More Fun Comics Vol 1 53

"The Spectre: "The Spectre Strikes!"": Detective Jim Corrigan apprehends members of Gat Bensons gang on the same night of his engagement announcement. His fiancée Clarice Winston desperately waits for Corrigan to show up at her family estate but he does not make it. Corrigan successfully sub

The Spectre: "The Spectre Strikes!"
Cover
More Fun Comics Vol 1 #53
March, 1940
Executive Editor	Whitney Ellsworth
Cover Artists	Bernard Baily
The Spectre: "The Spectre Strikes!"
Writers	Jerry Siegel
Pencilers	Bernard Baily
Inkers	Bernard Baily
Editors	Whitney Ellsworth
Biff Bronson: "The Marching Mechanical Men, Part 2"
Writers	Albert Sulman
Pencilers	Joseph Sulman
Inkers	Joseph Sulman
Lt. Bob Neal: "The Mine Sweepers"
Writers	Robert Hirsch
Pencilers	Russ Lehman
Inkers	Russ Lehman
King Carter: "The Rocket Ship"
Writers	Paul Lauretta
Pencilers	Paul Lauretta
Inkers	Paul Lauretta
Captain Desmo: "Cult of Assassins, Part 1"
Pencilers	Ed Winiarski
Inkers	Ed Winiarski
Radio Squad: "The Reckless Driver"
Writers	Jerry Siegel
Detective Sergeant Carey: "Murder in the Ring"
Writers	Joe Donohoe
Pencilers	Joe Donohoe
Inkers	Joe Donohoe
Red Coat Patrol: "The Search for Half Breed Charlie"
Pencilers	John Lehti
Inkers	John Lehti
Bulldog Martin: "The Fall of Billy Evans"
Writers	Bart Tumey
Pencilers	Bart Tumey
Inkers	Bart Tumey
Previous Issue	More Fun Comics # 52
Next Issue	More Fun Comics # 54

That's another thing I'm sorry about -- the engagement is off!

— Jim Corrigan

More Fun Comics #53 is an issue of the series More Fun Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1940.

Synopsis for The Spectre: "The Spectre Strikes!"

Detective Jim Corrigan apprehends members of Gat Bensons gang on the same night of his engagement announcement. His fiancée Clarice Winston desperately waits for Corrigan to show up at her family estate but he does not make it. Corrigan successfully subdues the criminals but lands in the hospital due to his wounds. Clarice tracks Corrigan down and meets him at the hospital where he is released. The couple then leaves but they are captured and taken hostage but Benson’s men. Corrigan is then stuffed into a Barrel that is filled with cement . He is then dumped into the river. The barrel plummets to the bottom and Corrigan's soul rises out of its body. He hears a mysterious voice from above informing him that his mission on earth is unfinished. He is informed that he will be sent back with supernatural powers to battle crime. Corrigan then finds himself sitting at the bottom of the river but he does not drown and moves about very easily. He rises above the water and uses his supernatural powers to rescue his fiancée Clarice. Bullets pass through him and criminals drop dead as soon as they touch him. One of the criminals then shoots Clarice but Corrigan is able to heal her with his newfound powers. The police are summoned and the surviving thugs are apprehended. Corrigan then drives his fiancée home and informs her that their engagement is off with no explanation as to why. As he drops off Clarice, Corrigan comes to the sudden realization that he is not even breathing when he notices that he does not even leave an moisture as he sits next to the car window. Corrigan goes home and fashions a costume to fight crime as he comes up with the name of Spectre as his new identity.

Appearing in The Spectre: "The Spectre Strikes!"

Featured Characters:

• The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) (First appearance as The Spectre) (Origin)

Supporting Characters:

• Clarice Winston

Antagonists:

• Gat Benson (dies, is resurrected)
• Ricky (dies, is resurrected)
• Louie (dies, is resurrected)

Other Characters:

• Wayne Grant

Locations:

• Earth-Two
  • Cliffland, New Jersey
    

Appearing in Biff Bronson: "The Marching Mechanical Men, Part 2"

Featured Characters:

• Biff Bronson

Supporting Characters:

• Dan Druff

Antagonists:

• The Wizard

Items:

• Wizard's Marching Mechanical Men

Locations:

• West Point
  

Appearing in Lt. Bob Neal: "The Mine Sweepers"

Featured Characters:

• Lt. Bob Neal

Supporting Characters:

• Tubby Potts

Vehicles:

• Sub 662
  

Appearing in King Carter: "The Rocket Ship"

Featured Characters:

• King Carter

Supporting Characters:

• Red Rogers
  

Appearing in Captain Desmo: "Cult of Assassins, Part 1"

Featured Characters:

• Captain Desmo (from Adventure Comics)

Supporting Characters:

• Gabby

Antagonists:

• Society of Assassins

Locations:

• Bombay, India, 1940
  

Appearing in Radio Squad: "The Reckless Driver"

Featured Characters:

• Radio Squad
  • Sandy Keene
  • Larry Trent
    

Appearing in Detective Sergeant Carey: "Murder in the Ring"

Featured Characters:

• Detective Sergeant Carey

Supporting Characters:

• Sleepy
  

Appearing in Red Coat Patrol: "The Search for Half Breed Charlie"

Featured Characters:

• Constable O'Malley, RCMP

Supporting Characters:

• Red Coat Patrol
• Black Hawk
• Flame, O'Malley's Wolf-Dog
  

Appearing in Bulldog Martin: "The Fall of Billy Evans"

Featured Characters:

• Bulldog Martin

Supporting Characters:

• Jonah

Notes

• Published by Detective Comics, Inc..
• First More Fun Comics issue for Captain Desmo, by Ed Winiarski. This feature previously appeared in New Adventure Comics #26 thru Adventure Comics #47.
• The Spectre:
  • The Spectre Strikes! is reprinted in Golden Age Spectre Archives 1 and Secret Origins #5.
  • By the end of this two-part origin story, Clarice Winston has been kidnapped once and shot once.
• Also appearing in this issue of More Fun Comics were:
  • Butch the Pup, by Fred Schwab
  • Ginger Snap, by Bob Kane, last seen in More Fun Comics #48.

See Also

• Cover gallery for the More Fun Comics series

Links and References

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