More Fun Comics #61

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CGC records 46 graded copies for More Fun Comics #61 (1940). Population is the number recorded by this grading source, not the total print run or all surviving copies.

The Spectre: "The Golden Curse Deaths"

Two men are turned into golden statues in front of Jim Corrigan's disbelieving eyes. Accepting a free packet of chewing gum from an "old wretch" peddling them, Corrigan turns into a golden statue too. He's collected by minions of the mastermind behind the strange transformations, and thrown off a bridge to keep the truth secret. Of course, Corrigan simply transforms into the Spectre and emerges unscathed.

Trying to learn the identity of the criminals' employer, Spectre speeds down the phone lines when one of them calls his boss to report, but "the gallant wraith" is foiled when the mastermind hangs up before he can reach the other end of the line. Trying to scare the truth out of the crooks, the Spectre is foiled again when they turn to gold as well. Having found out that Corrigan escaped their attempt on his life, the mastermind lures him into a trap but he escapes as the Spectre again.

Meanwhile, Corrigan learns his girlfriend Clarice WInston is supposedly being blackmailed by the Spectre that her father will turn to gold next unless she surrenders herself to him. Corrigan crashes this meeting as the real Spectre, but a random "occult occurrence" warps him into space. He hurries back but learns it's an hour earlier than when he left, and if he doesn't apprehend the Spectre by the time that hour's up, he'll be be thrown off the force. He conjures an illusion of the Spectre that he walks into the nearest precinct and immediately makes it disappear again.

Having obeyed the letter of the law on his orders, he changes into the real Spectre and heads back to the kidnapping he interrupted before. Easily capturing the imposter, he unmasks the false Spectre as the scientist Gustaf Gilroy, who'd learned the amazing secret of how to change anything to gold. To avoid paying for his horrific crimes Gilroy commits suicide by turning himself into gold. | Appearing1 = **Featured Characters:** * The Spectre) (Jim Corrigan)) **Supporting Characters:** * Clarice Winston) * Wayne) **Antagonists:** * Gustaf Gilroy * Gum Vendor **Other Characters:** * Chief * Jeff Crane * Calloway **Locations:** * Earth-Two ** Cliffland, New Jersey **Items:** * Midas Touch formula

| Writer2_1 = Joe Donohoe | Penciler2_1 = Joe Donohoe | Inker2_1 = Joe Donohoe | StoryTitle2 = Detective Sergeant Carey: "The Mystery Plane" | Synopsis2 = During a test of a new kind of advanced bomber the wings snap off under the stress of a dive. Henshaw, the designer, tells the military officials his plane should've easily withstood that and believes his plane was sabotaged. To keep the replacement bomber from suffering a similar fate he calls his old friend Detective Carey to oversee security on the replacement.

Henshaw follows Carey's advice and doubles security on the plane, but in the middle of the night the hangar where it was kept suddenly bursts in flame anyway. Carey, master sleuth that he is, anticipated this and took the liberty of moving the new bomber out to a new hiding place. Sleepy catches the saboteur, the test pilot, who almost unsurprisingly turns out to be an agent of a foreign nation. Which Carey apparently suspected also as he learns from a background check he had the FBI run on "Jones". | Appearing2 = **Featured Characters:** * Detective Sergeant Carey) **Supporting Characters:** * Sleepy

| StoryTitle3 = Congo Bill: "The Madman of the Jungle" | Synopsis3 = | Appearing3 = **Featured Characters:** * Congo Bill) **Supporting Characters:** * Professor Joe Kent **Other Characters:** * Alan Colby * Jean Villon **Locations:** * Africa | Writer3_1 = Whitney Ellsworth | Penciler3_1 = George Papp | Inker3_1 = George Papp

| StoryTitle4 = Captain Desmo: "Mystery of the Mermaid's Brother" | Synopsis4 = | Appearing4 = **Featured Characters:** * Captain Desmo) **Supporting Characters:** * Gabby | Writer4_1 = Ed Winiarski | Penciler4_1 = Ed Winiarski | Inker4_1 = Ed Winiarski

| Writer5_1 = Jerry Siegel | Penciler5_1 = Chad Grothkopf | Inker5_1 = Chad Grothkopf | StoryTitle5 = Radio Squad: "The Warehouse Flames" | Synopsis5 = Sandy and Larry spot a warehouse on fire. After some action failing to chase down the perpetrator and the only piece of evidence they had being stolen by crooks, the warehouse's owner, a Mr. Dexter, announces this only strengthens his plans to run for mayor and wipe out crime in their city. Not long afterward Sandy and Larry spot the car of the crooks who stole their only evidence before and a chase begins. Again the crooks manage to escape, but a business owner near their crash recognize the perps as being from Manny Wein's mob, giving the cops the lead they needed.

