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| − | | Synopsis1 = Doctor and Martha Roberts fly off to South America, just as some serious Nazi trouble is brewing up down there, and Darrel Dane gets to the airport too late to stop them. He visits the zoo, breaks into an eagle's cage, gets small, steals the eagle, guides it in flight, and overtakes the Roberts's airliner just as it is unexpectedly landing on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Island Devil's Island], off the coast of French Guiana in South America. Unable to persuade the eagle to land, Darrel skydives to the island, using two feathers for a parachute. <br/> -- On the island, Martha and Doctor Roberts (who seem to be the airliner's only passengers) meet the island's swinish new boss, Ernst Huller of Aryania (in a gray military uniform), who orders his underling Hermann to take them out and kill them. They are marched to the edge of a tall cliff by Hermann and one other creep; then Doll Man shows up and beats down these punks. Doll Man's tactics are distinctly more vicious, and his attitude is much less jolly, during this fight, than has been the norm in earlier episodes; he convincingly threatens to poke out one guy's eye with a big thorn. <br/> -- Back at his HQ, Huller belatedly learns that the well-known Doctor Roberts is in his power, and sends his aide to abort the execution and bring back the prisoners and guards; Doll Man hides in Martha's hair and accompanies them; one guard insists that he really did see a tiny man but the aide rudely disbelieves him. Back at the HQ, Huller wants Doctor Roberts to mark some defense plant locations on a big wall map, and has his thugs stick Martha into a large, modified, manual printing press, to enforce compliance. Unseen by the bad guys, Doll Man gets between the plates and lifts until the press is broken, then before the Nazis can even check out the problem with a quick look into the press, they are interrupted: Huller has just now learned that The Leader is arriving at any moment, so the prisoners get whisked away to the dungeon while everybody else leaves for the airfield, leaving Doll Man alone with their radiotelephone. "He flips a lever that is marked 'invasion fleet communications'," then gives misleading spurious orders to the invasion air fleet, and tricks them into landing on a fetid bog. (Two single-engine fighters are visible, but dialogue indicates larger and more aircraft must be arriving with them). <br/> -- At the crash site, Huller and at least four of his soldiers arrive, and are ambushed and punched out by Doll Man, who then returns to their HQ and again commandeers their radio, to call the U.S. airdrome, off Trinidad, to send some bombers over to Devil's Island. Outside the building, Huller has revived and caught up and knows Doll Man is inside; his next move is to burn down his own HQ in order to get at the tiny superhero. Inside the building, Doll Man searches until he finds his friends in the dungeon, and he rips apart the iron bars of their cell "like matchsticks." They still can't get out of the house, which is ringed by brushfires, but just then a U.S. 2-engine bomber zooms in and drops two bombs, one of which lands just close enough to snuff the fire on that side of the building but not close enough to smash our three heroes, who then escape from the burning house. Doll Man pursues Huller and punches him out again. U.S.Marines land and convey the Robertses back to U.S. territory, while Doll Man hitches a ride back home aboard a seagull. |
+ | | Synopsis1 = Doctor and Martha Roberts fly off to South America, just as some serious Nazi trouble is brewing up down there, and Darrel Dane gets to the airport too late to stop them. He visits the zoo, breaks into an eagle's cage, gets small, steals the eagle, guides it in flight, and overtakes the Roberts's airliner just as it is unexpectedly landing on [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Island Devil's Island], off the coast of French Guiana in South America. Unable to persuade the eagle to land, Darrel skydives to the island, using two feathers for a parachute. <br/> -- On the island, Martha and Doctor Roberts (who seem to be the airliner's only passengers) meet the island's swinish new boss, Ernst Huller of <u>Aryania</u> (in a gray military uniform), who orders his underling Hermann to take them out and kill them. They are marched to the edge of a tall cliff by Hermann and one other creep; then Doll Man shows up and beats down these punks. Doll Man's tactics are distinctly more vicious, and his attitude is much less jolly, during this fight, than has been the norm in earlier episodes; he convincingly threatens to poke out one guy's eye with a big thorn. <br/> -- Back at his HQ, Huller belatedly learns that the well-known Doctor Roberts is in his power, and sends his aide to abort the execution and bring back the prisoners and guards; Doll Man hides in Martha's hair and accompanies them; one guard insists that he really did see a tiny man but the aide rudely disbelieves him. Back at the HQ, Huller wants Doctor Roberts to mark some defense plant locations on a big wall map, and has his thugs stick Martha into a large, modified, manual printing press, to enforce compliance. Unseen by the bad guys, Doll Man gets between the plates and lifts until the press is broken, then before the Nazis can even