I - I - I can't concentrate on my newspaper ---- If something's happened to Batu ---- he'll get through to me -- he's a master of the occult sciences - 
- — Black X
Feature Comics #22 is an issue of the series Feature Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1939.
Synopsis for "Joe Palooka"
{newspaper strip reprints}
Appearing in "Joe Palooka"
Featured Characters:
- Joe Palooka
Supporting Characters:
- Knobby Walsh
Synopsis for "Jane Arden // Lena Pry"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Jane Arden // Lena Pry"
Featured Characters:
- Jane Arden
- Lena Pry (See Notes.)
Synopsis for Archie O'Toole: "The Children's Protest"
Appearing in Archie O'Toole: "The Children's Protest"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Gil O. Teen
- henchman
Other Characters:
- striking pupils of Pyromania
- teachers of Pyromania
- Minister of Education
Locations:
- Pyromania
- O'Toole City
- O'Toole City
Synopsis for Rance Keane, the Knight of the West: "The 'Ghost' of Jed Osborn"
Appearing in Rance Keane, the Knight of the West: "The 'Ghost' of Jed Osborn"
Featured Characters:
- Rance Keane (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Chaps Shaw
Antagonists:
- Poker Moseby
Other Characters:
- Jed Osborne
- Bartender
Locations:
Synopsis for Espionage Starring Black X: "The Rescue of Batu"
Circa probably 1938-May: The Black X's Hindu servant Batu has been captured by a spy ring (Daglos, other guy), and is being tortured, but as a master of the occult sciences, he's able to contact the Black X via telepathy, and guide him to the right address, in a bad neighborhood, to have a long and lively fistfight, at the end of which a goodly dozen freshly-thrashed spies are ready for jail.
Appearing in Espionage Starring Black X: "The Rescue of Batu"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Batu, a master of the occult sciences
- Major Murdock
Antagonists:
- Daglos
- saloonful of spies and other brawlers
Other Characters:
- cabdriver
Locations:
- Washington, D.C.
- 104 South Slip
- 104 South Slip
Synopsis for "Big Top"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Big Top"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for The Bungle Family: "Sold!"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in The Bungle Family: "Sold!"
Featured Characters
- Bungle Family
Synopsis for The Clock: "The Murder of D.A. Downs"
The Clock investigates the supposed suicide of the local District Attorney, Ted Downs, and through some astute detective work manages to trace the murder back to Mayor Tull, who was about to be exposed (by Downs) for graft.
Appearing in The Clock: "The Murder of D.A. Downs"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Captain Kane
Antagonists:
- Mayor Tull
Other Characters:
- Ted Downs
Locations:
Synopsis for "Lala Palooza"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Lala Palooza"
Featured Characters:
- Lala Palooza
Supporting Characters:
- Vincent Palooza
Synopsis for "Ned Brant"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Ned Brant"
Featured Characters:
- Ned Brant
Synopsis for Captain Cook of Scotland Yard: "The Ruby Willie Case"
Appearing in Captain Cook of Scotland Yard: "The Ruby Willie Case"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sergeant Casper Kelly
- Chief
- London Police
Antagonists:
- "Ruby" Willie Crandall
- Ferdinand Koffler (Apparent Death)
- "Red" Smith
- Johnny
- Ivy (Apparent Death)
- Mike (Apparent Death)
Locations:
- London
- Scotland Yard
- 21 Horner Street, Johnny's shop
- King's Highway, below Baldwin Dam, Koffler's hideout
Items:
- Scotland Yard's Directory of Valuable Gems and their Owners
Synopsis for "Dixie Dugan"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Dixie Dugan"
Featured Characters:
- Dixie Dugan
Synopsis for Reynolds of the Mounted: "Mr. Big"
Appearing in Reynolds of the Mounted: "Mr. Big"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police
- Inspector
- Mac
- Tom
Antagonists:
- Mr. Wales, as "Mr. Big"
Other Characters:
- Mr. Drew, Wales's neighbor
- Drew's landlord
Locations:
- Canada
- RCMP HQ
- Wales Engraving Co.
Items:
- counterfeit engraving plates
Synopsis for Slim and Tubby: "Episode 22"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in Slim and Tubby: "Episode 22"
Featured Characters:
- Slim
- Tubby
Synopsis for Gallant Knight: "Showdown With Chopak"
(reprints from the British comic Wags)
Appearing in Gallant Knight: "Showdown With Chopak"
Featured Characters:
- Sir Tyrone Neville of England
Supporting Characters:
- Alice D'Assigny, Princess of Navaria
Antagonists:
- Chopak (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Prince of Navaria
- his Guards
- the city's rabble
Locations:
- France
- Marseilles
- Castle of Greyloch
Era:
- Early 9th Century, Reign of Charlemagne
Synopsis for "Mickey Finn"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Mickey Finn"
Featured Characters:
- Mickey Finn
Supporting Characters:
- Uncle Phil
Notes
- Published monthly by Comic Favorites, Inc.
- Final issue for Archie O'Toole, which returns next month in the first issue of Smash Comics.
- Final issue for Captain Cook of Scotland Yard, which returns next month in the first issue of Smash Comics.
- The Clock smokes cigarettes, and carries them in a fancy cigarette case.
- Espionage:
- Black X has a Hindu manservant, Batu, just like Zatara has a Sikh-or-Hindu manservant, Tong. In fairness, to be as well-dressed as Zatara or Black X, one probably would need a full-time valet.
- Barroom tough guy: "Pipe the dude what jes' came in, boys --- monocle and all -- ain't he sweet?"
- This is the final issue of Feature Comics for this feature, which returns next month in the first issue of Smash Comics.
- First issue for Rance Keane, a Western, set in Arizona, in some decade from the 1910s to the 1930s. Travel is all horseback, no cars or paved roads are seen, no telegraph or telephone mentioned, so it's not later than 1930. Dude ranches exist,[1] and commercial supplies of natural gas are available,[2] so it's not earlier than 1910.
- Also featured in this issue of Feature Comics were:
- Good Deed Dotty by J.P. McEvoy and J.H. Striebel, running across the top 1/5 of all 4 of their Dixie Dugan pages.
- "Joe Palooka's Boxing Course" by Ham Fisher, running across the top 1/5 of all 4 of his Joe Palooka pages.
- Lena Pry by Monte Barrett and Russell E. Ross, running in the bottom-left 1/4 of all 4 of their Jane Arden pages.
- Little Brother by H.J. Tuthill, running across the top 1/5 of all 3 of his Bungle Family pages.
- Mortimer Mum by Bill Sakren, across bottom halves of "Toddy" pages
- Nippie ("He's Often Wrong") by Lank Leonard, running across the top 1/5 of all 4 of his Mickey Finn pages.
- Off The Record (1-panel gags) by Ed Reed, in two places in this issue.
- "Rain Bird, Part 1 of 2" (text story) by Robert M. Hyatt
- Toddy by George Marcoux, across top halves of "Mortimur Mum" pages
- They're Still Talking: "...About Ted Lyons' Terrible Disappointment" by Bob Zuppke and R.W. Depew
Trivia
- Per GCD, George Tuska probably wrote and drew the Archie O'Toole story, under the pen name "Bud Thomas."
- Will Eisner signed his Espionage story as "Will Erwin."
- William Smith signed his Rance Keane stories under the pen name "Will Arthur."
See Also