Flash Comics #18 is an issue of the series Flash Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of June, 1941.
Synopsis for The Flash: "The Restaurant Protective Association"
While on a date, Jay Garrick and Joan Williams run into Joan's old friend Brenda Forest, a restaurant owner, who tells Joan about how her establishments have been recently plagued by racketeers. Although Jay initially tells Joan she should mind her own business, he later visits one of Brenda's restaurants as the Flash and chases away two of the criminals. He follows them back to their base to learn more about the operation.
Meanwhile, Joan visits Brenda and learns of the Flash's recent actions. During her visit, several members of the protection gang arrive. However, the Flash arrives to scare them off, remaining invisible at superspeed and causing them to punch each other.
The next day, Jay reads of the murder of Brenda's restaurant manager, Fred Devere. When Brenda and Joan go to the morgue to identify the body, they are unable to do so, because it has been horribly burned. The Flash runs to several of Brenda's restaurants and, finding criminals trying to destroy each of them, foils their efforts. When several of them run off, he follows them to their boss.
Meanwhile, Brenda and Joan are tricked into being captured. The Flash arrives shortly thereafter, rescues the girls, defeats the gangsters, and learns that the leader of the racketeering operation is none other than Fred Devere, who had faked his own death.
Appearing in The Flash: "The Restaurant Protective Association"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Fred Devere, aka "Morgan", restaurant manager
- protection racketeers
Other Characters:
- Brenda Forest, aka Brenda "Foster", restaurant owner
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Johnny Thunder: "Manny Bucks"
Big time racing impresario Manny Bucks hires Johnny Thunder to be a bodyguard for his racehorse, Slim King. Slim King gets stolen by gangsters (secretly led by Jake "Pirate" Crane, Manny's main racing rival). Johnny disrupts the robbery and retrieves Slim King.
After a series of unlikely events, Johnny ends up riding Slim King in the Welldone Stakes. Pirate Crane isn't yet finished, he doses Slim King with a strong sedative, but Johnny's Thunderbolt saves the day.
Appearing in Johnny Thunder: "Manny Bucks"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Thunderbolt
- Mildred Thunder
Antagonists:
- Jake "Pirate" Crane (First appearance)
- Mouse (Single appearance)
- his gang
Other Characters:
- Manny Bucks (First appearance)
- Slim King, his racehorse (horse) (Single appearance)
- Manny's monkey (First appearance)
- Red Devil (horse) (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Les Sparks, Radio Amateur: "The Adventure of the Attempted Invasion"
Appearing in Les Sparks, Radio Amateur: "The Adventure of the Attempted Invasion"
Featured Characters:
- Les Sparks, Radio Amateur
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for The Whip: "Gold in Gunner's Gulch, Part 2"
Continued from Flash Comics #14:
Marissa Dillon has learned that local gold miners are having their claims stolen, by a corrupt town clerk, Ozzie Cooper, and his partner Slick Munro. That's why they've kidnapped her out to the desert and left her there to die.
The Whip follows the kidnapper's horse's trail, and finds Marissa. They return to Gunners Gulch, and get the evidence they need, matching stolen claims to rightful owners. Munro and Cooper try to flee, but they don't get far.
Appearing in The Whip: "Gold in Gunner's Gulch, Part 2"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Marissa Dillon
- Carlos
Animals:
- King
Antagonists:
- Ozzie Cooper
- Slick Munro
- hired gunmen
Other Characters:
- miners
Locations:
- Gunners Gulch
Items:
Synopsis for The King: "The Amnesia Victim"
Gloria Millionstar gets kidnapped and King Standish witnesses it. Soon a fake Gloria Millionstar, supposedly with amnesia, is admitted to the hospital. Standish, suspicious, disguises himself as Percy Millionstar, and investigates. Standish is The King of imposters, and knows one when he sees one, and this girl is one. With trickery, he gets her to divulge the whereabouts of the kidnap gang. Her story is that she herself was kidnapped, years earlier, and has ever since been forced to work with this gang.
