Leading Comics #9

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Graded population

CGC records 17 graded copies for Leading Comics #9 (1943). Population is the number recorded by this grading source, not the total print run or all surviving copies.

Seven Soldiers of Victory: "The Chameleon of Crime"

In a secret hideaway, a collection of gang leaders explains how each of them just barely escaped a recent encounter with members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory. Another criminal that they've never seen before wagers he could do much better against the costumed crusaders. The other gangsters scoff, until they find out he's the mysterious Mr. X, a criminal genius who can become almost anyone. Having secured his bet, he departs in a plane to do battle with the Seven Soldiers. | Appearing1 = **Featured Characters:** * Seven Soldiers of Victory) **Crimson Avenger) ** Green Arrow) **Shining Knight) **Speedy) **Star-Spangled Kid) **Stripesy) **Vigilante) **Supporting Characters:** * Wing) * Winged Victory) **Antagonists:** * Mr. X) * Dopo the Dip * Herman * Red Heister **Other Characters:** * **Locations:** * **Items:** * **Vehicles:** *

| Writer2_1 =Joe Samachson | Penciler2_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | Inker2_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | StoryTitle2 = Crimson Avenger: "Mr. X Marks The Spot" | Synopsis2 = A crook named Crusher Kane, claiming to represent Mr. X, appears and takes over the gang of the recently-departed Sam the Slug. They pass a guy handing out pamphlets for a restaurant, only to actually read one and see it's a challenge from Mr. X to the Crimson Avenger. One of these ends up in the hands of Lee Travis, who dons his costume and convinces the police to let him handle this as Mr. X wishes.

Crim and Wing show up at Paul's Pawnshop a little before midnight as directed, but are still waiting at 12:30 for anything to happen. Then Crim notices something suspicious about pigeons on the building's roof. The heroes swing over and realize they've been played with a movie set false front of the building set up in front of the real one, so they wouldn't notice the gang sneaking in to rob the real one. The heroes are knocked out and put in the pawnshop's vault, but Crim fits a diamond into a candlestick to drill through the back of the vault door to reach the tumblers. They manage to escape and knock out the gang, then go after Crusher Kane, believing he's Mr. X. They run into the guy who handed out the cards challenging Crimson Avenger, who directs them to where Crusher was trying to make his getaway. Crim and Wing catch Crusher, but realize too late the guy handing out the ads had to be the real Mr. X. | Appearing2 = **Featured Characters:** * Crimson Avenger) **Supporting Characters:** * Wing) **Antagonists:** * Crusher Kane * Roscoe * Sandwich Man/Mr. X) **Other Characters:** * Sam the Slug **Locations:** * **Items:** * **Vehicles:** *

| Writer3_1 =Joe Samachson | Penciler3_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | Inker3_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | StoryTitle3 = Vigilante: "The X-ploits of Mr. X" | Synopsis3 = Mr. X plots to rob the box office at a rodeo to draw the attention of Vigilante, who's already part of it as Greg Saunders. A recognizable hood tries to steal the money, while one of the new hires assigned to guard the cash box is actually Mr. X in disguise. Vigilante mops up the visible thieves more quickly than he anticipated and he's unable to escape with the loot. From hearing how recently the new hand was hired and how obvious the robbery attempt was, Vig figures out that he must really be a disguised Mr. X. The villain unleashes a wild steer to distract the hero while he makes his getaway. | Appearing3 = **Featured Characters:** * Vigilante) **Supporting Characters:** * **Antagonists:** * Parry/Mr. X) * Tommy **Other Characters:** * Crimson Avenger) * Mr. Hemsley * Ringo * Star-Spangled Kid) **Locations:** * **Items:** * **Vehicles:** *

| Writer4_1 =Joe Samachson | Penciler4_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | Inker4_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | StoryTitle4 = Star-Spangled Kid & Stripesy: "The House That Couldn't Be Robbed" | Synopsis4 = A skywriter delivers a message that Mr. X will rob any location in the city chosen by the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, who at that moment are attending a lawn party held by a Mr. Doremy. Their host decides to propose his own home in response, so sure is he of his guards and alarms. Patrolling the grounds for days on end aboard their flying car, the patriotic duo are eventually surprised to find thieves getting onto the grounds by digging a tunnel *under* all of Mr. Doremy's vaunted security measures. They're caught and left in the kitchen with the oven on, but Stripesy manages to bring security guards running to help by switching the lights on and off with his foot. They catch up to the thieves and collar the leader, only to figure out that Mr. X was actually pretending to be a lunkheaded underling to draw attention off himself. | Appearing4 = **Featured Characters:** * Star-Spangled Kid) * Stripesy) **Supporting Characters:** * **Antagonists:** * Mr. X) * Poicy **Other Characters:** * Crimson Avenger) * Mr. Doremy * Mr. Gadget) * Vigilante) **Locations:** * **Items:** * **Vehicles:** * Star-Rocket Racer

