Master Comics #17 is an issue of the series Master Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of August, 1941.
Synopsis for Bulletman: "The Unholy Three"
A retired judge is killed in the night, and the police quickly peg this as another gruesome job performed by the "Unholy Three". Jim's recognized something the rest of the department hasn't, that all the murder victims were connected to a certain case. He and Susan become Bulletman and Bulletgirl, and speed off to the home of lawyer Franklin Jones, interrupting an attack by the Unholy Three. After the heroes fend them off, Jones reveals the defendant in the trial was a "Doctor" Twiddley Fairchild. It turns out the doctor's been using the Unholy Three to get revenge on his persecuters. Correctly figuring the decrepit old castle on the edge of town is the most likely place for a deranged scientist to hole up, Bulletman and Bulletgirl burst in. After a battle with the Unholy Three, the heroes leave them unconscious for the police to pick up.
Appearing in Bulletman: "The Unholy Three"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Bulletgirl
- Sergeant Kent
- Officer Casey
Antagonists:
- "Dr." Twiddley Fairchild (fake doctorate, real monocle)
- The Unholy Three (First appearance)
- Nosey, dwarf
- Herbert, ape
- Brutus, giant
- The Unholy Three (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Judge Thomas Wells (Appears only as a corpse)
- Lawyer Franklin R. Jones
Locations:
- New York City
- Jones's Penthouse Apartment
- Old Castle On The Hill
Items:
Synopsis for The Devil's Dagger: "The Bus Explosions"
In Carterville, gangsters working for "Mr. H" (the current big crime boss, now that Jeff Marlowe is out of the picture) are planting bombs in the tailpipes of the city's busses, wreaking havoc on the city's transportation system, as part of his big and evil scheme for taking over the entire town. Wealthy playboy turned society reporter Ken Wyman is assigned to get to the bottom of this story; he proceeds directly to the Bus Terminal and right away catches a creep planting a bomb on a bus, chases him, catches him, and beats a confession out of him. The perp spills what he knows about a planned raid on the bus terminal, at midnight, and that "Mr. H" is behind it, and that the city's subway system will be targeted after that. Wyman lets the thug go free, because the police would only get in his way.
That night, Ken puts on his tuxedo, short opera cape, domino mask, and top hat, and he and his unmasked assistant Pat Gleason return to the bus terminal in the Speed Ghost. Very soon Mr. H shows up, with four henchmen. Working by lantern light, they break into the terminal and start planting dynamite bombs, all connected to a single fuse, then light it. The Devil's Dagger severs the fuse with a thrown dagger, and there's a melee. During the fight, Dagger calls Pat "Pat," and Pat calls the Dagger "Mr. Ken," twice, right in front of the bad guys, many of whom are still conscious at the time. The lantern gets broken and a fire starts, right next to one of the dynamite bundles, but the Devil's Dagger yanks off his cape and smothers the fire. While that happens, the bad guys get away, and the cops arrive, but Ken and Pat make good their escape. The next day's paper carries a story about the break-in, and editor Burton wonders who the Devil's Dagger could be.
Appearing in The Devil's Dagger: "The Bus Explosions"
Featured Characters
Supporting Characters:
- Editor Burton, Daily Blade
- Pat Gleason, Wyman's assistant
Antagonists:
- Mister H
- four thugs
Locations:
- Carterville
- Bus Terminal
- Daily Blade Office
Items:
- Devil's Dagger's Dagger
Vehicles:
- Wyman's Speed Ghost roadster
Synopsis for El Carim: "The Lifters"
Appearing in El Carim: "The Lifters"
Featured Characters
Supporting Characters:
- Gladys
- James
Antagonists:
- The Lifters (Poke, 3 other thugs)
Other Characters:
- Mrs. Astor
- Officer Casey
Locations:
- Opera House
- Country's Largest Taxidermy Shop
Items:
- Mrs. Astor's tiara
Synopsis for Minute Man: "Illyria's Robot Spy"
Appearing in Minute Man: "Illyria's Robot Spy"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- General Milton
- U.S. Army Intelligence, G-2
Antagonists:
- Illyria
- her flunkies
Other Characters:
