Sally! - Get out of your dress at once! Don't ask questions --- UNDRESS! 
Detective Comics #23 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of January, 1939.
Synopsis for Speed Saunders: "The Ski Murder"
Appearing in Speed Saunders: "The Ski Murder"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Murderer (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Margot Lee (Single appearance)
- Joe French (Appears only as a corpse)
Locations:
Synopsis for Larry Steele: "The Corpse in the Car Trunk"
Appearing in Larry Steele: "The Corpse in the Car Trunk"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Lady Ashley (Single appearance)
- Lord Ashley (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- Baron Pakloff (Single appearance)
Locations:
Synopsis for Buck Marshall: "Nuggets of Lead"
Appearing in Buck Marshall: "Nuggets of Lead"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Pepper
- Sheriff
Antagonists:
- Sam Spencer (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Ned Forbes (Appears only as a corpse)
- Jim Bedlow (Appears only as a corpse)
Locations:
- American Old West
- Sage City
- Sage City
Synopsis for The Crimson Avenger: "The Zombie Killers"
A headline on the Globe-Herald newspaper announces that F. Thorpe has been the third gangster to be the victim of a mystery killer. That night, the Crimson Avenger investigates, climbing the fire escape of gangster Red Nelson's apartment, and eavesdropping at a window. Red Nelson and his pal Little Joe are discussing the murders, and their other buddies haven't arrived yet. Two gunmen walk into the room and shoot Joe and Red dead. The Crimson Avenger steps in, guns up, and orders them to drop their weapons. They don't, but they don't shoot either, or make any reply, but silently turn and walk away. Crimson watches them enter an elevator, and races down a stairway to intercept them. Taking some aerial stunt shortcuts, he catches up to them as they pile into a big sedan, and when it speeds away, he's already crouched on the back bumper. But he's soon spotted, and the driver hits a hard bump, to shake him off. It works, and the Avenger is knocked out! Two gangsters and four "mechanical men" carry him away.
At their hideout, they dump the unconscious Crimson into a dungeon, then leave him unsupervised while they go to tell their boss about him. He either rallies awake or was faking, finds a good hiding place, then explores this dungeon. While the gangsters are noticing that he's gotten away, the Crimson finds a large room full of "zombie men" sitting around in a stupor. He disguises himself as a zombie, then shuffles into place amid a group of them. He also finds and conceals two handguns. The gangsters have by this time searched the entire place, but now their boss calls that off and announces that it's time for the human sacrifice. This gang has earlier kidnapped an heiress, Linda Perry, whom they now plan to ritually murder.
Crimson steps out of sight, changes outfits, sends a radio message to Wing, and emerges in his red regalia, brandishing two pistols. The zombies are ordered to charge at him; at least two of them are gunned down. The police arrive and the Crimson Avenger departs. This leads the police to believe that the Crimson Avenger was the one who had controlled these criminals, and had planned to use them to kill other gangsters and take over their rackets.
Appearing in The Crimson Avenger: "The Zombie Killers"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Wing (Behind the scenes)
Antagonists:
- F. Thorpe (Single appearance)
- Little Joe (Single appearance; dies)
- Matt (Single appearance)
- Red Nelson (Single appearance; dies)
- The Boss (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Linda Perry (Single appearance)
Animals:
- giant king cobra
Locations:
- New York City
- Union Leader, newspaper office (See Notes)
- Knob Hill
Synopsis for Bruce Nelson: "Gambler's Waterloo"
Appearing in Bruce Nelson: "Gambler's Waterloo"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- The X.Y.Z. Gang
- Big Pete Rines (Single appearance)
- Harrison Thorde (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Pop Barris (Single appearance)
- Tony Di Natale (Single appearance)
- Jim Baker (Single appearance)
- Professor Grigsby (Single appearance)
Synopsis for Bart Regan, Spy: "The Celebrity Deaths"
Appearing in Bart Regan, Spy: "The Celebrity Deaths"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Doctor LaForge (Single appearance)
- Rutsky (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Dick Knight (Single appearance; dies)
Locations:
- Cleveland
- Daily Star (Cameo)
- Daily Star (Cameo)
Synopsis for "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu" (Part 7 of 12)
Appearing in "The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu" (Part 7 of 12)
Featured Characters:
- Denis Nayland Smith
Supporting Characters:
- Dr. Petrie
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Inspector Ryman
Locations:
- London
- Limehouse District
- Limehouse District
Synopsis for Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Many Murder Attempts of McQuade"
Appearing in Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise: "The Many Murder Attempts of McQuade"
Featured Characters:
- Cosmo, the Phantom of Disguise
Supporting Characters:
- Leroy (Single appearance)
Antagonists:
- McQuade (Single appearance)
- Charles (Single appearance)
Synopsis for Slam Bradley: "In Two Billion A.D. (Part 1 of 2)"
Appearing in Slam Bradley: "In Two Billion A.D. (Part 1 of 2)"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Other Characters:
- Professor Kenton (wears a monocle) (First appearance)
Locations:
- Cleveland, 20th Century
- Unnamed future city, 2,000,000,000 A.D.
Items:
Notes
- Published by Detective Comics, Inc.
- Bart Regan, Spy places a phonecall to the "Daily Star", workplace of Clark Kent.
- Buck Marshall returns this issue; he was last seen in Detective Comics #21.
- The Crimson Avenger:
- Per page 1 panel 3, Lee Travis reads about F.Thorpe's murder in the Globe-Herald. Travis works, per panel 4, at the Union-Leader.
- Crimson Avenger is knocked unconscious by falling off a fast car onto a hard road, his first recorded concussion.
- He packs .45-cal. semiautomatic handguns, and no gas gun.
- In the sacrificial ritual, a giant king cobra is placed upon a throne, then never seen nor mentioned again, until the final panel, where it does nothing. Reader is not told what the point of the whole human sacrifice activity was, either.
- Slam Bradley's story begins in an unidentified big city and continues in a far-future version of a different city.
- Also appearing in this issue of Detective Comics was:
- Cartoon Contest Winners List
- Crime Never Pays: "Criminals Fear the Microscope!"
- Detective Puzzles by A.W. Nugent
- Kops and Robbers' (1-panel gags) by Bob Kane
- "Railroad Riddle" (text story) by Paul Dean
- "Stamp Collectors' Corner" (text article)
- Statement of Ownership, Management, Circulation, etc.
- 3/4-page ad for current issues of "Fun Comics", Action Comics, and "Adventure Comics" (sic)
Trivia
- Gardner Fox's text story is credited to "Paul Dean."
See Also
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.