Daring Mystery Comics #4

Edition record · May 1940

Price history & market evidence

Price observations belong to this edition. Guide estimates, catalog references and completed sales are separate kinds of evidence.

Grade	Amount	Evidence	Recorded
4.0	$1,092.50	PANEL_PROFITS · grade_4_0_valueguide	1940-05-01

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The table includes 1 guide observations and 0 catalog references. These are reference values, not guaranteed sale proceeds.

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Graded population

CGC records 31 graded copies for Daring Mystery Comics #4 (1940). Population is the number recorded by this grading source, not the total print run or all surviving copies.

1.0 · 51.5 · 11.8 · 22.0 · 22.5 · 23.0 · 23.5 · 14.0 · 14.5 · 25.0 · 45.5 · 16.0 · 26.5 · 27.0 · 19.0 · 19.6 · 1

Busting a Banker

When Assistant District Attorney Dennis Burton witnesses a bank robbery, he decides to go after them. Seeing where they are going to hide out, he acts as though he lost the crooks so that he can change into Purple Mask and ambush them. Buying a wagon cart, Burton disguises himself as a farmer to get close to the property and then sneaks inside. Overhearing the crooks plotting in the cellar, Burton listens as they plan on leaving this location. Burton changes into his Purple Mask costume and attacks the crooks, however they get the drop on him, knocking him out with a chair before fleeing the scene.

The next day in his civilian guise he meets with the sickly Mr. Whalen the owner of the First National Bank that was robbed the day before. Riding with Whalen to investigate the scene of the crime Burton listens on about how ill Whalen is before noticing that he driver is a criminal, but keeps it to himself. Suspicious, he follows the chauffeur who leads him to the hideout of the crooks. Dennis realizes that the crooks must be working for Whalen when they talk about meeting with their employer at the same southernly retreat that Whalen was going to recover at.

Rushing ahead, Burton would ride the same train as Whalen and then posing as a waiter at their hotel, gets the drop on them by changing into Purple Mask. He beats the crooks senseless and then locks them in the room while he goes to get the police. However when they return to the room they find that the crooks jumped out the window. Chasing them on a motorcycle Purple Mask manages to stop the crooks and turn them over to the authorities. The next day, Burton hands over the recovered money to the District Attorney.

| Appearing2 = **Featured Characters:** * Sky-Devils)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 2|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 ** K-4)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 2|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 ** Ronald Wolverstone-Clodd)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 2|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 ** Rene D'Auvergne)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 2|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Supporting Characters:** * Allies_(Earth-616)) ** Royal Air Force) *** Colonel Vince Alderman) **Antagonists:** * Nazis) ** Luftwaffe) *** Numerous unnamed aircrew **Other Characters:** * Royal Aircraft Establishment) **Races and Species:** * Humans) **Realities:** * Earth-616 **Locations:** * Earth ** Europe *** United Kingdom **** England ***** London ****** River Thames *** France **** Paris ***** Seine

**Events:** * World War II * World War I

| Synopsis2 = After a series a Nazi zeppelin attacks in London, K-4 and his Sky-Devils are charges with a mission to track down the enemy zeppelin and destroy it. Spotting it in a hanger hidden in a mountainside, K-4 sends his colleague Ronald Wolverstone-Clodd down to infiltrate the base. With some make-up and his acting skills Ronald poses as a Nazi worker and learns that the Germans intend to bomb Paris next.

Returning to his comrades they follow the zeppelin by plane, after disabling it's gunner, K-4 jumps onto the enemy craft and boards it. Inside he fights off the Nazi soldiers single handedly and sets the zeppelin to crash, parachuting out in the nick of time.

| Appearing3 = **Featured Characters:** * Monako)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 1|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Supporting Characters:** * Josie)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 1|- **Antagonists:** * Mr. Muro's Henchmen ** Unnamed Henchman ** Tashu) * Mr. Muro)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 1|Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special Vol 1 1

**Races and Species:** * Humans) * Vultures) **Realities:** * Earth-616 **Locations:** * Earth ** North America *** United States of America ** Central America *** Panama Canal *** Guatemala *** El Salvador *** Nicaragua *** Costa Rica *** Panama ** Pacific Ocean

| Synopsis3 = Monako the magician once more comes to the aid of his friend Josie who has once more been targeted by his old nemesis Muro. This time Muro has stolen secret papers that identify secret fortifications set up in the Panama Canal in Central America. Although Monako manages to trip up the man hired to steal the documents, Muro manages to escape with them.

