arrives- this man he apprehended is NOT the Fiddler, but Maestro Bowin, the famous European violinist, who was at Garrick Labs to consult the scientist about protecting his valuable instrument against weather changes. Bowin will not press charges against the heroes - and in fact gives him a couple of free tickets for that nights performance (pride wounded that Jay didn’t know who he was?). The Flash leaves the Police Inspectors office more humiliated than ever…

Still suspecting Bowin to be the Fiddler due to their uncanny likeness, Flash attends the concert with Joan to keep an eye on the musician, and during the performance, sure enough, Joan and everyone else but the speedster - who has been vibrating at a different rate due to the vibrations caused by the haunting music coming from the stage - are in a hypnotic trance. Flash springs into action and takes out two of Fiddlers henchmen, sent into the audience era to rob the entranced people of their valuables. Over-confident due to Flash’s recent humiliation, the rest of the thugs attack the World’s Fastest Man, only to be soundly defeated. Alas, Fiddler’s eerie violin works its baleful magic again and drops a chandelier on the unsuspecting Flash. Triumphantly, the Fiddler reviews his origin, wherein a chandelier set the villain himself on his road to crime…

Years ago, the Fiddler was but a petty thief in India, who was foiled by a hurled chandelier an alert citizen was cleaning. Imprisoned in the same cell as a snake charmer, the budding villain was taught by the swami how to make music that would cause people to do the players bidding. Over the next five years, the villain fashioned a fiddle and learned his evil magic from the snake-charmer. After using the power of the music to escape prison, the Fiddler-to-be ruthlessly killed the snake-charmer with his evil melody, causing the man to fall into a crocodile infested river to be devoured. Then another murder, sending the same chandelier crashing down with fatal results onto the man who’d caused the murderers apprehension. The killer then resolved to travel to America, and the flashback ends…

As the gang remove their ear-plugs and take the Flash to the Fiddlers hideout, the hero recovers to find himself not only bound, but also next to the exact look-alike for the villain he’d accidentally arrested. The Fiddler reveals that he is the long-lost brother of Maestro Bowin, and that he intends to kill his brother and take his place. This killing - and also that of the Flash, of course - will be achieved with a trip-switch-operated machine gun. As Fiddler leaves to commit more crime and the machine gun shoots up a giant accordion and huge double-bass, the two men seem in desperate circumstances…

Which get even worse as we find out why Fiddler left; a safe distance away, as a precautionary measure, the villain activates a bomb left in the hide-out when he hears the volley of shots from the machine gun do their work. As the killer drives off, the car suddenly overturns - yes, the Flash escaped his bonds and freed himself and the Maestro. Taking down the rest of the gang, only the Fiddler remains, but as the madman plays frantically, he fails to notice a string break - but this causes the vibrations to carom back at the killer and the dock he’s been backed on to. Nothing resurfaces but the fiddle floating on the water…and Flash is revealed to find that the concert audience awoke son after the Fiddler left. But is the arch-criminal really dead?

Of course not!

In the second story,  we meet another long-standing villainous name…and here’s how it happens:

A street-cleaner, sweeping up on Parade Day, finds in a side-street a shocking sight: the prone body of the Flash! Examining the body, the cleaner ascertains that our hero is dead, while an another paniced man approaches with the seemingly expired body of Dr. Flura! At the hospital, the examining doctor reveals that while both people may seem deceased, they’re not…not really. Phew!

The duo are still comatose, however, the next day, and soon Keystone’s Prof. Lonn puts out a mayday to the scientists of the world, imploring them to help revive the Flash and the Doc. Soon, there’s a long trail of science geniuses, ready to try their methods to revive the hero and the doctor. Alas, all appear to fail.

It’s announced the twosome are in a very risky state of suspended animation, with an oxygen intake from a glass case where they’re housed,  butwhich is barely keeping them alive. Guarded day and night in a glass case, the Flash and Dr. Flura’s misfortune isn’t met with all sadness - as the underworld begin to mobilize to take advantage of Keystones hero’s state.

That evening, the sky darkens instantly, and Keystone City witnesses a new light, from the sky - a new planet that moves closer and closer until the city is as light as midday at midnight. Panicked, the citizens demand answers, and the scientists are left speechless - all they know is that the new planet is destroying chlorophyll, which helps to provide oxygen.

At the hospital, at this moment, the doctors and guardians of the Flash and Dr. Flura are suddenly overwhelmed by the need to sleep. As the last one passes out, a ravishing, violet-haired nurse remains conscious, and despite the doctors sleepy protests, she smashes the glass case, condemning Flash and Flura to death within two minutes - which is the time limit the two can survive outside the case.

