- We meet again, Stumpy Small! But this is your last job!
- — Dr. Fate
More Fun Comics #98 is an issue of the series More Fun Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of July, 1944.
Synopsis for The Spectre: "Cartoons of Crime"
Percival Popp is tasked with protecting an animation studio; Criminals dressed as cartoon characters try to rob the studio, but Spectre's invisible hand is there to defeat them.
Appearing in The Spectre: "Cartoons of Crime"
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Antagonists:
- petty criminals dressing as cartoons characters. One of them seems to be based on Pete
Other Characters:
- Paul Binny
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Synopsis for Green Arrow: "The Fabulous Fawn"
Appearing in Green Arrow: "The Fabulous Fawn"
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Antagonists:
- Phinias Trippe
- Alf
- Bart
Other Characters:
- Police Officers
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Synopsis for Johnny Quick: "Tall, Slim, and Handsome"
Tubby is upset that his fat makes him unattractive to women. He and Johnny fight a criminal whose medicine turns slim people into fat ones and vice versa.
Appearing in Johnny Quick: "Tall, Slim, and Handsome"
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Antagonists:
- Doc Filch
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Synopsis for Dover & Clover: "The Whirlwind Wig Hunt"
Appearing in Dover & Clover: "The Whirlwind Wig Hunt"
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Other Characters:
Locations:
- Dover & Clover's office
Synopsis for Doctor Fate: "The Bashful King of Crime!"
A hold-up with gunfire outside Weathersby Hospital prompts Dr. Kent Nelson to go into action as Dr. Fate. He disrupts the getaway from a jewelry store robbery and recognizes the leader as Stumpy Small; Stumpy is behaving strangely. When a henchman tries to hand him a bag of gems, Small refuses to accept it, and tries to give the loot to Dr. Fate. This distracts Fate long enough for him to get knocked out (*) from behind. The bad guys drive away, but Fate quickly recovers and flies in pursuit, with this magic ring unerringly guiding him along their trail. At their hide-out, Stumpy is still behaving oddly; he wants no part of this crime or this loot; his henchmen are puzzled by his behavior. It soon turns out to be a case of mistaken identity; this guy is Henry Halfpint, who just happens to look and dress exactly like Stumpy Small.
Dr. Fate arrives and confronts them. He's ambushed by the real Stumpy Small, and quickly gagged, tied, and thrown into a tank that's filling up with water. When the level gets up to Fate's breast pocket (which pocket we don't see), it combines with a previously-unmentioned prescription powder, with the effect of flash-freezing the entire tankful of water. This is purely a lucky break and not the result of prior planning by Fate, who now is able to break some ice and use the jagged edges to cut his ropes. He flies to the site of the gang's next robbery, arriving while the henchies are inside the bank, with Stumpy and Henry waiting in the car; Stumpy plans to murder Henry and leave his body at the crime scene to throw off pursuit. Fate grabs Stumpy, flies away with him, and immediately returns without him. The gangsters come out of the bank with their loot, and Henry, impersonating Stumpy, drives them to a police station (with Fate riding on the car's roof), where a squad of cops surrounds the car and arrests the gang.
Appearing in Doctor Fate: "The Bashful King of Crime!"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Stumpy Small & Gang (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Henry Halfpint (Single appearance)
- A nurse
- A young patient
Locations:
- Weathersby Hospital
- First Federal Bank
Items:
- Doctor Fate's Half-Helmet
- Fate's magic ring
Synopsis for Aquaman: "Treasure of the Deep"
Appearing in Aquaman: "Treasure of the Deep"
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Antagonists:
- Steal-a-million Sponsler
- Baldy Duff
Other Characters:
- Phineas Blodgett
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Notes
- "The Bashful King of Crime!" is reprinted in The Golden Age Doctor Fate Archives Vol. 1.
- This issue's episode of Doctor Fate is his final golden age solo appearance.
- His next chronological appearance is in Wonder Woman #242, April 1978 (Earth-Two continuity) or JSA Returns: All-Star Comics #1, May 1999 (New Earth continuity).
- His next published appearance is in Justice League of America #21, August 1963.
- Doctor Fate is apparently no longer invulnerable, and that helmet of his can't ward off a simple head-conk.
Trivia
- The final 1/3 of the final page of the Doctor Fate story is taken up with an ad for War Bonds, in a different art style from Jon Kozlak's.
See Also