The King finds the kidnappers and rescues the real Gloria. The ladies are very pleased and surprised to learn that they are twin sisters.
Appearing in The King: "The Amnesia Victim"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- gang of kidnappers
Other Characters:
- Gloria and Joan Millionstar, twins
- Percy and Evaline Millionstar, parents of twins
- Henders, butler
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Minute Movies: "Eyes of the Skull"
Appearing in Minute Movies: "Eyes of the Skull"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Hawkman: "The Gold Rush of '41"
Shiera's cousin Hank Sanders finds gold in Alaska. Mining supply company owner Joe Harrel gets greedy, and cuts off Hank's supplies, leaning on him to abandon the claim. Shiera finds out about this and flies to Alaska, in a chartered airplane. Hawkman finds out about that, and follows along, packing a quarterstaff.
When they get to Alaska, they find that Harrel's gunmen are indeed stockading the food. But a bad snowstorm blows in, and these punks flee. Hawkman is able to deliver some supplies to Sanders and his mining crew, and Shiera has meanwhile been looking around and finds some evidence implicating Harrel. But before she can get anywhere with that, she is grabbed and abducted by Nogtcha, Harrel's burly Inuit assistant. But before he can get anywhere with her, Hawkman shows up, and thrashes him soundly, persuading him to squeal on his boss and to allow Hank's crew to keep on mining.
Appearing in Hawkman: "The Gold Rush of '41"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Joe Harrel
- Nogtcha
Other Characters:
- Hank Sanders
- Jim Baker
Locations:
Items:
- Nth Metal wings and harness
Vehicles:
Notes
- "The Restaurant Protective Association" was reprinted in The Golden Age Flash Archives Vol. 2.
- "The Gold Rush of '41" was reprinted in The Golden Age Hawkman Archives Vol. 1.
- Hawkman's Nth Metal harness generates an aura of heat around him in the Arctic wilderness.
- This issue's "Johnny Thunder" story, "Manny Bucks", is published out of sequence. Manny Bucks is introduced here, but he has already appeared in Flash Comics #16.
- This issue's "The Whip" story, "Gold in Gunner's Gulch, Part 2", is continued from the corresponding story in Flash Comics #14, and was published out of sequence.
- Also featured in this issue of Flash Comics were:
- "Zansu the Brain-Builder" by Evelyn Gaines (text story)
- "Just for Fun" Ray McGilio
See Also
Recommended Reading
- The Flash Recommended Reading
- Hawkman Recommended Reading
- Action Comics (Volume 1)
- The Atom (Volume 1): The Atom and Hawkman #39– #46
- Brightest Day
- Convergence: Hawkman
- Detective Comics (Volume 1)
- Hawkgirl (Volume 1)
- Hawkgirl (Volume 2)
- Hawkman (Volume 1)
- Hawkman (Volume 2)
- Hawkman (Volume 3)
- Hawkman (Volume 4)
- Hawkman (Volume 5)
- Hawkworld (Volume 1)
- Hawkworld (Volume 2)
- JSA (Volume 1)
- Justice League of America (Volume 1)
- Justice League of America (Volume 3)
- Mystery in Space (Volume 1): Mystery in Space #87– #91
- The Savage Hawkman
- Shadow War of Hawkman
- World's Finest (Volume 1)
- Justice Society Recommended Reading
- Adventure Comics (Volume 1)
- All-Star Comics (Volume 1)
- All-Star Squadron (Volume 1)
- America vs. the Justice Society (Volume 1)
- Infinity Inc. (Volume 1)
- JSA (Volume 1)
- JSA: All Stars (Volume 1)
- JSA Classified (Volume 1)
- JSA: Strange Adventures (Volume 1)
- JSA vs. Kobra (Volume 1)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 1)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 2)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 3)
- Justice Society of America (Volume 4)
- Last Days of the Justice Society Special #1