However, as they fall, the duo find themselves not on a hospital floor, but on the surface of the intruding planet, and soon they awake, and baffled, resolve to begin exploring, after trying to work out how they got in this situation:

It turns out Flash had been requested to Doc Fluras office to investigate a massive gem which had suddenly appeared there the previous day. The purple gem baffled the hero, until he discovered that it could be opened, and both JSAer and scientist entered, only for the gem to begin vibrating wildly, and our heroes to lose consciousness. They awoke on the newcomer planet, to be confronted by its ruler and sole inhabitant, the beautiful Star Sapphire. She tells the twosome that they have been removed from Earth to facilitate the Sapphire planets destruction of our planet. People all over the planet are gasping for breath, while the solid, Earth bodies of Flash and Flura remain there too, with but two minutes of life left to them. The space-time machine of Sapphires had split earthly bodies from astral selves, and though she’d removed the solid bodies from Fluras lab, to be found, inert, at the beginning of the tale, Star Sapphire still needed to disguise herself to infiltrate the hospital and match the bodies together, as they were in two dimensions at the same time, rendering the earthly bodies useless. As Star Sapphire boasts that her Sapphire City is pumping the life from Earth, Flash takes advantage of his last two minutes of life and pursues the villainess as she leaves, intending to speed up the process. Unfortunately, speed works against Flash on this planet, and the hero is stunned by a sandstorm. However, as Star Sapphire continues her flight (actually more of an aerial run) to the machine, the Scarlet Speedster burrows underground, overtaking the villainess and yet, on the worlds surface, his power works against him again, as his vibrations attract something else, this time a tree. This time, however, Flash has a grasp of the worlds bizarre science, and is able use the tree as a plane, with himself as propeller!

The Flash then seemingly commits suicide, sacrificing himself to destroy the machine which is killing Earth, but of course he escapes, and as Dr. Flura locates a space-time machine like the one which split our protagonists’ bodies the two, the speedster appears. How is he still alive? Two minutes on Star Sapphires world is like hours, due to the different orbit. The two heroes return to their Earthly bodies and awake, and all is well. (Presumably the Star Sapphire planet removed itself from our orbit, and what happened to the villainess herself? We know she survived because she reappeared, but…)

As for the third story, it doesn’t appear on any of my copies of the book. If anyone can point me to it, I’d be grateful. Presumably this issue featured the gag pages and text story as usual too.

As for the Fiddler story, it was reprinted in 1966’s The Flash #160, an 80-Page Giant, while the Star Sapphire tale was represented in The Flash Annual #1, from 1963.

This may be the final issue of All-Flash, but the Crimson Comet was popular enough in 1942 to receive a third title - albeit one shared with Green Lantern and Wonder Woman, and so Comic Cavalcade will be the comic dealt with next, with more whirlwind adventures of the Fastest Man Alive! (Then, we still haven’t finished yet with Jay, but that’s a tale for later!)

[JSayonara]

How far into Comic Cavalcade are you going?
It became a funny animal title fifteen or so issues in, I believe.

[John Moores]

Just the Flash tales for now.

[JSayonara]

 

[SDcomics]

All-Flash number 32 was published in December of 1947.  The cover was penciled by Lee Elias and inked by Moe Worthman. 

"Duet of Danger" was written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Lee Elias and inked by Moe Worthman. 

"The Amazing Star Sapphire!" was written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by Lee Elias and inked by Moe Worthman.

"Crime, Incorporated" was written by John Broome, penciled by Carmine Infantino and inked by Frank Giacoia.

"An Apple a Day --", a two page text story, was written by Lee Grant.

Ton O' Fun, a one page filler, was written, penciled, inked, colored and lettered by Harry Lampert.

[SDcomics]

As for the Fiddler story, it was reprinted in 1966’s The Flash #160, an 80-Page Giant,

while the Star Sapphire tale was represented in The Flash Annual #1, from 1963.

[John Moores]

Let’s move backwards about half-a-dozen years or so. Just over a year after the Flash proved popular enough to headline his own solo title in All-Flash after being the lead feature and title character of Flash Comics, The Fastest Man Alive proved popular enough for a third title, albeit one co-headlined with All-Americans other stars Wonder Woman and Green Lantern. While not on a Superman or Batman level of popularity, the first chairman of the JSA was doing fine. Thus we begin our look at the third regular title, Comic Cavalcade.

