More Fun Comics Vol 1 65

"The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto"": A magician named Dr. Mephisto is performing to a packed hall when suddenly the lights go out and a cowled figure covered in ethereal fire, the Blue Flame, appears. Once the lights go back on, rich patrons realize they've been robbed. Soon a bank messenger reports b

The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto"
Cover
More Fun Comics Vol 1 #65
March, 1941
Executive Editor	Whitney Ellsworth
Cover Artists	Bernard Baily
The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto"
Writers	Jerry Siegel
Pencilers	Bernard Baily
Inkers	Bernard Baily
Editors	Whitney Ellsworth
Detective Sergeant Carey: "Undersea Espionage"
Writers	Joe Donohoe
Pencilers	Joe Donohoe
Inkers	Joe Donohoe
Congo Bill: "The Shami Diamond"
Pencilers	George Papp
Inkers	George Papp
Captain Desmo: "The Information Leak"
Writers	Ed Winiarski
Pencilers	Ed Winiarski
Inkers	Ed Winiarski
Radio Squad: "The Melting Pot"
Writers	Jerry Siegel
Pencilers	Fred Ray
Inkers	Fred Ray
Lance Larkin: "Cult of the Assassins"
Pencilers	Harold Wilson Sharp
Inkers	Harold Wilson Sharp
Biff Bronson: "Piracy on the Atlantic"
Writers	Albert Sulman
Pencilers	Joseph Sulman
Inkers	Joseph Sulman
Sergeant O'Malley of the Red Coat Patrol: "Blackjack Barns' Revenge"
Writers	Jack Lehti
Pencilers	Jack Lehti
Inkers	Jack Lehti
Doctor Fate: "The Fish-Men of Nyarl-Amen"
Writers	Gardner Fox
Pencilers	Howard Sherman
Inkers	Howard Sherman
Letterers	Howard Sherman
Previous Issue	More Fun Comics # 64
Next Issue	More Fun Comics # 66

I have given Nyarl-Amen time to consider surrender and a life prolonged -- or death!

— Doctor Fate

More Fun Comics #65 is an issue of the series More Fun Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of March, 1941.

Synopsis for The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto"

A magician named Dr. Mephisto is performing to a packed hall when suddenly the lights go out and a cowled figure covered in ethereal fire, the Blue Flame, appears. Once the lights go back on, rich patrons realize they've been robbed. Soon a bank messenger reports being robbed by the mysterious Blue Flame as well. Detective Corrigan uses his otherworldly powers to look into the past and identify the car the Blue Flame used, learning it belongs to a crook named Jimmy Groggins.

Groggins attacks Corrigan when the cop shows up to interrogate him, but is unimpressed when the Spectre turns the hood's knife into a charm on a necklace, and even when the ghost grabs him and flies them both to Mars. Then a Martian dinosaur appears and swallows them both, making Groggins finally break down and tell them where the hideout of the Blue Flame's gang is. After ordering Groggins to give himself up to the police, Spectre goes to this hideout and learns where Blue Flame will rob next. He masquerades as the hoods' boss to send them to rob the policeman's ball instead, then goes to a wealthy social gathering where Dr. Mephisto will be performing.

Corrigan is convinced of Mephisto's innocence. However a stolen bracelet ends up on his wrist after the Blue Flame attacks. The Spectre easily captures Blue Flame when he meets with one of his flunkies to collect some loot, and unmasks him as Dr. Mephisto.

Appearing in The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto"

Featured Characters:

• Jim Corrigan
• Spectre

Supporting Characters:

• Police Chief

Antagonists:

• Blue Flame (First appearance historically)
• Jimmy Groggins (Single appearance)

Other Characters:

• Mrs. Pemberton (Single appearance)

Locations:

• Cliffland, New Jersey
  

Appearing in Detective Sergeant Carey: "Undersea Espionage"

Featured Characters:

• Detective Sergeant Carey

Supporting Characters:

• Sleepy

Antagonists:

• Spy (who escaped in the plane factory sabotage case) (captured)
  • his boat crew
• submarine crew (captured)

Locations:

• Fishing Boat Marina

Vessels:

• two hired motorboats
• enemy submarine (captured)
• several U.S. Coast Guard cutters
  

