They're not really free. They will be men without a country. Tuvania will disown them for having failed. No other country will accept them. Their life will become a living death. 
- — Black X
Feature Funnies #20 is an issue of the series Feature Funnies (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1939.
Synopsis for "Joe Palooka"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Joe Palooka"
Featured Characters:
- Joe Palooka
Supporting Characters:
- Knobby Walsh
Synopsis for Espionage Starring Black X: "The Tuvanian Munitions Plot"
Circa probably 1938-March, the President and VP of Klegfield Arms & Munitions, sometimes aka Klegwater Arms, are Mr Bronislaus dba J.Howard Kean, American, and Karl Lescu dba Rand Stevens, also American, both formerly and recently starving in Hong Kong. These ne'er-do-wells are fronting for a sinister financial backer. This is the biggest arms factory in America; they bought it with two billion dollars of Tuvanian funding; their big plan is to wait until Tuvania demands the Hawaiian Islands from the U.S., then blow up their own factory.
Meanwhile on the highway near the factory, the Black X stops his sleek black roadster and picks up a hitchhiking reporter, who later over coffee voices his frustration at the curious camera-avoidance behavior of Kean and Stevens. Black X disguises himself as an unusually dapper factory hand, then by another amazing stroke of luck, at the factory gate, he happens to recognize Pigiron Pete, recalling a barfight in the Red Eye Saloon in Hong Kong in 1930, and based on having some convenient blackmailable info on P.P., arranges to get himself hired at the Klegfield plant. Pigiron of course immediately rats out Black X to his bosses, and they now plan to "accidentally" bump him into a vat, only this plan depends on Pete outfighting Black X, thus it backfires fatally, thus soon Black X has Pete's big knife and is hunting Kean & Stevens. In true spy style, X uses the knife to stick a threatening note to their office wall, warning them that the G-men are coming. They stupidly fly to the coast then board the S.S. Aquacadia for Liverpool; Black X follows them via air and boards the same ship then corners them. His expository gloating reveals that he had no real evidence against them but they fell for his bluff. At gunpoint, Black X extorts these fools into signing over their factory to the U.S. Government, then lets them sail, expecting that Tuvania will have an unpleasant surprise for them later.
Appearing in Espionage Starring Black X: "The Tuvanian Munitions Plot"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Major Murdock
- Batu
Antagonists:
- Mr Bronislaus dba J.Howard Kean;
- Karl Lescu dba Rand Stevens;
- Pigiron Pete (Dies)
Locations:
- Klegfield Arms & Munitions
- Tuvania
Vehicles:
- S.S. Aquacadia
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 East Wing"
Archie learns that the royal castle of Pyromania has an East Wing, closed off and unvisited for centuries, where many horrible things have happened. Archie goes there to collect some rent. He encounters a tribe of ghosts and orders them to pay up or move out. They move out and Archie plans to renovate the East Wing into an orphanage.
Appearing in Archie O'Toole: "The East Wing"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Max
- Snowdrift
Antagonists:
- deadbeat ghosts
Locations:
- Pyromania
Synopsis for The Bungle Family: "A Helping Hand"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in The Bungle Family: "A Helping Hand"
Featured Characters:
- The Bungle Family
Synopsis for Reynolds of the Mounted: "The Deserter"
Appearing in Reynolds of the Mounted: "The Deserter"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Harry Wells
- Jim Wells
- Pierre
- Jim's boss (Behind the scenes)
Locations:
Synopsis for "Big Top: Episode 20"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Big Top: Episode 20"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for The Clock Strikes!: "Boss Marco Unmasks The Clock!"
Boss Marco got the drop on the Clock and unmasked him. He threatened to reveal the Clock's identity to the public, but while Marco and his gang made off, their car exploded from a carelessly-handled container of nitroglycerin.
Appearing in The Clock Strikes!: "Boss Marco Unmasks The Clock!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Boss Marco (Dies)
- Slick (Dies)
- Soapy (Dies)
- another thug (Dies)
Locations:
Synopsis for "Lala Palooza"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Lala Palooza"
Featured Characters:
- Lala Palooza
Supporting Characters:
- Vincent Palooza
Synopsis for Captain Cook of Scotland Yard: "The Scarab Curse"
Appearing in Captain Cook of Scotland Yard: "The Scarab Curse"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Scotland Yard Chief
Antagonists:
- Briston brothers, 3 of them
Other Characters:
- Arthur Gillingham
- Earl of Gillingham (Dies)
- John Gillingham
- Sydney Gillingham (Dies)
- Hindu Manservant
- Dr. Gyhani
- Officer Weatherby
- Officer Bishop
Locations:
- London
- Scotland Yard
- 30 Hillcrest Lane, Gillingham Hall
- 64 Hoyt Street, Dr. Gyhani's office
Synopsis for "Dixie Dugan"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Dixie Dugan"
Featured Characters:
- Dixie Dugan
Synopsis for Slim and Tubby: "Episode 20"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in Slim and Tubby: "Episode 20"
Featured Characters:
- Slim
- Tubby
Synopsis for Gallant Knight: "Battle At Sea"
(reprints from the British comic Wags)
Appearing in Gallant Knight: "Battle At Sea"
Featured Characters:
- Sir Tyrone Neville of England
Antagonists:
- Moors
Other Characters:
- Sir Raymond
- his Knights Templar
- Lady Alice
Locations:
- Mediterranean Sea, near Cypress
- Aschir
Era:
- Early 9th Century, Reign of Charlemagne
Vehicles:
- Raymond's two-masted ship
- three Arab dhows
Synopsis for "Ned Brant"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Ned Brant"
Featured Characters:
- Ned Brant
Synopsis for Richard Manners: "Mr. Goetz and the Counterfeiters"
Appearing in Richard Manners: "Mr. Goetz and the Counterfeiters"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mr. Manners
Antagonists:
- Miro
- Joe
- Caesar
Other Characters:
- Mr. Goetz
Synopsis for "Mickey Finn"
(newspaper strip reprints)
Appearing in "Mickey Finn"
Featured Characters:
- Mickey Finn
Supporting Characters:
- Uncle Phil
Notes
- Last issue of Feature Funnies. Next issue the numbering continues with Feature Comics #21.
- Published monthly by Comic Favorites, Inc.
- Espionage: In the Quality Universe, the Axis Powers included: Aryania, Barbaria, Bothnia, Croatvia, Darmania, Dunland, Govania, Jarmania, Kampfland, Kioland, Latavia, Nordicha, North Germany, Teutonia, Tokoya, Tuvania, Wurtberg, and others.
- Also featured in this issue of Feature Funnies were:
- Good Deed Dotty by J.P. McEvoy and J.H. Striebel, running across the top 1/5 of all 3 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 both of his Bungle Family pages.
- Mortimer Mum by Bill Sakren ("Toddy" and "Mortimer Mum" share their two pages, with Mortimer running on the bottom half)
- "Mystery of Echo Island, Chapter I, Man of Iron" (text story) by John A. Thorne
- 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.
- Strange As It Seems: "King Yu The Great" by John Hix
- Strange As It Seems: "Mark of a Coward" by John Hix (Last appearance in a Quality Comics title)
- They're Still Talking: "...About the Olympic Marathon of 1908 in London" by Bob Zuppke and R.W. Depew
- Toddy, by George Marcoux ("Toddy" and "Mortimer Mum" share their two pages, with Toddy running on the top half)
See Also