The story in #1 begins with the gangster, Horseface (a Dick Tracy-esque name and appearance if ever there was) proposing a crazy notion to his gang - celebrating the D.A.’s birthday! Furthermore, Horseface has a present already picked out - his own fugitive self! The D.A. has long harboured an ambition to see Horseface behind bars, and now the gangster chief is preparing to give himself up.

And so, at D.A. Morgans home, Horseface boldly knocks on the door and gives himself up. Equal parts flabbergasted and baffled by this turn of events, the D.A. rallies and apprehends the gangster. This is the tip of the iceberg, however; soon, other law enforcement officials’ birthdays are being “celebrated” by crooks, the yeggs gifting the police with evidence ledgers, and even new uniforms!

Morgan, absolutely at his wits end at this, happens to mention the recent happenings to Jay Garrick and Joan Williams, and sure enough, Jay is suspicious. He’s right to be too, as the “presents” turn out to be gimmicked - like the chemically treated new uniform for example! As the officer falls to the ground after a glass vial reacts to said uniform, the crooks begin looting a nearby jewellery store.

However, Jay, still on edge about this villainous turnabout, has taken checking the city as the Flash even more regularly, and as such, encounters the drugged police officer. Taking the man to the hospital, and the uniform to a research lab (why not his own?) Flash learns the truth about the uniform, and so visits D.A. Morgan to put him on his guard.

Soon Flash and Morgan are at the jail, interviewing Horseface. Horseface, of course, has a fantastic alibi - being behind bars - but as it turns out, the imprisoned man isn’t Horseface at all; but an actor! The real gangland chief is free as ever, and able to carry on planning criminal enterprises is relative safety and anonymity. Even the evidence ledgers surrendered to the law were faked. Massive raids at the places mentioned in the books, by the police turn out to be traps for the lawmen in the form of massive bullet-proof bell jars covering the cops. Flash is investigating though, now fully convinced something more is going on, and after running into the huge jar (literally!) frees the policemen with his super-speed. Reviving the police with fresh air, Flash learns that Horseface was on the premises. Zig-zagging across the city to the sites of all the projected police “stings”, Flash rescues all the lawmen in jeopardy,  while elsewhere, the forces of gangdom use the synchronised baiting-and-capture of the police to their advantage with a terrible crime wave.

Meanwhile, Horseface has a new angle - a birthday present sent to wealthy Mr. Hastor, featuring a thrilling “recreation” of a daring robbery, just the thing for Hastors birthday party! As the party is in full swing, the sound of the drama on record is a fine distraction from the actual robbery which is in progress elsewhere in Hastors mansion, perpetrated by a disguised Horseface and his gang!

Flash and D.A. Martin, still working out how to nip this in the bud, find a helping hand in the form of a newspaper article written about the underworlds gift-giving spree - due to the sheer curiosity value of the activity. Within seconds Flash, armed with the list, is invisibly zooming through the city, deactivating the danger element from each “present”. Stop number three on the list is the Hastor mansion, where the speedster manages to catch the villains in the act - and sure enough, begins his regular prankish method of justice. After Flash apprehends the whole gang (at the same time managing to have some fun at their expense as usual!) the real Horseface is deposited in the same cell as his double, whose protests that he’s “just an actor” fall on deaf ears, at least until the police can determine which is the real mob boss. In prison, Horseface goes from sad to worse - not only has his plan been foiled and he’s looking at a long prison stretch, but the next day is HIS birthday, and no-one’s going to get him any presents!

[SDcomics]

Comic Cavalcade number 1 was published in the Winter of 1942.  The cover was penciled and inked by Frank Harry.

"Crime's Birthday Party" was written by Gardner Fox and penciled and inked by Lou Ferstadt (signed as E. E. Hibbard.)

This story was reprinted in in Comic Cavalcade Archives (DC, 2005 series) #1.

[John Moores]

Comic Cavalcade #2 begins with two young lovers meeting at the train station - would-be World Heavyweight boxing champ Bill "Knuckles" O'Grady and his paramour Lil. Lil is excited; she's found the perfect apartment for them, but alas, the rent (ninety dollars a month) is just too much for "Knuckles" at the moment.

Also on the train is "Big Ben" Dudley, the latest big-time criminal in Keystone. His mission - surrounded by his henchmen - is to intimidate beauty parlour owner Nicki Rinaldi into giving him half-ownership in the successful business. Unsurprisingly, this he achieves.

