Volume: #2, Issue: #12
Published: December 1939, Price: 0.10 USD, Pages: 68, Editing:
Color: Color Cover; Color Interior Dimensions: Standard Golden Age US Paper Stock: Glossy Cover; Newsprint Interior Binding: Saddle-stitched Publishing Format: Was Ongoing Series
Notes: December, 1939. Vol. 2, Number 12. KEEN DETECTIVE FUNNIES is published monthly by Centaur Publications, Inc., 420 De Soto Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, Editorial and Executive Offices: 220 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y. Entered as second class matter at the Post Office at St. Louis, Mo. Single copies 10c. Yearly subscription $1.00 in the U.S.A. (other countries $1.50). Copyright 1939 by Centaur publications, Inc. Contents must not be reproduced without permission. No actual person is named or delineated in this fiction magazine. Printed in the U.S.A.
On sale date from the publication date found in the Catalog of Copyright Entries, Part 2, Periodicals, New Series, Volume 34, 1939, Number 4. Second class periodical. Copyright number 435460.
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| Promo (ad From The Publisher) (1 page) |
Uncle Joe's Christmas Treat: Free Gifts for All |
| Credits: |
Letters: typeset |
| Comic Story (12 pages) |
Four Gangs against the Masked Marvel |
| Synopsis: |
Anton Roche, previously captured by the Masked Marvel, is freed from police custody by three rival gang leaders. They fear the Masked Marvel and want Roche to lead them in capturing him. The gang leaders sell each other out, planning simultaneous crimes. The police ask the Masked Marvel to have one of his men lead a police detachment at the site of each crime. All three of the gang leaders are captured, but ZL is killed in the fighting. The leaders reveal Roche's location, and the Masked Marvel captures him and dumps him out of an airplane with a parachute over the state penitentiary. |
| Genre: |
Detective-mystery Superhero |
| Characters: |
Masked Marvel ZR ZY ZL (dies) Anton Roche (villain) Little Monk Marty Fiorio |
| Comic Story (5 pages) |
The Countess Who Feared Radio |
| Synopsis: |
Spark sees the Countess de Rossini at a ball with a huge diamond, but she refuses to speak on the radio for him, even after her diamond is stolen. He manages to capture a bit of her tale of the crime on his microphone before she notices him, and a friend of the Countess calls in to say that the woman he heard on the radio did not sound anything like Countess de Rossini. She is revealed to be blackmailer Drusilla Melick, who confesses when confronted with the truth. |
| Genre: |
Detective-mystery |
| Characters: |
Spark O'Leary Drusilla Melick (villain) Pierre Mr. Giovanni Mr. Aitkin |
| Comic Story (6 pages) |
The Fiend's Organ of Destruction |
| Synopsis: |
The Fiend, previously captured and now in an asylum cell, still holds the secret of his musical organ of destruction. Dennis strikes a deal with the Fiend, exchanging the plans for leniency, but while police escort the Fiend to his hide-out other criminals intercept them and capture the Fiend themselves. They get the plans but are paralyzed when the Fiend demonstrates the organ for them. Just then, Dennis arrives, distracts the Fiend with ventriloquism, and uses the organ against its creator. Inspector Teague arrives to find Dennis waiting for him with the paralyzed criminals. |
| Genre: |
Detective-mystery |
| Characters: |
Dan Dennis Tick Inspector Teague The Fiend (villain) |
| Comic Story (6 pages) |
Foggy Night, Part II |
| Synopsis: |
O'Keefe, a state trooper, gets into trouble with several smugglers. They've already captured his friend Shorty and take them both to their cabin hideout. They manage to escape. Because of concealing fog, the smugglers can't see them. But Jerry can see the head smuggler backlit by the light of the cabin and shoots him, allowing Shorty to get free and bring the police. |
| Genre: |
Detective-mystery |
| Characters: |
Jerry O'Keefe Shorty Slugger |
| Text Story (2 pages) |
Fair Exchange |
| Synopsis: |
Pickpocket gang leader Slim Anderson complains that his three boys aren't bringing in enough loot and that all of the "hicks" in town for the World's Fair should be easy pickings. The boys claim that things have gotten a lot harder because the papers have played up the danger so much the hicks are onto them. They dare him to try it himself. Later, they seem to have great success with a friendly hick, but when they get back to their hideout, they find out the hick was Slim himself, who stole all of their belongings while he let them steal his! |
| Credits: |
Letters: typeset |
| Genre: |
Crime |
| Characters: |
Slim Anderson Nucky Maltby Fuzzy Stoneham Buddy Halpert |
| Comic Story (6 pages) |
The Doctor's Revenge |
| Synopsis: |
A respected doctor is abducted by gangsters just as his son heads off to medical school. The doctor is forced to do reconstructive surgery on the gangsters' boss to help him hide. He loses his practice as a result of accusations that he is protecting criminals, so he fakes his death and when his son tries to avenge him, he reveals himself and poisons the gangster who started it all. Father and son are happily reunited in the end. |
| Genre: |
Crime |
| Characters: |
Dr. Nils John Nils Al Torske Miss Lee |
| Comic Story (5 pages) |
The Devil-God Murder Cases |
| Featuring: |
Detective Degan |
| Synopsis: |
Two mysterious murders lead John Degan to look into a large bronze idol retrieved by an expedition to Tibet that included both victims. When he sees blood and bullet marks on the idol, he consults Chinese scholar Li Wan, who explains that a high priest in a trance could animate the statue. Later, Degan wonders why Li Wan knew so much and returns to find him in a trance controlling the idol. Li Wan's guards fight Degan, but he dodges a hatchet that one guard throws which then strikes Li Wan in the head, killing him. |
| Genre: |
Detective-mystery |
| Characters: |
John Degan Li Wan (villain) Wilfred Asheley Dr. Warner |
| Comic Story (8 pages) |
The Case of the Whispering Light |
| Synopsis: |
A movie star disciple of a new seer called Astra is murdered. Dean realizes that the "magic" crystal balls given to Astra's wealthiest disciples are only loudspeakers controlled through beams of light. He and Carol go to Astra's "Temple of Light." He recognizes the voice of "Astra" as belonging to his old enemy the Conqueror. Denton is captured, and Carol causes a distraction, allowing him to escape. He broadcasts the truth to the remaining followers of Astra, which lures the Conqueror to the station. Denton gets the drop on the Conqueror when he arrives and turns him over to the police. |
| Genre: |
Detective-mystery |
| Characters: |
Carol The Conqueror [Bolton Gates] (villain) Gloria Glamour (corpse) Al Stern Rolf Moderno |
| Advertisement (1 page) |
This Beautiful Desk for Only $1.00 |
| Credits: |
Letters: typeset |
| Advertisement (1 page) |
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| Credits: |
Letters: typeset |
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