check out the problem with a quick look into the press, they are interrupted: Huller has just now learned that The Leader is arriving at any moment, so the prisoners get whisked away to the dungeon while everybody else leaves for the airfield, leaving Doll Man alone with their radiotelephone. "He flips a lever that is marked 'invasion fleet communications'," then gives misleading spurious orders to the invasion air fleet, and tricks them into landing on a fetid bog. (Two single-engine fighters are visible, but dialogue indicates larger and more aircraft must be arriving with them). <br/> -- At the crash site, Huller and at least four of his soldiers arrive, and are ambushed and punched out by Doll Man, who then returns to their HQ and again commandeers their radio, to call the U.S. airdrome, off Trinidad, to send some bombers over to Devil's Island. Outside the building, Huller has revived and caught up and knows Doll Man is inside; his next move is to burn down his own HQ in order to get at the tiny superhero. Inside the building, Doll Man searches until he finds his friends in the dungeon, and he rips apart the iron bars of their cell "like matchsticks." They still can't get out of the house, which is ringed by brushfires, but just then a U.S. 2-engine bomber zooms in and drops two bombs, one of which lands just close enough to snuff the fire on that side of the building but not close enough to smash our three heroes, who then escape from the burning house. Doll Man pursues Huller and punches him out again. U.S.Marines land and convey the Robertses back to U.S. territory, while Doll Man hitches a ride back home aboard a seagull. |
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Revision as of 16:45, 28 June 2014
If you move one inch, I'll drive this into your eye! 
- — Doll Man
Feature Comics #48 is an issue of the series [[{{{Title}}} Vol {{{Volume}}}|{{{Title}}} (Volume {{{)]] with a cover date of September, 1941.
Synopsis for Doll Man: "Trouble in South America"
Doctor and Martha Roberts fly off to South America, just as some serious Nazi trouble is brewing up down there, and Darrel Dane gets to the airport too late to stop them. He visits the zoo, breaks into an eagle's cage, gets small, steals the eagle, guides it in flight, and overtakes the Roberts's airliner just as it is unexpectedly landing on Devil's Island, off the coast of French Guiana in South America. Unable to persuade the eagle to land, Darrel skydives to the island, using two feathers for a parachute.
-- On the island, Martha and Doctor Roberts (who seem to be the airliner's only passengers) meet the island's swinish new boss, Ernst Huller of Aryania (in a gray military uniform), who orders his underling Hermann to take them out and kill them. They are marched to the edge of a tall cliff by Hermann and one other creep; then Doll Man shows up and beats down these punks. Doll Man's tactics are distinctly more vicious, and his attitude is much less jolly, during this fight, than has been the norm in earlier episodes; he convincingly threatens to poke out one guy's eye with a big thorn.
-- Back at his HQ, Huller belatedly learns that the well-known Doctor Roberts is in his power, and sends his aide to abort the execution and bring back the prisoners and guards; Doll Man hides in Martha's hair and accompanies them; one guard insists that he really did see a tiny man but the aide rudely disbelieves him. Back at the HQ, Huller wants Doctor Roberts to mark some defense plant locations on a big wall map, and has his thugs stick Martha into a large, modified, manual printing press, to enforce compliance. Unseen by the bad guys, Doll Man gets between the plates and lifts until the press is broken, then before the Nazis can even check out the problem with a quick look into the press, they are interrupted: Huller has just now learned that The Leader is arriving at any moment, so the prisoners get whisked away to the dungeon while everybody else leaves for the airfield, leaving Doll Man alone with their radiotelephone. "He flips a lever that is marked 'invasion fleet communications'," then gives misleading spurious orders to the invasion air fleet, and tricks them into landing on a fetid bog. (Two single-engine fighters are visible, but dialogue indicates larger and more aircraft must be arriving with them).
-- At the crash site, Huller and at least four of his soldiers arrive, and are ambushed and punched out by Doll Man, who then returns to their HQ and again commandeers their radio, to call the U.S. airdrome, off Trinidad, to send some bombers over to Devil's Island. Outside the building, Huller has revived and caught up and knows Doll Man is inside; his next move is to burn down his own HQ in order to get at the tiny superhero. Inside the building, Doll Man searches until he finds his friends in the dungeon, and he rips apart the iron bars of their cell "like matchsticks." They still can't get out of the house, which is ringed by brushfires, but just then a U.S. 2-engine bomber zooms in and drops two bombs, one of which lands just close enough to snuff the fire on that side of the building but not close enough to smash our three heroes, who then escape from the burning house. Doll Man pursues Huller and punches him out again. U.S.Marines land and convey the Robertses back to U.S. territory, while Doll Man hitches a ride back home aboard a seagull.