- Colonel O'Hara
Locations:
- G-2 HQ
- Army Camp
- Illyria's Secret Base
Items:
- X-23 (Robot) (Destroyed)
Vehicles:
- pilotless enemy bomber (Destroyed)
- Gen. Milton's warplane
Synopsis for Capt. Venture and the Planet Princess: "Rocket-Tank of Gold"
Appearing in Capt. Venture and the Planet Princess: "Rocket-Tank of Gold"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Tazon, the Scientist
Antagonists:
- Leon, King of Djunga
- his fleet
Other Characters:
- Rolan Patrol Crew
Locations:
- Ice Planet
- Frigio's Palace (Destroyed)
- Asteroid Djunga
Items:
- Leon's Physician's Life Elixer
- Leon's X-Ray Telescope and Projection machine
Vehicles:
- Rolan Patrol Ship
- Rolan Armored Rocket Tank
- Leon's Flagship
- Djunga Battle Fleet (hundreds of space ships w/ disintegration rays)
- Djunga Battle Fleet (hundreds of space ships w/ disintegration rays)
Synopsis for Companions Three: "The Return of Hook Harrigan"
Appearing in Companions Three: "The Return of Hook Harrigan"
Featured Characters
- Companions Three
- Don
- Nifty
- Spike
Monsters:
- (man-eating) Grandfather Oyster
Antagonists:
- Hook Harrigan (Dies)
- Seena
Locations:
- tropical island
Items:
- Don's "Davis Gear" diving helmet
Vehicles:
- Companions Three's Sailboat
Synopsis for Buck Jones, Frontier Marshal: "The Menace of Blackie Moore"
Appearing in Buck Jones, Frontier Marshal: "The Menace of Blackie Moore"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Mesquite Mike, deputy
Animals:
- Streak, Jones's horse
Antagonists:
- Blackie Moore, boss rustler
- Pete
- Al
- Slim
- lynch mob
Other Characters:
- Mr. Ripley, rancher
- Hank Chesley, rancher
Locations:
- American Old West
- Big Savage County, Arizona
- Twin Bluffs
- Roaring River
- Big Savage County, Arizona
Synopsis for Zoro, The Mystery Man: "Mystery At Manor Hotel"
While relaxing by the fire, Zoro's dozing is interrupted by a phone call for help just before the line's cut. After the operator informs him it came from the Mountain View Manor Hotel, he speeds there at once. Gangsters try to shoot him, but Zoro's "matchless bravery and expert driving" enable him to escape. He finds the help unusually uncouth, but checks in anyway, even after he finds out the manager, his friend Mr. Archer, is gone. While sneaking around in the night looking for clues, Zoro catches a gunman robbing a woman in her bed, but puts a stop to it. The fire alarm goes off then, so the boss of the criminals permeating the hotel ("the Czar") can force all the guests into the lobby to rob them all at once. Zoro beats them all up, then rides away as soon as the state troopers have arrived to collect them.
Appearing in Zoro, The Mystery Man: "Mystery At Manor Hotel"
Featured Characters:
Animals:
- Cheeta, Zoro's cheetah
Antagonists:
- large gang of hotel robbers (three die)
Other Characters:
- Mr. Archer, hotel manager (Dies)
Locations:
- Mountain View Manor Hotel, at Lake Placid
Vehicles:
- Zoro's black roadster
Notes
- Buck Jones: Credit line says "Written and Acted by Buck Jones."
- Bulletman and Bulletgirl call each other "Susan" and "Jim" out loud, during a fight with the Unholy Three.
- Companions Three: Nifty gets head-konked unconscious with a club.
- Hook Harrigan was last seen in Master Comics #15, in which he was called "Hook Harroday". The Companions tie him up, stuff him inside a giant oyster shell, and toss him into the ocean to drown. Seena is sent away with a warning.
- The Devil's Dagger and his maskless assistant Pat are both quite careless about calling one another by their real names during a fight with Mr. H and his gangsters.
- The Devil's Dagger's "Speed Ghost's" license plate is "71-19". Nobody including the narrator actually refers to the Devil's Dagger's convertible roadster by name, in this story.
- Mr. H escapes again.
- El Carim's illusion-casting spell: "BALLA BA DRACHU"
- Minute Man gets head-konked with a stout branch, but it doesn't knock him out, or down.
- Villainess Illyria is thwarted, but escapes.
- Zoro kills two more hoodlums with his sword-cane, and Cheeta kills another one.
- Also appearing in this issue of Master Comics were:
- Full-page ad for Whiz Comics #20
- Strange But True
- Larry Dean: "The Flyin' Fool Strikes Again" (text story) by Carl Formes
See Also