Following after Muro in another plane, they find that Muro carelessly dropped his map letting them know that he plots to take over the fortifications to control the canal. Catching up to Muro's plane, Monako uses his magic to deflect their bullets and create mountain obstacles in their way, causing their plane to get damage and Muro and his minion abandon ship.

Landing their plane, Monako and Josie attempt to confront Muro however the crook catches them at gun point, takes Josie as a hostage and ties Monako to a cactus to die in the desert. Monako manages to break free and rides a vulture to catch up with his foe. When Muro shoots the giant bird, Monako makes himself grow in size and grabs the plane. Muro attempts to make an escape by dropping Josie out of the plane but Monako manages to save her from falling to her doom.

Using his magic to suspend Muro and his accomplice in the air, Monako resumes his normal size and enters the plane with Josie. Before they can deal with Muro he teleports away with his black magic. Monako tells Josie that once they deliver the plans over to the government he must continue his hunt for his old enemy.

| Appearing4 = **Featured Characters:** * Interplanetary Secret Service) ** "Whirlwind" Carter)|-|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Supporting Characters:** * Agent Brenda Hale)|-|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Antagonists:** * Martians ** Numerous unnamed Martians **Other Characters:** * Numerous unnamed Earthlings **Races and Species:** * Humans) * Venusians * Martians **Realities:** * Earth-5464 **Locations:** * Solar System ** Venus) ** Mars) ** Earth *** North America **** United States of America ***** New York) ****** New York City

| Synopsis4 = Whirlwind Carter, agent of the Interplanetary Secret Service of Venus, detects an Earth ship under attack by Martians and rescues its sole passenger, Brenda Hale, an agent of the Space Army. She reveals that the Martians are preparing to invade Earth.

With his ultra-fast ship, Carter takes Brenda to Earth, where they witness the full-scale invasion: Martians seize major cities, capture millions of humans, and launch them into space in rockets to make room for their own kind. Carter intercepts the rockets and rescues the captives, bringing them to Venus to regroup as a resistance force.

Armed with elastic-gas bombs, Carter, Brenda, and the freed Earthlings return to strike back. They bombard New York, the Martians’ headquarters, and after a fierce battle succeed in driving the invaders away. With Earth liberated, Carter is appointed head of the Earth Department of the Interplanetary Secret Service.

| Appearing5 = **Featured Characters:** * Super-Robot (Marvex))|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 3|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Supporting Characters:** * Jim Hansen_(Earth-616)) * Clara Crandall)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 3|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Antagonists:** * Spike Green's Gang ** Spike Green) ** Numerous unnamed members **Other Characters:** * Unidentified Police Department ** Numerous unnamed police officers * Prison ** Unnamed Warden ** Numerous unnamed correction officers ** Numerous unnamed inmates **Races and Species:** * Robots * Humans) * Fish * Pigs * Rats **Realities:** * Earth-616 **Locations:** * Earth ** United States of America *** Unidentified Prison

| Synopsis5 = Clara Crandall's friend Jim Hansen is sitting on death row for a crime he did not commit. Concerned for her friend she asks her robot companion Marvex the Super-Robot to help clear his name. On his way home, Marvex spots a bank robbery in progress being committed by Spike Green and his men. Thanks to Marvex's interference, Green and his gang are captured by the police and sent to the same prison where Hansen is being held.

Later, Marvex is ambushed by some of Green's men and dumped in the river. However he survives the attempt and overhears how they are plotting to break Spike out of prison because -- as it turns out -- he was the person who is truly guilty of the crimes that Jim has been accused of and that he may be identified while in prison.

Marvex rounds up the gang members and then rushes to the prison where Spike Green is already causing a riot in an attempt to break out of the prison. When Marvex arrives he takes on all the rioting prisoners on his own and while he has superior strength and durability over the crooks he is soon overpowered and strapped into the electric chair. With the chair turned on, Spike and his men leave him to die, however the robot survives and breaks free.