Appearing in Doll Man: "Trouble in South America"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Martha Roberts
- Professor Roberts
Villains:
- Nazis, from "Aryania"
- Ernst Huller, "a blustering alien official"
- Hermann, and several other thugs, in civilian attire
- Huller's uniformed aide
- several Aryanian military pilots
Other Characters:
- "Pegasus", an eagle
Locations:
- South America.
- French Guiana
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Zero: "Duel of the Ghosts"
Appearing in Zero: "Duel of the Ghosts"
Featured Characters:
- Zero, the Ghost Detective
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- ghost of the cousin of Jim Dolan
Other Characters:
- Jim Dolan
- Dolan's ghost
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for USA The Spirit of Old Glory: "Masquerade of Treason"
In the city, while purchasing supplies for a masquerade party, USA sees four gangsters (Richter, et. al.) trying to shake down one soldier; she snatches off one shoe and beats up three of them; they flee. She is dressed in what looks like an Army uniform, except for her very short blue skirt; does USA have a military or civilian secret identity? The soldier turns out to be Pvt Allen Marshall, (son of Fort Maxon's C.O. General Marshall), but he doesn't stick around to talk. That night, "USA, in her real costume, is present" at a gala masquerade party at Fort Maxon. On a hunch, she prowls the grounds, and finds Pvt Marshall opening a gate for three of the gangsters, and supplying them with Army uniforms; they're here to steal rifles and ammunition. While they are changing clothes, USA the Spirit of Old Glory attacks, and sends them fleeing in their underwear, then demands an explanation from Pvt Marshall, who turns out to be blackmailed over some gambling debts. She very leniently cuts him a break, and also keeps quiet later about his participation in this treason, instead pursuing Richter and his henchies, whom she easily defeats with her bullet-repelling Flag, and the kinetic-energy-projecting Torch of Liberty. She then returns to the gala masquerade party, where Pvt Marshall asks her to dance, and they do. USA's series-ending last line: "Remember ... I dance only with real Americans ... but I think you've learned a lesson."
Appearing in USA The Spirit of Old Glory: "Masquerade of Treason"
Featured Characters:
- USA The Spirit of Old Glory
Supporting Characters:
Villains:
- Private Allen Marshall
- Richter and his gang
Other Characters:
- General Marshall, Commander at Fort Maxon
Locations:
- Fort Maxon
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Doll Man:
- Caption: "Darrel Dane, young scientist friend of Doctor Roberts, can at will transform himself into the Doll Man, a miniature whirlwind of action, feared by criminals and foes of our democracy."
- On the say-so of Doll Man's voice ("Calling U.S. airdrome off Trinidad .. send squadron to Devil's Island .. Trouble."), received via radio, a U.S.A.A.F. unit dispatches a flight of military aircraft, to drop bombs on Aryanian-occupied French Guiana. (One arriving pilot: "This place needs cleaning out.. We'll drop a few bombs.")
- Aryania's national insignia, logo, trademark is a different version of "the Sign of the Double Cross": two 'X'es arranged vertically. See also Motler's version in Smash Comics #9.
- The Axis Powers of Earth-X included: Aryania (Feature #48), Austria, Bothnia (Hit #3), Bulgaria, Croatia, Dunland (Hit #2) Germany, Govania (and Yadnovia maybe) (Smash #6), Hungary, Italy, Japan, Jarmania (Smash #7), Kampfland (Hit #4), Latavia (Smash #5), Nordicha (Hit #2), North Germany (Motler’s country, Smash #9), Romania, Tokoya (Hit #19), Tuvania (Feature #20), and others. Neutral countries included Ruina (Hit #3), and probably Yadnovia (Smash #6). After 1941-12, only the non-fictional countries appeared.
- USA The Spirit of Old Glory appears for the last time in this issue.
- Also featured in this issue of Feature Comics were:
- Samar: (The Feast of Azoga), by Max Elkan
- Dusty Dane: (Lighthouse of Doom), by Vernon Henkel
- Lala Palooza: (No Title), by John Devlin
- Reynolds of the Mounted: (Arson at Settler's Valley), by Art Pinajian
- Capt. Bruce Blackburn, Counterspy: "Telltale Tunnel", by Harry Campbell
- Fargo Kid: (The Transvestite Bandit), by Alex Koda
- Mickey Finn: (No Title), by Lank Leonard
- Rusty Ryan: (The Refugee Teacher), by Paul Gustavson
- Spin Shaw: (The Vanishing Planes), by Clark Williams
See Also
- [[:Category:{{{Title}}} Vol {{{Volume}}}|Cover gallery for the Feature Comics series]]
- Images from Feature Comics Vol 1 48