Every second, every hour that I was imprisoned, but one thought pounded at my throbbing consciousness. REVENGE UPON JIM CORRIGAN ALIAS THE SPECTRE!! And now I am ready to act! 
- — Zor
More Fun Comics #57 is an issue of the series More Fun Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1940.
Synopsis for The Spectre: "The Return of Zor"
Using telepathy, Zor commands world-renowned scientist Professor Dale Ericks to build a mechanism of unknown purpose, which then activates itself and projects Ericks across the depths of infinity, to the weird castle where Zor is imprisoned, and then compels Ericks to free Zor from a paralysis ray. Ericks' reward is to take Zor's place. Once free, the evil spirit travels to Earth and murders Police Sergeant Dexter, and frames Jim Corrigan.
Zor battles the Spectre, in a fierce exchange of comets, but Zor has more powerful knowledge of physics. Zor then enlists the aid of murderer Pedro Gonzalez, by magically interrupting his hanging. Pedro kidnaps Clarice Winston and ties her to a log and sends it over a waterfall. The Spectre is prevented from interfering by an invisible wall created by Zor. The Voice tells the Spectre that evil is vulnerable to the mystic Ectobane Tree. The Spectre zooms to the distant country of Lugania, magically harvests some Ectobane trees, rapidly builds a coffin, returns to the waterfall, paralyzes Zor, and places him inside it. He then rescues Clarice by reversing the waterfall, and transforms Gonzalez into a tree. Zor is then banished to the depths of the universe.
Appearing in The Spectre: "The Return of Zor"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Zor
- Pedro Gonzales (transformed into a tree)
Other Characters:
- Wayne Grant
- Professor Dale Ericks (paralyzed and displaced to the far side of the universe)
- Sergeant Dexter (Dies)
Locations:
- Earth:
- depths of the Universe
Items:
- Ectobane Wood
Synopsis for Detective Sergeant Carey: "The Royal Lurma Diamond"
Appearing in Detective Sergeant Carey: "The Royal Lurma Diamond"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Sleepy
Items:
- Royal Lurma Diamond
Synopsis for Congo Bill: "The Return of the Skull"
Appearing in Congo Bill: "The Return of the Skull"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Professor Joe Kent
- O'Toole, a chimpanzee (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- The Skull
- six Spearmen
Locations:
- Africa
- Congo River
- Belgian Congo, 1940
Items:
- treasure from the Lost City
Vessels:
- Kent's motorized river boat
Synopsis for Captain Desmo: "The Society of Assassins, Part 5"
Appearing in Captain Desmo: "The Society of Assassins, Part 5"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Gabby
Antagonists:
- Society of Assassins (many die)
- Grand Assassin of Algiers (Apparent Death)
Locations:
Synopsis for Radio Squad: "The Disappearing Baby Carriage"
Appearing in Radio Squad: "The Disappearing Baby Carriage"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Radio Car K-7
Synopsis for Lt. Bob Neal of Sub 662: "The Parachute Murders"
Appearing in Lt. Bob Neal of Sub 662: "The Parachute Murders"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Tubby Potts
Vessels:
- Sub 662
Synopsis for Biff Bronson: "The Fortune-Teller"
Biff wakes up to find Dan eating a heavy meal at 3 in the morning, noting he'll probably get a nightmare from having a heavy meal in the middle of the night. The next day Dan introduces a plumber who tells fortunes as a hobby, and they invite him to entertain at their next club meeting. Dan also points a friend of theirs, the nervous Kennedy.
At the club meeting the fortune teller's predictions overwhelm Kennedy's nerves and he passes out, but a doctor's examination pronounces him dead. Dan goes to Kennedy's apartment to get his things in order, when his landlady asks why they didn't obey the letter Kennedy always carried with him. Nonplussed by her question, Dan's told Kennedy had a condition that made him seem dead, but putting him in a bed and leaving him for a while would bring him out of it, and he always carried a letter explaining this. Dan is horrified because they found no such letter and Kennedy was already buried that morning. Just then he wakes up: Biff was right, a heavy meal right before bed gave him a nightmare. Dan has another helping, planning to continue the dream to find out what happened to Kennedy's missing letter.
Appearing in Biff Bronson: "The Fortune-Teller"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Dan Druff
Synopsis for Sergeant O'Malley of the Red Coat Patrol: "The Card Cheat"
A murderer escapes town with a captive child, and O'Malley must track him down. He does so.
Appearing in Sergeant O'Malley of the Red Coat Patrol: "The Card Cheat"
Featured Characters:
- Constable O'Malley, RCMP
Supporting Characters:
- Red Coat Patrol
- Black Hawk
- Flame, O'Malley's Wolf-Dog
Antagonists:
- murderous kidnapper
Locations:
Synopsis for Doctor Fate: "The Fire Murders"
Fires of unknown origin kill a series of wealthy men and women, some of whom are known to Inza Cramer. She ascertains that each of them had received threats, and had refused to pay for protection. When she tells Dr. Fate what she knows, he is attacked by a fiery globe! Fate magically sends that globe straight back to where it came from, plus takes flight and follows it. On a rocky coast he finds an isolated steel castle. This is the stronghold of a sorcerer called Mango the Mighty, and it is defended, with a flock of Maylayan Poison Bats, a giant flying fireball, and an undead army called the Legions of the Styx.
This villain also manages to kidnap Inza Cramer, but it works out badly for him. Fate rescues Inza, and transforms the sorcerer into a tiny statue of clay, which Inza seals in an ebony cabinet.
Appearing in Doctor Fate: "The Fire Murders"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Mango the Mighty (Single appearance)
- The Legions of the Styx
Other Characters:
- wealthy victims of Mango (several die)
Locations:
- New York
- a rocky coast
- a steel castle
Items:
- Cloak of Destiny
- tiny clay statue of Mango, in an ebony cabinet
Notes
- Published by Detective Comics, Inc..
- Captain Desmo:
- Desmo gets knocked unconscious with a club.
- Desmo and Gabby break the Fourth Wall in the final panel. Captain Desmo explains how he made an explosive out of a pack of playing cards, and Gabby plugs next issue's story.
- Congo Bill:
- Professor Kent also smokes a pipe. Congo Bill wears shorts in the jungle.
- O'Toole, the chimpanzee, joins Bill's team.
- Bill and Joe and O'Toole now have a motor launch full of treasure, and the Skull is still at large.
- Doctor Fate: The Fire Murders is reprinted in Superman #252, and The Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives Vol. 1.
- In his fight with the Legion of the Styx, Doctor Fate's mystical "life force" powers are useless against the dead. But just last issue, Fate sent a very similar undead army fleeing from him, by threatening to cremate them. So was he bluffing in #56, or is he already losing some of his powers now?
- Inza Cramer seals the inert clay sorcerer in an ebony cabinet. This implies that Mango is not as dead as a tiny clay statue should be.
- This is Inza's first kidnap.
- Spectre: The Return of Zor is reprinted in Superman #252, The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told and The Golden Age Spectre Archives Vol. 1.
- Clarice gets kidnapped for the 4th time, this issue.
- In this issue's story, a fourth conversation takes place between The Voice and The Spectre, in which he is advised of the magical properties of Ectobane wood.
- Also appearing in this issue of More Fun Comics was:
- "Wild Stallion" (text story), by Alec Mayne
See Also
Links and References
Look at how sad this is making Batman. You did this.
