Flash Comics #8 is an issue of the series Flash Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1940.
Synopsis for The Flash: "The Building Swindle"
Jay Garrick, as the Flash, goes up against manufacturer Mr. Jenkins, who is forcing builders to buy his substandard building material. Flash makes use of his high-speed invisibility and tracks down the men behind the scheme and forces confessions from them. He also makes sure that the construction workers use good materials in the buildings to prevent further accidents.
Appearing in The Flash: "The Building Swindle"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Chief
- Carrel
- Jenkins
Other Characters:
- D. A.
- Olsen
- Omsab
- Jones
- Smith
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Cliff Cornwall: "The Captured Sub"
Cliff Cornwall investigates the disappearance of a submarine, and discovers that it has been taken by Doctor Brine and his underwater pirates. Empowered by their unusual dietary regimen, these pirates can breathe underwater for up to an hour.
Appearing in Cliff Cornwall: "The Captured Sub"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Doctor Brine
- Brine's crew of underwater pirates
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for The Whip: "The Search for the San Creso Mine"
- In the 19th century, the original El Castigo (Don Fernando Suarez), buried a treasure, somewhere near Seguro. In the 19th century, American ranchers Jim and Sairy Shiner searched for the treasure, which was left behind by a bandit that they nursed back to health. The couple was killed by highwayman Ike Coffey, who also dies without discovering the gold.
Almost a century later, the Shiners's descendant Elby, also a rancher, discovers a clue which leads him and his wife Carol to the treasure. In the town of Hondo a banker (Casper Fleece) tries to extort it from them by kidnapping their son Pat, until the Whip corrects the situation.
Appearing in The Whip: "The Search for the San Creso Mine"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- King
- Wing Tai
- Marissa Dillon
- El Castigo
Antagonists:
- Casper Fleece
- Ike Coffey (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Carlos
- Elby Shiner
- Pat Shiner
- Carol Shiner
- Jim Shiner (Dies)
- Sairy Shiner (Dies)
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- Hondo, New Mexico
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for The King: "The Witch at Sea"
The Witch sails to the South Seas to steal the valuable Bloody Rubies from their owner aboard the S.S. Islandia. Once she has stolen the gems she hides out on a nearby island until she can meet with a fence who will sell them in the Far East. The King tracks the Witch to the island and disguises himself as Trader Torne, the fence. He and his infallible disguise outwits the Witch, for the fourth time; he gets the gems and strands her on the island empty-handed.
Appearing in The King: "The Witch at Sea"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Witch
- Trader Torne (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Colonel Evers (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- island in the South Seas
Items:
- Bloody Rubies
Vehicles:
- S.S. Islandia
Synopsis for Johnny Thunder: "Theatre Madness"
Johnny Thunder receives theatre tickets from an unknown woman. He escorts Daisy Darling to the show hoping that he can impress her. Johnny's mysterious contact requests that he pay special attention to the stage magician Hoco. Johnny goes on stage during Hoco's act and discovers that the magician is robbing audience members, on stage, by swapping counterfeit money for real dollars. Johnny exposes the crook and impresses Daisy with his detective skills.
Appearing in Johnny Thunder: "Theatre Madness"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Hoco
Other Characters:
- Mildred Thunder
- Herman Darling
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Rod Rian of the Sky Police: "The Gorilla Hunt"
Rod and his friends escape from the gorilla men, and trap them in a cave.
Appearing in Rod Rian of the Sky Police: "The Gorilla Hunt"
Featured Characters:
- Rod Rian
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Flash Picture Novelette: "The Money Vanishes"
Appearing in Flash Picture Novelette: "The Money Vanishes"
- Appearances not yet listed
Synopsis for Hawkman: "The Sunspot Wizard"
Professor Kitzoff has noticed a correlation between sunspot activity with wars and crime, and based on this scientific discovery, has invented a device that can control sunspots, and make people go crazy. It also harnesses the power of sunspots into a deadly heat ray, with which he shoots down an airliner. Soon "The Sunspot Wizard" makes his bid to terrorize the world, in an attempt to rule mankind. When science-dabbler Carter Hall learns of the increased sunspot activity, he picks up a Norman-style spiked mace, puts on his wings, and investigates the professor's lab, in which he evades at least one boobytrap. Though he destroys the sunspot device, Hawkman is shot and believed to be dead (but was really only knocked unconscious). The evil professor nails the Hawk up inside a crate, and prepares to move to South America, to build a new machine, and to take the body of Hawkman with him (to avoid leaving evidence, except he stupidly leaves behind Hawkman's mace). Hawkman soon recovers and escapes, by flying his whole crate to a sawmill and running it through a buzzsaw with himself still inside it, and traces the professor to Lahojas in South America, where Kitzoff has constructed another device. Hawkman destroys the new machine, and throws his heavy mace right into the professor's face. Kitzoff survives that, briefly, but soon is shot dead by his own men, by mistake.
Appearing in Hawkman: "The Sunspot Wizard"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Sunspot Wizard (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Doctor French
Locations:
- Earth-Two
- New York City
- Lahojas, in South America
Items:
- Norman-style mace
- Sunspot-powered death-ray
Vehicles:
Notes
- The Flash is "fifty times faster than a normal man" and can punch "at eight hundred miles an hour."
- The Building Swindle is reprinted in Golden Age Flash Archives 1.
- Hawkman: The Sunspot Wizard is reprinted in Golden Age Hawkman Archives 1.
- Hawkman has now killed at least twelve evildoers, mostly on purpose, and been bulletwounded twice.
- Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt manifests itself invisibly in this story, making it appear as if Johnny's magic actually works on people around him, rather than that of his Thunderbolt.
- This issue of Flash Comics also include a text story: "The Strange Formula B-9" by Evelyn Gaines