Green Lantern (Volume 1) with a cover date of April, 1947.
Synopsis for "The Diamond Magnet"
Elmer Quince is a kleptomaniac who can't resist stealing diamonds, but not a bad sort, as he always sends the diamonds back to their owners the next day. At an exhibition, he falls into a scientific apparatus and becomes a living magnet for anything containing carbon: coal, pencils, carbon steel knives (to his great dismay and fright), and diamonds. A group of gangsters get the idea to steal diamonds by shoving him into collections of the jewels so everything will automatically be stuck to his body. Unfortunately, back at their hideout they can't find a way to actually pry their ill-gotten gains off Elmer's body. Green Lantern solves this problem by using his ring to invert Elmer's polarity, pelting the crooks with the gems and making them easy to capture. This killed two birds with one stone, he explains to Doiby. Not only are the crooks captured, Elmer's cured of his kleptomania, too: now that Elmer repels diamonds, he'll never be able to steal them again.
Appearing in "The Diamond Magnet"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Brains" Gaylor
- Croaker
- Muggs
Other Characters:
- Elmer Quince, kleptomaniac
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Gotham University
- Alan Scott's Apartment
- Jewelry Stores
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Man Who Couldn't Win"
Jimmy Mulloy's father lost a bet about his child's gender, and Jimmy inherited an inability to win any bet he tried to place. Years later, gangster "Never Lose" Barry's endorsing a candidate for district attorney, and Alan Scott announces his station won't give an owner of a crooked gambling house like Barry's air time. To deal with this attack on his reputation, Barry invites Alan down to his casino, but plans to have someone "dumb and innocent" dealing with Alan to make the place seem legitimate. It so happens Jimmy Mulloy's looking for a new job, and idolizes "Never Lose" Barry's ability to win every bet, so he's given a job at the roulette table as their dupe. However, Mulloy's inability to win means Alan and Doiby soon have a huge stack of money, and at gunpoint Barry forces Mulloy to bet along with the duo so they lose everything back to the casino. When Mulloy tries to leave with Alan and Doiby, panicked about his safety, Barry's gang go after him so he can't testify against them. Alan changes to Green Lantern but in the middle of the fight gets hit on the head with a wooden club.
Barry has his flunkies take the heroes out to the saw mill behind his casino to quietly dispose of them, but Jimmy Mulloy runs in and bets Doiby that he'll be killed. Just then the people at the city realize the saw mill's electric bill hasn't been paid in months, and turn off the juice seconds before Doiby's about to be cut in half. Green Lantern can't believe something so ridiculous saved their lives, but chases down "Never Lose" Barry to the horse track where he's using Mulloy's luck to rig the races for his own payoff. After capturing the gang, Alan tries to bet Mulloy it'll be night in ten minutes to prove there's nothing to his bad luck. Only for an eclipse to take place.
Appearing in "The Man Who Couldn't Win"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- "Never Lose" Barry
- Pinky
- other gangsters
Other Characters:
- Jimmy "Wrong Way" Mulloy
- Abner Vinson
Locations:
- Gotham City
- WXYZ Radio
- "Never Lose" Barry's Casino
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Man Behind the Mask"
Three bottom-rung criminals, Skippy, Ab, and Rap, are released from prison, but have no idea what to do with themselves until they're contacted by a well-dressed crook calling himself the Fop. He promises to make them into gentlemen so they can pull off more lucrative crimes with his leadership, and the three agree at the promise of these rich payoffs. Meanwhile, Alan Scott has two tickets to a fancy dress society ball, and proposes he and Doiby go as themselves: Green Lantern and his loyal partner Doiby Dickles.
The Fop takes his men to be outfitted in fancy suits, but the proprietor realizes he's been had when the Fop doesn't really give him a card on where to send the bill, just a card saying "the Fop". His cries for help draw Green Lantern, and while the hero's out of Doiby's cab, the Fop and his gang demand Doiby drive them to the same party he and Green Lantern were going to already. The Fop then knocks Doiby unconscious with his cane after the cabbie gets irate at being stiffed on his fare. Inside, the Fop claims to be masquerading as the character A.J. Raffles and "pretends" to rob the guests of their valuables, who find the activity extremely droll. Green Lantern sees the Fop for what he really is, but when the villain fails to do any damage with his sword cane, a blast of blinding gas from a cufflink proves effective, and the gang gives Green Lantern the slip. However, the Fop's made an error: the social organizer of Percy De Chaunce is found by the duo in the back of Doiby's cab, and since the Fop was his only passenger that day, it seems they know the villain's identity.
The gang's planning to rob a society dinner where the trio of henchmen are posing as waiters, but knowing the Fop's plans because of his organizer, Green Lantern and Doiby show up to foil them. The Fop flees to the De Chaunce house, and meets Green Lantern unmasked. He confesses his family fortune's gone, and rather than dirty his hands with earning an honest living, chose to become a criminal to remake his fortune. In a way, he's outwitted Green Lantern, because he'd drunk poison before the hero confronted him and can't be taken to prison. The same can't be said for Skippy, Ab and Rap, who are admitted to the state pen once again.
Appearing in "The Man Behind the Mask"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Fop (Percy De Chaunce) (Single appearance; dies)
- Skippy
- Ab
- Rap
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Alan Scott's Apartment
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- Published by National Comics Publications, Inc.
- Also appearing in this issue of Green Lantern was:
See Also