Realizing there was something off about the story of the night watchman at Dexter's warehouse, Sandy and Larry trail him and find him helping the Wein mob dynamite another warehouse. The real mastermind shoots the watchman to keep him from spilling any secrets, but in fleeing the cops his car's hit a train. It turns out to be Mr. Dexter, and in his dying throes admits to Sandy and Larry that he was behind the crimes of the Wein mob, planning to use their high-profile crimes to drive his platform for mayor. | Appearing5 = **Featured Characters:** * Radio Squad) ** Larry Trent) ** Sandy Keene)

| Writer6_1 = Robert Hirsch | Penciler6_1 = Russ Lehman | Inker6_1 = Russ Lehman | StoryTitle6 = Lt. Bob Neal of Sub 662: "Assassin" | Synopsis6 = | Appearing6 = **Featured Characters:** * Lt. Bob Neal) **Vehicles:** * Sub 662

| Writer7_1 = Albert Sulman | Penciler7_1 = Joseph Sulman | Inker7_1 = Joseph Sulman | StoryTitle7 = Biff Bronson: "The Menace of Dr. Zabkin, Part 2" | Synopsis7 = | Appearing7 = **Featured Characters:** * Biff Bronson) **Supporting Characters:** * Dan Druff

| Writer8_1 = Jack Lehti | Penciler8_1 = Jack Lehti | Inker8_1 = Jack Lehti | StoryTitle8 = Sergeant O'Malley of the Red Coat Patrol: "The Mountain Trail Sniper" | Synopsis8 = | Appearing8 = **Featured Characters:** * Constable O'Malley), RCMP **Supporting Characters:** * Red Coat Patrol * Black Hawk * Flame, O'Malley's Wolf-Dog

| Writer9_1 = Gardner Fox | Penciler9_1 = Howard Sherman | Inker9_1 = Howard Sherman | Letterer9_1 = Howard Sherman | StoryTitle9 = Doctor Fate: "Menace of the Nebula" | Synopsis9 = Doctor Fate) becomes aware of a space nebula heading towards planet Earth, which threatens to destroy the entire planet. Fate warns Inza) and in turn, she contacts a scientist to investigate the threat. Meanwhile, Fate takes an alien weapon from the Tower of Fate which he uses to destroy the nebula.

After ending the threat, Fate returns to Earth, where the scientists inform him that there are several other nebulas heading towards Earth. Fate takes his weapon and goes to space, where he destroys all the nebulas, and follows their trail to the source of the destructive energy. Eventually, Fate finds a planet with Globe Men, who seek to destroy Earth with their weapons. Fate uses his powers to destroy the Globe Men's planet before returning to Earth.

Upon arriving, Fate learns that there is a mad scientist in the Andes Mountains and taking Inza along with him, he confronts the mad scientist, killing him and destroying his secret laboratory, preventing the man from creating chaos. | Appearing9 = **Featured Characters:** * Doctor Fate) **Supporting Characters:** * Inza Cramer) **Antagonists:** * Globe Men * Mad Scientist **Locations:** * Pirate Planet * Sol ** Earth *** Andes Mountains *** New York City *** Tower of Fate **Items:** * Amulet of Anubis * Cloak of Destiny * Helmet of Fate

| Notes = * Published by Detective Comics, Inc. * The demonic figure depicted battling Dr. Fate on the cover does not actually appear. * *Congo Bill's* friend Professor Joe Kent is an archaeologist and a botanist. * *Dr. Fate's* body count: 1 mad scientist, 2 sorcerers, 1 spaceshipful of aliens, plus now an entire planetful of aliens, along with everything else that lived on that planet. * *The Spectre: The Golden Curse Deaths* is reprinted in The Golden Age Spectre Archives Vol. 1 (Collected). * *"Menace of the Nebula"* is reprinted in The Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives Vol. 1 (Collected). * Also appearing in this issue of *More Fun Comics* was: ** "Blue Light" (text story), by Albert Summers.

| Trivia = | Recommended = | Links =

Creative credits

Writers: Jerry Siegel, Joe Donohoe, Whitney Ellsworth, Ed Winiarski, Jerry Siegel, Robert Hirsch, Albert Sulman, Jack Lehti, Gardner Fox

Interior art: Bernard Baily, Joe Donohoe, George Papp, Ed Winiarski, Chad Grothkopf, Russ Lehman, Joseph Sulman, Jack Lehti, Howard Sherman

Source records & attribution

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

COMICBASE: comicbase:767238

GCD: 1088

PANEL PROFITS: 2347763