Confronting the crooks in the courtyard, Marvex knocks them all out and then strong arms Green into confessing the crimes that he has framed Jim for, clearing his name.

| Appearing6 = **Featured Characters:** * United States Secret Service) ** Don Gorman) **Supporting Characters:** * Betty Nestor) (All-State Airlines Chief Stewardess) **Antagonists:** * Nazis) ** Anson Dictor) ** Adolf Hitler) ** Four unnamed members * Chester Orsen) (National Aero Company General Manager) **Other Characters:** * National Aero Company) ** Numerous unnamed employees * All-State Airlines) ** Unnamed Operator ** Unnamed President ** Numerous unnamed passengers and crewmembers * New York Eagle) * New York Press) * Los Angeles Journal) * Los Angeles Times) * United States Government) ** United States Army) ** United States Navy) ** United States Marine Corps) ** Numerous unnamed officials * Chicago Citizen) * Los Angeles Dispatch) * Detroit Post) * WXOR ** Unnamed Newscaster **Races and Species:** * Humans) * Dogs * Rats **Realities:** * Earth-616 **Locations:** * Earth ** North America *** United States of America **** California) ***** Los Angeles County ****** Los Angeles **** New York) ***** New York City **** Washington, D.C. ***** Bolling Air Force Base ***** Capitol Building **** Chicago, Illinois **** Detroit, Michigan **** Mississippi River ** Europe *** Germany

| Synopsis6 = Don Gorman, ace pilot and government agent, has developed a new jet engine that allows planes to travel at 1000 per hour. After busting up some spies seeking to steal the plans for his new engine he meets with Anson Dictor -- purchasing agent for the Nazis. Dictor wishes to purchase the new jet engines, however Gorman refuses to do so as he intends to turn it over to the US government once he has finished his tests.

Although he knows that the engine works on short range trips, Don needs to test the device out in long range travel. Chester Orsen the manager of National Aero has just the solution: having connections with All-State Airlines, he arranges to have a number of commercial planes be used in tests of the new engine for cross country flights. With news about a new jet engine being tested out many of the worlds wealthy starlets purchase tickets on cross-country flights that would take them from one coast to another in a matter of minutes.

Unfortunately, all of the airliners with the prototype engines go missing, including on carrying Don's fiancée airline stewardess Betty Nestor. When all 25 planes go missing, Gorman is called to Washington D.C. to meet with military staff. They come to the conclusion that its the work of espionage and Gorman is assigned on the case to try and track down the missing jets. However, on his mission he is jumped by a group of men and taken prisoner. As the nation holds its breath, Gorman is left in a room with a time bomb to be blown up. However, when he is left alone he manages to break through his bonds and escape.

Having learned the location of the missing jets, Gorman calls in to the military and has a squad of fighter jets follow him to the location. Finding that the jets have been impounded by Nazi spies and the passengers shackled up like animals, Gormen and his men storm the area and take everyone hostage. They soon learn that Anson Dictor and Chester Orsen were working together in this plot to steal the engine for the Nazis. Later, Gorman explains that his engines gave off a specific magnetic wavelength that allowed him to track them to their location.

| Appearing7 = **Featured Characters:** * Breeze Barton)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 3|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Supporting Characters:** * Ann Barclay)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 3|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 * "Veterans" ** Frenchy)|-|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 ** Numerous unnamed members **Antagonists:** * "Savages" ** Unnamed Chief ** Numerous unnamed members

**Races and Species:** * Humans) * Dogs **Realities:** * Earth-4040 **Locations:** * Earthspace ** Earth * Unidentified Dimension ** Miracle City

| Synopsis7 = Having returned from the Miracle City dimension with Ann Barclay to Earth, Breeze Barton spots a number of soldiers fighting off a horde of primitive savages. Helping the soldiers fend off their attackers, Breeze and Ann learn that it is the year 1995, that 50 years had passed since Barton passed through he dimensional barrier. A devastating war had decimated the Earth and most of humanity has devolved to tribes of savages with a few men clinging to society.

Breeze takes control of the situation, suggesting that they try to rebuild society. After they build a fort, they are soon attacked by a band of savages. After fighting them off, Ann suggests trying to make peace with them. However when one of the soldiers explains that the savages chief would only allow that if someone defeated him in lone combat, Barton decides to do just that.