And then there's Mrs. Molly Bennett, a society woman who has money and material goods, but just misses her husband, whom she never sees because he's always out on business.

Finally, we have Jay Garrick and Joan Williams, and if you think these stories are going to intersect, you're right. For instance, Jay is escorting Joan to the beauty salon wherein "Big Ben" Dudley has just staked a claim.

After a couple of hours - during which time Jay has taken care of the business he was entering the city for, while Joan got her makeover - our hero is just plain bored waiting.
As it turns out, his timing is perfect, since Dudleys boys are putting their scheme into action - using the beauty salon as a base to loot other offices in the same building. As Jay investigates (after wondering whether to enter the salon to see what's taking Joan so long!) he spots this skullduggery,and swiftly switches to the Flash...

Meanwhile, boxer "Knuckles" has reached a turning-point: he wants his Lil to have the finer things in life, which he cannot provide; and so he resolves to get some money by pulling a stick-up. His target is the Empire Building payroll, which, as you've probably guessed, is in the same building as the Salon.

Discovering the would-be thieves himself, O'Grady's basically good, law-abiding personality re-asserts itself, and he starts in on the Dudley mob. He's aided by the Flash himself, who invisibly manipulates the pugilist into battling the mobsters with astounding speed. Filled with self-belief, "Knuckles" shakes himself out of his funk. Refusing to take the ill-gotten gains himself, O'Grady is suddenly confronted by the Scarlet Speedster. Luckily for "Knuckles", of course, the Flash is possibly the most kind-hearted mystery man of the Golden Age, rather than a brooding vigilante or tight-jawed social crusader, and so Flash not only commends O'Grady on a great capture, but also mentions that the Empire Building will probably give the boxer a reward for saving their payroll.

By this time, Joan has finished her treatment, and Jay, of course, isn't there, leaving Miss Williams impatiently tapping her foot waiting for her beau - until wealthy, neglected Mrs. Bennett, literally runs straight into her. Joan, as regular readers may know, has displayed some... let's be polite and call them "busybody-ish tendencies" in the past, and this is no different; she takes Mrs. Bennett under her wing and takes charge of her makeover, since Mrs. B is worried her husband no longer finds her attractive.

Things, alas, are about to get complicated again...

Dolan the mobster recognises the woman under the salon hairdryer as Mrs. Bennett, and swiftly formulates a ransom plot. At gunpoint he escorts the society lady swiftly out of the building, as her husband is apparently leaving for South America in twenty minutes.

"Knuckles", in the meantime, has met up with Lil once again, and is 'phoning a boxing manager boasting of his prowess. The manager tells him to hurry up, however, as he's going to Denver to sign another boxer in half-an-hour. And so, Dudley and his boys, Mrs. Bennett, "Knuckles" and Lil find themselves once again on the platform for the Subway Express. Joan is there too, having spotted the new look Mrs. B and, about to congratulate her on her makeover, is recognised as the Flash's friend by Dudley and is furtively held hostage too.

Joan has the presence-of-mind to call out to Jay, who also was making a move toward to the platform, as "Flash!", indicating that all is not well. As the hostages, criminals, boxer and girlfriend board the train and it sets off, the Fastest Man Alive is in pursuit. Speeding the train along, Flash is spotted by two of Dudleys henchmen, while the gutsy Joan keeps cool on board and starts psyching out the gangster by telling him what justice the Flash will enact on him.

As the train draws to a halt, Joan surreptiously asks the Flash to remain invisible, and her hunch pays off as Dudley ushers both women into the presence of harried businessman Bennett, informing him that his wifes life is forfeit unless the man comes across with the cash. There was a method to Joans madness, as Bennett gets a look at his wife, and is struck by her new look. That happy ending out of the way, Flash is free to give the gangsters his usual brand of hard time, while the married couple rekindle their romance. (I suspect being in deadly danger together helped a little, rather than just the makeover!)

As the Bennetts resolve to go to South America together, Flash zooms off with Joan to watch a confident "Knuckles" vanquish an opponent - and of course, tricksterish Flash also invisibly gives the boxer a hand too. As O'Grady is signed to a boxing contract, our two protagonists muse that the Subway Express should be re-named the "Honeymoon Express". Ain't love grand? I love a happy ending!

[SDcomics]

Comic Cavalcade number 2 was published in the Spring of 1943.  The cover was penciled and inked by Frank Harry.  All the stories in this issue were reprinted in Comic Cavalcade Archives (DC, 2005 series) #1.