Appearing in Congo Bill: "The Shami Diamond"

Featured Characters:

• Congo Bill

Supporting Characters:

• Professor Joe Kent

Antagonists:

• Randu, international diamond thief (Dies)
• Joe, Winston Darrow impersonator (Dies)
• fake cab driver (Dies)
• cowboy thug

Other Characters:

• Winston Darrow
• diamond broker
• Aladi Shami, Indian Prince (Flashback only)
• Tori Sabu, unscrupulous Rajah (Flashback only)
• two truck drivers

Locations:

• South Africa
  • large coastal city
    • hotel
    • passenger piers
    • busy streets
    • Randu's hideout

Items:

• The Shami Gem
  

Appearing in Captain Desmo: "The Information Leak"

Featured Characters:

• Captain Desmo

Supporting Characters:

• Gabby
  

Appearing in Radio Squad: "The Melting Pot"

Featured Characters:

• Radio Squad
  • Larry Trent
  • Sandy Keene
    

Appearing in Lance Larkin: "Cult of the Assassins"

Featured Characters:

• Lance Larkin

Antagonists:

• Cult of Assassins (Many die)
  • Hassan (Dies)

Other Characters:

• British Seventh Infantry Division (Massacred)
• British Garrison at Nisapur
  • General Holm
  • Major Jim Brown
    • Brown's troops

Animals:

• Omar, Larkin's horse

Locations:

• Arabia
  • Hassan's mountain fortress at Alamut
  • British fort at Nisapur
    

Synopsis for Biff Bronson: "Piracy on the Atlantic"

Featured Characters:

• Biff Bronson

Supporting Characters:

• Dan Druff
  

Appearing in Biff Bronson: "Piracy on the Atlantic"

• Appearances not yet listed
  

Appearing in Sergeant O'Malley of the Red Coat Patrol: "Blackjack Barns' Revenge"

Featured Characters:

• Constable O'Malley, RCMP

Supporting Characters:

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

Synopsis for Doctor Fate: "The Fish-Men of Nyarl-Amen"

The Fish-Men of Nyarl-Amen, a dynasty of 50,000 years ago, armed with electric-dart-shooting tridents, attack a U.S. Naval Base in Hawaii as the start of an invasion. Dr. Fate fends off the attack by shooting fire out of his hands, which incapacitates or kills the fish soldiers, then heads for their undersea city to deal with the leader, Nyarl-Amen himself, who is protected within a ring of fire which Fate cannot penetrate.

Fate rescues a captured Army officer then returns to battle the fish-man, who has now stupidly stepped out of his protective ring, and who shoots Fate with a Grecian fire gun, ineffectually, then tries to fight him with a sword, then gets punched out, and falls upon his own sword. Then Dr. Fate destroys the city to protect the surface world.

Appearing in Doctor Fate: "The Fish-Men of Nyarl-Amen"

Featured Characters:

• Doctor Fate

Antagonists:

• Nyarl-Amen (Only appearance; dies)
• Fish-Men of Nyarl-Amen (Destroyed)

Other Characters:

• U.S. Army officer

Locations:

• U.S. Naval Base in Hawaii
• Tower of Fate

Items:

• Amulet of Anubis
• Cloak of Destiny
• Helmet of Fate
• "Crystal Ball"

Notes

• Published by Detective Comics, Inc..
• Dr. Fate: "The Fish-Men of Nyarl-Amen" is reprinted in Wanted #3 and The Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives Vol. 1.
  • Dr. Fate's body count: 2 mad scientists, 3 sorcerers, 1 trawler crew of Bundist sailors, 1 shipful of space aliens, an entire alien planet, an undersea civilization and the species that built it, and a Mayan god.
• Lance Larkin gets head-konked unconscious with a rifle stock.
• The Spectre: "Dr. Mephisto" is reprinted in Detective Comics #443 and The Golden Age Spectre Archives Vol. 1.
• Also appearing in this issue of More Fun Comics was:
  • "Retriever" (text story), by Frank Cooper.

Trivia

• Congo Bill still smokes a pipe.

See Also

• Cover gallery for the More Fun Comics series
• Images from More Fun Comics Vol 1 65

Links and References

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