| Writer5_1 =Joe Samachson | Penciler5_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | Inker5_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | StoryTitle5 = Shining Knight: "The Gorilla And the Gangster" | Synopsis5 = A group of thieves use a trained gorilla to break into the places they rob. Soon after, a missive reaches the Shining Knight. In it, a criminal named Blackie warns that Mr. X is the mastermind behind these strikes in the guise of a crook named Square John. More puzzling still, the criminal who sent this letter seems worried about the Shining Knight being harmed in the course of stopping these simian-assisted crimes.

Shining Knight runs into the thieves as they try to rob a mail train, but gets a sticky web thrown over him. He throws himself out into a river, which washes away the net. Summoning his winged steed, Shining Knight overtakes the thieves again at the station and beats them into submission. Square John denies being Mr. X, only getting his orders from them, and Shining Knight realizes he was so focused on capturing Square John/Mr. X, something's gone missing. Namely, the gorilla. Not far away, the hero finds an empty gorilla suit, and a motorized mechanism Mr. X wore underneath to feign his feats of superhuman strength. | Appearing5 = **Featured Characters:** * Shining Knight) **Supporting Characters:** * Winged Victory) **Antagonists:** * Gargo/Mr. X) * Square John **Other Characters:** * **Locations:** * **Items:** * **Vehicles:** *

| Writer6_1 =Joe Samachson | Penciler6_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | Inker6_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | StoryTitle6 = Green Arrow & Speedy: "Into the Unknown" | Synopsis6 = Green Arrow and Speedy take on some crooks and defeat them, but in the process some fletching is shoot loose by a stray bullet and falls onto GA's clothes without him noticing. Deciding to take in some R&R before Mr. X issues his challenge to them as he has the rest of the Seven Soldiers, the two attend a society party where a magician's performing. The conjurer's actually Mr. X in disguise, secretly using his misdirection to make impressions of the owner's keys to be able to break in later. He finds the telltale green feathers as well, and realizes Green Arrow himself must be at the party in his secret identity. However, he suspects the man throwing the party instead of Oliver Queen.

Noticing a notorious gangster's car parked outside the house they just left, Ollie and Roy suit up and climb a window to find the magician accusing their former host of being Green Arrow. The archers gladly break into the room to clarify the matter, but Mr. X manages to slip outside and escape the duo by disguising himself as a cop. Having seen what a conniving crook they're dealing with, Green Arrow summons a meeting of the Seven Soldiers to deal with Mr. X once and for all. | Appearing6 = **Featured Characters:** * Green Arrow) * Speedy) **Supporting Characters:** * **Antagonists:** * Mr. X) * Pretty Boy Lloyd **Other Characters:** * Manton * Mr. Dorgan * Inco Ponsonby * Seven Soldiers of Victory) **Locations:** * **Items:** * **Vehicles:** *

| Writer7_1 =Joe Samachson | Penciler7_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | Inker7_1 = Arthur Cazeneuve | StoryTitle7 = Seven Soldiers of Victory: "The Chameleon of Crime (Conclusion)" | Synopsis7 = Using discoveries of Mr. X's distinguishing mannerisms and physical attributes (like a scar), the Seven Soldiers track him back to the hideaway where he made his bet with the other criminals and round up all the gang bosses in the place. Pulling on Mr. X's latex mask, they reveal his obsession with disguises came from being disgusted by his own ugly countenance. | Appearing7 = **Featured Characters:** * Seven Soldiers of Victory) **Crimson Avenger) **Green Arrow) **Shining Knight) **Speedy) **Star-Spangled Kid) **Stripesy) **Vigilante) **Supporting Characters:** * Wing) * Winged Victory) **Antagonists:** * Mr. X) * Dopo the Dip * Herman * Red Heister **Other Characters:** * **Locations:** * **Items:** * **Vehicles:** * Star-Rocket Racer

| Notes = * *The Chameleon of Crime* is reprinted in The Seven Soldiers of Victory Archives Vol. 3 (Collected). | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links =

Creative credits

Writers: Joe Samachson, Joe Samachson, Joe Samachson, Joe Samachson, Joe Samachson, Joe Samachson, Joe Samachson

Interior art: Arthur Cazeneuve, Arthur Cazeneuve, Arthur Cazeneuve, Arthur Cazeneuve, Arthur Cazeneuve, Arthur Cazeneuve, Arthur Cazeneuve

Source records & attribution

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

COMICBASE: comicbase:650748

GCD: 3366

PANEL PROFITS: 24241