"The City on Wheels" was written by Gardner Fox and penciled and inked by Lou Ferstadt [signed as E. E. Hibbard].

[John Moores]

Comic Cavalcade seems to have a nice line in Chester Gould-esque opponents of the Flash, and #3 is no exception. Here we meet The Eel, aka "Eel" Madden. Eel has an evil brainstorm when his henchman brings him a list of bizarre laws from a "hick town" called Pumpkin Center. These laws run along the lines of "You must serve a carrot at every meal" and the like.

As these things go, Joan Williams' Uncle Ezra has invited his niece to the very same place that the Eel has designs on, and of course she in turn invites Jay Garrick. As Jay goes to purchase the train tickets, however, he notices that the clerks hand is shaking, and with good reason: The Eel is in the back, working his own particular brand of crime - greased, wearing shorts and wielding a grease-gun.

After he changes to the Flash, Jay confronts the crook, but the slippery criminal gets away, leaving the Scarlet Speedster dazed after taking a spill onto the floor at the slimy hands of Madden. The criminal was there to hijack the railroad safe until the JSAer made his appearance. However, the escaping Eel has the perfect place to hide out: Pumpkin Center!

When Jay and Joan alight from the train with other city tourists, Joan gets a rousing welcome from the wolf-whistling denizens of Pumpkin Center, but more noise is made a little later when Jay and Joan are grabbing a meal, this time courtesy of the Eel. The Keystone City criminal is beginning his new plan, protesting that the diners are breaking the law by not eating a carrot, per the local laws, and requesting that the Sherriff be present to arrest the transgressors. However, soon a fighting-mad Keystone citizen breaks in, but this time... it's Joan!

She deals the Eel a heavy handbag blow, then, with the help of an invisible Jay, throws a henchman clear across the room, claiming to be a "ex-lady wrestler!"  The criminal is actually quite taken by the rough treatment he receives from Joan, but in the end, as Joan leaves, The Eel straightens his tie and prepares (after recovering from his beating) for the next phase of his plan. With the Sherriff in tow, The Eel  gets the bank closed on another trumped-up charge - this time involving the lack of lanterns allegedly required by law in the bank. With the clerks both gone after upholding the bizarre law, the crooks return later for a clear run at the bank.

Meanwhile, the Flash is patrolling the small town, and spotting the bank robbery, makes his entrance and begins giving the gang a hard time. The slippery Eel escapes, but the rest of the gang are dragged by Flash to the police station, where the Crimson Cannonball prepares to prefer charges. Alas, the Eel has beaten him to the law, claiming that the Flash has broken the law by not wearing green, as per the statute in the town. And so, the Flash is unwillingly led to cells, as per his "law-breaking" of the strange and ccentric laws penned by the toown founder.

The Eel is in a great mood when he leaves the station, and it gets better when he spots Joan dining; after he reveals that he's got the Flash put behind bars, he ends up with Joans eggs upended on his head as the Flashs girl strides out to help her beau. Flash, meanwhile, has a stack of law books in his cell, as the hero is trying to find a loophole in the local laws. It doesn't take long, as it turns out that anyone who ploughs an acre of land in one day will go free. Sure enough, Flash gets to work in double-quick time.

Once again, the Eel is preparing to use the eccentric laws of the town to his advantage - this time pulling a bank job in a neighbouring town, then, with that townships police in pursuit, alerting the Pumpkin Center law concerning another breach of the local law - lacking licences to travel the streets of Pumpkin Center. Before the conflicted sheriff can comply though, the now-free Flash appears and takes the criminal on a high-speed ride, after which the criminal confesses, making the lawman of Pumpkin Center very happy indeed, since the Eel was somewhat of a nuisance, even taking into account how he managed to hide his criminal endeavours.

Jay and Joan spend a nice few days with Uncle Ezra, but at the train station, the sheriff reveals another crazy law, that apparently visitors have to spend a month minimum in Pumpkin Center. Back to the Pumpkin Center Sweet Shoppe for another three weeks! We're left with the genial old man who has been relating this tale to the reader puzzling over how Flash always shows up to help Joan and Jay...

[Gardner Grayle]

 

[SDcomics]

Comic Cavalcade number 3 was published in the Summer of 1943.  The cover was penciled and inked by Frank Harry.  All the stories in this issue were reprinted in Comic Cavalcade Archives (DC, 2005 series) #1.

"The Laws of Pumpkin Center" was written by Gardner Fox and penciled and inked by Lou Ferstadt [signed as E. E. Hibbard].

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