In a one-on-one fight, Breeze has better fighting skills than the savage chief, and when the chief attempts to cheat by using a weapon he loses the faith of his people. Barton still manages to defeat the chief even with the unfair advantage. With Breeze made the new leader of the savages he tells the people that they will work together to make a new society. The former chief later attempts to drown Breeze in a river, however he is spotted by Ann who shoots him dead. Surviving the attempt on his life, Barton thanks Ann for her help.

| Appearing8 = **Featured Characters:** * Sheriff Holcomb

**Antagonists:** * "Mile Away" Morgan's Gang ** "Mile Away" Morgan) ** Numerous unnamed members * Cougar Karns)

**Races and Species:** * Humans) * Horses * Wolves * Cougars * Cats **Realities:** * Earth-616 **Locations:** * Earth ** United States of America *** Ambush Canyon *** Ringlo *** Rim Rock Country (Outlaw Sanctuary)

| Synopsis8 = Sheriff Holcomb chases a fugitive through Ambush Canyon into Rim Rock Country an outlaw sanctuary run by "Mile Away" Morgan and his gang. The fugitive named Cougar Karns shows Morgan his wanted poster and offers to split the loot of his recent heist if he allows him to join his gang. Morgan paranoid from a previous encounter where a lawman shot at a criminal who also provided loot and betrayed him chose to kick Karns out. Karns was tied up with a note pinned on his chest and sent out of the sanctuary into the waiting arms of Sheriff Holcomb who was still there resting himself and his horse. Holcomb surprised road out and obtained his fugitive before reading the note "How you like the way your stunt backfired sheriff? You can't put nothin' like this over on me! Mile Away."

| Appearing9 = **Featured Characters:** * Trojak)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 3|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Supporting Characters:** * Balu)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 3|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 * Allies_(Earth-616)) ** Jerry Alton)|-|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 * Edith Alton)|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 3|Daring Mystery Comics Vol 1 5 **Antagonists:** * Nazis) ** Heer) *** Unnamed Commander *** Numerous unnamed soldiers **Other Characters:** * Numerous unnamed tribal warriors **Races and Species:** * Humans) * Tigers * Parrots **Realities:** * Earth-616 **Locations:** * Earthspace ** Earth *** Africa **** Belgian Congo * Heaven)

| Synopsis9 = Continued from last issue...

With Nazi's setting out near his jungle, the wild man known as Trojak seeks to force the Germans out of his home. As Trojak gathers legions to fight for him, Edith is visited by her brother Jerry who is with the Nazi's. He tells Edith to not resist them and she feels obligated to agree. When Trojak and an army of natives prepare to attack Edith convinces Trojak not to fight.

However, when the Nazi soldiers attempt to detain Trojak, he resists capture. The Nazi general demands that they capture the wild man and take Edith prisoner in order to lure the hero out. Meanwhile, Jerry -- really a spy for the Allied Forces -- begins setting up an explosive to destroy the enemy base. Discovered as a spy, Jerry is also captured although the Nazi's do not discover what he is up to. Soon Trojak himself is captured as well and when they are all reunited Jerry explains what he has been up to.

With the TNT set to explode whenever someone pushes down the detonating plunger, Trojak calls his parrot friend and has the bird bring a message to his tiger Balu so that the tiger can set off the explosives. Balu succeeds in his mission, destroying the Nazi base and crushing the general to death in the debris. With their prison smashed open, Trojak, Edith and Jerry make a run for it.

| Solicit = What would you do if you witnessed a bank robbery? Assistant District Attorney Dennis Burton answers that question in his own way.

| Notes = | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links =

Purple Mask (Dennis Burton)Sky-Devils K-4 Ronald Wolverstone-Clodd Rene D'Auvergne Monako Interplanetary Secret Service "Whirlwind" Carter

Creative credits

Writers: Will Harr, N/A, Larry Antonette, Fletcher Hanks, N/A, N/A, N/A, Rex Evans, N/A

Interior art: Maurice Gutwirth, N/A, Larry Antonette, Fletcher Hanks, Hal Sharp, Alex Schomburg, Gus Ricca, Jack Binder, N/A, Arnold Hicks

Color: N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A

Source records & attribution

Panel Profits keeps each source identity attached to its edition record.

COMICBASE: comicbase:320165

GCD: 790

PANEL PROFITS: 2385716

Original story text reference and license

Original text reference ↗

CC BY-SA 3.0